"How to write like John Williams"

[Faleel 5,340]

Was this posted before?

 

https://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=xZtvm3DEQzY

[BloodBoal 7,538]

I AM THE NEW JOHN WILLIAMS NOW!

[Disco Stu 15,495]

I bet Desplat watched that video before starting work on Rogue One.

[Loert 2,510]

This video essentially demonstrates a few basic tricks for writing film underscores, which are used by Williams (as the uploader displays) but are not exclusive to his writing style. The main idea behind underscoring is that the music should support the action on screen but not to draw too much attention to itself (most of the time at least), and these chord progressions that he demonstrates are like the "basis" of how to accomplish that. In fact, these chord progressions lie at the heart of Neo-Riemannian theory, which is worth looking into if one wants a rigorous "derivation" of these kinds of progressions:

 

 

(or you could simply be creative and figure out yourself which chord progressions sound effective).

 

Of course, if you really wanted to write like John Williams, then there is no way that a 10-minute video (or even a series of videos) could show how that could be done, because the only person who will ever truly know how to write like Williams is Williams. Williams has his own logic when it comes to writing music, one which developed over the course of his lifetime and simply couldn't be internalized by anyone even if he wrote a book about his methods. He could talk about all the "how-s" but only he can truly understand his "why-s". 

 

At best, one can only try and emulate Williams based on his work. Gordy Haab is an expert at this I believe (at least when it comes to action music), but if he were asked to write the score to "Ready Player One" then obviously it wouldn't sound anything like what Williams would write, because he isn't Williams. Emulation is really just a "party trick" at the end of the day. 

 

Not to say that one shouldn't study Williams' work, of course - one could learn a lot from it. IMO Williams has an almost impeccable technique, clarity and directness to his music, and listening to his work made me really think about the clarity in mine.

 

All I'm trying to say is, composers shouldn't fall into the trap of trying to "sound" or "write" like another composer. There is no such thing as the "next John Williams". Every person's style is unique, and one should be proud of that, and cultivate that. Studying other composers' works is not about learning to write like the composer you're studying, it is about finding out what it is about their music that "works", and how you can apply that to your own writing.

 

Anyway, the video is still handy as it demonstrates some really useful film-scoring tips.

 

P.S. "Chord progressions" are overrated...it's all about the voice leading! Emin -> Cmaj is just a fancy way of saying "the B goes to C", which I think is much easier to understand. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[Naïve Old Fart 9,504]

How to write like JW.

You can't and you never will, you c**t, so don't start.

It takes more than a rudimentary knowledge of JW's technique to sound anything remotely like the greatest living composer. 

Instead, concentrate on sounding like someone far more worthy; yourself.

[Dixon Hill 4,233]

Why does no one ever take into account the pervasive jazz influence in his harmony?  That's how you really start to sound like him.  Not many of the Williams imitators seem to get this, if any.

[Naïve Old Fart 9,504]

Why? Because people are always trying so hard to make their scores sound like E fucking T, that they don't look back down the road to see where JW came from. They want the cake, but they have no interest in the recipe.

[Dixon Hill 4,233]

But even looking closely at a generally high-romantic schmaltzfest like E.T. reveals jazz sexiness.

[Jilal 569]

When I began actively listening to Williams's vast output, I was incredibly impressed by his counterpoint of ideas, orchestration, and so forth. In a similar way one might be impressed by the beauty and richness of a language and thus express the will, the urge to learn it and use it as a new means of communication, I've always wanted to be able to write music in Williams's musical language. I wouldn't regard that as the will to surpass him - rather to linger in the same musical territory as far as that's possible.

 

I experience the very same sentiment with almost every composer whose music I happen to be drawn toward - it's certainly not restricted to Williams alone, but his musical language is, by far, the one I find myself most attracted to. And, to be quite frank, I don't think I'm the only one with these thoughts. Many composers have modeled their own idiomatic language after that of their influences, oftentimes starting out by writing very much in the styles they're influences by and developing a language perhaps more personal later on. 

 

I believe you need somewhat of a framework to begin with, musical clay to sculpt creatively with. Inspiration is very scarce - you can't sit around all day waiting for it. Depending on your talent, fresh, creative musical ideas will eventually appear. You can't force that, however. Of course, I could have quoted Stravinsky (?), but I guess that line is known well enough already.  

 

Furthermore: of course, what this video presents is a handful of tricks - harmonic progressions, modes, etc. What interests me more is the logic, the thinking behind that. If that is what you adapt as a composer, you'll be able to reference your influences far more creatively since instead of referencing them directly with quasi musical quotes, you'll be able to try and think like them.

[karelm 2,903]

I think the point of the video is not so much "How to sound like John Williams" but things that John Williams does that you should add to your toolbox as a composer.  John Williams has a toolbox that has Henri Mancini, Wagner, Korngold, Adams, Herrmann, Hayden, Holst, Count Basey, etc., etc.  He knows when and how to borrow elements to make it musical rather than a hodgepodge and the end result is very distinctively JW.

[pete 906]

I can type like John Williams

[Bespin 8,480]

7 hours ago, Disco Stu said:

I bet Desplat watched that video before starting work on Rogue One.

 

He has not a single chance to write one day like John Williams.  His style is as the straight opposite of the one of Williams.

 

I'm not saying it's bad.

 

It's just so... European.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

You hate Europe, don't you?

[Quintus 5,399]

Why are people so seemingly offended by this video? The fella is simply talking about very basic aspects of Williams' style and offering a brief and easy to grasp 10 min tutorial (YouTube is full of tutorials) for anyone interested. He isn't downplaying the skill of Williams or being critical of his talent, there is no cynical agenda. Jesus, chill dafuq out! 

