Questions for Composers

1. Do you play any instrument(s)? If so which one(s).

(Vocal chords count as an instrument if you can sing from score)

2. What do you compose?

Do you write music for song, or do you compose pure instrumentals, or both?

3. If you compose instrumentals what type(s) do you compose?

Solo’s, Duets, Chamber, Band, Orchestral, other?

4. What genre of music are your most interested in composing.

5. What, if any, are your favorite musical instruments or combinations of instruments?

Please feel free to elaborate any special interests that you have with respect to composing or playing musical instruments.

Thank you for your precious time,

James

1. Piano

2. Songs, industrial, Video Game music, Film music, Contemporary classical music

3. All

4. All the above (question no.2)

5. none, but I do like the strings :laugh:

1. I play trombone
   
2. Instrumentals
   
3. Anything/everything. Usually some sort of larger ensemble
   
4. My genre is commonly known as jazz
   
5. Anything/everything. Usually some sort of larger ensemble consisting of saxophones, trombones, trumpets and rhythm.
   

Generally, I write for jazz orchestra. I will write for anything - always in some sort of creative/improvised/jazz-type setting...

let me know if you want me to get more specific.

I guess I have to fill it out in the same way...

1. Euphonium

2. Instrumental and songs

3. Usually large ensemble or solos. I need to write more of everything else.

4. I haven't figured that out yet.

5. Euphonium and woodwinds but not together usually.

1. I play Violin, a little piano, but I am mainly a vocalist.

2. I compose instrumentals.

3. Chamber, Orchestral, Vocal, and Choral.

4. Modern Classical, and i want to do some film.

5. none really, except, oboe lol.

First off, my age: I am 17 years old, and am going to be a junior in highschool.

1. Hehe, I'm a happen to be an up-and-coming multi-instrumentalist.:thumbsup:

My instruments and competancy levels (no particular order):

Piano - *primary* very competant, six years

Violin - *secondary* intermediate, four years

Flute and alto flute - pretty good, not great (I never owned a flute, just borrowed), three years

Clarinet (Bb soprano) - pretty good, not great (I can/could play all clarinets, but not quite as well), three years

Recorder (C soprano) - pretty darn good (I imagine I could play all sizes), two years

Trumpet (Bb) - somewhat good, one year

Horn (double) - slightly better than okay, but not by much. Not great, nearly a year

Tuba (BBb Sousaphone) - okay (just learning for marching band), couple of months

Battery percussion (snare drum, tympani...) - reasonable, four years

Mallet percussion (marimba, ect.) - highly skilled, four years

Vocals - baritone range, I hate singing, but I can sing a part sightreading, I have relative pitch

Guitar (acoustic/electric, folk-style) - pretty darn sucky, three years

I wish to learn soprano Saxophone, trombone, and 'cello. I could already play euphonium, baritone, and tenor/alto horn, but I don't include it on the actual list because I have only played a euphonium once, though it was not terribly difficult to play. Likewise with the trumpet, I could probably also play cornet and flugelhorn just as well (which is not so great). I have tried to play harp, I have not succeeded. I probably could also play viola, I understand it is not very different from the violin.

I learn to play as many instruments as possible to better understand the capabilities of them and appreciate the difficulties and weakness they possess. With that knowledge, I could better utilise them in my compositions.

2. I write purely for non-vocalist ensembles (as of yet).

3. Ensembles I have written or arranged for: duets and quartets of the same instrument, woodwind quintet, chamber and mixed ensembles, concert/orchestral band, string and full orchestra, percussion ensemble.

4. Favorite style/genre: all classical style and video game music.

5. Favorite instruments in order: horn, euphonium horn, english horn, bassoon, 'cello, harp.

Instruments I like to combine (have not done extensively, but more insterest in the future) - contrabass, subcontrabass and octabass wind instruments and old, vintage, rare instruments, such as krumhorns, racketts, cornetts (serpents, ect.), viola d'amore, tenoroon, ect.

1. I play piano, flute and am beginning violin. I've been playing the piano and the flute for about 9 years.

2. Instrumental music.

3. I usually write a mix of solos/duets, film music, or small arrangements. I like to do animation series, and usually score the flash movies. It's quite a slow processs with the storyboards and all, but well worth it.

