Finding your voice

Hi there,

Just curious-I really can't seem to find my "voice" as a composer. I love composing, but sometimes my music seems to be forced, for lack of a better word. I have this hope that at some point, I will find my "true style" and it might come a bit easier. Is this something that will come in time with lots of composing? Should I just keep plugging away and at some point, will things just "click" and I will sort of find my style? Any help from all ye composers would be great.

I don't think I explained that very well, it sounds a bit lame. lol.

Well, if composing is your hobby/past time, then i, personally, wouldn't force anything. I am of the belief that all creative hobbies should be done with out trouble. in other words: if it doesn't flow, wait till it does. (give it a break then come back to it.)

If it is your job to write music that is a completely different matter. I don't think you can call in and say, "You wont be getting anything for the next month because I am waiting for my 'flow'."

I would advise not giving up on it. It will come. I am starting to get an idea of my "voice". (It is a little stronger in my piano improv.) I think it is kind of the same thing as your voice in writing. You have to find that too; the difference is that you have to write since you were like 6 so you have considerable more practice at it. (for those who dont start composing till their teens)

I assume what you mean by your "own voice" is something personal to you and readily distinguishable from others. Most composers start out by imitating what they hear and love. Don't worry, I think as you say your own voice will come with time as you continue to compose. Study may also help.

improvisation lets your personal subconscious thoughts come to life

Its is important to find a voice, but I think we are all a little young to find a voice. I think voice kinda comes, John Adams says he found his in his early 30's and Tan Dun is still looking for his. I think voice finds you, you dont find it.

how about,

first learn to copy others,

its like,, learning a language,

and then you can start adding your stuff

which is like speaking your accent.

or nevermind.

Some composers dont find a unique voice until they're quite advanced in both age and training.

I'd say if your formal training isn't anywhere near complete yet, then don't worry about your "unique voice". It's not time for it anyways.

As you gain mastery of the tools of composition and you get settled in to your craft, then you will see that a unique voice will emerge of its own accord. Little things in your approach to craft will be a large part of what identifies the music as "yours".

Contrary to all of the above posts, I think that it's really uninteresting and unimportant to consciously try or have at all a "personal" voice.

Why? Because no matter what you do, unless it's a 1:1 exact copy (and perhaps even then!) is going to be "you" no matter what. Even if you copy an style and write this or that way, you'll still create stuff that is yours despite it all.

So, my advice is, forget about it and just write what you want to write. And, also thinking that "a personal" style is important can really set some bias on what you actually can/may want to do.

If you feel your music is forced, then it's best to forget everything you've learned and sorta try to compose just from the sound. I've seen people that only really started to like what they wrote after they stopped worrying about stylistic rules, etc etc and just wrote whatever they wanted. Forget about tonality and atonality, forget about counterpoint or harmony, just put together the sounds you want, how you want them. Nothing can automate this, no systems, rules, styles, none of that is better for what you want than, well, what you want.

Hear out your intuition first, and go from there.

If you have a talent for composition, your individuality and personal voice as a composer will develop gradually and naturally. Some of the greatest contemporary composers are known to have found their personal voice quite late in their careers. Elliott Carter, for instance, arguably America's greatest and most important living composer, didn't find his unique voice until his First String Quartet written in 1951, when the composer was already well into his forties (and now, at 99, he's still writing works of astonishing invention and originality, which are heaps better than most pieces produced by his younger colleagues). So don't worry, Pianistboy....

If you have a talent for composition,

As if there's such a thing~

A composer is built on the will to listen to their imagination made reality. There's no "talent" involved and I think it's pretty scrafty even involving talent in something like this, because really. What if someone thinks they have no "talent"? They could be really brilliant or produce some really nice things, but are discouraged by a scraggy-word nobody knows how to properly use.

Happens all the time, too.

I have no talent!

Sucks :(

I have no talent!

Sucks :(

HAHA LOSER. LOL.

...

;P

:D I should definitely give this up - if I could just crush that tiny stupid bit of me that thinks I can do this...

My chime in.

I found it very substantial to sing along with songs and a whole new genre your not used to for quite a length of time just singing with different genres. I even did rap lol.

Then when I came back my voice seemed to be much more versatile and just easier to sing without thinking as much.

