Creating from Scratch

My mother was great at baking a cake “from scratch” whereas my only successful cakes came from a box mix… It got me musing about “from scratch” and how that applies to creating music compositions and songs…

How did the phrase “from scratch” originate? It’s presumed that it comes from the scratch mark that sets the starting line in a race, so it essentially means “from the start.” 

But it has come to mean, when talking about baking, using the original ingredients rather than a box mix which puts a lot of ingredients together for you.

The thing is, when you bake from scratch, you have to remember to include all the ingredients, and you have to know how much of each to use. The box mix instructions usually say “just add water” or maybe just add water and eggs.” So, there is less chance of producing a flop, presuming the folks at Betty Crocker have the ingredients right. 😉But the advantage of the “scratch cake” is that you can also improvise and produce something that is not so predictable, and not exactly like every other cake produced from that box mix.

Okay, now we get to composition, songwriting, and even arranging traditional tunes, or making a pop song your own…

What are the ingredients in music? Melody, Harmony, and Rhythm are the three commonly called “the elements of music.” These will produce your basic cake. Then the frosting ingredients might be dynamics, tempo, timbre (tone color), and ornaments. And then there is the overall form. For a cake, the form would be the size and shape of the pan or pans, and the final shape of the cake if it is layered – rectangle, round, heart-shaped…  

So, before you can create music from scratch, a basic understanding of how each ingredient will affect the end result is needed. What is the alternative? Baking a box mix cake might be like creating a predictable piece of music – everything is expected, with no surprises. And even if you decorate your cake creatively, the taste will be what you’d expect from a box mix. And therefore, not all that memorable. Music composed using ingredients that are predefined from composition rules, can also lack that special quality that makes people remember it, or talk about it. So, it’s not just about “getting it right” but about improvising and substituting and breaking some of the rules. “Think outside the box mix…”

Let’s go back to the starting line, the scratch mark that says go. What makes you take off? Is it like a race to see if you can finish first, or is it a lightbulb idea? Are you required to write, or inspired to write? In order to develop that basic understanding of the musical ingredients, you’d need to do a lot of experimental writing, and maybe even some specific assignments. And every so often, while doing a required assignment, you may find yourself inspired to take it all the way to the finish line!

I just finished a three-part Songwriting Online course that is also available as a video replay on my website at: https://verlene.com/workshops.html#all3

And I taught an online class called “Composing Start to Finish” last Spring that I will teach again this coming Spring. This one is not available on my website to protect the ideas coming from the participants, but it’s a fun class to take, so keep watch for that one to come up again! If you’re not on my mailing list, or on it but not getting my monthly workshop notifications, let me know and I’ll “tag” you for those! You can also join the list and choose your tags here: https://verlene.com/contact.html#list

Late breaking news! My song El Nino is one of the songs featured in today's Women of Substance radio podcasts. The theme for the shows starting on 9/11/22 has been "Songs with a Conscience" and 4 of my songs have been featured. You can listen to today's show at any time today or in weeks to come! And while you're there, scroll down the page to find the other shows my songs are in (#1387, #1389, and #1393): https://www.wosradio.com/listen