Questions for Composers

1. 'cello, a little piano occasionally

2. instrumental

3. usually chamber ensembles, sometimes orchestral and duets

4. i don't know

5. bass, drums, piano - to listen, clarinet, oboe and strings to write for...and flute...and..........an orchestra....but not percussion...cause i don't know how.....shh...no it's not the easiest thing to write for...you're wrong!

1. Flute, oboe, piano, and guitar.

2. Whatever I feel like doing at the time...

3. Mostly band and orchestra

4. classical

5. I like a lot of stuff. Sometimes I experiment with instruments and see what sounds good.

1. I play the piano and harmonica

2. I compose instrumentals, but if there's a lyricist out there, let me know!

3. I compose more contemporary-ish music

4. jazz!! I LOVE jazz!

5. the piano and the harp sound awesome together!

I LOVE a lot of different kinds of music. I like to be diverse. I love any kind or form of jazz, I love classical, I love contemporary, bluegrass is nice, I love rock n roll, movie songs (I LOVE musicals!), and even some popular. Variety is the spice of life!

1. Piano and guitar

2. Classical,minimalism, metal, whatever i feel like...

3. Piano and chamber music

4. Classical, mostly chamber music and piano, but the ocasional orchestral work as well.

5. String Quartets

1. I play piano; soprano, alto, and tenor saxophone; guitar; And I can sing from music (baritone)

2. I like to compose lots of tone poems and sometimes might work on a concerto or two

3. I like to compose for band and orchestra mostly

4. Classical/film/new age

5. My favorite instrument to write for is french horn

combinations:

French horn/clarinet

Trumpet/clarinet

flute/trumpet

french horn/english horn (I just realized how funny those look together)

Trombone/Trumpet (octave doubling)

Trombone/Bass Clarinet

1. I have been playing piano and guitar for close to 40 years and most people would guess after hearing me play, that I just started.

2. My voice is worse than my instrumental skills, so I compose now for instruments.String quartets, chamber ensembles. I have written many blues songs, just can't sing 'em worth a *hit.

3. All of the above

4. I compose classical music in the "Ron" period. It won't be called the "Ron" period though until 2207.

5. String quartets are my favorite, followed by Cello, Flute and Piano trios.

4. jazz!! I LOVE jazz!

...

I LOVE a lot of different kinds of music. I like to be diverse. I love any kind or form of jazz, I love classical, I love contemporary, bluegrass is nice, I love rock n roll, movie songs (I LOVE musicals!), and even some popular. Variety is the spice of life!

:) Nice to have you around - I can always use some backup around here!

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

I play the trombone, I'm adequate at Piano and I'm a novice at Bass

2. What do you compose?

I compose really silly stuff, experiments mostly. I really am no composer yet but I'm really willing to learn.

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

Leadsheets mostly..

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

Jazz and Blues

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

Big Bands and small Jazz ensambles

:cool:

:cool: Hooray!!

Well this certainly turned out to be a very fruitful thread. It should be made into a sticky for reference so we can know who’s into what.

Thanks to everyone for the wonderfully detailed replies, and keep them coming!

I guess, I’ll answer my own questions now.

To begin with let me just say that I’m relatively new to the whole concept of music. I’ve spent most of my life in academia or research labs and haven’t really been all that involved with music until very recently. I’ve only become interested in composing music basically just this summer of 2007. So this is all knew to me. Despite my short involvement with music, I’ve begun to learn to play quite a few instruments, although, it’s strictly a hobby-level. I’m a self-learner and I have no ambitions to become a professional performer.

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

Classical Guitar

Violin

Viola

Flute

Piano

Clarinet

Trumpet

Cello

This are listed basically in the order of proficiency. Starting with, I can barely play the guitar, to I’m just learning about the cello. So it’s probably better to just say that I “own” all of these instruments, whether or not I can actually “play” them is a whole other story and somewhat subjective.

2. What do you compose?

I’m mostly interested in instrumentals, particularly “tone poems”. I like music that takes the listener on a journey. I’ve actually composed a couple short pieces already, even though I am just starting out. I also have an interest in songwriting, for the story-telling aspect of it. So I’m trying to learn how to write music around lyrics and have it still sound like “music”.

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

I started out with an interest in solos and duets, but then almost instantly became obsessed with entire orchestral symphonies. It’s highly addictive. I’m trying to force myself to stick with duets or very small ensembles until I learn what I’m doing.

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

I have no clue. I listen to a lot of classical music, and I’ve been focusing on the symphonies of Mozart and Beethoven lately. Yet, I have no wish to duplicate period music. I just think those guys had some really great ideas.

I’ve recently written a flute and guitar fantasy and posted it on some other boards. I’ve received good feedback from non-musician music lovers, and one comment was that it sounded like “modern baroque”. So maybe I’m starting my own genre.

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

When I first asked this question I was thinking piano, violin, and cello. But after writing the Flute and Guitar Fantasy I think those two instruments work really well together. I’m currently working on a piano-clarinet piece, I’ll have to wait and see how that turns out. I think I’m equally in love with all the instruments right now. I’ll have to wait until I have more experience before I can narrow it down to favorites.

