Describing music with words

[sheena]

Hi,
During lessons my teacher sometimes asks me to describe a piece in words, e.g. what feeling I get from a certain passage, what image I see or how the character and structure differs between two movements.
I find this so hard to express in words and my mind just goes completely blank. Still, I certainly feel something but I just can't find the right words to verbalize it. Does anyone know a way to practise this "skill" or have any other suggestions or experiences regarding the subject?

Any help would be appreciated.

Sheena

[Derek]

I'm an amateur so I've never had an academic requirement to do this, but I've often wondered about it. It seems to come naturally to some and not to others. The only sort of imagery I've ever been able to conjure up is exceedingly simplistic, naive, objective things like, hey there are trills in the woodwinds! that sounds like birds! Or, wow, the strings and brass are all thundery and loud! that sounds like a storm! So, I gave up on that years ago and I only enjoy the "something" you describe. I'll be interested to see what people say in this thread.

[pianowolfi]

I think the purpose of what your teacher is asking for is to inspire your interpretation and get more life and clarity and conception into it. To describe music for serving this purpose you might just want to search for the words that are most inspiring to yourself. If this is the musical terminology like cresc. decresc, buildups, formal terms like subject or countersubject or if it is something different like inner pictures, associations with nature or even movie plots doesn't really play a role if it serves the purpose to playing inspired and making an event out of a performance.

[keyboardclass]

Who would waste their time with words apart from a poet?

[fleetfingers]

I find it hard to express my feelings through words. That is why I play music. 

[sheena]

I do agree that when words fail music speaks, and maybe music is something that should stand by itself without the need to be described. But wouldn't it be useful as a teacher, to be able to convey to a student, some kind of images or associations that helps the student to get a better understanding of what to say with the music? When my teacher does this for me I sometimes find that the whole feeling of the piece changes.

[lostinidlewonder]

Start by describing the climactic points of the pieces you learn and how they are built up and decrease from those points. You can describe in words how the music directs us in this manner. Sometimes the words don't make sense so you simply explain it, eg:  This happens *play the part* and then because of this it encourages this to happen, which then causes the climax here which then decreases from that point on with this. You don't have to exactly explain the procedure in words like in a  story book although this imagination is a great way to express your creative mind and overall visualisation of the piece. Perhaps you can get a certain idea or emotion that explains it all in a nutshell for you, a random example Chopin Ballade no 1 makes me think of an old man thinking about his life the good the bad, the memories lost back in the past, how he yearns for it once more, but how his memory of it is still so strong as if it is here in the present.

Some pieces the composer encourages us to consider a particular scene or story for example Liszt's Transcendentale Etudes, Ravels Gaspard de la Nuit or Debussy's Preludes etc etc. These are great pieces to play if you find it hard to imagine what a piece is supposed to be telling you. In saying that there are plenty of pieces I play which simply make me think about nothing in particular but the music itself speaks to me (lots of Baroque composers are like this for me, they just have this "old" air to them which I guess makes me think about God, but the imagery is not as strong as pieces which actually encourage a particular story. Sometimes there are no imagines but just emotion, say in words how a piece makes you feel, there is no right or wrong answer to this but so long you can relate to it in your own emotional experience.

[birba]

I remember when I was probably about your age, my teacher would demand that I describe in words what the music was trying to convey.  At the time, I felt like keyboardclass and thought it extremely idotic and a waste of time.  But with age, I've come to realize just how important it is.  Something happens and takes hold of you when you can put your feelings into words.  Because, basically, this is what differentiates us from other living beings, I guess.  It really does help you in your playing, believe it or not.  And look at Arrau.  He found inspiration and tales in the most what appeared to be insignificant melodies.
No, I think your teacher is right in asking you this.  It's not easy now, but if you cultivate this aspect of music, it will indeed help you.

[sheena]

No, I think your teacher is right in asking you this.  It's not easy now, but if you cultivate this aspect of music, it will indeed help you.

Yes, and I hope I can improve it. I think I'll start with pieces that already are somewhat connected to a particular story or mood, and try to say at least some words about it. Lostinidlewonder had some good suggestions, I'll have a look at those 

[stevebob]

I'm not inclined to be dismissive of associating words or concepts with music if that's found to be useful for others, but I've never understood it except in the specific case of music composed with a program in mind.  When the music is meant to tell a story, then that is its story.

Otherwise, I'm happy to let it remain an abstraction.  Extramusical imagery doesn't enhance my experience of playing or listening to music; it actually feels intrusive.