Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Composer's Lounge What is your goal as a composer?

Note I am changing this to match the subject. See you are good for me and keeping me straight men and ladies. At 70 years old ,almost, and strokes, help me keep the old brain going please. What is your goal as a composer? My goal is to help others to tap into their creative mind to create the music within them. Not the theory just the creative process and methods.
Why do I want to do this? Because I want others to feel the joy I have in creating my own compositions for the last 45 years. This has been my greatest happiness in my life to sit and create at the piano. As an elder now I want to share and interact with other creative people . So why am I here in the Composer's Forum? Where else to expand my studies and learn from all of you who are composeres? Hopefully you can learn something from me too. Two way street. Respectfully Yours, Sandy B

The perfect composition for me would be a jazz fugue in 5\4 time that was immediately accessible for the ear of non-musicians.

Until then, I'll just keep trying. (usually it's the accessible part that is lacking...

Sandra, your thread topic and your post are asking two very different questions. Why do you assume that every composers goal is to "compose a world famous song"?

My goal as a composer is to create music I enjoy listening to. I figure if I can satisfy my own ear then maybe others who enjoy it too. Since the person listening to my music is most likely to be me I know whose ears I have to satisfy. If/when others enjoy my music that's a bonus.

I compose @ the piano so I don't write anything down unless I like what I am playing.

My goal would be to market my music to the extent that it could afford me to continue exploring composition. I will eventually write styles different than my own such as ragtime, tango......whatever other styles I like.

You know whenever I hear a nice piano melody on a commercial or a show , I think that could be my song so if you have any connections or suggestions my mind is open.

rada
www.pianopassions.com

Witold. Because I am Sandy is the answer to your question. Do I not behave as you want me to behave? I am almost 70 years old and I am allowed to be myself when asking artistic questions to artistic people? Chuckles...You are funny. Sandy B

Hello rada... Adding more info for you. A very good top talent agent who is very well known to promote new talent. No money to them until you earn yours and they usually get 15 percent and nothing more. You earn nothing they get nothing. My brother who was very successful in the music business, now retired, and talent agent friend told me if the talent agent asks for money up front from you dismiss them as they are frauds. The agent needs to have many contacts in the music business above all. When you contact a top talent agent they will ask you to send a recording and pictures etc unless you are near enough to audition in person with them. If they like what they hear from your recording or in person etc they should take you as a client and represent you. Remember no money from you goes to your talent agent until you earn money from his sales of your work. Please be very careful of contract signing and know what you sign or the talent agent could own you later if you are very successful. Sandy B

Sandy, you are of course allowed to ask whatever questions you want. I just got the impression that you were looking for only one answer with two different questions. At least in my case the answer to both questions is very different.

Right now I'd say that my goal as a composer is to reach the point where I am so fluent in the techniques I wish to use that I can perfectly transcribe the music I hear in my head to paper, in such a way that other musicians can perform the music the way I hear it. This is of course a goal that I know I will never reach, because the last century has provided us composers with more interesting techniques than one person can master in a lifetime.

Your second question is a lot harder. I know for a fact that I'm not particulary fond of mainstream music, therefore I don't expect the mainstream to like the music I'm most interested in. I have composed a lot of easy listening tonal romantic music for theatre, films and computer games, but I don't see it as my goal to become world famous in that genre. So, if I answer your question realistically, then the world famous composition would most likely be a piece of music composed for some commercial application. If I answer according to my own ideals, then I'd be very pleased to compose a piece of music that makes the mainstream realize that there is more to music than melody and repeating rhythms.

Have you heard the group "Time for Three"? 2 violins and a stringbass -- they grew up with so many influences (classical, jazz, rock, country, hip hop, folk...), and all of those influences come out in their music, so they don't worry about what to call their "style." In fact, when asked, they have no idea how to begin answering the question!

Now to answer your question myself, I don't know -- I wouldn't prefer it to sound like one particular set style over another. Most importantly, it would sound like me.

My goals in composing are mostly personal. I can't say I ever really thought of composing something that became world famous. If I did, I'll echo the last few posters and say that I'd want it to sound like me.

