I've been trying to look out for depictions of mental illness in music. I asked ChatGPT and the response was a bit underwhelming. There is always speculation and sometimes confirmed facts about composers with mental illness, which is interesting to consider, but not precisely what I am trying to find.

Does anyone have any recommendations for this sort of stuff?

Context: I am trying (and have already written) solo piano pieces trying to capture the essence of various mental illnesses. Genre doesn't really matter. I found some more popular pop-like music that moreso deals with people's lived experience of mental illness. I mean that's cool too, sort of getting warmer. But mostly looking for music attempting describing the illness through the music (not necessarily through the lyrics), if that makes sense. Things like depression/bipolar/ADHD/anxiety/schizophrenia/addictions etc.

Hopefully someone can recommend something, thanks in advance :)

I get the impression that many of us have the wrong idea about what Neoclassicism is.

I often come across comments in posts such as: ‘Ah, this is in a Neoclassical style’, or even the composer themselves might say that their work is Neoclassical.

But writing a piece that is reminiscent of Mozart, to take him as an example, is not the same as creating something Neoclassical. It is simply imitating, with varying degrees of success, the Classical style.

Neoclassicism has a specific origin, a particular period (roughly 1920–1950) with its own historical background. And most importantly: it has its own defining characteristics.

Without that, we are not creating Neoclassicism, but merely imitating the style of the 18th century.

There are a great many composers who, at some stage in their lives, composed neoclassical works.

To name a few off the top of my head: Ravel, Stravinsky, Prokofiev, Poulenc, Bartók, Hindemith, Falla, Copland, Milhaud, Honegger, Chávez.

And there are marvellous works by all of them – symphonies, operas, piano pieces, and so on...

If you’re interested, we can discuss these characteristics and works.

Best regards.

In recent years, not only in music but in art in general, it has become possible for people without formal training to create works, unlike before.
As a result, the world is flooded with a vast number of works.
Among these works, there are some that are innovative and groundbreaking.

That raises a question I keep coming back to: where's the line between "innovative" and "just bad"?

For example, there may be novel instrumentation.
This can be seen as innovative, or it can be seen as a sign of a lack of formal training.
If that person did not have formal training, would that innovation automatically turn the work into a bad one?
While that possibility exists, it also depends heavily on the artist and the context, and could be seen as missing the point of looking at the work itself.

This gets even more complicated in an era where a single plugin and a handful of preset algorithms can generate something that sounds "novel" with almost no effort.
If anyone can produce unconventional sounds at the push of a button, what kind of innovation actually deserves praise?
What do you think? Please share your opinions freely!

My personal taste is open book. Heck. George Leigti works are always fun to listen to. And who does not want to listen a post tonal composition that has clusters and other modern jazz. :) The problem is...midi can not play back alerotical boxes and clusters. Only live musicians can. Thus, that is what trying figure out, next. How to have play back in score. (maybe use a daw?)

Do you think that any piano piece, for example, could be adapted for an orchestral version?

Or perhaps there are certain formats or styles that wouldn’t work well in this context?

Please feel free to give examples

Best regards

I think it is time to list resources I enjoy reading and am reading. I will start with more accessible to new composers then go to most advance ones.

Every composer, under their toolbelt, should have firm understanding tonal harmony. While the millions of books on the market, it is probably difficult to decide which one to use. This is where your undergraduate course helps you. Professors have thier prefence. Mine used "tonal Harmony" However, if you want to get jump, I suggest two books: Fux treatise on species counterpoint, and Tchaikovsky treatise on harmony. Schoenberg also wrote two books on harmony. Be warned: Schoenberg book on Harmony is like reading book on philosophy.

Traditional harmony is fine, but we are currently in modern era where that pushes the boundaries. Thus, book on 20th century harmony should the follow up. There are two books that go through this! I think Peter is going through one. He would reccomded that one. I have that one. And I would agree with his assestion about it. I would also suggest picking up book on Alan Forte and "The music of Bela Bartok"

Understanding musical style is important as writer. Therefore, Charles Rosen books "The classical style" and "The romantics" are a must. He links Bach to each period.

