Music may appear black and white on the page but comes to life as a rainbow of colors in our imaginations, and sometimes even in our souls, whenever we perform. Our responsibility to create these rainbows using subtle, and not-so-subtle, variations in our sound is often a tall order. A great way to do this is to start with a plan. How do you want to alter your sound to change the vibe of the music? Where do you want the sound to change and for how long? Deciding on these items is the best place to start when creating a tone color plan. And once we have that plan, the fun begins! In today’s blog, we are going to explore how to create a tone color plan with actual colors and how to reflect that plan in your music. Have your colored pencils ready – today we are going to create art!
First thing’s first – decide on your colors. This idea was inspired by the “Tone Colour” chapter in Trevor Wye’s Practice Book on Tone. Wye describes a “purple” color as having a “full strong, rich, dark” tone in contrast with a “yellow” color having a “hollow, ‘open,’ gentle” tone. But there are so many other colors between purple and yellow and beyond! And one person’s idea of how a color should “sound” does not need to be the same as another’s. Maybe your idea of the purple described above is actually a dark green and your yellow is a pale blue. The good thing is that there are no hard and fast rules about color. It is all up to your interpretation! You might assign relative dynamic levels to your colors or alter the speed of your vibrato to fit the color. The sky is the limit! Let your creativity go cray cray!
To help you generate some ideas, my own tone color plan looks a bit like this:
- Yellow – I like Trevor Wye’s guidelines here. Hollow, minimal vibrato (if any), gentle sound, with dynamic levels in the pianissimo to piano range.
- Blue – This is what I typically assign to dolce melodies. Blue is the color of water so music in a blue tone tends to “flow” easily with long, slurred lines, and simple song-like rhythms. The dynamics are usually in the piano to mezzo piano range. Vibrato speed is rather slow and sweet.
- Green – Green is a warmer color reminiscent of the leaves on a tree. Green is a richer tone than a blue and used for more dramatic melodies, particularly in French music. One of my favorite pieces, the Griffes Poem, begins in what I consider a “green” tone. Vibrato is much more prominent, consistent, and slightly faster. Dynamics are generally in the mezzo ranges (mezzo-piano to mezzo-forte).
- Purple – I also like Trevor’s Wye’s description here of a rich, dark, strong sound, but consider “purple” slightly more reserved than typical climactic phrases. Purple makes me think of the opening to the Chaminade Concertino. Bold but not yet over the top. A purple is a statement of a melody and not a passage leading to something bigger or brighter. Dynamic levels remain in the mezzo-forte to forte range and vibrato is consistently Frenchy and dramatic.
- Orange – Orange is the pre-climatic tone color leading us to red. I consider this the last few steps before we hit the apex of a piece. It is usually found in the long crescendos taking us from the boldness of purple to the drama of the climax or the decrescendos moving away from the very same climax. A traditional bold color, vibrato is usually gaining speed and edginess, while the dynamics are solidly in forte range and moving into fortissimo.
- Red – Here we have The Drama. I hear the climax of the final movement of a Tchaikovsky symphony when I think of red. A big, bold, bright sound that permeates a stage, sings out over a crowd, and gifts us with what the Brass call the “palm of honor” from the conductor (telling us that we are playing too loud). Sometimes, we gotta play out loud and proud, shouting our most beautiful playing from the mountain tops!! That is red. Your best, most dramatic vibrato, and your loudest, and most centered sound.
The above should provide you with a bit of inspiration to create your own plan. Remember, your color palate doesn’t need to look like mine at all. Maybe you prefer to think in shades or textures of the same color. Maybe your imagination prefers neons or watercolors. Make your color palate make sense for you. The most important part is to decide on your colors and write them down somewhere. This is your color legend for your tone color plan. You can always add more later.
The next step is to apply your color plan to your music. Now that you have an idea of how you want your sound to change, let’s put your plan into action! Make a photocopy of your music and decide where you would like certain tone colors to appear and how colors will weave in and out of each other. You can do this in pencil for now until you are confident with your choices. Sometimes we change our minds after we play through our music a few times. You are the artist! It is totally okay to change your mind.
Once you have established your tone color plan, now comes the fun part – literally color in your music! This is why the photocopy is important (avoid coloring on original scores). Grab a set of colored pencils, highlighters, or crayons, and color in your music with your tone color plan. You may either color in the staff itself or, if you prefer a neater option, create a smaller color spectrum above the staff. It should be large enough that you will see it as you are performing. Remember: If you plan to memorize your music, you will also need to memorize your tone color plan.
Play your music through several times using your tone color plan. Record yourself. You may think your colors are coming through clearer than they are. This is when we refine your tone color saturation. Do your reds need to be a bit bolder? Are your yellows so hollow that they drift out of tune? You may even ask for a second set of ears from a friend, teacher, or colleague to gauge how effective your colors are. Revise your colors as needed. Chuck the ones that do not work and add new shades to the ones that sing.
A tone color plan adds a new dimension to your performance, transporting the music far beyond the confines of the staff. Tone colors are what make us unique. We all end up playing the same music, but your sound plan dramatically changes how your performance stands out from the crowd. Dare to be unique. Dare to be bold. Create a new rainbow for every piece you perform.
Have you ever used a tone color plan before? What does your tone color look like? What colors do you imagine for different types of sounds?
Happy fluting (and coloring)!
-Dr. G.
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About the Author, Rachel Taylor Geier:
Rachel Taylor Geier holds a DMA in Flute Performance from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, an MM in Flute Performance from San Francisco State University, and a BM in Music Performance from DePauw University. Former applied instructors include Immanuel Davis, Linda Lukas, Anne Reynolds, and Rhonda Bradetich. Dr. Geier currently teaches and freelances in Davis, California and hosts a popular Flute Friday Blog Series.
