Paper and pen(cil)

Guess I'll have to go against the majority here... I like composing at the computer more. I've tried writing music by hand before, but my handwriting isn't good enough and I'm not patient enough to draw all of the necessary figures by hand. And the computer is so much more convenient. If you need to erase something, you can do it without wearing out erasers or erasing holes through the paper; if you need to insert music somewhere, you don't have to rewrite the entire score; and after you're done, it's already (somewhat) professional looking.

Of course, I haven't been composing long enough or often enough to really say.

Guess I'll have to go against the majority here... I like composing at the computer more. I've tried writing music by hand before, but my handwriting isn't good enough and I'm not patient enough to draw all of the necessary figures by hand. And the computer is so much more convenient. If you need to erase something, you can do it without wearing out erasers or erasing holes through the paper; if you need to insert music somewhere, you don't have to rewrite the entire score; and after you're done, it's already (somewhat) professional looking.

Of course, I haven't been composing long enough or often enough to really say.

Hm, I prefer the time it takes to write. I focus more on the music when I'm writing it out then when I'm just throwing notes in on Finale.

John, is there someone else to play the other part? Then do you orchestrate it on the computer?

- Btw, so I was kinda right I guess... Doesn't that limit you to what only you can play? Not to say you can't play anything of course, lol, but I find more freedom in doing it on the computer... Maybe I should go back and try pencil and paper sometimes... It seemed to me all my ideas at the piano were kinda weak... When I started on computers I had alot more variety, at least to my knowledge.

That's one of the things that I think is my problem. I'm a very weak pianist, so if I try to compose at the piano, then it becomes rather "grade 1" ish. I've tried composing entirely at the computer, and that becomes a little sporadic, and I don't truly think of what I'm doing.

I think that JohnGalt might be composing more in his head than using the piano. It's a skill that's difficult for me to hone, but I'm starting to lean that way.

But, and I think I said this somewhere else, but it's what I think is the most important thing to say, I think the end justifies the means. I know a lot of composers are probably looking at this thread trying to find the best way to compose, but I really think that it's different for every composer, and really depends on the output. If the output is good, then the story is you wrote this music, deleting the process.

What's important, I think, though, is to try all of the techniques that are available to make sure that you are doing the right one for you.

I tried originally to compose on paper but i found although i can hear things in my head in when i write them down they don't sound like they should. In finale however, i can try a few note until i get the one in my head. I might go back to pencil and paper in a while, once my aural skills have improved (something i work on daily)

Mark