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Post by Zi on Feb 5, 2023 22:06:04 GMT
For anyone who wants to try composing, I recommend just playing around with finding what sounds or combination of sounds mean something to you. I've been trying to do this more since we started discussing it here. Today I've worked out that there are certain combinations of intervals that I like. It doesn't matter if nobody else does, but this is how I would develop my own musical vocabulary. I'm definitely going to put this on my list of things to try because if I never have a stab at it, I'll never totally understand what's involved. I've found this thread really inspiring even if my attempts come to nothing!
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Post by Zi on Feb 9, 2023 15:04:39 GMT
I 'wrote' my first little tune today. I did 9 bars because I couldn't fit it into 8 bars. I wrote it on Muse using a piano sound and when I played it on recorder it was ghastly; so I have learned something extremely useful. It was fun though. Definitely, haven't given up on it... yet!
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Post by corenfa on Feb 10, 2023 10:03:27 GMT
I 'wrote' my first little tune today. I did 9 bars because I couldn't fit it into 8 bars. I wrote it on Muse using a piano sound and when I played it on recorder it was ghastly; so I have learned something extremely useful. It was fun though. Definitely, haven't given up on it... yet! Hurrah! I think just trying things out is so important. Maybe it's like trying strawberries on beans on toast?! It might not work but you might discover something amazing. I also remember discovering that same thing- the same notes played on different instruments will sound very different.
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Post by Zi on Feb 10, 2023 10:35:31 GMT
corenfa - I loved doing it. I'll have another go. I found if I made the Fs into sharps then it sounded much better on the recorder. I don't know why that is either. I asked my husband if I was playing flat but he said no. My hearing is unreliable these days. I'm not hoping to turn out a hit but I am hoping that it will give me a better understanding as to why music is constructed the way it is. I'm really glad you suggested it because I doubt I'd have ever thought to try and 8 bars is doable! Just came out and saw the title of this thread... In my case it should be Composing 'music'...
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Post by Zi on Mar 10, 2023 10:27:34 GMT
I bought a little book by Paul Harris - it's just arrived this morning. It's called Musical Doodles and it's a cartoon book aimed primarily at children writing their first pieces of music though Paul Harris says that anyone can use it if they want. I can imagine some adults might baulk at it but I use Paul's Music Practice Book for keeping a record of what I do every week and I have no problems adapting it to my needs. Anyway, it's a very sweet, enthusiastic and amusing book which starts off getting you to do very basic things. It doesn't assume that you know how to draw notes, so you can practise that too if you want. He starts off by giving ideas to play with - like bird song, and then moves on to other images - plants growing, running for the bus - and my favourite - Granny on a trampoline. He also offers a chance to convey shapes, colours and emotions. It's a very short (40 pages) A4 landscape book and ends up with space to write some longer compositions. It isn't going to turn anyone into Bach over night but it is certainly fun and I'm looking forward to having a shot at it. It really is nicely put together and the cartoons are very appealing. I imagine it would be popular with young children but there's enough of the child in me to enjoy it too.
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Post by corenfa on Aug 17, 2023 9:24:14 GMT
My piano teacher is organising a music festival later this year and it includes a composition segment. She has encouraged me to enter as she knows I used to compose. I think I will dig out the piano sketch of my orchestra piece and submit it with some adaptations.
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Post by keff on Aug 17, 2023 9:57:32 GMT
May I ask if you compose using manuscript paper or something like MuseScore? Good luck with your submission.
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Post by corenfa on Aug 17, 2023 11:59:51 GMT
May I ask if you compose using manuscript paper or something like MuseScore? Good luck with your submission. Manuscript. Though I might take that into the 21st century by using manuscript on my electronic tablet instead of pencil and paper. That also avoids the issue of eraser crumbs in the piano
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Post by Zi on Aug 17, 2023 12:37:24 GMT
That should be serious fun! It'd be interesting revisiting something you worked on previously too. I wonder how much your ideas may have changed?
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Post by corenfa on Aug 29, 2023 22:17:02 GMT
That should be serious fun! It'd be interesting revisiting something you worked on previously too. I wonder how much your ideas may have changed? So I just composed my first few bars after rather many years of hiatus. My ideas have definitely matured in that I know better what things sound right to me, and I have a better idea of how to notate them. Which is the same as my cooking and programming.
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Post by Zi on Aug 30, 2023 8:22:55 GMT
It must be interesting to be doing that again. And in the light of maturity.
How does the composition segment work at the festival? Do people get to hear the compositions, for example?
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Post by corenfa on Aug 30, 2023 9:15:39 GMT
It must be interesting to be doing that again. And in the light of maturity. How does the composition segment work at the festival? Do people get to hear the compositions, for example? I have no clue... Will report back when I find out! One thing that I am glad to be rid of is the feeling that "it's not good enough". It's good enough because I say it is. I'm not the next Bach but I never claimed to be. If I submit it and it gets nowhere, I'm not bothered.
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Post by Zi on Sept 18, 2023 14:46:29 GMT
I have no clue... Will report back when I find out! One thing that I am glad to be rid of is the feeling that "it's not good enough". It's good enough because I say it is. I'm not the next Bach but I never claimed to be. If I submit it and it gets nowhere, I'm not bothered. That's a really healthy attitude. It's far to easy to be stopped before you start. Mr Z often says that an awful lot of people want to just kick a ball about and have no intention of playing for Man United (or whatever). But sometimes the outside world tries to impose goals that are pointless and destructive. The first piece of paper I ever made was the ugliest thing imaginable - yet to me it is incredibly beautiful because of the journey it sent me on. I've made much nicer papers since but it's still the piece I treasure the most. Anyway, how is the composition coming along? Do you have a deadline?
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Post by corenfa on Sept 25, 2023 18:15:53 GMT
I have no clue... Will report back when I find out! One thing that I am glad to be rid of is the feeling that "it's not good enough". It's good enough because I say it is. I'm not the next Bach but I never claimed to be. If I submit it and it gets nowhere, I'm not bothered. That's a really healthy attitude. It's far to easy to be stopped before you start. Mr Z often says that an awful lot of people want to just kick a ball about and have no intention of playing for Man United (or whatever). But sometimes the outside world tries to impose goals that are pointless and destructive. The first piece of paper I ever made was the ugliest thing imaginable - yet to me it is incredibly beautiful because of the journey it sent me on. I've made much nicer papers since but it's still the piece I treasure the most. Anyway, how is the composition coming along? Do you have a deadline? I've now worked out what I want to add, the hard part will be writing it down (more because it's tedious than it's difficult). I have to do this by the end of November so at the moment, still quite a lot of time yet.
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Post by corenfa on Nov 19, 2023 18:20:53 GMT
I've found that hand writing music on my tablet is actually quite a nice way to compose. Erasing mistakes is a heck of a lot easier and by using different pen settings I've even managed to get the nice old fashioned effect of using a calligraphy pen
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