starting out

you can probably see by my number of posts that I am new here at YC...i would just like to hear your opinions on what materials i should find to start off with composition (books, scores, CD's, etc.)...i have recently attained books such as Rimsky's Principles Of Orchestration, and am waiting for Fux's Counterpoint, Piston's Harmony, and Reginald Smith's Musical Composition in the mail...I have a good collection of CD's mostly of 20th century classical and some of the old masters, and I own some scores of Stravinsky, Ravel, Schoenberg, Bach, Tchaikovsky, etc. I'm kind of new to classical composition, I used to fool with it when I was younger, and I write in the rock/pop vein too...I also am very experienced in my violin playing, and also play piano, and guitar...hope you guys can help me out!

sounds like the literature you've ordered is all you'll be needing to start with, i recommend starting Fux first, then Piston and then onto RK.

Welcome to YC, and i look forward to hearing your music

Mark

thanks for reaffirming my thoughts as to what I should get...should I also be getting the workbook that accompanies Piston's text?

I have piston's text and it easily has enough exercises

Adler and Forsyth's orchestration books are good complements to each other and are better than RK's in my opinion. Consider picking them up as well once you're done going through your harmony texts.

If you want my personal advice though - lose the books and actually get right in and start writing things after doing some listening to the style of music you're trying to emulate. Nothing like experience to teach you something. :P

If you want my personal advice though - lose the books and actually get right in and start writing things after doing some listening to the style of music you're trying to emulate. Nothing like experience to teach you something. :P

Exactly - buy CDs, listen A LOT and compose as much as possible. Hear something you like? Try and figure it out - trancscribe stuff off the record, or buy scores. Seeing what's going on in real examples will be invaluable (as opposed to exercises in textbooks)

Write write write.

Don't get discouraged when you don't like it - it's part of the process. Pay attention to what you don't like as well. Avoid doing it again.

...

Agree 100%. The one thing a composer desperately needs can't be bought or taught - a good aural imagination.

Just do it, as they say, and soon enough it'll come.

:)

Exactly - buy CDs, listen A LOT and compose as much as possible. Hear something you like? Try and figure it out - trancscribe stuff off the record, or buy scores. Seeing what's going on in real examples will be invaluable (as opposed to exercises in textbooks)

Write write write.

Don't get discouraged when you don't like it - it's part of the process. Pay attention to what you don't like as well. Avoid doing it again.

...

hey guys thanks for the advice...of course listening is the best way to learn, but I hope the books can help as well to learn the building blocks, because you can't do everything by ear...I do transcribe often, figuring out chords to compositions and songs and I love to arrange too because whenever I'm listening to music I here my own unique parts in my head so I translate that into my arrangements (right now I'm arranging a Frank Zappa medley for my high school string ensemble)...I'll take heed of your advice to compose a lot and try not to get discouraged if its good, I'm still trying to find my style and trying to avoid cliches...my favorite classical period is tthe 20th Century, and I want to write in that sort of style but I'm aware its complicated (becoming familiar with the harmonies, complex forms, and large-scale orchestration) so should I sort of work my way up to the style from classical or romantic? again, thanks for your help guys

Welcome aboard, boy !

It takes time to work up our own style... don't get discouraged ! :) And... have fun !