Musical books?

[Overread]

So today I booked tickets online with the cinema (gosh they are expensive today!) and "audio descriptive" came up as a feature of the booking which made me go find out what the heck it was.

Turns out its description given inbetween character lines during the film to fill in the detail for those with sight impediments. A neat idea, though I wonder how good it is practically considering how much detail and how much can happen with so little time between characters talking.


However it got me thinking, especially as we have digital books these days, as to if this might be something books could consider. We already have audiobooks yes, but what about a book that has a form of music set to play whilst you read; keying itself to the page so that as the action ramps up in the story the music changes its tone and style.

We already have music like this in the gaming industry where changes in what is happening in game will spark the music to shift. Start taking damage and attacking and the action music picks up; get really into a long fight and it gets really energetic whilst if you finish the fight it changes back.


Imagine books with the same feature. Not just listening to random tracks of our own or changing songs to fit what we read but the "book" doing it itself. Take it a step further and now the author can dictate another layer of immersion into the reading by bringing music that blends to the story.

 

[HareBrain]

I've had that same thought myself -- quite a few years ago, I even started a project with a musician friend to produce a joint book/CD, though that never got beyond the ideas stage, as coordinating track with page would have been difficult. Now, with ebooks, it would be much easier (with tablets, at least). And I know from recent experience of reading through my WIP whilst playing a soundtrack CD, that if the music does fit the text well, the effect can be quite marked.

So I'd be open to the idea -- if I ever get an e-reader, that is. But a good, subtle soundtrack would cost a lot of money. I doubt major publishers would think it worthwhile (would it really increase sales, except for the first couple as a gimmick?) and indie/self-publishers are unlikely to be able to afford it.

And imagine the hell of paper books produced with that kind of birthday-card technology that plays a tinny tune when you open a new page!

 

[Brian G Turner]

what about a book that has a form of music set to play whilst you read

Two Steps From Hell did this with Colin Frake on Fire Mountain. I know it got an Apple iBooks release, but it's not available on Kindle.

Two Steps From Hell are better known for film trailer music than prose writing.

It was an interesting experiment, though - unfortunately, I'm not clear that Amazon (the principle ebook distributor) is really interested in the idea.

 

[Randy M.]

1) I expect this would severely raise the price of what you purchased to read -- think about the effort to write the music, play and record the music, coordinate with the written page, etc. Or the cost of licensing music already in existence.

2) Some people already do this, sort of. A radio/record/cassette/8-Track/iPod/MP3/whatever playing while they read. Knowing what they are about to read, they put on music to accentuate the mood.

3) Imagination. Sometimes you read and in the back of your mind the best possible music plays.


Randy M.

 

[Montero]

Speaking as someone with less than perfect hearing, it would drive me bonkers. I already struggle with some programmes to hear the dialogue because of the b***dy musical track. Now, some programmes the music really does work with the dialogue and action - I'd give especially honourable mention to "Life" (the one with Damian Lewis) for using the music track to hilarious effect at times. Other programmes, what I want is the button option to turn off the b***y music so I can hear what people are saying.

Carrie Vaughns Kitty the Werewolf books have a playlist of pieces associated with the book written in the front (Kitty is a radio host)

I often read books when I want quiet time - I know there are words in the books but though I enjoy watching TV shows I reach a point of "enough people have talked" for now and swap to a book - because it doesn't make any noise.

 

[Alex The G and T]

I often listen to music when I read; but it has to be my choice of music. Being force-fed the wrong music during reading would annoy me immensely.

Likewise, many assorted homemade videos that blow by on Facebook or youtube have musical soundtracks that I find wrong... or boring. I mute the video and crank up my own tunes.

Aside from known music that has copyrights; for the weak of heart and creativity , there is also public domain blasé, insipid, generic, new agey, or technoish tripe music available for download for to accompany a poster's lovely video of their day-at-the-beach, Drone flyover, or whatever.

Like this: Royalty Free Music by Bensound | Creative Commons Music

I, personally, almost always find it annoying; much like denatured shopping center music. Some days I want to flee the grocery store, screaming.

 

[LittleStar]

I also had this thought a number of years ago and would be very happy to do it as well. I think the level of immersion would be great, and with e-readers I don't think it would be too hard to manage.

There was once guy I remember giving out free books with a companion cd a few years back. I never read it, but I gathered the intention was to listen to the cd while reading the novel. I have since seen these books in several second hand book stores (perhaps sans cd) that we're nowhere near when I got my copy. So guess he must have gotten around when handing them out.

 

[Allegra]

I, personally, almost always find it annoying; much like denatured shopping center music. Some days I want to flee the grocery store, screaming.

That, and what after 'all lines are busy...' on the phone, gosh! It usually almost certainly makes the waiting more intolerable.

Right music at background surely will add dramatic effect for the stories (think horror or romance...), and especially for poems as poetry is the closest thing to music. But I think unless you get some musicians, who first of all must have a good grip on a particular novel and the timing of the story's development, to compose from prologue to epilogue (cost aside, that got to be symphony 1-9 at least), it's pretty hard to find ready suitable sound tracks for a long complex novel.

 

[Stephen Palmer]

Kiwi sonic explorer Russell Storey did an album to go with my novel Hallucinating.