Any interesting habbits?
- I write music early in 1 or 2 AM!! occasionally
And your composing style?
- For ex. I try to compose modern classical music, but can often be founded trying to compose some sonata in an old fashioned way.

Habits: Writing late at night (2-5am), or when I should be doing something else (sleeping... *laughs*). :p

I try to find my own style, but still haven't and fall under the "emulating" category. I try Beethoven and Rachmaninoff and throw in some Liszt-worthy flourishes every once in a while, intermixing them as I hear it, but I wish I could find my own "sound". That's what separates composers and makes them good.

Not sure about composing habits. - Only that I have let years slip by between composing. -Like be really into composing then not compose for 10 years, then get back into it. I think because if I let myself, I could drown myself in composing to the point of ignoring the rest of my life, so it becomes an all or nothing proposition. I've finally started learning how to find a balance in things like this without getting carried away so I have started to get back into it again.

For styles, I seem to gravitate toward "question/answer" type phrasing with rhyming lyrics often times. Or if it's a piece with no lyrics, it still has the question/answer style, almost a song-tune style. I think this stems from as a kid listening to a ton of children's songs, folk songs like Stephen Foster style, cowboy songs, stuff like that. I also like dance like styles. Mainly I like singable little tunes whether written with lyrics or instrumental.

Habits:
When I get an inspiration, then when I feel like it, then i continue on my compositions

Style:
Very modern, 20th century style, unique, very dissonant, abstract, percussive and clustered, although it sounds like random notes, it actually has a structure

Other than my continuous drive to improvise I don't think I have any creative habits as such. I create in a very large variety of styles - old-fashioned, modern, conventional, original, fashionable and unfashionable.

I write from the heart. The following is an example. http://www.savefile.com/files.php?fid=2171661

And the rest of us don't????

You realize your post could be construed as communicating that you believe the rest of us don't write from the heart. Now that I think about it perhaps some of us don't, but personally I have not met a serious composer who didn't compose because they had something to communicate (that is indeed heartfelt). Maybe I just don't get out much?

Steve,

I have no idea how you, or anyone else composes. That's partly why I participate(d?) in this forum. Perhaps it is I that does not get out much. But then again, when my naivete is attacked, why would I want to?

I tried to share in hopes of getting some feedback on my composition. Instead, the composition was ignored (or at least not commented on) and my words were questioned. It truly causes one to wonder.

Here's the very last thing a prof. said to me at the end of an entry level composition course:

"Your pieces are heartfelt and that can't be taught." Was probably just a polite way of saying, "You're pieces weren't that great but at least they were heartfelt." -

One's style depends on what sound one wants which could vary from composition to composition. One may be heartfelt improvisational style (whatever comes out is what's written). Another piece may use more traditional rules of harmony and theory (but still the themes and ideas come from inside oneself). Again it depends what sound one wants as to how a person goes about getting that sound.

rickb119,

Sorry I didn't see what you wrote about no one listening to your music. I have made a point not to listen to recordings posted from save.file or other free sites anymore although I might change my mind sometime. I'm afraid of getting computer viruses that way although I understand it's safe, my husband is pretty paranoid on that stuff and errors on the side of caution. The owner of Piano World has stated elsewhere that one can send him a copy of a cd and he could post the recording. This may be a safer way to go. I may change my tune if I ever want to post something. We'll see.

By the way, I noticed you're from Greeley. I grew up in Loveland, Co. - small world!

PS - We also posted at the same time so mine was in response moreso to Steve C.'s post which is the one I read when I posted.

Sarabande,

Thanks for the clarification.

I grew up in Ft. Collins in the 60s. My, how things have changed. I've said for years that I'm going to get a bumper sticker that says, "Welcome to Colorado, Now Go Home".

