What can I do to my music?

I've been writing music for 5 years already. Now mostly classical but I suppose I could also write music for films. But everything I write is heard and appreciated only by my family and friends. I have no musical education (I dropped my piano lessons when I was 12. I'm 21 now.) I don't want to study music in any conservatory or musical university. I just want to write music. I want it to be heard.

My music might be very beautiful and enchanting but it might be boring and not interesting at all. Let's assume it might be either. (I don't want to upload it to youtube because I'm afraid someone might use it for himself) So, I must take it somewhere. To someone who would listen to it, and, if it's really worth, use it somewhere. I write symphonies, so I need the sheet music to be corrected (by someone who knows the specifics of each instrument) and the orchestra to play it. Also I write pieces for the piano. Sometimes something on the synthesizer.

WHAT SHOULD I DO? WHERE SHOULD I GO?? Thanks a lot!

P.S.: I live in Russia. And I play the piano. Chopin, Bach, e.t.c.

What I'm asking is where I could take the music. Not to write it just for myself. I want to write music, to be known as a very talented composer (If I'm worth anything that is), to be paid for it. Pop/rock artists just need a producer to promote them. What do I, a classical composer, need?

Hire an ensemble ... Book a venue.

It's surprisingly easy.

Find like-minded musicians and composers... Get IN the scene... Collaborate...

"I want to be an established composer, but I don't want to study music.

I want to be a painter, but I don't want to learn how to use a brush."

Thanks to everyone for your comments. I appreciate it very much.

When I say I don't want to study music, I mean that I don't want to go to any musical school. I want to study it myself. To find things out gradually. Twice a year I play at a concert at school. I like to play Chopin, Beethoven and other composers and I try my best to develop my music skills. When I say I don’t know the peculiarities of certain instruments I mean that a violinist would write something more appropriate for the violin because he plays it himself. I know the range of all instruments (thanks to Wikipedia), so why shouldn’t the orchestra be able to play it? If there are any mistakes (what can’t be played) I can correct them.

It's a good idea to play famous pieces to the public and then by chance play my own piece.

I think I should find an American company that needs a composer and send them one of my music pieces. If they like it and desire to use it (in a film maybe) they might buy it from me. That would show me that I don't write music in vain. But I must find a company which I could trust. I don’t want anybody to steal my music.

“Hire an ensemble” – That would cost thousands of dollars. I think that the company should hire it when necessary. At the beginning I could offer piano music or synthesizer music.

What I need is a start, an impulse.

^ What he said.

“Hire an ensemble” – That would cost thousands of dollars. I think that the company should hire it when necessary. At the beginning I could offer piano music or synthesizer music.

What?

What do you plan on doing with this ensemble? Who are you hiring?

I thought you were looking for ways to increase your exposure and fan-base. I really hope you didin't plan on jumping into highly-lucrative gigs right off the bat.... you need to start underground, cheap, pay-what-you-can gigs, pay the players a cut from the door - many of us will take $8.34 for a night if the music is good and we'll have a good time. Don't be afraid to lose a bit of money ... it happens.

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Also, I'm not sure why these guys up there are trying to scare you away from writing for any instrument you want.... school/books will teach you about the tinstruments, but it takes a decent player to really tell you "I can not play this" .... You'll learn REAL FAST what not to write...

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Start a bi-weekly composers / performers workshop.....learn on the FLY - work without a net.... if it sucks, it sucks, don't bring it again.

The point I'm trying to make is, if you want to have your music performed, it's as simple as wandering out there and having your music performed......

I think he was thinking in the context of an orchestra, not anything smaller.

I think he was thinking in the context of an orchestra, not anything smaller.

What's the difference?

Your ensemble is limited only by the size of the room you want to put it in....

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Heh. If only if were that simple.

Heh. If only if were that simple.

It's not?

Well the quality of musician factors highly in how much they're paid.

You could try entering competitions. This is what I am doing at the moment, and if you are lucky you will get a performance or at least some feedback - but only if your entry is good enough to get attention from the judges. And for this you need to learn your craft.

I hold that you absolutely need practical experience of performing, as much as you can possibly get, to learn about writing for different instruments. I can't think of a single composer in history, even ones that are mostly forgotten about nowadays, who wasn't at least a moderately good performer. Most of them were excellent on at least one instrument, and played as much as they wrote. Preferably if you learnt an orchestration instrument you would get to spend a lot of time playing in orchestras and start to pick up what each of the instruments can do. But I mean a long time. I've been playing in ensembles since I was 8 and in symphony orchestras playing 'proper' concert repertoire for the last nine years and I still feel I am far from being an expert on the full capabilities of the instruments, even though I write and arrange for nearly all of them regularly. Composing music is one of the most difficult disciplines in any art form; the knowledge one must accumulate to attempt even simple pieces is considerable and to create a lasting masterpiece requires decades of personal effort. I'm convinced that you have to really learn to play before you can write.

Why not go to a normal university and study music rather than a conservatory? You would get a rounded education in music history, theory, composition, performance and analysis and get to meet like-minded people. I chose to do this rather than spend all year in a practice room and it is not a decision I regret.

Well the quality of musician factors highly in how much they're paid.

Not really.

I work with some of the most talented and creative musicians in the city....and we often get paid barely enough to buy a beer and a subway token. The quality of the musicians factors highly into how good the music is; how much the musicians enjoy working together; how busy the players are.....money is often bottom of the list. If the experience will be enjoyable, most serious musicians love music enough to forego making money in lieu of making great music.

I didn't realize this was the "What can I do to my music...only if I can get professional musicians and play in big fancy theatres and be on the cover of Rolling Stone" thread....

I can't think of a single composer in history, even ones that are mostly forgotten about nowadays, who wasn't at least a moderately good performer. Most of them were excellent on at least one instrument, and played as much as they wrote.

Berlioz and Wagner, off the top of my head. You don't need to be a good performer to be a good composer. You do, however, need real live experience writing and re-writing for instruments.

Agreed. You don't have to be a virtuoso performer, but you do need to have a lot of experience with performance because your pieces will be performed.

Berlioz and Wagner, off the top of my head. You don't need to be a good performer to be a good composer. You do, however, need real live experience writing and re-writing for instruments.

Berlioz knew his way round the flute, and could play the guitar as a youth as well. In his autobiography he gives accounts of playing his earliest compositions with adults and family members, so whatever his actual level of skill he became competent enough to benefit from practical experience.

Hire an ensemble ... Book a venue.

It's surprisingly easy.

Find like-minded musicians and composers... Get IN the scene... Collaborate...

What's the cost like for that?

What's the cost like for that?

For what?

Depending on precisely what's happening, potential funding requirements can be $0.00

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