I also like marimba, but unfortunately it’s out of my price range. I don’t like to write music for instruments that I can’t play live. I like to compose with the actual instrument in my hands. I’m a ‘hands-on’ composer. If I had the cash I’d buy one of every orchestral instrument and at least learn how to play simple melodies on all them.

Well, I certainly rambled enough! Sorry about that.

1.Classical Guitar, Fretless Bass, and a little Violin

2. Music

3. Mostly solos but am looking to get into some bigger stuff

4. I was interested in Classical, but I'm leaning more towards Jazz/Jazz Fusion

5. None really

1. Violin

2. Instrumental for now, I love choral music, but I don't want to scare anyone away from it with my less then beautiful compositions. And I just can't seem to write anything decent for more then a violin, I love the violin.

3. Basically solo and small chamber groups,

4. Classical(mainly romantic) and I am starting to write some Celtic styled stuff too.

5. Violin, violin and piano, String Quartet(2 vlns, vla, cello), Basically any small group with strings. But I do love everything else, (except for modern electronic groupings)

1. All members of the Clarinet, Flute, Saxophone, Bassoon, Oboe, and Recorder families, and I sing bass-baritone.

2. Instrumental.

3. I write for large ensembles (wind symphony, orchestra) and small ensembles (woodwind quintet, saxophone quartet), but primarily for wind symphony.

4. I'd love to write an opera.

5. I love the Alto Flute and the English Horn.

1. I play the cello, and am learning to play the piano.

2. Waltzs, quartets, arrangements, odds and ends. The occasional attempt at orchestration. I do mostly instrumentals.

3. Mostly chamber music, sometimes duets.

4. Currently, I'm trying for a classical/late romantic hybrid.

5. As a composer, I try not to have favorites, but I do tend to prefer the more mellow instruments, eg. cello, clarinet, horn.

1. Mandolin pretty well, guitar, piano and clarinet poorly.

2. Bluegrass instrumentals, folk songs, and pedantic sarabandes.

3. Solos, Duets, and Quintets.

4. Art music. :happy:

5. Everything really, even the theremin.

1. In order of experience:

- Cello (five years, haven't for four years since we moved here since I don't have a cello)

- Clarinet (school band, 3 years distributed over 4 since I didn't take band one year—I have not been interested in wind instruments until recently)

- Piano (self-taught, two and a half years)

- Trumpet (a few months)

2. I've only ever written instrumentals, although I'm also interested in writing songs eventually. Mind ... I'm horrible at poetry and lyrics, so I'm not going to be writing those.

3. I'm especially interested in concert band, orchestral, and possibly metal pieces. I've written piano solo, chamber music, string orchestra and I've taken a crack at writing for a very small concert band.

4. Incidental music—film, video game, etc.—and thematic. I'm also somewhat interested in working with the metal or progressive rock genre.

5. I'm partial to the cello, myself, and am rather fond of the violin as well. I also like the flute and trumpet.

I'd like to try and play the theremin, someday.

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

I play piano, saxophone, recorder, clarinet (and bass clarinet), all percussion but snare, guitar, flute, trombone and sing tenor.

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

I write all kinds of music, just depends on either:

a) the job I'm contracted out to do.

b) my mood.

c) the resources I have to use.

My work has been used in video games, films, commercials websites and other times just for friends and family to enjoy (or laugh at if its one of my joke pieces).

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)

I play all wind and brass instruments in a purely educational standpoint.

Performance wise, the instruments I play (in order of how well I play) are as follows:

1. Oboe

2. English Horn

3. Voice

4. Alto Saxophone

5. Piano

6. Clarinet

2. What do you compose?

Orchestral, choral, chamber.

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

All

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

Neo-Classical, Neo-Romantic, e.g. in the style of Shostakovich, Prokofiev, Bartok, Kabalevsky, and Britten.

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

Piano with Strings

English Horn with strings pizz.

Oboe and Cello

Clarinet and Horn

Bassoon and Cello in unison

1. Piano, Violin, wooden flute.

2. What do you compose? Video Game music, Jazz, Classical, Techno.

3. Solo

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

Oboe is my main (and I'm going to steal oboehazzard's english horn), oboe d'amore, clarinet, piano, viola, cello, countertenor, trumpet, trombone

2. What do you compose?

I recently have started moving away from purely instrumentals. I'm working on a series of pieces for winds and choir.

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

I compose pieces for 1-4 solo instruments and string/wind/full orchestra.

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

The ALEX STYLE.

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

1. Flute, harp, strings

2. String Orchestra

3. Double reed ensemble

4. Brass choir

5. Harp and Guitar

Hi newbie here...i'm Fiona

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 sing...that's my forte...i'm a music student btw

---i can play piano...violin ( required before)

--- just started my lessons in Cello

2. What do you compose?

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

--- both...mostly with ASIAN-like tunes

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

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

--- solos...i can make it into a duet

--- instrumental...

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

--- COntemporary

--- most of my compos sound Asian

--- Jrock, Jpop

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

--- piano-guitar

---piano-violin

---chamber orchestra

---piano-voice

---guitar-voice

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

I can't specify the genre of the music i wanna compose...i think all genres can be coimbined together...