4. Since I love a good story, incendental music is my new favorite genre. Not much of the music I've composed is incendental, but animation has sparked a new interest in this type of music.

5. My favorite arrangements involve woodwinds (especially the flute), piano and strings.

1. Drum Set, 4 years, very good.

Percussion, 4 years, same as drum set.

Mallet percussion, 1 year, I'm ok.

Guitar, 2 years, pretty sucky.

Keyboards/piano, couple of months, very sucky.

2. What do you compose?

I compose mostly everything. Classical music, progressive/experimental metal, electronica, ambient music, percussion ensemble stuff, and hopefully jazz and drum corps soon.

3. If you compose instrumentals what type(s) do you compose?

mostly just orchestral but hopefully others soon.

4. What genre of music are your most interested in composing.

Too hard to say. Probably prog metal.

5. What, if any, are your favorite musical instruments or combinations of instruments?

guitar, guitar, drums, bass, + orchestra + ambience + massive synths + layered sounds. (All together).

When it comes to classical music I would say the strings.

1. Do you play any instrument(s)? If so which one(s).

Piano

Classical Guitar

Electric Guitar

Tenor Recorder

Descant Recorder

Bass vocalist, but I'm not a trained singer, I can sing a line from sight, and sing most intervals first time, but my voice doesn't sound great. I use my voice purely as a compositional aid.

2. What do you compose?

Instrumental and Choral, I haven't done much choral, but it's something I'm getting very interested in.

3. If you compose instrumentals what type(s) do you compose?

All

4. What genre of music are your most interested in composing.

Modern tonal classical music, with jazzy elements.

5. What, if any, are your favorite musical instruments or combinations of instruments?

I like long slow horn melodies, and horns in four part harmony, I'm also a fan of flutes in octaves over pizzicato strings.

Mark :)

1. piano, trumpet, alto recorder, i'm a tenor, organ

2. both, and anime,film music

3.all

4.classical

5.nothing, though i do like piano duets

1. Do you play any instrument(s)? If so which one(s)?

Piano, Violin, Guitar, Voice, Drumset, Triangle, Kazoo :w00t:

2. What do you compose?

Film Music and Musicals professionally. Pretty everything else on the side.

3. If you compose instrumentals what type(s) do you compose?

Anything and Everything.....Mostly Orchestral, Solo, Chamber and Choral.

4. What genre of music are your most interested in composing?

Classical, Jazz, Pop/rock......all of the above really.

5. What, if any, are your favorite musical instruments or combinations of instruments?

I've always been drawn to the piano.....theres just so much you can do with it. Also full orch, for the same reasons.

1. Horn (primary), trumpet (secondary), piano, guitar and bass, vocals and various other instruments I'm not very good at.

2. What I feel.

3. All kinds.

4. My music tends to either be written specifically in a genre or it transcends them. I've done many genres, including rock, pop, bluegrass, ragtime, orchestral and so on...

5. You can't beat SATB in terms of raw beauty. The choir is definitely one of my favorite instruments, but also pipe organ, guitar, harp, pan flute and good old piano. I simply can't pick one.

I do love unorthodox combinations though, like my famous guitar, flute and piano trio.

1. Trombone

2. I write for brass and piano mostly.

3. I most frequently write trio's and jazz combo's.

4. Jazz, Experimental, modern classical.

5. Alto sax, bass guitar, trumpet, trombone, piano. :)

1. Flute, Trumpet, Oboe, Saxophone, Clarinet, Recorder, and I sing (high) Tenor (and would love to be able to play piano).

2. Usually pure instrumental; the one time I tried to write with lyrics I failed.

3. So far, all except for solos.

4. Neo-Classical/Neo-Romantic...and absolutely nothing else.

5. Probably a string quartet.

1. Clarinet, piano, guitar, accordion, trumpet, recorder, anything else

2. Instrumental

3. Ecclectic ensembles, sometimes full orchestra

4. Film music (which is like a mix between neo-romantic and pop)

5. I like the harp... the horns and bassoons!

Okay, let's see...

