I’m writing a musical for Elsie and I would like some advice!

[abigaillmartin]

I’m currently composing a few songs for an Elsie musical I have a few ideas and a few songs I already wrote. A friend of mine is also writing a few songs for it.

I just want a few tidbits and advice on what you guys know about musicals to get a better idea on how I can go about writing this.

And before you say, “This is a big project Abby are you sure you’re up for it?” I know it will take a lot of time lots and lots of time.

My idea is to not make it a full on production on stage but rather an audio musical experience. I’m a big fan of broadway and those musicals from the golden age of Hollywood.

Just drop what you know. I am interested in what you have to say.

[delladz]

Hi, living breathing musical theater/opera composer here!

This sounds like such a fun project, I'm excited to watch your progress

Since you said this was gonna be an audio musical experience I'm assuming either an album or like an audio only version. The most important thing is that the music supports whats happening in the book (script/stage directions/etc which I'm assuming is based on the comic). I haven't read Elsie, but in general you just wanna be mindful of the momentum when moving from lines to music, especially when you move from high energy to low energy moments. It's a thing that happens a lot when you write a song you LOVE but it ultimately just doesn't serve the story at all :')

How are you guys going about producing this? Are you recording this with musicians and vocalists or will it all be produced via DAW?

I'm also happy to answer any specific questions you might have!

[abigaillmartin]

At the moment I am all by myself doing this. I’m just in the writing stages.

So nice to meet you @delladz

[abigaillmartin]

What does DAW stand for?

How much does it usually cost to produce?

What kind of programs do you use for writing your music?

Are there other people I can contact to get some help?

Where can I find singers?

[abigaillmartin]

I would also like some advice from your experience @delladz

Like story beats, three act structures, etc. really anything

[abigaillmartin]

Alright so with influence from music. I was thinking the music should be inspired by music from the time when Elsie takes place in. The late 1890s and early 1900s. It is a steampunk superhero series but I had the fashion be historical in the comic. Here are the genres of music I’ve been thinking of.

• British music hall
• a hint of Ragtime since it becomes popular a little into early 1900s.
• Classical music influence, specifically the romantic era
• Will have some instrumental versions of songs from the 1880s and 1890s such as these

“Oh Promise Me” (1887)
Roy could briefly sing this one

“The Band Played On” is a classic

This one is actually canon to the series. I did a sort of ad lib parody of this song.

British music hall

Anyway this is what I have been thinking for Elsie.

[delladz]

DAW = Digital Audio Workstation! So tools like GarageBand, Logic X Pro, Abelton, ProTools, etc. basically a central program to edit and splice audio files and midi together

Average costs range spectacularly, it really depends on factors like quality/project goals/etc. You can technically produce ANYTHING for free if you already have the tools and the means. But if you want high quality recording, studio sessions can range from the hundreds to the thousands. Home studios are way cheaper but if you're not really familiar with audio equipment stuff then it can be a little daunting to start building one out

I am a mac user so I use Logic X Pro as my main DAW and I use MuseScore for notation. If you're on mac, GarageBand is free and I think PC users can download Reaper for free but I've never used it? Otherwise, you'd have to pay for other DAW. MuseScore is free and it's never let me down so I haven't bothered to upgrade to Dorico or Sibelius (RIP Finale for those of you who know the tea lol)

I'm not sure what you mean by help? There are plenty of music forums and groups online you can join where you can meet people and ask specific questions!

Same thing with singers, you can search the internet and find folks. Alternatively, you can just go out to small local shows! Meet singers and support their art! It's honestly the best and natural way to find likeminded people to collaborate with

[delladz]

Cute, I love! Really reminds me of old Rogers and Hammerstein lol

I actually do offer compositional lessons if that's something you're interested in! I'm not sure how deep your music knowledge goes, so in terms of free internet advice I'm not sure I can cover EVERYTHING in a few threads (plus I can't give away ALL my secrets lol)

First lesson is always a free trial though lol so I'm happy to sit down with you to discuss it in length if this is a project you really want to invest in!

[vfaqvrf]

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[Tubacabra]

Just wanted to throw this out there, but the first jazz band was from 1895...

[Lensing]

I´m playing music since I´m 8 and composing since I´m 11, I turn 50 next year and
I have been a musician all my life.

Don´t let anyone discourage you. Writing music is fun and I´m sure you are up to it.

Producing and recording music is easy today compared to the mid 80s when I started.

There is a lot of free software and you can find good singers that you can hire on Fiverr

[abigaillmartin]

I’ll make a note of that. What were they called? Do you know? Now I’m curious

[abigaillmartin]

Btw I was inspired to do this because of this

d’Illusion: The Houdini Musical

This was released during the Covid pandemic so they had to make it into an audio musical

I was thinking along the lines of doing something like this. This one has been in production since 2005 at least and was originally in Hungarian

They have a documentary too

Pretty neat! Ya’ll should listen to it

Elsie got me really into this man in the first place.

But this is what inspired this whole thing but also my love of music and singing and such.

[abigaillmartin]

Also there is one problem. I can’t read or write down music but I can play stuff by ear. I’ve written my own compositions but I can’t write them down.

[abigaillmartin]

But I can also write the script to adapt the story of Elsie as well. Since I wrote Elsie.

And write what the characters would be saying. I think it could help me get a better idea on my vision of a musical version of Elsie could be like.

[Tubacabra]

@abigaillmartin Wikipedia refers to them as the Buddy Bolden Band.

Buddy Bolden

[abigaillmartin]

Thank you! This is really interesting stuff here! 🥺

[abigaillmartin]

And one of the earliest recordings of Jazz was in 1917! Neat! A little ways away from when Elsie takes place but cool nonetheless!

[abigaillmartin]

I have some recordings I played on my piano and I would like some feedback on the music.

It just won’t let me upload it to here.

[Tubacabra]

@abigaillmartin I'd love to give you some feedback! If you'd like, you could email them to me. My email address is raisins1812@gmail.com

Though I completely understand if you don't feel comfortable with this.