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I am new to Taxi and am interested in writing cues but don't know much about them can anyone educate me....thanks...

Hi JC,

Welcome to the forum, and here's the short answer:

Cues are usually short instrumental pieces that have little to no intro, often just an "A" section which is somewhat analogous to a song's chorus, SOMETIMES a "B" section as well, and they generally stick to one musical idea or motif. They last from 30 seconds to maybe as long as 2:30, so to keep them from getting boring or being too linear, composers build interest by adding additional layers of instrumentation every 4 or 8 bars to keep the piece moving forward. They often build them up section by section, then include a breakdown, taking the track back to it's basic instrumentation, then repeating the building process again. The spaces between those sections are good places to build in obvious (but still musical) edit points so music supes and editors can use sections of your cue.

It's rare that a cue would be used in its entirety. Sometimes they might only use a few seconds!

Building to some kind of crescendo near the end, then closing out with a non-faded ending—often called a buttoned or stinger ending — is pretty standard, and makes your cue more desirable to editors who often need to back-time it to a scene's ending. Cues can be done with a solo instrument, a small ensemble or band, up to a full orchestra and everything in between. They are done in many different genres and moods like light, uplifting acoustic, to dramedy, to suspense, to hip hop, to dance, etc. , etc., etc.

The best thing to do to get a good understanding of cues is to listen to some great examples. TAXI member Keith LuBrant is one of many who have mastered the art of the cue, so check out his examples here:

http://www.keithlubrant.com/music/

Hope this helps!
Michael

I forgot to mention that Keith's cue examples are mashups of several different examples under each genre, so don't let that confuse you into thinking that a cue has many different styles.

ML

Great examples Michael. Ive never went to Keith's website before. Its great. Also get on Amazon and buy Dean Krippaehne's book "Demystifying The Cue". It is phenomenal and an easy read. I refer back to it weekly. Hope this helps and good writing to u.

This post should be sticked at the top of the forum and in each sub-forum!

Thank you so much for the information. I seem to after many years be not to bad a writing short interesting pieces. I thought this might be a good way to get started. I look forward to further conversation and having this forum be an invaluable part of my education.....Thanks again...

mobster85 wrote:Great examples Michael. Ive never went to Keith's website before. Its great. Also get on Amazon and buy Dean Krippaehne's book "Demystifying The Cue". It is phenomenal and an easy read. I refer back to it weekly. Hope this helps and good writing to u.

+1 regarding Dean's book!

Also, I would add that not all cues are only A sections or only A and B sections. Sometimes a cue can have a verse chorus form. It varies all over depending on length, genre, intended use, etc. But nothing wrong with starting out with A/B forms.

If you are writing cues from scratch without knowing the target (e.g. just to create a catalog of cues), I would try to make them 2 minutes minimum. Then you can trim them down if you see a listing that wants less. Easier to remove than to add.

Good luck!
Casey

Definitely get Dean's book. It's a nice read, more personal than academic, full of outstanding real world advice. Click here for the Amazon link

Thanks for the tip on Dean's book — its so smart, clean, and helpful! REally appreciate his making the distinction between what makes a cool song and a cool CUE …. and making the vibe and feel immediately clear, and sticking to it.

Thanks for the love, Michael...I should really update that cue playlist. It's been a while!

+1 on Dean's book. It's written in a no-nonsense, easy to understand format.

I almost read the whole thing while waiting for my car to be fixed. I wish that bill was as cheap as the book.