Speaking of Him, he wrote about Sonatas: Sonatas forms. (I hear there are 3 vol set about sonatas, but his book is more concise).

Now to onto musical forms: Analyzing Classical forms and Sonata theory. Both are great books. But start with Schoenberg book on composition.

I hope this well you.

Also, score study. Share your works as you learn. And choose the best path that works for you.

Orchestration is the final step! Rimsky-Korosky, Adler, Brant.

Quote

1953
_____
"The stage is right behind this door," Hampton whispered.
        Frankie nodded.
        "You get in there, you just make your music.  They can't say no to you, fast as you play that guitar."
        It was a hot day, in a brisk 2/4 key signature [sic], and the tempo was vivace-lively, but sostenuto, prolonged.  Hampton and Frankie were standing outside the Grand Ole Opry, waiting to audition.  Frankie, now seventeen years old, had learned a great deal of country music since arriving in Nashville.  He had also grown two inches and looked less a boy than a young man now.  Hampton told him, "I reckon you ready for the biggest stage of all."
        He'd dressed Frankie for the audition in a gray cowboy hat and a white sports coat with lace trimming.  It cost Hampton a week's pay.  I should note that the mechanic had asked to be Frankie's manager, and, while Frankie didn't really understand the position, he'd quickly said yes.  He liked Hampton.  And seeing that he was feeding Frankie and letting him listen to his radio, Frankie couldn't really refuse.
        "Just play the way you played up in Detroit.  No way they say no."
        "Okay."
        "You the fastest thing anyone ever seen."
        "Okay."
        Hampton seemed nervous.  Another hour passed.  Frankie wanted to knock  on the door, but Hampton refused.  "We don't want to seem pushy.  They'll come get us."
        Eventually, with the sun beginning to set, a man in a suit came out the front door.  Frankie ran up and said, "Excuse me," and asked if someone would be greeting them soon.
        "Auditions wait at the south door," the man said.  "Around the corner.  But they're gone now.  Y'all need to come back next week."
        Frankie glanced at Hampton, whose mouth fell open.  Frankie turned back to the man in the suit.
        "Sir . . . can I get something that says we were here?  For next time?  So we can be first in line maybe?"
        The man looked him up and down and grinned.  He reached into his pocket and pulled out a business card.
        "That's all I got, young fella."
        The man walked away.  Hampton cursed and shook his head.  The wrong door?
        "It's okay, Hampton," Frankie said.  'We can try next week."
        But the old man kept grumbling, upset by his mistake.  He was sweating heavily.  On the ride home, he banged the steering wheel many times.  Then, after turning at a traffic light, he gripped his arm and fell against the door as the car veered to the curb.
       "Hampton!" Frankie screamed, grabbing the wheel and steering wildly.  "What's the matter?  Hampton!  Hey!"  He threw his leg over the man's legs to brake the car with a screech.
        "Oh no, no, no, no," Frankie implored.  He pulled open Hampton's collar.  His eyes were rolled back.  He was moaning.  Frankie screamed out the window, "Help!  Where's a hospital?"
        Minutes later, he was pulling Hampton through double doors, his arms wrapped around the old man's chest.  He kept saying, "You're all right, you're all right," but once inside he again screamed, "Help!" A nurse ran out to assist him, but a doctor with a close-cropped hair and a barrel chest raised his hands.
        "Hold up," he said.  "Y'all need to take him to the colored hospital."
        "Please!" Frankie yelled.
        The doctor shook his head.  "The colored hospital will take care of him."
        "But he's in trouble!"
        "Then you better get moving."
        Frankie's breathing quickened.  He squeezed his eyes closed.  And something inside him snapped.  Perhaps because of Baffa, or El Maestro, or never finding his mother, or any of the many precious things that had been taken from him in his life, he felt a force surging, a noise between his ears, like an angry glissando from one end of the keyboard to the other.
        He would not lose Hampton, too.
        "Now you listen," he said, raising to within inches of the doctor.  "I just came from the Grand Ole Opry.  So did he.  This is an important man."
        The doctor snickered.  "Y'all came from the Opry?"
        Frankie pulled the business card from his pocket and slammed it in the doctor's palm.
        "That's right.  I'm playing there Saturday night.  I will leave you four free tickets in the front row if you take care of this man right now."
        Even as he said it Frankie felt as if he were listening to someone else.  Where did he find these words?
        The doctor sniffed as he read the business card.  It belonged to a high-ranking events manager.
        "You really playin' the Opry?"
        "Look at my clothes," Frankie said.
        The doctor pursed his lips.  He nodded at the nurse.
        "In the back," he said.

