Inside these folders you should create a folder for each group of composi-
tions that belong to a particular project or client. For example, in a folder
named Productions, there could be a folder named Albums, in which there is
a folder named The Gift of Thirst, inside which there is a folder for each song
from that album.If this seems like a lot of work, you have probably never lost anything on your
computer — yet! It just takes one time to lose years of work. And then you’ll
be kicking yourself for not having taken advice like we’re giving here. And you
won’t be just gently kicking yourself, either.Frequently making a backup of your work is a must. You can do this by
having yet another hard drive, and copying your work across to it from time
to time. Or you can burn your work onto a DVD-R or CD-R disc from time to
time. These hard media copies are not subject to mechanical breakdowns,
though they can get scratched into uselessness if you don’t treat them with
care. To be really safe, make an extra copy every once in a while and take it
to work or give it to a neighbor.Chapter 3: Musical Scrapbooks: Writing on Paper and Screen 27
Electronic versus “real” Instruments
Some composers feel that auditioning compo-
sitional ideas using the synthesized or sampled
sounds inside a computer is a bad idea. It can
steer a composer’s editing choices away from
the capabilities of musicians and toward what
seems to work with the particular sound you are
listening to at the moment. These composers
feel that many good ideas get tossed out this
way. For them, a better choice is to present the
parts to musicians and meet the challenges
then, with the input of the musicians who have
to play the parts.
Hearing your music played by real musicians
first is a decidedly different experience than
testing and editing your music with computer
sounds and then giving it to real musicians. You
still have a lot of work to do when the musicians
finally get ahold of your music.
Nothing ever quite plays exactly the way you
think it will, so always be ready for compro-
mises, rewrites, and other surprises. When the
musicians are trying to play your piece for the
first time, you are obliged to radiate a sense of
confidence about what you are going for, and
an ability to be fast and flexible with your edits
and changes.