J. Anthony Allen explains when music notation matters: orchestral and film music need detailed scores to instruct performers, but electronic and pop music often don't. The hardest part of composing is communicating your ideas to the people playing it, and notation is the tool that does that. If your mock-up becomes a real orchestra, you need to know how to write a proper score.
Okay, what about music notation, how we notate music? Do you need to know this? Yeah, you do. But it a little bit depends on the style of music you're writing. If you're not writing music that is traditionally notated, then no, you don't need to master music notation. If you're writing electronic music, beat bass music, rock music, pop music, things like that, then being a master of music notation won't really do you much good. But if you're trying to write orchestral music, classical music, film music, even music for games, then you really do need to understand music notation. And the main reason is because the hardest thing to do in music composition is to accurately convey your idea to another person. That's what we have to do. Because as composers, we create music, but we always have a person in the middle, and that's the performer. So if I write a piece of music for orchestra, what I have to do is I have to find a way to write instructions, really elaborate instructions for about a hundred people to do the things that I need them to do to make the sounds I want. And those instructions are best done with music notation. I want to say, play this note at this time in this rhythm. I need to say that a whole bunch of different ways. So I really do need to know how to write things down as best as possible so that the person reading that music will understand exactly what I want them to do and when I want them to do it. That's the hardest part about, or it's one of the hardest parts about writing music, is to convey your idea to somebody else. Now, that being said, there are some technologies where we don't need that in between person. We don't need that performer. Sometimes if we're just putting all our music right into a computer and having it play it back, you might not need traditional notation ever, if that's what you're doing. But just keep in mind that knowing notation will help you with some of the computer rendering stuff. Depending on what program you're using, understanding how notation works will help with that. Also think about when you write that big film score and you're using. You're using a computer to make a big orchestral sound. And what if the film comes back and says we can hire a real orchestra to do it? Don't you want to take that opportunity? I think you do, because having a real orchestra player music is one of the most profound experiences you can have as a composer, and I want you to have that. So you really need to know how to write down music for that orchestra, if that is ever something you aspire to do. So music notation is important for you to know how to do. Let's talk a little bit more about software and technology.
