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About Phil Kelly
Expertise
I`m a semi-retired professional music arranger with over thirty five years in all phases of the commercial music production business. I can try to answer questions regarding music arranging, theory, orchestration , and/or composition for most acoustic ensembles .( jazz band or orchestral ) I can try to offer suggestions about studio music recording procedures and some basic MIDI applications , too. In the course of my career I`ve worked with such artists as Doc Severinsen and the old Tonight Show Band, Bill Watrous, Buddy Greco, John Gary, Mel Torme, Julius LaRosa, as well as the Pop programs of the Fort Worth, Dallas, North Carolina, and Houston Symphonies, as well as library music material for ABC, ESPN, and NFL Films.
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You are here: Experts > Music/Performing Arts > Musicians' Exchange > Musical Composition, Theory, Songwriting, and Singing > developing stylishness
Expert: Phil Kelly - 11/8/2009
Question
Hi, I compose average sounding r&b and pop, but keep giving up on songs because I'm not satified with their stylishness. I want to know what sort of training is neccesary to compose music that measures up to my high calibre taste. Other people have told me to evolve my personal style, and find what my style is, but my taste is the pop and r&b I see on tv, not the music I make. Do I need to pick up style from covers, or by composing using the most advanced music theory? Is it experience with great music? What should I do?
Answer
Hi James:
Unfortunately, the way you phrased your question makes it difficult to answer, becaause
semantically "stylishness" can mean different things to different people. If the kind of
music you want to write is what you hear on TV ,you can learn to do this by improving your transcription skills and taking down some favorite songs in notation -and by "taking down "
I don't mean just melody and chord changes but the ENTIRE track -what each instrument is
playing ,what the background( singers / instruments ) is doing and how it's all layered.
this is not an easy task, but by the time you get a few songs under your belt, you'll begin
to understand what makes them work.
However, doing this will not help you achieve a personal "style" it will mainly give you the tools
for analysing the music you hear. Developing a personal "style" can only be achieved by writing
many songs over a long period andd putting to work the tools you've learned by transcribing
the material you've analysed.
Hope this helps -Good luck!
Phil Kelly
www.philkellymusic.com
Origin Records
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