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I compose because I love music am a mediocre musician at best, so writing music is the best way for me to be an active participant in the music making process. It's a great outlet for me as a stress reliever as my day job is actually quite stressful. I actually go through a series of emotions when I write music, the initial excitement when I come up with (what I think at least) is a great theme, melody or harmonic progression, frustration as I struggle to put down what I have in my head onto the page or notation software (I do not have perfect pitch), pleasantly surprised when I inadvertently discover an interesting chord or modulation, and finally a bit euphoric when I finally finish a piece. Time wise, I'm all over the place. Some of what I consider my best smaller scale works only took me from beginning to end, a few hours. Another large scale work took me seven years to finally finish and a work which I would consider my magnum opus has been in progress for over 20 years. If I am able to devote regular effort on a piece, it probably takes me around 3-4 weeks to write 5 minutes or so of quality music. Best of luck on your essay.

It's interesting to me that composing isn't something more people are encouraged to do. Think of how young you were the first time you drew or painted. What grade were you in when you wrote your first story? You didn't just look at other people's art and listen to stories others had written, it was expected that you would like to make your own as well. We spend a lot of time exposing small children to music, and fortunate ones also learn to play music, but not many are given any tools or guidance to compose their own. And yet all preschoolers make up their own songs and sing them without a second thought. So I have a question for you. Why do so many people NOT compose? Why do I create music? Why not? When the tune comes easily and all I have to do is write it all down, I'm frantic to write it out before I forget something. When I have an idea of something specific that I want to do, but I don't quite know how to achieve it, composing feels more like solving a very difficult puzzle. I try lots of possibilities, very diligently, and may change my mind several times. It usually takes me between a week and a month to complete a three-minute piece because I like to put it away, clear my brain, and come back to listen to it again with fresh ears to be sure I still like all my decisions.

"Denn alles Fleisch ist wie Gras und alle Herrlichkeit des Menschen wie des Grases Blumen. Das Gras ist verdorret und die Blume abgefallen." "I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down into the grass, how to kneel in the grass, how to be idle and blessed, how to stroll through the fields which is what I have been doing all day. Tell me, what else should I have done? Doesn't everything die at last, and too soon? Tell me, what is it you plan to do With your one wild and precious life?" -Mary Oliver

Thank you, my friend!

I couldn't agree more. Also, for me music is another way to express myself. When I have an idea I want to share or a story I want to tell, but can wait with it, I compose it. The problem is, that composition takes a while, and a feel that I can't fully express my idea in a short time. At times like these I like to draw a sketch of my idea and write a few notes if I can. Therefore, for me. what I express in music has to be a long continuous feeling or idea. Composing music feels great, it's like writing a story or painting (a... painting?), but it has a potential for something that feels much better. You see, people can like a story of yours, and they will maybe tell it to others and recommend it to others if you publish it as a story. But with music... there's a feeling of great joy that I don't feel anywhere else... when it's being performed. When people express themselves with the performance of your instructions where you expressed yourself. It's... incredible. At least for me. There are so many moments that I feel much better thinking of my next piece that'll be performed and about the ones that were performed already. It helps me through hard times. I think that's it. If I'll remember that I forgot anything I'll come and fix this later. I know that there probably are some English mistakes in the comment, but I don't have the time to go over the comment now. Maybe I'll come back to fix them later.

Every question can have too many answers for me, so I make the questions more specific to me: This question is for me like ,,how do you feel in life?'' My emotions when makeing music depend on how my day is. Maybe you mean: ,,What feelings does composing muisc give you?'' Then my answer is that I can relieve my emotions through music. I also like to write about my feelings so that I can understand them more easily. That depends on how long a piece will be and for how many instruments you need to write for. An overture with a duration of circa 7 min for 13 musicians took me more than 180 hours. I feel that I need to write muisc down. Otherwise, it ruins my mood and I become sick. Music is my greatest love in life.

*shrug* To-may-to, to-mah-to. Also, if you're worrying about playing jazz with a proper quarter-comma meantone tuning system, then you're doing it wrong. Plus, I play trombone...so, I pretty much ONLY play in quarter-tones and out-of-meantone-tuning anyways! ;)

@robinjessome