I suspect that most creative types, especially
composers and artists, are pretty tender souls.
It might be helpful to be rather gentle to
one another...as a way to encourage each of
us to bring out our best. Other places here
have written about the negative effects of
having ones knuckles rapped by the teacher when
we play.
I think that negative comments have a similar
effect on our efforts.
If we were standing on a street corner, brave
and proud, I guess we'd have to accept all the
rotten tomatoes thrown our way, but I for one
have hoped to find comradeship and support on this
forum...not a lot of putdowns.
I was in Toastmasters and they always found
something positive to say to every speech, no matter how amateurish it was and we all improved.
One of the best stories I ever learned in college
was about a class who prepared before the professor arrived to her room.
They agreed that every time she stepped to the
right, they would nod and smile and every time she stepped to the left, they would do nothing.
In a few minutes, they had nodded and smiled her
all the way to the right wall.
As we support one another we help each other
grow in a positive direction.
I haven't listened to any of the posted music
because I'm not sure how to do it yet. As soon
as I learn to listen I will gladly give postive
feedback.
I am impressed that anyone here composes anything
at all...and doubly impressed that you have the
courage to post it.
Yeah everybody!

Similar to your operant conditioning experiment is the one with the trash can. After hearing the urban legend, we decided to test it in our PSY 101 class (three or four years ago). When the professor lectured from on top of the trash can, we all started laughing. Then the professor said, "Yes, but have you conditioned me, or have I conditioned you?" And nobody had a response to that, because it was clear that the professor, in stepping on the trash can, was clearly getting out of us the response that he wanted. So, it was an inconclusive experiment, and I'm going to have to try it again some day with a professor who is not a psychologist. :p

It sounds like a mutually interactive conditioning
process...which happens between mother and
child and all of us to some degree I suspect...
They say that the opposite of love is not
hate, but to ignore..

I would say the opposite of any sort of attention (good or negative) is to be ignored, so that, technically, the opposite of both love and hate is to be ignored. This leads to interesting ramifications. If love and hate are both the exact opposite of ignoring someone, then love and hate must be the same thing....

First off let me say I'm sorry if I was a bit harsh. There are a lot of genres of music represented here. Your song was a nice sentimental jazzy piece. I see that your comment about being heartfelt came from a teacher. Tell us more about what you think was meant by those comments.

I have a pet peeve. In online discussions with some artists of the New Age or Easy listening variety I've run into an assumption that their music is heartfelt emotion and those of us who endeavor to carry on the tradition of classical music are clever note spinners. I'm sorry that I projected some of my frustration with that attitude on you. When you said that you write from the heart you roused years of frustration in me. For me composing is a lot of work, even when the music itself comes easily, arranging, recording and notating it adds up to a lot of work. Yet for me sometimes when the ideas come easy that means more work composing because sifting through the ideas to select the most effective and arranging the music for optimum musical and dramatic effect makes for more work. So that's where I was coming from.

There's nothing wrong with being a hip spinster...with the semi-permanent exception that you're a "Steve" and not a "Sally". :p

Writing instead of doing homework. Writing late at night... 4am! Not using the flute as a melody enough.

When someone says they "write from the heart", I interpret that to mean that they write primarly spontaneous improvisation, something which I have little practice at doing.

I think a lot of responses related to composing styles were answered in the question a while back as to whether one composes on paper, in one's head, at the instrument. It seems that just as with playing the piano, there are improvisational players and classical "traditional" players, those who read music, those who play by ear, those who do a little of all of that. So I would assume it only natural to have the same scenerios in composing.

Actually I usually do a bit of both. Melodies come out of my head or fingers and they tend to be pretty standard stuff (usually with an implied harmonization). I prefer to enhance these melodies and harmonization with a good deal of exploration of alternatives because I like to see whether these stock ideas can be enhanced. It can be an intellectual process or strictly trial and error. Matters of structure, imitation and counterpoint, instrumentation, etc. are almost completely intellectual parts of the process, but they also require a significant degree of trial and error. What that really means is try out a few things and see what works best. Bottom line is; nobody said composing was easy and if I didn't find it gratifying I wouldn't do it.

The only habbit I have is to compose everyday - rain or shine.

John

Another good point!