Music to write by

[Vanatru]

I find that if I have theme music in line with what I'm writing, it just kinda flows smoother for me.

Like listening to any of the Ennio Morricone soundtracks for the various "man with no name" movies.

Such as:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=awskKWzjlhk
the classic duel

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GIXqSsd37uQ
opening theme song

I've been trying to come up with some other good instrumental soundtracks that have a western theme.

Any thoughts?

-Bill

[dpaterso]

Once upon a time (in the West :)) I had a "Great Western Movie Themes" LP and a "Great TV Western Themes" LP -- man, I played these until they were worn out and the needle kept jumping. I got a hankering to hear them again and just last week did a Google search on Western movie themes. Up popped several Amazon for-sale items, some at just a couple bucks apiece -- heck, the postage & handling (not unreasonable) cost more than the CDs themselves.

So I've got me two CDs right here, "20 greatest WESTERN THEMES" and "THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY Western Movie Themes" -- which as you'd imagine contain the Morricone Spaghetti Western classics plus others of equal significance, The Big Country, The Magnificent Seven, Return of the Seven, The High Chaparral, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, A Professional Gun, etc. (A third Western themes CD is on its way, seemingly from Hawaii since the UK warehouse didn't have a copy in stock <bewildered>)

Usually I don't like background music when I'm writing, it tends to distract, but Western themes are different, you can hear and taste what they're saying (the galloping hooves, the dust, the drama :)) without having to stop and listen and get distracted.

Some themes I'm missing, which I had on those old LPs, are The Comancheros, and also from the TV series Hondo, and Lancer, which aired in the UK around the same time as The High Chaparral, late '60s early '70s. These were fine pieces of music which I'm determined to track down. :)

By a curious coincidence Brit weekend newspaper THE SUNDAY TIMES carried a giveaway CD yesterday containing 10 Morricone themes -- the 4 Spaghetti Westerns as listed above ("For A Few Dollars More" is playing as I type this), plus Cinema Paradiso (not my thing, unfortunately), The Mission (main title and Ave Maria, again not my thing), "The Harvest" from Days of Heaven (this Richard Gere film has beautiful music over the closing credits, alas this isn't it, tho' it's close), Moses the Lawgiver (sorry, never heard of it), My Name Is Nobody (annoyingly childish theme to spoof Western I barely remember, and which also appears on one of my Western theme CDs, I skip past this irritation as soon as it plays). I have to say, old Ennio writes a good tune, but not everything he's written calls to me.

-Derek

[McDuff]

I don't have any Western themes (and I *totally* should, how lax am I?), but I've found that Johnny Cash sings the Ballads of the True West (http://www.amazon.com/Sings-Ballads-True-West-Johnny/dp/B00006GO9E) helps to put me in the western mood.

[Cav Guy]

Oddly enough (although perhaps considering the source it's not that odd) I use a variety of music to get into Western mood. I've got a movie soundtrack CD that has tons of Italian Western themes on it (including Fistful of Dollars and For Few Dollars More), but I also get a good effect out of the Eagles' Desperado album. But I also get into the mood through Rob Zombie, Iron Maiden, and AC/DC. Stan Getz has also helped me through a story or two.

[JeanneTGC]

Cav and I were, apparently, separated at birth.

I use the Eagles, too. But I use pop and rock and R&B and vocal jazz for most of my stuff. (My husband would love it if I used Maiden, but they rarely work for me.)

For anything Old West related it's usually -- Aerosmith, The Wallflowers, Motorhead, The Foo Fighters, Steely Dan, Jewel, the Counting Crows, The Goo Goo Dolls...actually, there are so many that I won't list them all here. But it's the overall category of rock and roll that helps me write. I can't really write well, or at all, without music going.

[Cav Guy]

Cav and I were, apparently, separated at birth.
One does begin to wonder at times....:D

[Vanatru]

Hmmmmmmmm..........for Steampunk I can usually almost any music. I noticed when working on the western, I need instrumental. Maybe 'cause I have to think more since I'm not used to writing western...........haven't wrote a piece in 10 years, expect for that little think I threw up yesterday.

[Vanatru]

One does begin to wonder at times....:D

So........who's the good twin, who's the bad twin?

[Festus]

I try to tune out everything when I write, so I don't normally play any music.

Though since Jeanne and Cav mentioned the Eagles, I've got "Those Shoes" running on high volume in my head and am sitting here twitching to the beat, sigh, no writing now.

[JeanneTGC]

So........who's the good twin, who's the bad twin?
You actually have to ASK?

*shakes head*

You do know what the "TGC" stands for in my sig, yes? And you still have to ask?

[Vanatru]

TGC - the goofy child?

[JeanneTGC]

TGC - the goofy child?
:tongue ~~~~~~~

Hardly. But since you didn't ask nicely, you'll have to work for it. ;)

[Vanatru]

:tongue ~~~~~~~

Hardly. But since you didn't ask nicely, you'll have to work for it. ;)

:::cinches down the last strap on his chaps. Tugs on some work gloves:::

Alrighty Ma'am.....justa soon as I find my wire clips, we'll get started.

[JeanneTGC]

:::cinches down the last strap on his chaps. Tugs on some work gloves:::

Alrighty Ma'am.....justa soon as I find my wire clips, we'll get started.
Promises, promises...