Finding your voice

Hi there,
Just curious-I really can't seem to find my "voice" as a composer. I love composing, but sometimes my music seems to be forced, for lack of a better word. I have this hope that at some point, I will find my "true style" and it might come a bit easier. Is this something that will come in time with lots of composing? Should I just keep plugging away and at some point, will things just "click" and I will sort of find my style? Any help from all ye composers would be great.

I don't think I explained that very well, it sounds a bit lame. lol.

Well, if composing is your hobby/past time, then i, personally, wouldn't force anything. I am of the belief that all creative hobbies should be done with out trouble. in other words: if it doesn't flow, wait till it does. (give it a break then come back to it.)

If it is your job to write music that is a completely different matter. I don't think you can call in and say, "You wont be getting anything for the next month because I am waiting for my 'flow'."

I would advise not giving up on it. It will come. I am starting to get an idea of my "voice". (It is a little stronger in my piano improv.) I think it is kind of the same thing as your voice in writing. You have to find that too; the difference is that you have to write since you were like 6 so you have considerable more practice at it. (for those who dont start composing till their teens)

I assume what you mean by your "own voice" is something personal to you and readily distinguishable from others. Most composers start out by imitating what they hear and love. Don't worry, I think as you say your own voice will come with time as you continue to compose. Study may also help.

improvisation lets your personal subconscious thoughts come to life

Its is important to find a voice, but I think we are all a little young to find a voice. I think voice kinda comes, John Adams says he found his in his early 30's and Tan Dun is still looking for his. I think voice finds you, you dont find it.

how about,

first learn to copy others,
its like,, learning a language,
and then you can start adding your stuff
which is like speaking your accent.

or nevermind.

Some composers dont find a unique voice until they're quite advanced in both age and training.

I'd say if your formal training isn't anywhere near complete yet, then don't worry about your "unique voice". It's not time for it anyways.

As you gain mastery of the tools of composition and you get settled in to your craft, then you will see that a unique voice will emerge of its own accord. Little things in your approach to craft will be a large part of what identifies the music as "yours".

Contrary to all of the above posts, I think that it's really uninteresting and unimportant to consciously try or have at all a "personal" voice.

Why? Because no matter what you do, unless it's a 1:1 exact copy (and perhaps even then!) is going to be "you" no matter what. Even if you copy an style and write this or that way, you'll still create stuff that is yours despite it all.

So, my advice is, forget about it and just write what you want to write. And, also thinking that "a personal" style is important can really set some bias on what you actually can/may want to do.

If you feel your music is forced, then it's best to forget everything you've learned and sorta try to compose just from the sound. I've seen people that only really started to like what they wrote after they stopped worrying about stylistic rules, etc etc and just wrote whatever they wanted. Forget about tonality and atonality, forget about counterpoint or harmony, just put together the sounds you want, how you want them. Nothing can automate this, no systems, rules, styles, none of that is better for what you want than, well, what you want.

Hear out your intuition first, and go from there.

If you have a talent for composition, your individuality and personal voice as a composer will develop gradually and naturally. Some of the greatest contemporary composers are known to have found their personal voice quite late in their careers. Elliott Carter, for instance, arguably America's greatest and most important living composer, didn't find his unique voice until his First String Quartet written in 1951, when the composer was already well into his forties (and now, at 99, he's still writing works of astonishing invention and originality, which are heaps better than most pieces produced by his younger colleagues). So don't worry, Pianistboy....

Originally Posted by gianluca

If you have a talent for composition,

As if there's such a thing~

A composer is built on the will to listen to their imagination made reality. There's no "talent" involved and I think it's pretty shitty even involving talent in something like this, because really. What if someone thinks they have no "talent"? They could be really brilliant or produce some really nice things, but are discouraged by a shit-word nobody knows how to properly use.

Happens all the time, too.