It’s very easy, as an artist, to head in directions that have brought success and creative comfort. That’s why I’m in a mode of experimentation these days. I have some score projects coming up in which I want to try to create music that is at the very least a departure from my usual sonic palette and at most something truly original. In film and game music scores the latter is becoming much more difficult to achieve, not so much for lack of vision of composers but by the expectations of those that hire us.
Either way, as a composer, broadening one’s scope of sonic choices is both an artistic AND commercial necessity. Film and game scores are becoming more eclectic all the time, so introducing something new each time one works on a project is a necessity. It also prevents what could end up becoming musical typecasting. In other words, if a producer knows of you for only one type of “sound” they may assume that it may be all that you can do! I can’t tell you how difficult it was for me to convince the developers of the “Spongebob Squarepants; Revenge of the Flying Dutchman” game for Playstation 2 that I wasn’t “just” an orchestral composer. They relented and hired me, and the result was a very quirky and fun score that helped the game win multiple awards.
The other reason for the necessity of a composer broadening his or her sonic palette is that we are becoming more and more responsible for A to Z production. In other words, many of our scores never leave the computer until we turn in our mixes. We must compose, arrange, mix, edit, master the music on our own. This is mostly the result of shrinking budgets, but stylistic expectations have a big impact as well.
In summary, keep trying something new every time you sit down (or stand up if your back is hurting:) to compose. If you find yourself heading off to that comfortable zone, STOP! Quiet yourself and listen for a while to your mind’s ear. You may find something TRULY wonderful in there!