Just worked for me. Not a solution for everyone. Experiment, Let go of the rules even if you sound not good at first, improvise. Don't even worry about who you sound like, the listeners will always compare you to something. Just do your best to "Not think about it" and improvise. Sound like crap, take some chances, for a while experimenting. It will subconciously pay off with new ideas of where you want to be and remember if your a perfectionist like me you will never be completely happy anyways, but the more thinking I believe the worst as far as creativity. But not true for these symphony and more advanced writers than me. I'm just your plain (try my best) kick donkey garage/basement songwriter. Edgy Rock and Roll with some other genres thrown in.

So, is composing in a particular style that has already been developed automatically unoriginal? If I were to write a neo-romantic piece, would it automatically be unoriginal? Do I have to go beyond tonality to find my 'voice'? I have heard so many opinions on these issues, it can be quite confusing. :wacko:

So, is composing in a particular style that has already been developed automatically unoriginal? If I were to write a neo-romantic piece, would it automatically be unoriginal? Do I have to go beyond tonality to find my 'voice'? I have heard so many opinions on these issues, it can be quite confusing. :wacko:

Eh?

What I meant was that there is no real "voice", whatever you do is original and personal by default. At least, that's how I look at it. Surely, you can try to be "original" but in the end, that's sorta fruitless. It's fun to experiment too, but for the sake of the experiment, not just to do something "new."

Wow, thanks for all the replies! They really help.

:) I love this forum, you guys are so helpful!

I think the best thing you can do is find a way of writing in which you can express yourself best. As long as you can do this, since you are (I'm assuming) a unique person, your voice should then be unique as well (even if it's not completely original).

Originality for the sake of originality might be interesting at times, but I like it better when one knowingly chooses what elements to include in one's music, and while trying to find new expressive "heights", creates originality. Originality as the ends instead of the means is a lot more appealing to me than the other way around ;).

writing in [a way with] which you can express yourself best.

Well, what if one doesn't want to express anything with their music? What if music just.. is? :P

Well, what if one doesn't want to express anything with their music? What if music just.. is? :P

Then they produce an album using only midi.;)

improvisation lets your personal subconscious thoughts come to life

Contrary to all of the above posts, I think that it's really uninteresting and unimportant to consciously try or have at all a "personal" voice.

As if there's such a thing~

A composer is built on the will to listen to their imagination made reality. There's no "talent" involved and I think it's pretty scrafty even involving talent in something like this, because really. What if someone thinks they have no "talent"? They could be really brilliant or produce some really nice things, but are discouraged by a scraggy-word nobody knows how to properly use.

Happens all the time, too.

Well, what if one doesn't want to express anything with their music? What if music just.. is? :P

Then it isn't music, it's just noise :huh:.

It still can be consciously created, no?

One could even argue that a person who writes music to express something isn't truly creative, since they're not actually creating something new, just translating something that's already there into music. Of course that's an exaggeration (and I do realize that even a translation is a form of creation), but I just wonder why so often the very basic concept of creation is so often ignored when it comes to arts, treating art as a mere medium in service to other aims.

But to get back to the original question: I agree with everyone who said that there's little point in actively trying to "get your own voice". Aside from the fact that everyone always has their own voice, which may be more or less clear to others and develops with time, I don't even see the necessity to "have a voice". Of course, if you mean with it finding a way to write music that "suits you" then I see what is meant, but if a "personal style" is meant, I really see no need for it. I really don't mind if every piece of me sounds totally different and has no discernible "common style". I'd much prefer that to repeating myself all the time, personally.

I'll be original here and say...don't worry about it. As your understanding of music grows, you will learn to communicate more and more of what you want in your own music. Not to mention, do you honestly think your current taste in music is going to last you the rest of your lifetime? I highly doubt it. People's taste changes all the time. If people enjoy listening to different types of music at different times in their live, they will enjoy writing different types of music at different times in their lives. "Originality" and "talent" are two concepts you often hear thrown around here. I think both are overrated and indefinite. Just write what *you* want to hear.

It still can be consciously created, no?

One could even argue that a person who writes music to express something isn't truly creative, since they're not actually creating something new, just translating something that's already there into music. Of course that's an exaggeration (and I do realize that even a translation is a form of creation), but I just wonder why so often the very basic concept of creation is so often ignored when it comes to arts, treating art as a mere medium in service to other aims.

Well, in that case, art just becomes craft, in my opinion. If there's no point to making the art, if it's just colors or shapes or sounds, then why bother? Again, you could do it, but it's just not art any more, at least as far as the "standard" definition goes (well, what I think is the standard definition :P).