Hello,

I feel trapped! I have so many musical ideas but I have such trouble realizing them on paper and I always get stuck. I have so many emotions to express and I feel like I can't do it because the notes never come out right.

Would this be largely remedied by studying composition further?

Thanks,

-Colin

Hi Colin!

I've been a composer for 12 years now and I can tell you that you'll always be learning how to express yourself through music in new and exciting ways.

Perhaps the most important advice I can give you is to be patient and never rush the process. The problem with a lot of young people (I don't know how old you are so bear with me) try to start too soon and think they can become the new Mozart. Such composers will ultimately have a nervous breakdown and forever be troubled by the world not loving their music enough.

The trick to getting round you're porblem is to chill out and not worry about it too much. It is true that learning as much as you can will help you get your ideas down but this will not really solve the problems you are having, as the theory of music only draws out what you have inside you it doesn't produce it.

I have compilied this list for you to help you reach your creative goals. I hope this will be helpful.


PRE-COMPOSITION PROCESS

1) Eat well and go for walks. Let your mind just wander, don't even think about music.

2) Listen to music you admire and like, don't think about it from a technical aspect, just be absorbed by the aural stimulation.

________________________________


COMPOSITION PROCESS

1) Don't be too flippant about basic ideas for starting a piece. Basic ideas are the cornertones of your music as they will form the structures of your motifs and will allow for much further development. Simple ideas turn out to be big concepts with big emotion!

2) Take regular breaks away from the composition room, don't forget to eat and drink and perhaps another walk.

3) Try NOT using the computer to compose. I always write by hand as it inspires me more. Using a computer to compose onto Sibelius does not inspire me at all - does it really inspire you?

________________________________


POST-COMPOSITION PROCESS

1) Make regular critique of your own work. You don't nessesarily have to change what you have written (although you can if you really want to) but as long as you learn from your experiences, that's the main thing.

2) Have others' critique your work but don't be too indulgent in this. It is important to let your own instincts path your way.

3) Share your music to the world. Get it recorded, put it on YouTube and get some exposure. This should inspire you for your next composition.

In short, yes.

Nice words of advice Devilish.

Have to disagree slightly on this point. In my experience taking breaks makes the composition sound disjointed because you start with one thought, and after a break, your mind is in a different place, and the music reflects that. Realistically, I guess it depends on the length on the piece though. Mostly I compose tunes in the jazz idiom which can be written in one sitting (30 min to an hour). If I get stuck I take a break.
I recently wrote a fugue over several days, but I think it would be more cohesive had I the skill to compose it in a short time.


If I had as many musical ideas as you, I'd be writing stuff everyday. I don't know what your problem is. Maybe you are composing at the piano, and you don't know how to play what you are hearing? This could be remedied by ear-training consisting of transcribing (dictation), and sight-singing.

Or maybe you are saying that you have the beginnings of a composition, the germ, but lack the ability to develop it and hence get stuck.

Actually, you said "trouble realizing them [your ideas] on paper". Maybe you just don't know how to notate, particularly rhythms or harmonies.
I still do not understanding what you are trying to express though.

Is your idea of a musical idea that you cannot realize on paper an abstract concept? i.e.: you want to write a piece that expresses a certain emotion. I never start from such an abstract point. I always begin with a concrete melodic or harmonic or rhythmic idea. And I don't force myself to write something, other than a counterpoint exercise.

In general you and any composer need to develop a language with which you will express your emotions, thoughts, soul, etc. All languages are acquired by hearing the language you want to learn, and copying what you hear. (except in the case of an ancient language that is no longer spoken). You refine your ability to communicate once you have the basic skills, syntax, phonetical sounds, etc., by increasing your vocabularly, and studying style.
Also, and I don't know if this is relevant to composing, as a child you learn to speak before you can write.

Children go through a development process in learning to speak which takes years to come to a point where they can express complex things like: (drinking water from a glass) "Look Mommy, the empty and the full are changing together!".
Just give your situation time. But don't sit around doing nothing, waiting for something to happen.

Finally,
There are three -ate's given by jazz trumpet player Clark Terry which apply to learning to improvise, which is a form of composition:
Imitate
Assimilate
Innovate

It might be a problem with structuring your piano composition.

I know what you are saying, it isn't easy to compose something, you have a melody in your head and you want to write it down but you don't know in what order or in what key etc. etc.