And if you got this far, thanks for reading!

Peter

How do you approach composition? Which approach do you value more? Technique or Intuition? Which comes first and which is secondary?

In this lesson, I'll show you a simple approach to composing a mischievous orchestral theme using melody, harmony, orchestration, and rhythm.

You'll learn techniques that can be applied to film scoring, animation, games, and character themes.

So I got curious.

I wanted to see for myself what AI can actually do with MP3 to MIDI. How far can it really go? So I decided to run a test and share what I found.

I found a free online tool that claims to do the job. No sign-ups, no payment — just upload and go.

The first thing I noticed: the website clearly said “no server, everything runs locally in your browser.” That’s pretty cool. I didn’t have to worry about my music leaking somewhere.



I picked a random piano piece I had on my computer and uploaded it. Then the page asked me to select the instrument.

Huh. Why do I need to pick an instrument? I guess it helps the AI figure out what to listen for? Maybe it improves the accuracy. I selected “Piano” and crossed my fingers.



To my surprise, the conversion was actually pretty fast. I was expecting to wait a while, but it finished in seconds.



The tool also let me listen to both the original and the MIDI version side by side. That made it really easy to compare.

So, how did it go?

Honestly, most of it was correct — but not all. There were a few wrong notes here and there. So AI isn’t perfect yet. But here’s the part that impressed me: it had a built‑in editor. I could click on the notes and fix mistakes directly in the browser. That’s super convenient.



It kind of feels like the creators knew the AI wouldn’t get it 100% right. So they gave us the tools to clean it up ourselves. Smart move.

So what’s my takeaway?

AI can handle a solid chunk of the work — maybe 80–90% depending on the track. But it still makes errors. The good news is, with the built‑in editor, you can tweak things manually and export it right away.

I might actually use this a few more times and see if it saves me time in the long run. First impression? Not bad at all.

Let me know if you’ve tried something similar — I’d love to hear how it went for you.

Start to compose music, even though you don't know the scales, harmonic functions, and names of diatonic chords. We'll explain the music composition with easy-to-follow methods.

So why do melodies still feel difficult to develop? In this video, we explore a different way of thinking about composition — through modes, tonal color, borrowed harmony, and melodic movement.

Our goal is simple: to teach composition in a practical, creative, and intuitive way.

You do NOT need advanced harmonic analysis.

You do NOT need Roman numerals.

You do NOT need complicated chord symbols.

A basic understanding of music theory is enough, because the lessons are explained primarily through modes and their tonic chords.

I personally am considered as an established composer in my Slovenia. Maybe sounds bold, but I believe I might be in top 10 at the moment. Still, I am interested to have a bigger international success. I am lucky to enjoy some of it, especially with my chamber opus for wind instruments - my compositions such as Yearning for flute quartet, Trio for flute, clarinet and bassoon, The Bird Tango for piccolos and piano have had a solid reputation abroad.

In my country, I am experiencing a new commission boom - I'll be busy throught 2013. A new composition for choir, a new composition for wind quintet, three new short pieces for different winds with piano, a new composition for flute and cello...

Please don't consider me a loudmouth or over self-esteemed. :) I am just telling the facts about my current composing career. Still, most of compositions are actually written without getting paid, but that's mostly OK, as long as performers do not expect me to pay them for their performances of my music. :)

My ambitions for the future: to compose the largest number of symphonies in Slovenia. The record is, of course, a magic number of nine, created by Blaz Arnic. Still, I only have two and a half completed so far... :)

And my ambition is also to have as many fans of my music as it is actually possible, since I am not a young pop music upstart (like Justin Bieber) and I am actually an "invisible" composer of so much hated modern classical music...

