On May 22, I was fortunate enough to deliver a TedxFrontRange Talk in Loveland, Colorado, entitled: “Hearing is Believing.”
Normally people say “Seeing is Believing,” but I would like to present the theory that “Hearing is Believing.” I’ve discovered, as a musician and composer, that we as human beings generally trust our ears more intently than we trust even our own eyes. Perhaps it’s because our ears are always open, even when we sleep.
In the world of advertising, the sound of the music that can be heard underneath the announcer’s words is remarkably powerful. This is vitally important when conceiving the music that will accompany an important new advertising campaign. If I play a snappy, funny little tune on the piano while I say the words — “I really felt sort of melancholy when I woke up this morning”– the music heard behind my words would make me sound like a liar.
On the other hand, if I was playing a somber tune on my piano while saying the words — “When I woke up today, the birds were chirping and the sun was shining” — people listening to me would, once again, think I was a liar. I’m not happy, I’m sad, because the dirge-like music they can hear elicits a more powerful human response than the words I’m saying.
A great deal of thought must go into the design and implementation of music for advertising. Another topic I’d like to discuss here is digitally created music. No matter how closely we think today’s synthetic sounds can replicate real instruments, it always blows us away when we are allowed the opportunity to compose original music for ad campaigns employing an entire orchestra. When recording tracks using just electronics and digital instruments, the music tends to “stair-step”–that is, the emotion within the piece of music isn’t properly conveyed.
Due to the human element involved when a human being actually plays an instrument in real life, the music can rise and fall naturally and organically — like an ocean wave. A human musical performance always allows much more subtlety, nuance, and flavor to be expressed.
We also enjoy the opportunity to create a remix for a brand’s existing theme music. This is a great way to infuse a successful campaign with new energy.
I believe in the motto: “Music is the international language.” No matter what words are integrated into a TV campaign, the music behind the voice is the language that people will best understand.
With great creative direction, anything is possible. And always remember, “Hearing is Believing.”
(Bob Farnsworth is founder/composer of Hummingbird Productions in Nashville.)
