The Musical compositions thread

Post Reply New Topic

Hey all,

Ive been quite interested in classical music lately. Although ive always enjoyed classical, i would always only listen to the 'hits', those more melodic ones rather than whole movements or symphonies.

I used to think classical sounded kinda random, i did not really appreciate the artistry behind it. And then I started to listen to these - http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio3/discovering ... #azarchive

And now its becoming a bit of an obsession. Ive come to appreciate classical a lot more now, trying to study the structure of a piece.

But im also interested in composition, to compose my own music. Ive been trying to write music for a while now, maybe 6 months or so. But i cant get down to it, whether it is a 3 min pop song or a some instrumental music. I just seem to lose attention and not carry on.

I seem to be able to finish remixes / arrangements because the main idea has already been laid out. Someone on here made a few midis and I arranged one of them with full orchestra galore, doesnt sound great, but i got it done and thats what made me happy, it was about 4 mins long!

Anyway, I know theres a few classical musicians here, but im just do any of you compose much? How often do you sit down to compose? How long does it take complete a work? How do you normally get started? Whats your inspiration? Whats you workflow? Are you able to compose without an instrument? Do you think its better to compose without an instrument? How the hell do you compose without an instrument? I feel my crappy guitar playing sometimes gets in the way of realising the ideas in my head.

I'm a composer. I'm not very prolific because I only like to compose when I have really interesting musical ideas to develop. As these ideas only come occasionally, I tend to have periods where I'm not writing anything. Then when I'm least expecting it, melodic figures will start popping into my head and I know I have the kernel of a composition. This is the inspiration part. I can't explain it. I wish I knew how to tap into it more often. It probably has to do with being able to tune out your rational mind long enough to recieve a musical idea from somewhere. When the inspiration hits you better have pen and paper handy. I find that at this point in composition the ideas are usually coming so fast that I don't have time to play them on the piano. I have to get them down quickly so that I don't loose them. Also playing at an instrument when you are receiving the initial inspiration might block out the good ideas which are often so subtle and easily lost. Usually some kind of sketch is enough, along with general shapes and harmonies that can be worked on later. At some point the inspiration tends to lessen somewhat, and is replaced by hard work and craftsmanship. Focusing in on the details is important, but also trying to grasp the bigger picture. Where is the piece going to go in the long run? What's the overall shape? If the big picture is constantly in your mind, it will tend to influence the specific details you are working on. This will give the composition a sense of unity. I usually use a piano at this stage of the process because the harmonies are getting more complex and I have to hear them. Stravinsky was the same way. He didn't trust his ear unaided. I hate it when composers are careless and don't even bother to know what their own pieces sound like.
About 3 quarters of the way through a piece, I almost always hit a block. This is the most frustrating part of the whole process and it makes me want to tear the score to shreds. It is usually a stubborn section that simply won't go anywhere. Every decision I make seems to lead to a dead end and I want to give up. However, I usually find a way out and then finishing is not too much of a problem. Composing a piece has taken me anywhere from 2 weeks to about 3 or 4 months.
Being able to hear music in your head and accurately notate it is a skill that can be developed. You
don't have to have perfect pitch either. When I hear something, I usually use a piano to figure out what key I'm in (I don't have perfect pitch). Then I can notate what I'm hearing away from the piano if its not too complex.
This skill stems from your experience and understanding of harmony.
There is a great book I would recommend to develop this:

Harmonic Experience by W.A. Mathieu

It is far more than a standard theory book because it teaches you to internalize harmony as opposed to simply knowing it intellectualy.