witmer

I've been having difficulty getting started in composing music, I've never written an actual piece of music yet. I've haven't been working with much intensity for long, I'm still learning how to play the piano. I'm currently trying to compose on the piano for the piano. I don't know whether to commit a loose yet lengthy enough combination of notes to memory, or try to dig for something that actually will be memorable without tremendous effort. I'm not sure I'm at a point where I want to write it down yet. So, some specific frustrations: 1. Occasionally I'll arrive upon an interesting chord change within a nice melody but always, they seem like climactic segments of would be pieces. All I can think about when this happens are musical jokes, this applies to most of my music though I realize I need to tolerate what I can do for now and explore it in greater depth. 2. I can never figure out a good pattern of left hand notes to match the flow of the melody or passage of notes. I'm really curious about this. I think this is the key to getting started. 3. I can't settle on what kind of "flow" I would like to see in beginning music of my own, or what kind of flow I could expect. By flow I mean distinctions between the music of different pieces and composers, who do I want to bite off of first the most, or entirely. I have created segments of "bach invention" rip offs, but mostly it sounds classical, sometimes I get fancy and romantic, sometimes I get bored and it sounds like segments of Beethoven Symphonies or avante garde stuff. I'm striving for something sounding like a generic classical sonatina, but good enough that I like it, just to show a little bit of musicianship to build my confidence. 4. My improvisation is too slow to stray from my expectations, which are accordingly basic. Any advice would be helpful.

Umm...has anyone heard of Emmanuel Chabrier? I'm sure you have at least heard of his rhapsody for orchestra Espana. So, not only is Espana as a work underapreciated, but it's semi fame, over shadows many extremely brilliant works. Chabrier has an elegance that rivals Saint Saens and impressionist colors that forshadow Debussy, along with the excitement of Offenbach. His pieces Pittoresque for piano are some of the best and most underrated in the piano repertoire. He really is among the most brilliant french composers of the late half of the nineteenth century, he's just not currently in vogue. His operetta Le'Toile or however you spell it, has shocked many listeners at how amazingly comedic and elegant the music itself is, his comedic opera rivals mozart. Clementi isn't even recognized for what he is; the point that Beethoven started from with Sonatas as he was so important in the development of piano technique. C.m.v Weber wrote some mean symphonies and sonatas. Historically, the whole classical and romantic transition period needs to be fleshed out and explored in greater depth. And truly, truly, poor Gustav Holst deserves to be known as perhaps the best english composer EVER, ever surpassing Elgar perhaps, except he's not as nationalistically english as Elgar. And his planets suite overshadow other great works, like the ballet music for The Perfect Fool, and Egdon Heath.

The 2nd movement is my favorite, well after all that insanity in the 4th. I'm a huge fan of the 7th and 8th. The 7th is rockin' and the 8th is so concise and tight, whatever that means to anyone else.

I love it Jmay! It might as well be Beethoven era, though I get the feeling of Bach's organ music, especially in the main them of the Scherzo; all in all very historic. This is an inspiration to me, and it seems like a great place to start with symphonies and orchestration. What was your process like in writing this piece? Do you hope for it to be performed, and do you yourself think highly of it? Also may I ask how old you are and what it took to arrive at the point of being able to compose as you do now. For me, I think a key point is being a better sight reader; I'm 17 and I've long been contemplating how to start off in writing pieces in a classical style. I'm sorry I have no critical feed back, having never composed myself. Keep at the symphonies though, I'd love to see your style evolve.

I don't practice much right now, but I'm still getting started. I have confidence that I am capable of practicing effectively as I learned how to actually read music and memorize a whole new level of piano pieces over the summer without any guidance. I'm still very shaky on my bowing technique thus my hand gets tired, though I can produce a pretty good sound. Its a beautiful instrument, but I'm still finding my motivation, as I certainly have the time to practice. Thanks for your input.

Not long ago(august), I rented a double bass and started lessons. I'm currently playing the piano as well, and am trying to improve on both. I'm considerably less skilled on double bass than piano, though I'm not especially skilled at piano either. This means I know enough to practice basic skills and sight reading, and am still working on bowing and only a few hand positions. Piano takes a lot of time and energy and I haven't gotten close to solid in my practicing habits with the bass. So I'm wondering, and for your information, I'm 17; is it realistic to think I'd ever have the skill to play at a level satisfactory for the symphony orchestra at my age? Also, I'm completely fascinated with string quartets and as you probably know, bass is not part of a string quartet; don't ask me how, but I was talked into starting bass(deciding between bass and cello, I was going to start one or the other) and I have a great teacher so I don't want to just quit while I'm at it and start cello(or nothing and just stick with piano); how easy is it to transition to cello once you are a proficient bassist and then become a proficient cellist, is there as much of a correlation as it seems there could be? And then there's the matter of whether I'd ever be good enough to play with a string quartet or have the resources to find an amateur group. So, I have an interest(and therefore goals) in composing, and string quartet playing(and competent piano playing if not concert level, at least so I understand music). Do you think this is realistic? Do you have any advice for me, I need help, and piano is my strongest point right now; I tend to think of it as a tool for experiencing and understanding music placing priority on the possibility of playing a stringed instrument. Ask if you need more information.