Hello, Sandy B here. Witold and other composers... Enjoyed your posts that you want to be yourself only in your compositions as this is what people want and pay for... that different sound as you know. Excellent talent is lost usually if they sound like someone else well known, they need their own sound. One of my best friends is a piano teacher- talent agent and my brother was a music pro,etc. I learned and still learn from them and from all of you and I hope you can learn from me. We share. Aside from old age, almost 70 years old, next year... I had strokes too. After the strokes, a 2001 brain operation to top it off. Short term memory loss. If I sometimes post in circles ...now you know why. I do try. Thank you in advance for your kindness. I come with all good intentions to this forum and I so grateful to interact with other artists... Again Sandy B

By the way, I totally agree with this. In fact, I always say it myself. Having others enjoy your music is a great bonus but your ear is, by necessity, the first and final judge.

I agree, but on the condition that the person hears the music in their head first before putting it on paper.

A lot of people "compose" by throwing dots into Finale Notepad or Noteworthy Composer, hearing their work for the first time when they hit the play button.

That's not composing, that's doodling. Composers go from their head and their heart to the score. going the other way is backwards and lazy.

Kreisler and other composers... Of the greats, Beethoven is the only one I read ,so far, who is said to have worked his compositions out on paper and not from his head. Did you ever read this? I find this difficult to believe. I will look for info on the net on this and get back. Sandy B

Witold... Look at my post you wrote me about... I changed to match the subject as you suggested. See you are good for me and I will continue to be flexible as I age with you to keep me straight. Chuckles, Sandy B

I understand the spirit of what you're saying but I don't know if I fully agree. Sometimes a composition can be entirely an act of will but at other times great initial ideas can be discovered by accident.

One could find an idea while messing around at the piano keyboard. I don't think that experimenting at the piano keyboard should be considered lazy. But then, it would be inconsistent to consider experimentation on the computer keyboard to be lazy when the only difference is the means of sound production.

However, I do agree that the computer makes it easy to produce some semblance of a score with no thought at all and the result can be lifeless.

" No matter what method get the job done and compose." You composer's are a hoot. Having a great time. Learning from you too. Do not hold back because I love straight forward interaction. My style. My type of people. Sandy B

Hello Guys,

I compose primarily for myself, as I am my own biggest critic - which can sometimes be a problem as you never feel like something is complete, and keep changing things. I have recently started taking a diploma in media composition which is proving quite challenging, as you have to write music for many different applications and across multi genres. I suppose my ultimate aim is to actually make some money from what I enjoy doing most, which is writing - to have someone complement something you've written is one of the best feelings in the world. At least it'd get me away from IT network support...

At the risk of inflaming people, I categorise myself as a composer becuase I physically write and produce music, however due to my poor ability with notation never write anything down on manuscript, merely use Cubase along with various keyboards and modules I have in my studio and record stuff either through midi or just by playing - for tricky stuff midi is needed to get the correct dynamics, along with using various different sound patches to replicate certain instrumental articulations. To me this is the purest and most productive way that I can work, however maybe not to everyone's taste. I am taking lessons to improve my playing / understanding of written music, but surely whatever works for you as an individual is the way to go.

I personally believe that there are no right or wrong ways of doing things, as I come from spending the last 10 years playing piano / keyboards in bands and various other groups of musicians, and find I tend to use chordal progressions and develop harmonies and build up melody lines from there. Having played in bands, you get used to improvising and developing from improvisations, which although my compositions may not be the most technically challenging, as long as they are 'musical' that is what counts.

In response to Kreizeler, would I be classed as lazy by you for doing things this way becuase I would take weeks to write a page of music, and yet can compose sometimes by just sitting down and letting it flow... surely as Allazart says, there are more modern methods now that shouldn't be discounted just becuase they are 'different' from the traditional way of doing things. Music is an art form and is completely subjective, what is interesting musically for one person will be like watching paint dry for someone else.

I'll shut up now, as you're probably bored with my rant.

Stavroski.

fun