Ever Felt you're getting Worse?

I dunno, I've been composing for a year, and as of late I feel I've been kinda degrading stylisticly. Has the same thought ever some to you?

No, but I find myself periodicly entering creative dryspells. It gets hard to compose anything for a time, then it goes away and the ideas flow back.

I agree with Mr. Galt. My ideas never get worse, they just. . . vanish.

You've only been composing for a year? Don't get discouraged, you have a lot of years of composing ahead of you. The worst thing you could do is suddenly decide to quit, and then what are you going to do? If your 'style' is getting 'worse', then listen to a wider scope of music, widen your horizons and perhaps the ideas will flow smoothly again. You only learn from experience when it comes to composition, so keep at it and you'll find yourself improving in no time.

I dunno, I've been composing for a year, and as of late I feel I've been kinda degrading stylisticly. Has the same thought ever some to you?

More than likely, you are at a dryspell. It happens and I usually take a break from composing(i'm currently taking one) and then one day I feel like making music.

If you feel like your music is degrading, it probably is. However, it isn't permant or anything. You just have to take a break for a while.

I pretty much agree with what's been said. I sometimes feel like I'm deteriorating, but I always bounce back. Either try to push through the barrier, or if that doesn't work, take a break.

When I find myself in any sort of a dryspell, be it music or literature, I simply stop creating, and look to experience more. I usually go to the Library and find a CD of a Composer I don't get to hear that often, like Dvorak or Lizst, and after about a wekk or so of listening, I'm usually ready to experiment with music again. Sometimes, I find it works best to just improve during the dryspells, but make sure to record your secesions, it makes transcribing much easier. If you still find yourself in a dryspell for longer than normal, make a piece of music without any form or meaining, and see what you get; I find that is when my best paino pieces are made. Hope this has helped you.

Ya, it actually has. But then, talking a bit, people say I only feel like my skill is at a loss because I'm not longer composing at random, and it doesn't really seem inhuman.

PS: 200th post!

A theory of practice I've begun to seriously think about doing is what I once read about Stravinsky: He would get up every single morning at 9 and compose.

I'm thinking if I do this, I'll be exercizing my brain a whole lot more than how I do it now, which is pretty much whenever. The trick for me is organizing my papers and everything. I tend to sit down to compose then realize I don't know where everything I need to work on is, so I end up rearranging instead of composing. Oh well. I need to work on that.

A theory of practice I've begun to seriously think about doing is what I once read about Stravinsky: He would get up every single morning at 9 and compose.

I'm thinking if I do this, I'll be exercizing my brain a whole lot more than how I do it now, which is pretty much whenever. The trick for me is organizing my papers and everything. I tend to sit down to compose then realize I don't know where everything I need to work on is, so I end up rearranging instead of composing. Oh well. I need to work on that.

Hm, interesting idea. I think I'll try that and see how it goes.

Its probably best summed up by one of Beehtoven's quotes: 'Making music is 20% imagination, 60% organization, and 20% arguous work that works out to be equivalent to 100% hard work. I think I'ld like a bigger salary.'