If you think this is a problem, may I recommend this article, which I had written specificially for this sort of problem

http://www.free-piano-sheet-music.net/articles/composing_your_first_piano_work.html

Also, another idea that works more for authors than composers (writers than musicians) is writing down your ideas on paper in a little notebook so you can remember them later. For example, if you are on the train to work and you get a tune in your head, eg. sounds of the ocean (had to think hard for an example LOL). Now obviously there is not going to be a piano on a train, and when you get off, go through 8 hours of work, come home and you'd probably forget about it. But if you write the idea down in your book of ideas, you might remember it for later.

Anyway, there are a couple of tips that you may want to consider.

Good luck with your composing.

Reaper,

I'm not sure what genre you are composing. But what I do is for a song (for example, what I am composing now) is I write the melody (the first verse) I do the best I can at writing down the rhythm and notes quickly, I don't get hung up on it being notated perfectly. I just write down how I want it to go the best I can and then go back and correct the rhythm (in my case). I then add a harmony and/or a melody line in the bass. I then may go back and think of an intro. This is how this partiular song is working.

As far as theory goes. I use my ears first and then think theoretically. This works best for me. Also you need to think in an organized way so that your piece has form. I feel you can learn how to compose by listening a lot to music, playing a lot, reading a lot of music, and then writing it. Knowing theory helps too. Theory is the tool that will help with notation and form.

Hi Reaper,

As you can see there are many answers to your simple question. The real question is what will work for you. My answer to you is I don't know. So let me share a little bit about my experience with composing and see if any of this makes sense to you.

Composing is hard, it's a very personal process in which music comes into the world through you. Some pieces come easily, but more often it's an arduous process. There's an off color joke about sucking a golf ball through a garden hose,... yeah, it's that difficult. When someone tells me they want to learn to compose my first question is why? If their answer is about writing beautiful music then I have one idea of what type of composer they'll be, if they talk about self expression that leads in a different direction. Composing modern art music is different from writing jazz (which is no less artful) because so much of jazz is extemporaneous (improvised) whereas the modern composer usually strives to notate as accurately as they can what the performer will do for the entirety of their piece. Composing a jazz piece for a small ensemble can be as simple as writing a melody and chord progression and then devising the structure of solos (i.e. who solos when).

I haven't stopped learning to compose. It seems every piece I write is an exercise in self exploration. So take your time and enjoy the process (or not). But, be your own worst critic, be very picky about what you choose to attach your name to.

If your question was more concerned with the how to get the notes right I'd suggest working with sequencer software. Finale and Sibelius are notation software, but for composing I use Logic. This allows me to generate a performance of my music and it has notational capability (nowhere near as good as Finale) so I can edit to my heart's content and I'll have a good idea what it should look like on paper. It also allows me to experiment with rhythms and harmonies.

Every piece is new. Every piece has a reason for undergoing the arduous process. Some pieces are just experiments. The toughest choices are the first ones because they set the stage for the choices that come later. Thus a blank page can be very intimidating. With most pieces there comes a time when you are filling in the blanks that you've already decided. That's when composing is fun, then you'll finish off the section and the question "what comes next?" will rear its ugly head. Maybe you've already decided that, or maybe you'll change your mind.

I read an interview with John Corigliano. He said he plans every detail before he writes anything down. I understand this modus operandi, but I can't do it. I always change my mind about things, but the early plan is essential because it gets you started down the road and provides a direction.

Good luck. I'm working on a piece now, my first classical piece in a while. I'm still very early in the process so I can fully relate to the challenges. Good luck to us.

Thank you for all the advice.

I compose (and want to compose) mostly in the classical idiom for the piano. I also want to write pieces for string quartets since I love the string family.

I want to learn how to compose classical sonatas, contrapuntal works, and variations, among many other things.

I've listened to a ton of classical music in this respect, and I have a good ear. But I need to learn how to read a score and hear the music in my head.

I especially have trouble developing themes and writing melodies that traverse different keys. I also don't know how to modulate smoothly.

-Colin

For contrapuntal writing you must[/b] study "The Study of Counterpoint" (Gradus Ad Parnassum - Johann Joseph Fux, translated by Alfred Mann).

If you want to compose classical sonatas, learn alot of them and analyze what you are playing.

There are some basic compositional techniques used in a Bach invention or fugue or similar contrapuntal work, like inversion (mirroring), retrograde (backwards), retrograde inversion, augmentation (lengthening the time values), diminution (shortening time values).
Variation is another commonly used technique.