[Naïve Old Fart 9,504]

I hear what you are saying, Lee, but it's not possible to distill a 55-plus year career into 10 minutes. At the very most you concentrate on the  "essential", or popular JW, and that is simply not fair on the man, his music, or his work.

 

[Bespin 8,480]

4 hours ago, Stefancos said:

You hate Europe, don't you?

 

Not at all. But I don't think Desplat could be of one John Williams's successor. His style is too much different.

 

Any way, no one can pretend to be the successor of John Williams, he's unique!

 

When he will be gone, this will be the end of an era in modern film music.

 

[BloodBoal 7,538]

[Bespin 8,480]

@BloodBoal Well, I didn't listen the same music as you!

 

I'm not an expert of Desplat music, but for what I listened, he seems to often write little cyclic tunes, with not much emphase on the melodies, but rather on the mood.

 

It has more to do with french dances than big romantic fanfares and virtuosity.

 

If Desplat can imitate the dark side of John Williams, he will never be as luminous.

 

He scored a darker Harry Potter.... he will score a darker Star Wars. It serve the purpose, but the best ones have been written by JW.

[BloodBoal 7,538]

[Bespin 8,480]

14 minutes ago, BloodBoal said:

You want luminous Desplat? Listen to The Monuments Men.

 

I know only the Opening Titles from this score. It's a comedy, no?

 

Ok, I will listen to the entire album this morning on Spotify.

[Bespin 8,480]

@BloodBoal That's cute.

 

We don't have the same definition of luminous.

[Simon McBride 113]

I don't want to write like John Williams. I want to write better than him (wishful thinking, I know).

 

[mrbellamy 6,272]

On 8/25/2016 at 7:21 AM, Bespin said:

@BloodBoal That's cute.

 

We don't have the same definition of luminous.

Try this one for luminosity. Probably the most soulful melody I've heard out of Monsieur.

 

 

[BloodBoal 7,538]

[Naïve Old Fart 9,504]

12 hours ago, Hawmy said:

I don't want to write like John Williams. I want to write better than him (wishful thinking, I know).

 

 

Take a ticket, get in line, and be prepared to wait for a very, very, very long time.

[Jilal 569]

14 hours ago, Hawmy said:

I don't want to write like John Williams. I want to write better than him (wishful thinking, I know).

 

Are you Asian?

[Simon McBride 113]

4 minutes ago, Jilal said:

 

Are you Asian?

 

Whitest mormon kid you'll ever meet.

[crocodile 7,988]

It's like Don Davis once said, you become your own thing by imitating other stuff you admire badly.

 

Karol

[Naïve Old Fart 9,504]

Shouldn't that be:

"You become your own thing by imitating badly other stuff you admire"?

[Jilal 569]

6 minutes ago, Richard said:

Shouldn't that be:

"You become your own thing by imitating badly other stuff you admire"?

 

Grammar and spelling tend not to be best friends with composers.

[Datameister 2,037]

9 hours ago, Richard said:

Shouldn't that be:

"You become your own thing by imitating badly other stuff you admire"?

 

If you're gonna change the word order to maximize clarity, I'd put "badly" in front "imitating." Putting an adverb between a transitive verb and its object just sounds weird.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Indeed!

[BloodBoal 7,538]

Badly indeed!

[mrbellamy 6,272]

14 hours ago, Jilal said:

 

Grammar and spelling tend not to be best friends with composers.

 

Plus croc's comment wasn't even necessarily a direct quote.

 

Even if it was DD probably would have added "badly" as a witty afterthought. Hard to always say exactly what you mean in real time.

[Dixon Hill 4,233]

18 hours ago, Richard said:

 

Take a ticket, get in line, and be prepared to wait for a very, very, very long time.

 

Is this a healthy and worthwhile response to admirable ambition and drive in a young composer, or is it pointless aggrandizing and poisonous malarkey? 

[Naïve Old Fart 9,504]

5 hours ago, TheWhiteRider said:

 

Is this a healthy and worthwhile response to admirable ambition and drive in a young composer, or is it pointless aggrandizing and poisonous malarkey? 

 

On 24/08/2016 at 9:00 PM, Richard said:

Instead, concentrate on sounding like someone far more worthy; yourself.

 

[Dixon Hill 4,233]

Yes.  That's what he said.  That he doesn't want to write like John Williams, but better, presumably in his own way.  That's what you implied was impossible.  

[Naïve Old Fart 9,504]

I'm not implying anything. I'm stating that attempting to sound like JW is pointless, and futile. Instead, create your own musical identity.

Still, if you are going to try to sound like (or better than) someone else, it might as well be JW.

[Simon McBride 113]

I'm just trying to set the bar high. Even if I don't end up sounding better than johnny, I'll still end up sounding better than a lot of people. I don't sound very good right now though haha.

 

[Naïve Old Fart 9,504]

Hammy, it's nice to emulate someone you admire. I wanted to be so much like the colleagues that I work with, but I soon realised that I hadn't a snowball's chance, so, I decided to be like the one person I could be like.

If I could chose, I'd write music like my favourite guitarist, but what's the point? It's been done, so why bother?

But, like I said...if you aim high, at least you'll get somewhere. You are trying, and I respect you for that. In these days of lazy-ass, maximum-return-for-minimum-effort, that means a lot.

I'll be the first to apologise on the night you win your first Oscar! 

[Jilal 569]

On 28-8-2016 at 9:50 PM, Hawmy said:

I'm just trying to set the bar high. Even if I don't end up sounding better than johnny, I'll still end up sounding better than a lot of people. I don't sound very good right now though haha.

 

Imitate, assimilate, innovate. In that order!