What Are The Areas In Which You Think You Need To Improve As A Composer?

And what are the ways in which you have improved as a composer over the years?

I got the idea for this thread from a similar question Stirling Radliff asked me in the inappropriate location of a review of my latest composition.

So, to open this thread, here is my answer:

1. My knowledge of forms.

2. My knowledge of harmony.

3. My knowledge of counterpoint.

4. My knowledge of orchestration.

Try to achieve less ugly slurs

And what are the ways in which you have improved as a composer over the years?

 

I got the idea for this thread from a similar question Stirling Radliff asked me in the inappropriate location of a review of my latest composition.

 

So, to open this thread, here is my answer:

 

1. My knowledge of forms.

2. My knowledge of harmony.

3. My knowledge of counterpoint.

4. My knowledge of orchestration.

Can you elaborate in relating these listed to the pieces you've composed?

Can you elaborate in relating these listed to the pieces you've composed?

I leave that to you and to the other self-proclaimed experts here.

I leave that to you and to the other self-proclaimed experts here.

have you been writing anything apart from the pieces you've posted? your soliloquys inkling sententiae by your own definition do nothing to explore and develop these techniques.

I leave that to you and to the other self-proclaimed experts here.

I don't think that many of us here consider ourselves 'experts'. Most of us are students trying to learn from one another - giving critical feedback about whatever we observe might be wrong or could be improved in our forum-friends' works.

And I leave it to you to decide what you need to do. But be critical of yourself, as most of us are of ourselves. It's the essence of learning.

Developing ideas. I tend to quickly move from one idea to another in a piece instead of creating an entire piece out of two or three ideas like I should. This leads to my pieces being shorter and feeling rushed. 

Not writing trash and writing good music instead

1- MEMORY

2- Audiation skills

3- Sense of time

4- access to good theoretical knowledge and mentors/ colleagues with good taste

Edit: 5- working habits and time management

1. Longer forms. I feel comfortable to compose 20-minute orchestral or concerto piece with limited ammount of motifs.

2. Search of fresh, rarely used harmonies, rich tonal colours.

3. I love to make so-called "avant-garde" elements easily accessible to everybody.

4. Ready to learn something new.

1) Counterpoint.

2) Chamber music (and organ music as well :p ). I have never felt as comfortable as when writing orchestral and/or piano solo works.

3) Innovate and expand my harmonic language while remaining true to what I love most.

4) Break away from my qualms about writing vocal music.

5) Knowledge of extended techniques to use for effect.

1.  How much is enough.  

2.  How much is not enough.

3.  Better organization of large scale development. 

4.  Orchestration.  

5.  Common practice rules of harmony and counterpoint, so I can spend less time with trial and error and compose more efficiently, at least for the bits where I do want a more traditional sound and so that I can intelligently defend my ideas when I choose to deviate from tradition.  

1. Longer forms. I feel comfortable to compose 20-minute orchestral or concerto piece with limited ammount of motifs.

2. Search of fresh, rarely used harmonies, rich tonal colours.

3. I love to make so-called "avant-garde" elements easily accessible to everybody.

4. Ready to learn something new.

 Do you actually need to improve on those aspects? :dunno: Of course, there is always room for improvement and we must always strive to better ourselves, but either you are being too modest, your self-esteem is abnormally low or you are answering the second question, i.e. the areas where you have most improved over the years.

Areas where I think I have improved:

1. Better management of form and development

2. Chord vocabulary

Areas I need to improve:

1. Stylistic variety

2. Instrumental variety

3. Writing things at all

I wish I could make my pieces more complex and interesting.  I tend to make one part have really interesting melodies/harmonies/developments and another one really boring to play.  Still, I'm really glad that I've learned a LOT about orchestration and the instruments I don't specialize in (brass, woodwinds, percussion) over the years.

EDIT:  Also learned about choir, choir works, and vocal pitch ranges.  Thank my piano accompanist experience.  :)

Speed in composing, because speed inspires confidence and confidence makes all the rest happen. ;)

Things I could improve on:

1. Patience- I start a piece, but never can sit around long enough to finish it.

2. Counterpoint- It sounds.... awkward.  And chunky.  

3. Notating- I hear music in my head, but I don't know how to write it down well.

4. Flexibility- I used to be all paranoid about clashing notes.  I freaked out over V7 chords.... :musicwhistle: Not anymore, though.  I'm a little more flexible with my harmony now......

5. Showing others my work- Being a perfectionist, I'm not very happy with my works, and practically never show them.  Except to my composition teacher.  I should start sharing more to improve my music. 

Writing convincing larger scale forms. I am stuck at the 12 minute mark.

Allowing myself to fail at writing orchestral pieces so that I finally get to writing a good orchestral piece.

Charge more money for the services I can provide well - piano technique for beginners to early advance students, most undergraduate theory and counterpoint

Improve my counterpoint further

Set a more consistent composing schedule - especially when non-music jobs or non- composing activities dominate my time.

Read more poetry, study more scores and read more theory analyses

Perform my own works in public a few times a year to know what I am putting my fellow pianists/organists through!

Write another string quartet and woodwind quintet to improve form, and counterpoint.

Things to improve on:

1.) Knowing when to take a break from a piece

2.) When to follow conventions and when to break rules in pieces

3.) Advanced techniques for woodwinds and brass (gotta break out of my comfort zone of string instruments)

Things I have improved on

1.) Standing up for myself artistically.  The first piece I uploaded here was a demo for a game soundtrack.  I let the game designer who commissioned it bully me into cutting out a big chunk of it in lieu of having a shorter part repeat endlessly.  It's was not a proud moment for me and I wish I'd just combined the slow A part with the faster B part like I wanted.  Money buys cheeseburgers but doesn't make you very happy once you're hungry again.

2.) Using FL Studio!  It was a big switch after only ever using Finale and I'm still learning new things about it. 

Things I feel comfortable with:

1) Piano, chamber music, solo melodic instruments;

2) Polyphony, counterpoint, fugues;

3) Composing very fast, like whole movements in a day or two.

Things I really want to improve:

1) Orchestration!!!! I mean, with big orchestra, not string orchestra or chambaer orchestra. (I can't at all!!! I've tried many times, but I never get to finish anything)

2) Patience to resume works I've started at some point of my life;

3) Being a bit more simple sometimes...

4) Use of Percussion

(Austenite, do you want to lend me some skills on orchestration? Just for a week? I can give you counterpoint :D hehehe)

The forms and counterpoint. Learning them seems daunting. Am self taught. :-)

(Austenite, do you want to lend me some skills on orchestration? Just for a week? I can give you counterpoint :D hehehe)

Heh... I would do that exchange if it was possible - provided that neither of us lose what we already have ;) . BTW, perhaps you could add chamber works into the package - for me, an effective "chamber" work means an ensemble the size of a string orchestra at least :dunno: ...

Heh... I would do that exchange if it was possible - provided that neither of us lose what we already have

If I lend you money, you gain money while I lose money. If I lend you an idea, we both possess it.  :P 

I could use pretty much a helping or two of everything. I know jack squat about theory. All my compositions are made by observing geometric patterns and applying math to everything.

To be able to write better instructions on how an animal, or a group of animals, should vary the pitch and volume levels of various sound-emitting tools when used together or on their own.