Try to recognize these things in a piece. For example, Mozart k 545, the "easy" sonata:
First three notes C E G. 2nd movement: 2nd measure, first three notes: G B D. What's the relationship? And what's the relationship between the second 8 bars and the first 8 bars of the 2nd movement?

Also that piece and every other Mozart Sonata makes frequent use of sequences. A sequence is a repeated idea starting on a different note, i.e.: meas. 5-8 of k 545 1st mvmt.


Trouble developing themes: seems like there is no way to force this. But you said you had "so many musical ideas" in your first post, so what exactly is the problem? To me a musical idea is a theme.

Modulation: look at the key centers that a mvmt goes through. I use k 545 as an example because everyone knows it, and probably has the music.
It starts in C. meas 9 introduces D min (melodic). meas 10 says D7, which takes you to G in meas 11. So, you go to G from C by playing the V7 chord of G. And you setup the D7 by first playing D min which is not that much of a departure from C.
Now we are in G. And to really establish G he goes: I IV I IV I (in the key of G).
Then in meas 22 A min comes in. This is a parallel to the C - D min earlier. But he doesn't modulate the same way, and stays in G.
Then G min, using the same figure as meas 26, but now with Bb. Now we have to get back to C for the end of the mvmt, so this is what he does: Gm - A7 - Dm is established - E7 - Am (always the V7 chord takes you to a new I chord.) Am for awhile. Then a Gm/D - C7 - F Major. Now the opening them is repeated in F. Since the beginning went from C - G, we should have no problem going from F - C.
At the scale sequences, he extends it this time, and finds his way back to C (Dm - G7 - C), and uses the same progression in the beginning (C - Dm - D7 - G).
Wait a sec, back to G? Not really, when the half-step thing comes in, it sounds like G, but then there is an F natural, G7, which takes you to ___. Then 6 meas before the end there is a I diminished chord which functions to go away from C for the purpose of taking you back to C. Tension-release.

So you should do things like this when you play a piece. That is how you learn to do what you want to do.

Also, you did not answer some of my questions in my earlier post. I was trying to understand just exactly the problem you are having.

Notice that almost everytime (the exception is Am - Gm - C7 - F, and G - Gm) a key center is established, not only is it preceded by a V7 chord, but the relationship between the previous key center and the new is going up a 5th. For example: C - D7 - G. Gm - A7 - Dm. Dm - E7 - Am. And even the exception Am - Gm - C7 - F, could be thought of as Am - Bb - C7 - F, and there is the same thing.

Actually, the problems that you stated all apply to me to some degree.

No I mean literally "developing" them, as in taking one theme and modulating it, sequencing it, writing variations on it, etc.

Thank you for your analysis.

Hi Reaper,

To analyze a piece of music as an aid in composition does take knowledge of theory.

Personally theory needs to be applied for me to understand it. For example taught while learning a piece of music. And/or by playing scales, arpeggios, chord progressions, in all keys; basically having good musicianship skills at the keyboard.

For some theory may be learned more comprehensively, I suppose.

What I'm getting at is, do you know theory?

If not, I could see why you are having a hard time putting your musical thoughts down on paper.

Not to discourage you at all. But if this is the case, studying piano and learning basic musicianship skills will help you immensely when it comes to composition.

Of course, I may be well off base and I am not clear on what is problematic.

Maybe you do know all that theory stuff and you might just need to take a few composition classes to get you over the hump.

ok, developing, sorry I didn't understand what you meant.

When I was a child I probably couldn't develop a theme if I even came up with one. But after studying music 20 years, I have developed an ear and a musical sense for continuing and developing a theme. I don't write classical music, but I am concerned with melody, harmony, and rhythm, usually in a jazz idiom.

A melody for a jazz tune is not all that different from some classical melodies, depending on the composer. One difference is that I don't use the word theme when I am starting a piece. I think of a phrase which I try to hear where it wants to go. For example, I just played E A G# E F# E, rhythm is not important. Then my ear told me to play: C# B D C# G# A. I didn't even realize I was in the key of A until just now. That would be an example of call and response. Now I hear an F# and I will start from there: F# C# (later addition, relates to the typo B below.) E D (C# delete this note also as a result of adding the C# 3 notes ago) A# B C# B. Now I am torn between going up to C# or down to A. I picked A, and will go like this, starting on the last upbeat of the measure after some deliberation: A G# F# E (now I hear D) D, (now I have been trying different things but have not yet found a way to get to G# A B A, which is the ending I am hearing -notice it is the same as A# B C# B). I think I am happy staring on the last D on the and going: D B C# B A G# G# A B A. (the first B was a typo but it sounds nice so I'll leave it, and as a consequence I will start the beginning of this phrase, the A G# F# E on the the downbeat)
I LOVE
PARIS IN THE
THE SPRINGTIME