1. Do you play any instrument(s)? If so which one(s).

(Vocal chords count as an instrument if you can sing from score)

I taught myself piano. Mainly just to become familiar with the instrument's quirks and to learn how to write for it - performance isn't a very major part of my composition... Though I have a desire to learn the clarinet. Mmmm... Clarinet ;)

2. What do you compose?

Do you write music for song, or do you compose pure instrumentals, or both?

I don't really like to put a label to it, but I guess you could call it ''impressionistic neo-modernism''.

I write instrumentals, though i'm very interested in composing (art) songs.

3. If you compose instrumentals what type(s) do you compose?

Solo’s, Duets, Chamber, Band, Orchestral, other?

Everything, though a major part of my ''production'' is duets. I like wind and piano quintets.

4. What genre of music are your most interested in composing.

Errr... neo-impressionism.

5. What, if any, are your favorite musical instruments or combinations of instruments?

CLARINET AND PIANO. Hands down.

1. Yes: classical guitar, electric guitar, tenor singer, a bit of piano, some folkloric winds (such as tarka and zampo

1. Percussion, and I can pretend to play piano

2. Mainly instrumental, occaisionally one with vocals....

3. Concert Band, Percussion Ensemble, Big Band, Jazz combos, Wind Ensemble, some wierd electronic stuffs, and I've tried Orchestra

4. Jazz/Funk, of course. I'm looking a bit into Rock and Blues, but Jazz is my main focous....I've done some video game-ish stuff, too...

5. Vibes. Plain and simple. I have very few songs without vibraphone, and zero pieces without percussion.

~Kal

1- Piano, and (shittily) recorder.

2- Both

3- All but band.

4- I have no genre, it's my genre. :P

5- I love the cello, the harp, the pipe organ, the bassoon and the piano.

In terms of combinations, I like huge orchestras and string quartets (my way: 1 violin, 1 viola, 1 cello and 1 doublebass).

I like mainly to adapt music to action, to tell a story in music, or a progression of emotions.

1. Do you play any instrument(s)? If so which one(s).

oboe, piano, tenor/counter-tenor, clarinet, flute, bassoon, viola, cello, contrabass, alto trombone.

2. What do you compose?

Mainly instrumental, but once I wrote an opera.

3. If you compose instrumentals what type(s) do you compose?

everything. You name it.

4. What genre of music are your most interested in composing.

Classical, impressionist, etc.. but my style is a combination of everything.

5. What, if any, are your favorite musical instruments or combinations of instruments?

well. oboe of course. *points to username*

Thanks to everyone who has posted thus far. I’m finding this thread very useful in getting to know who’s into what.

Keep the posts coming! :D

1. Guitar (Electric, Steel-Stringed, Classical), Vocals (Baritone/Tenor Mix), and Piano

2. I compose anything and everything. Song Cycles, Symphonies, etc.

3. All.

4. I like writing music that mixes elements from many different genres/styles/influences. Everything from Rock to Romantic and Irish Folk.

5. I like mixing different instruments, but one of my current favorites is: Classical Guitar, Clarinet, and Strings.

1. Do you play any instrument(s)? If so which one(s).

I play the saxophone and clarinet family.

2. What do you compose?

Do you write music for song, or do you compose pure instrumentals, or both? Both. I compose scores and instrumentals, as well as arrangement for vocal pieces (pop/orchestral/ect)

3. If you compose instrumentals what type(s) do you compose?

Solo

1. Do you play any instrument(s)? If so which one(s).

(Vocal chords count as an instrument if you can sing from score)

2. What do you compose?

Do you write music for song, or do you compose pure instrumentals, or both?

3. If you compose instrumentals what type(s) do you compose?

Solo

1. I've only ever got the hang of bass guitar, which isn't very orchestral really. Quite handy on the percussion though and will be getting me own glockenspiel in the coming months.

2. I call my music "Classicalism". I stick to instruments from a traditional classical orchestra, but often follow many attributes of minimalism. I'll be posting up a piece once I've finished it which has a fair bit of repetition in, but I'm always adding to it and taking things away to try and vary it. I believe you can get a lot out of one melody line if you play around with it.

3. I'd say most of my work is Chamber music... I've never composed anything for more than 12 instruments.

4. "Classicalism"... see Q2.

5. The Strings section can be one of the livliest and has a wonderful ring to it. But for a sexy orchestral instrument look no further than the saxophone.