What have you composed for? Or what medium do you work around?
Small Ensemble, Contemporary Ensembles
"I can relate to your approach to composing. For myself, I setup certain parameters or scenarios- like a certain rhythm, with a particular chord progression or strategy for harmony, direction. I like this structure to be loose, because that allows…"
"How do I divide my time? For myself personally, I find that the more I "think-out" a composition, the less satisfactory are the results. I'm sure that has to do with the way I find the greatest satisfaction in listening to, and, experiencing music.…"
"I compose the same way I sketch a drawing. I have a vague vision of how the end result will look like, but I use my eraser the whole time. Not just in Sibelius, but also on paper. But I have a distinctly opposite rule to the one Fredrick has:…"
"I mainly just take about 30 min. to 1 hour to think about the composition, and another hour or so to compose the piece itself. Other times, I just get a scrap piece of paper, and write down everything that comes to mind for about 20 minutes. As I'm…"
"As composition is not my primary focus at the time (I'm more focused on piano performance and music theory/analysis) I don't ration my time in a rigorous way. But in general I sketch melodic/motivic ideas as they come to me. Then ideas for form and…"
"Not so much. I usually just get an idea, which I then I notate onto paper (That digital recorder sounds useful, though for me paper is just more practical, since I can't always sing everything that is going on in my head at the same time). After…"
"I tend to start with a simple slow melody.
find this melodys root key...
decide if it can go "counterpoint", or... just start winging it by ear...
if I get this far, I want to start hearing it going thru 1-4-5
then, if things are going anywhere,…"
find this melodys root key...
decide if it can go "counterpoint", or... just start winging it by ear...
if I get this far, I want to start hearing it going thru 1-4-5
then, if things are going anywhere,…"
"Interesting rule Fredrick. I find that many of the problems I encounter while composing get solved when I step away from composing and give myself time for the ideas to incubate. Fredrick zinos said:
the only rule I have is to never stop a…"
the only rule I have is to never stop a…"
"That's how I work. I sing melodies into my mobile phone whenever I come up with them (usually when people stare at me and wonder what the **** I'm doing). Then I go through all the melodies and mark the ones I like, and let them sit for a while. If…"
"My process: I play something on guitar or keyboard. It stinks. I play something else. It's a bit too dissonant. I play again. This time it's too normal, not dissonant enough for this section. I play something else. It sucks. I play an unusual…"
"I never actually divide my time when composing. I just sit writing and writing, editing, deleting, writing.. and I will stop most of the time, just like Fredrick said, when I know what the next part will be. :)
In terms of your method, Johan, yes…"
In terms of your method, Johan, yes…"
"I lost dozens of melodies and ideas because I did not write them down or didn't hum them into some electronic device for later.
Really, a countless number. Sometimes I assured myself that I will remember it by the time I get to my keyboard, but…"
Really, a countless number. Sometimes I assured myself that I will remember it by the time I get to my keyboard, but…"
"Interesting discussion.
I don´t have scheduled time frames. My way of composing often starts with random improvising on the piano (I love to do this, and sometimes I can go on for several hours). When I find an interesting motif or melody, I write…"
I don´t have scheduled time frames. My way of composing often starts with random improvising on the piano (I love to do this, and sometimes I can go on for several hours). When I find an interesting motif or melody, I write…"
"Now I know what you were getting at Andrew, thanks for clarifying.
You do seem to be implying, Ray, that there is only one way to compose, ie. having the whole vision already in your head before you start. If that is what you mean, I believe…"
You do seem to be implying, Ray, that there is only one way to compose, ie. having the whole vision already in your head before you start. If that is what you mean, I believe…"
"Some masters did not need to divide their time at all: they percieved the whole composition, however complex it is, immediately as a whole. So the process of writing was actually not a composition. It was transferring already existing patterns into…"
"I must object! The fact that he was constantly composing does not mean that the process wasn't important. The two things (how frequently he composed and how he organized his thoughts) actually seem quite unrelated to me. Maybe I misunderstood you…"