This is what it sounds like:
example.mp3 - 0.31MB

If I wanted to develop that into a piece, let's say in the classical idiom, I would at this point probably figure the harmony it clearly implies, and maybe add something other than the basic I vi ii V chords. Then I would probably repeat it with a more involved figuration than the first time. And I would hear where that takes me. Maybe I will transpose the melody to A min. Or I could start the same in D and go from there. Are your themes/ideas similar to what I just came up with? Or do you only get as far as the first 6 notes?

Also,
Chopin for example is very melodic, and did you know they made a song out of the slow middle section to the Fantasie Impromptu? It was called "I'm Always Chasing Rainbows".

Anyway, I wouldn't expect anyone to be able to develop a theme having only studied music for a few years. I don't know your level of study, but you probably need to play and listen to alot of music, and you will develop an ear to hear what comes next for your own themes.

maybe you can post one of your themes and give each person interested a chance to develop it a little.

Ahh, development the great black art of composition. This is where every composer needs to develop a bag of tricks. One of my composition teachers always said, "Never repeat yourself, always change something." It may be something subtle or it may be something significant. This is where being able to pick out what composers do is important. For example, Rachmaninov's Paganini Variations contains the famous and very beautiful 18th variation. At first glance it sounds nothing like the theme, now imagine that same theme inverted and slowed down. You now have one trick in your bag.

However, variations are not the same thing as development. To me development means taking a theme and extending it in a new and different direction(s). This usually means using the bits and pieces of the theme to extend the music (usually changing the harmony) or another way to explain it would be to extend the music with new harmony, but use bits and pieces of the theme (perhaps with altered intervals to match the new harmony) to make it sound familiar. Frankly development is for me the most enjoyable part of composing because it's completely creative with no wrong answers other than, is the resulting music interesting, enjoyable, and beautiful (pick two).

I hope that's some helpful information. I will say that having a fundamental knowledge of both standard music theory and 20th century compositional techniques will really help you. By doing some analysis and writing 4 part harmonizations you get a feel for what goes into writing a piece. Studying 20th century techniques gives you an idea of what's already been done and what's currently in fashion as well as training your ears to hear new techniques with an open mind.

As I mentioned in my other post I like to ask why do you want to compose? So let me pose that question as I finish this post.

Why do you want to compose?

I haven't read all of the whole thread but I feel your frustration about getting those ideas on to paper or other recording media.

As for learning how to read a score, my experience in learning how to read music was to get both the score and a recording of a piece I really liked--I used Beethoven's 9th symphony.

Just listen to the piece with score in hand and try to follow along. Believe it or not, it gets easier each time. Also, in my case, I used a big orchestra piece with chorus and solists so that fact alone made it easier to follow the notes--I still find it harder to follow a solo piano piece of any great length without some small confusions.

Have fun!!

To express the roiling passion in my heart, and to do so with the utmost precision. To have as many options available as possible.

I will post a simple theme in a bit.

-Colin

In my experience from painting and writing fiction, success in expressing emotions comes with practice and experience. Just as you can't produce a painting that conveys your emotions if you never tried to paint before, or write a story with same result from the first attempt.
In all these examples the thing that can be stressed is: keep working (painting, writing, composing) at least 15 minutes.

(I may be wrong when it comes to composing though, I'm very new to this.)

15 minutes a day, that is.

Saadya,

Nicely put. Practice makes better. It's only in the doing that you gat experience facing the blank page and creating something new from your mind.

Maybe architecture is a better analogy. You need practice, and knowledge of your tools to build your acoustic cathedral or a cozy little house. Music theory is a very handy -tool- here.

My compositional ability is steadily improving. I'm finally modulating smoothly, and things are a bit clearer. I successfully modulated through G minor, Bb major, F major, Bb major again and then Bb minor in a written. The themes seem to be coherent.

Lots of people have suggested useful things. I can only additionally suggest practice: try and find a book of compositional exercises. Or otherwise find a simple theme, maybe a nursery rhyme, and write 30 variations on it. Pick a few well known themes from symphonies, sonatas, whatever, and chop them in half, then see how many new 2nd halves you can write. See what works best: mirroring the original theme, imagining the whole like an arc, having a contrasting 22nd half, repeating rhythms, etc. Set yourself a challenge: that the new 2nd half will modulate to a new key.