K, these are my top four...Currently, Mozart String Quartet "Dissonance"(if I had to pick a number 1), and Gustav Holst's "The Perfect Fool" ballet music. Appalachian Spring, all of it, especially that one early fast part-Copland. I also remembered how much I love "music of the night", from Phantom of the Opera-Andrew Lloyd Webber, but I'm not sure if it counts. Those are my official top for the time being. Below are all the other classical beloved's I can think of that are very very incredible to me right now. Tell me if you totally identify! Fanfare for the Common Man-Copland...amazing. Pastorale Symphony, the famous part...amazing, plus the "Emporer Concerto" and "8th symphony"-Beethoven. This one wind orchestra piece by Mozart, his 29th, 25th, all movements of the 40th, the 41st symphonies. Mozart in general. The first movement of the "Clock Symphony", its less well known, but very exciting-Haydn. Water Music Suite-Handel. The 5th and 6th part of the rite of spring-Stravinsky. Saines Saines-"Fossiles" and opening to carnival of the animals, and the elephant. Swan Lake Overature and anything from the Nutcracker. Every part of the New World Symphony is interesting-it used to bore me a bit, but its a keeper-Dvorak. Haha, Le Piccadilly-Erik Satie, and Golliwog's Cakewalk-Debussy. Overature to Die Fledermaus-Johann Strauss II. Barber of Seville Overature-Rossini. The theme from the startrek movie, "The Wrath of Khan, its awesome trust me, not by Jerry Goldsmith, some other guy. Gnossienes no. 5, 6 and 7-Erik Satie. French Suites-J.S. Bach. Rhapsody in Blue-Gershwin. As long as I have Gnossienes, why not Moonlight Sonata-Beethoven, all movements, especially the last, and Debussy's Arabesque, orchestra versions of Claire de Lune. Maple Leaf Rag, Elite Syncopations-Scott Joplin. All of the Planets, especially Mars, Venus, Mercury, and Uranus-Holst. Suite Pastorale, Overature to Gwendoline-Emmanuel Chabrier. If I keep going, my list is going to start including more and more, my filter getting looser and looser, I know there's plenty I forgot that will seem just as deserving...

I really just listen to music of all sorts, I'm not big on sheet music, I can't read very well, but I can compose on paper, just very slowly. I can't really put to words how I think of it though, the best music is composed by thinking in music right? I can only talk general idea, and sometimes that feels like it provides limiting framework. I've never actually written a composition down before, I've copied stuff out of my head by ear on paper, I'm just not confident with harmonies since I haven't worked hard enough and have no formal training. I also realized that Clair De lune sounded so familiar to me because as a little kid in the 90s, I listened to music of the night from Phantom of the Opera, sounds a bit like claire de lune, very nocturnal sounding, beautifully emotional. Well, that was a tangent. I'm tired, thats my excuse.

This is in G minor right? Op. 10? Okay, now I'm remembering alot as I listen. There is a female Cellist and female lead violinist, male accompanying and viola.

I didn't know anyone else cared about this one. I thought it was an incredibly intriguing work. It was one of the first things I saw in my introduction to Debussy. I had been listening to Stravinsky and Erik Satie, and this magically bridged the two in my mind. I didn't re-watch it yet..., I last saw it a few months ago, I've listened to alot of other music since, but, I remember that parts of it were put together funny, there was this one part towards the middle where it had a weak tonal center that was decreasing, then it built up coherence rapidly, but and did a "flash" of three quarter notes in the key of C, really triumphant sounding, and all in unison. I also remember the part where the Cello starts going solo and then the others accompany. The developements were really unusual to me. This is a pretty early work of Debussy right? Is this really his only quartet?

Holst's Jupiter is a great piece, but it is not the best of the planet's suite imo, its spectacular, but not for Holst really. Beethoven's ninth, can't say I've ever been a big fan of most of it. There are plenty of others that qualify to this extent Oh, yeah, the Four Season's by Vivaldi, he does much cooler stuff, but I still like it. Maybe the Marriage of Figaro and Mozart's requiem, it has its incredible parts, but it isn't all its cracked up to be(I'm probably going to be attacked for this one) My parents like Van Morrison. I can't say I'm a big fan, folk music in general and the entire mello vibe to it, I always get suspicious of people just trying to be cool by listening to "chill" music.

maybe this will ressurect this thread, although i wish we could talk about our choices some.

I just joined this forum, mostly to engage in an active community. Ironically, this appears to be a long dead thread. If I find a new one in this vein, I'll post there, but shoot...if I were to pick one just now, it would have to be Gustav Holst. Some of the most imagination packed music I've ever heard, with such an English sound. The often massive and rapid progression of many horns together in his music is rare, but not unique to him, Stravinsky is one that does something similar, its so impressive the way he does it, and he has the strings dancing with the powerhouse horns. But it feels more liberating and flowing than Stavinsky, plus it has that unique tonality to it that Holst invented, the modern English sound, plus the "space/war" sound that had been developing for a while. Holst is perhaps the fullest sound I can think of along with Dvorak, it has incredible substance and yet it is incredibly agile. My jaw gapes at certain progressions in the fast movements of his ballet stuff for "the perfect fool". The Planets are not a rip off of le Sacre de Printemps by Stravinsky, he borrowed ideas from Stravinsky and Schoeberg, but his music is very original. He compiles all the best I've heard from different composers, without overdoing it, and adds his own "english" spin to it. Egdon Heath is one of the finest pieces of gradeur I've ever heard. Plus, he's the most Eastern sounding Western composer I can and rapid strings, I can mellow it out and bask in his slower pieces like Neptune, Egdon Heath, and Venus. Oh, but I love Aaron Copland soo much as well, he's the American Holst, but totally different. I don't care if that breaks the rules, I said I picked Holst didn't I, but I had to mention Copland.