The distillation of the two processes of Contact/Collection and Transformation then evolves into the exposition of one's idea to the musicians chosen for the project and the subsequent rehearsals. In our experience we have rarely found moments in which the music needed a radical change of form or sections. The work to be done was to curate the sound of the band and to listen and gain confidence in the chosen musicians.
It should be emphasised that listening to our work being played by musicians for the first times was not a complete surprise for us; it was rather a focus moment on all the work we had done previously. All the doubts and blurriness that the arrangement had brought to the surface are finally dissolved during the first rehearsals and, with the renewed vision, we are able to make those sound decisions that lead us to enjoy playing the music.
The writing process, i.e. what we refer to as the creation of raw material employed for the development of new compositions, stems from a collective improvisation that takes in a few melodic, rhythmic and textual elements (in most cases, the starting point is predominantly rhythmic).
We repeat and develop these elements as long as possible, until we come to an unspoken consent that this is the right way to go.
How do we communicate this to each other? The common case is that we frequently return to the same type of material and try to modify it with micro harmonic shifts (i.e. a change of bass, or of a single note within the voicing; a series of shifts we commonly call ‘loops’).
This way, the musical material always starts and develops simultaneously despite the different focus points: rhythmic-harmonic for the guitar, melodic-textural for the voice. The writing process is therefore always interconnected because it is part of a real creative performance.
But what happens when we are not convinced of the starting musical material (which we will call ‘loops’ from here on)? Our methodology is divided into two possibilities:
- recording the loop in a continuous flow (usually with our phones) so that we can later listen to it in a more critical and analytical way.
- total change of rhythmic-harmonic material (less common)
The writing process is always influenced by our physical and human needs, that we take into account in order to always have a synchronised process from the musical creative point of view, while always paying attention to personal physiological needs. The awareness of each other's 'creative limits' enables us to make the most of our compositional experience by choosing to deliberately take frequent breaks, ease physical and mental tiredness, changing location or moment.
In the writing process, it is clear how the skeleton of the loop suggests the two circles of respective, individual and different creativities, increasingly resonating, to the point where the musical personalities can no longer be distinguished.
This union happens organically only by having the patience to stay on the same initial loop long enough to allow us to re-play together. And this is only possible, in our experience, in a slow and steady context.
A key point regarding co-creative writing is mutual trust and the right determination to present one's own ideas, so as to inform the creative process without one voice prevailing over the other.
In this process, we believe that a thorough mutual understanding and knowledge, both musical and personal, is crucial; this is evident in the first pieces written together, where the lack of mutual understanding is reflected in the unclear compositional aesthetic and the less fluid musical material.
Within our creative process a kind of division of roles has been structured; on the one hand Corrado is responsible for the first creative input, suggesting a loop and looking for harmonic solutions on the guitar, on the other hand Sara suggests the first melodic ideas and takes care of recording and writing the melodic/harmonic material. This results in fewer disruptions to the compositional flow, as the harmonic and melodic material is attempted to be fixed practically as soon as it is born.
While the co-creative writing part is common to many of today's projects (think of the world of pop production or jazz projects such as Snowpoet), the next step is what we consider to be the most complex , from the perspective of mutual trust and technical difficulty.
The process is based on our background as composers and arrangers. Once we have identified the loop we want to work on, we jump into the actual development of the tune, which includes sections, orchestration and everything else that goes into the construction of such a work.
We don't always work lineally (i.e. intro- A B etc.) but we strive to follow the same writing ethic, fixing musical moments with guitar-voice that will be later orchestrated.
We would like to emphasise how we manage to separate various elements of the guitar-voice loop part from recordings of spontaneous improvisations in which sometimes the piano also suggests arrangement ideas, adapting them and making them grow thanks to the variety of instruments at our disposal in our septet (see intro One by One). These elements are purely rhythmic from the guitar, melodic from the vocals and counter-melodic from other instruments that we imagine to fit into our dialogue.
This part of the arrangement flows like a normal creative process that we would have as individuals: one idea leads to another, and so on until the form of the song is complete. This is only possible because of the work previously done in resonance between us, so that we approach artistic arrangement choices (more varied and definying the true skill and character of a composer) with a common musical direction. Although we may encounter some friction, as in any relationship, we come up against choices that can make us reconsider the general form, the ending or many other elements of the tune.
Being that the arranging part touches on a much more technical realm and links personal aesthetics, it is natural that the compromise is what then makes the song progress and close. Perhaps the common achievement is not so much the realisation of the song itself, but the ability to satisfactorily complete a process with another person; this is something that we rarely experience in our musical careers in such a dilated and profound way, for playing together refers back to a present time sphere. A bit like playing a chess game with two minds instead of alone.
Knowing where to draw the line between one's own and other people's creativity is still the true challenge. To be aware that everyone is making a personal contribution to the maximum, which strives to be complementary to another vision (however close to one's own it may be).
To be sure of this requires extreme trust in the other and in the directions being taken individually. In essence, always ask yourself ‘how can I support and enhance the other's idea without selfishly overlapping with the continuation of the arrangement?’
A key point regarding co-creative writing is mutual trust and the right determination to present one's own ideas, so as to inform the creative process without one voice prevailing over the other.
In this process, we believe that a thorough mutual understanding and knowledge, both musical and personal, is crucial; this is evident in the first pieces written together, where the lack of mutual understanding is reflected in the unclear compositional aesthetic and the less fluid musical material.
Within our creative process a kind of division of roles has been structured; on the one hand Corrado is responsible for the first creative input, suggesting a loop and looking for harmonic solutions on the guitar, on the other hand Sara suggests the first melodic ideas and takes care of recording and writing the melodic/harmonic material. This results in fewer disruptions to the compositional flow, as the harmonic and melodic material is attempted to be fixed practically as soon as it is born.
It would be uneasy and somewhat frictional if there was a counteraction intended to alter every microproposal made during the improvisation rather than accepting and enhancing it appropriately. Although this is the basis of improvisation and playing together, it still remains a hot topic in many musical contexts. Hence the need for total transparency in feedbacks and trust in each other, even if the value of the loop at stake is not yet fully understood.
Our job as a group is to carve the same sculpture while maintaining our own creativity and vision of the proposed music. At the end of the day, we are satisfied when we really manage to work together, allowing each other's ideas to breathe. In co-writing music, compromise is not a concession but a catalyst for innovation.
Everything is always influenced by the physical and human needs, that we pay special attention to (frequent breaks, knowledge of one's ‘creative limit’, physical and mental tiredness, the need to change location or period).
This attention allows us to always have a synchronised process from the musical creative point of view, while always paying attention to personal physiological needs.