I firmly believe that the more your write, the more chance you have of writing something good, and also that composing is a skill you can learn and develop. But if you're going to develop then you need to practice, and that in turn will help you learn.

Great to hear! now to challenge your sensibilities a bit. Being able to modulate smoothly is one effect. Modulating abruptly is another effect. Changing texture smoothly or abruptly is another effect. My point is that smooth is a good thing, but so can abrupt be a good thing, it's all about the effect the composer desires.

Would Beethoven's theme from his variations in C minor be a bit too difficult? It's short and I really love the theme.

I'll have to search for themes to find. I guess I'll just follow the great composers' leads?

ANy theme is good, but I'd suggest you start with really simple ones, and short ones, as that means you can quickly churn out a load of variations, which gives you practice in various ways of creating variants. Use pop songs, nursery rhymes, or your favourite classical themes. This is mainly for the exercise of doing it, not necessarily as a finished, performable work, so don't worry about using a 'serious' theme.

I agree with Steve.

Modulation is very simple to do, even complex modulations aren't that difficult.

It's all a question of effect as Steve so rightly states and more to the point how effective the modulations are.

Try expanding your horizons a bit. Listening to Beethoven is one thing, but to listen to Stravinsky, John Adams, Charles Ives, etc, really elevates things a bit further. I think this seems to be a common problem with some pianists; they play classical repertoire and so associate piano composing with a more classical view also.

Listen to 'Phyrgian Gates' by John Adams and you'll hear more exciting ways to use the piano.

Above all remember that the purpose of composition is to express ones own personality and feelings, if all you want to do is write a beethoven-sounding sonata then you may never really progress all that much.

I have a similar though not identical problem. When I compose on the PC (using Sibelius or Cubase) I find that if I write notation the whole thing sounds so wooden, that it totally unispires me to finish it. Its feel that I am looking for, but exactitude of notation seems to rob me of this

Any advice?
Zero

When I compose I do so in a audio production program (Logic). This allows me to build the ultimate performance and the finished product is a recording. Logic can then quantize and export a midi file which can be transcribed by Finale. I then need to edit the notation in Finale. Sometimes it's easier to print the score from Logic and use that to input into Finale, but that depends on the complexity of the piece. The good news is by building an ultimate performance I remain engaged and inspired in the composition process.

Hi Reaper,

I wrote an article a while back that may be helpful to you...

As I sit here writing this listening to Mozart, I can't help but think of musical form. That sometimes but often not discernible quality to music that makes it art. And when I say art, I'm not talking about improvisation or free form. I'm talking about composition.

Most students are baffled as to how a piece of music is constructed. It's as if learning how to compose is something only gifted individuals do. And while the intuitive sense behind creating melody itself can not be taught, the craft can!

Form is to music what flower arranging is to the florist. You see, it's all about creating a structure. In flower arranging, the goal is to create something pleasing to the eye. This is accomplished by how the florist places the flowers. He's not going to stack them all to one side. No. He wants to create something that allows the eye to go back and forth. Something that the viewer can take as a complete experience. Music is much the same way.

If we played the same thing over and over we get monotony. If we vary the music too much we get incoherence. The solution? Go back and forth between sections! Now this is easy to grasp intellectually. The difficulty comes when students attempt to create their first composition and end up with something less than satisfactory. And this is because most students haven't learned to trust their intuition.

You see, to be able to compose, you must have the ability to move forward without criticizing yourself. This is THE most important skill and one that can be developed through learning how to improvise. I always suggest students learn how to improvise first. Then when the internal critic is gone, they can move forward with their ideas. It seems strange that improvisation should come before composition but if you want to develop quickly you do really need to free yourself from judging the product and have the ability to move forward. Then, when you learn how to compose by using sections, you won't be as daunted and stuck at every little detail

quiescen...Thank you so much for your information and I printed this for my Piano World reference book, A-Z that I am making. You are so correct in your statement that composing can be taught. A Steinway concert artist was off tour, Brian Brooks, of Jacksonville Beach , Florida in the early 90's. I studied with him at Piano Forte, on Atlantic Blvd. to help me improve all aspects of my improv from fake sheets, mostly big band. He told me he could not improv or compose, which I do also, himself but he could direct me to better improv with my questions to him, etc. He knew every move I made in my improv and could stop me and give suggestions at any and all points of my improv even thought he did not improv himself. He learned how in theory to improv and compose in all his academic studies to become a Steinway Concert Artist. Sandy B