When people think of collaboration in connection with music, they often imagine a lyricist and musical composer working together. This is a true image that can occur when two people work together to write a song, but there are other ways to create in an act of collaboration. When an artist looks at a sheet with a song written, their own idea of how it should sound is a further contribution to the piece. Even the band of musicians performing the musical score on instruments will add to it.
Working together is a large part of the entertainment industry, and music is one of the core elements. Artists often collaborate in many different ways, and each piece of music is different when performed by someone else. The personal style of the musicians adds another layer of creation into the piece, and their addition might be furthered as others hear and copy their style.
Recording artists are surrounded by professionals when they begin a song, and suggestions by their manager could be added to the piece in another act of collaboration. It is the job of this person to help them succeed, and those who have been in the industry for a long time are very conversant with musical scores and how different instruments can be used to create a new tone for a piece. Even the sound engineers can help add a layer of creativity with their suggestions of how the piece might sound better.
There are many different ways collaboration occurs in music, but it begins with a single note or word written down. For those who come into the creative process after the initial writing, adding layers of sound can embellish a piece. Even as the final notes die in one performance, those listening might find other ways to add to it the next time it is performed.
