[This article is Part II of A.J.'s piece on writing with Creative Limitation. Read Part I here, and see all of AJ's Abstract Theory columns here.]

Much of this article will be spent discussing how composers of the past have created profound works of art while working within the artificial demands of creative limitations. Stravinsky once said, “The more art is controlled, limited, worked over, the more it is free.”

First, let’s take a look at a literal physical limitation found in Ravel’s “Piano Concerto for the Left Hand.” The piece was composed at the request of concert pianist Paul Wittgenstein. During World War I, Wittgenstein was shot in the arm, which led to an amputation after an infection. He was determined to continue his career as a pianist after his service in the military. Ravel’s approach to writing was affected by this restriction to write for one-hand piano, but if you listen to the music it is characteristically Ravel.

The ability to maintain a musical identity while also exploring new musical approaches is something that many great composers share.

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The great composer Igor Stravinsky once said, “My freedom will be so much the greater and more meaningful the more narrowly I limit my field of action and the more I surround myself with obstacles…The more constraints one imposes, the more one frees one’s self of the chains that shackle the spirit.” By choosing a set of limitations or “compositional parameters” a composer can find direction and exercise his or her imagination. While it may seem counter-intuitive, this approach tends to encourage creativity rather than stifle it.

Screenwriting pedagogue Robert Mckee suggests that “talent is like a muscle: without something to push against, it atrophies. So we deliberately put rocks in our path, barriers that inspire.” While we can deliberately choose some “limitations” or “parameters” sometimes they occur without choice. Let’s take for instance Olivier Messiaen’s “String Quartet for the End of Time.”  In 1940 he was a prisoner of war and had limited access to musicians or instruments. He made due with the instrumentalists available; a pianist, violinist, cellist, and clarinetist. This unconventional ensemble gave Messiaen a “playing field” to work within and stirred his imagination to create a charming and evocative piece of music. While this is a radical case, limitation also occurs in other more conventional forms.

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[Welcome to the first installment of Abstract Theory with The Human Abstract guitarist A.J. Minette. Through this column A.J. hopes to enlighten and enliven the metal readership on some of the finer points of the theory behind music and music composition in a way that's not overbearing or elitist. We hope you enjoy. -Ed.]

A lot of people like to claim that they love music, or that their life IS music, but how many of us actually give our undivided attention to listening on a regular basis?  One of the best lessons I learned while studying classical music in school was, “The greatest composers throughout history were an incredible balance of passion and intellect.” As listeners, we often take notice of how a piece of music moves us on an emotional level but it’s important to point out that we can also be moved on an intellectual level as well.

Understanding music on a deeper level leads us to a greater appreciation. Let’s take a Bach fugue for example. While the subject of a fugue (opening theme/melody) may be pleasant to listen to, we are intellectually stimulated by its use of counterpoint, harmony, rhythm, and formal architecture.

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