Thanks for your replies, looking forward to read them! :shifty:

https://youtu.be/EENrbo-Zvs8?si=p1U0fLyCjt7sd5t-

The instrumental bits are so delicious, so stunning! How does anyone write something as beautiful as this just out of thin air?

I think I have a stupid question... What kind of flute is the flute you hear in the score of Titanic... You can also hear it in the intro My heart will go on...

Thank you

I guess my question is whether I should compose many more “traditionally tonal” pieces before moving to the idioms that excite me more? If so, when is the point when I can move to non-functional harmony? Or can I just study traditional harmony on the side, but try to compose more modern-sounding music? I have already been doing this to a certain extent (my late-romantic waltz). Thanks for any suggestions! —Matthew

I love listening to music. However, since I couldn't attend a music university or take lessons and didn't try to learn by myself, I couldn't learn music notation.

Now, I feel how important it is to learn notation. 

Therefore, I want to ask how I can learn music notation. I want to learn it on my own while occasionally asking for help on this forum.

First, I want to start with free resources, but my search returned too many websites and YouTube channels, leaving me totally confused about which one to choose.

If you have some time, I would be so happy to receive your advice about how I can start to learn it and how to go to the next step.

By the way, I would like to say that you all compose such good music. My hat is always off to you.

Thank you.

Best,

Lithl.

One other question that I'm also interested in: what originally got you into composing? (Not on the poll above, because it's more open-ended.)

- Only writing fragments for now.  No aiming for completed pieces.
- Focusing on practicing use of musical elements I like, experimentation over destination.
- Loosely tracking my time in order to force something out the door, rather than get stuck on revisions.
- Long term learning goal is to build the skills to write hybrid electronic/orchestral music for games.

If anyone wants to take on this challenge with me, feel free, and you are welcome to post things here.  For my part, the pacing is starting at one small post per week.  As I feel able, I may increase that.  Music will be hosted on flat.io and eventually Soundcloud, and linked here by Sunday evening USA-Eastern time, which is Monday morning my time.  Feedback is welcomed, but I will be trying to take feedback lightly and focus on quantity of music creation, on volume, rather than refining the quality.

First entry: https://flat.io/score/69930d12f4b7f4206442ca2c-sus-slash?sharingKey=4f68cd0e43730c91e48416b8978810ab0c63680a3161fb07fbfcbc75e85c135b02a6f15102ff10978621f147508f16a2ade8791783c86664bb7ed9f0e3b671f9

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=14lZ2g_oCxI

For this eight-bar melody, I chose the musical element described in the above youtube video - suspended chords above a slash bass note, essentially sparsely voiced tall chords.  I wasn't following any particular progression principles, just whatever sounded good, but trying to follow the structure of the chords described in the video.  Couldn't quite nail down the last chord, sorry it's unsatisfying, but according to the rules we are moving on!

Mine is:

If you look closely and listen carefully, the piece you have just completed points the way to your next composition.

I love most genres of music and am training to become a genre-independent composer.

Orchestral? Great! EDM? Wonderful. Ambient? Why not. Metal? Fun.

Anyone think this is a good goal to attempt, to try to be good across many genres?

I am embedding 8 pieces of mostly IMPROVISED music experimented with.

Made-up with MIDI keyboard with only the bassline pre-made:

With the whole range of software and virtual instruments available, the temptation (and reality) of composing directly for the orchestra is very strong.

As an amateur composer who makes music purely for intellectual pleasure and for the senses, and also because I am partly self-taught and partly formally trained, I confess that the small pieces I have written have been without a piano sketch.

By piano sketch, I do not mean, in this case, a reduction for piano that is idiomatic for the instrument, even virtuosic. I mean a sketch that captures the basics: structure, harmony, melody, rhythms, accents.

I consider my training in classical and modern harmony to be very good. In counterpoint, quite good. But lately I have become interested in orchestration and, in turn, trying to structure a work of a certain length (without going overboard for the moment).

And in this sense, I think that the piano sketch can be very useful and not a waste of time.

In relation to this, I am also doing the opposite: orchestrating fragments or small pieces for solo piano.

What do you think?