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Obviously, our pursuit of meaning through music is based on our desires, but even desires take time to cultivate. Some desires, we may decide in hindsight, were adolescent and immature while others developed us. For me desires started with listening to music and finding things I liked. That didn't always lead me "on the right path" so to speak. I think I've definitely cultivated an aversion to numbering my compositions (Sonata No.1, Symphony No. that, Prelude No.3 ... seems so dull). I also seem to have an aversion (or maybe inability) to write movements that belong together although I hope that in the future that might change. Or even just writing a set of pieces in different keys for a single instrument (like Chopins Nocturnes etc.) is difficult for me. I am at the moment in the midst of abandoning just such a project that I couldn't manage to keep alive because it just seems so totally dull and boring to me that I can't keep interested enough to continue it. I guess I could say that in order to keep my own interest in music I must always be seeking novelty of some kind. How do you find meaning through music composition?

A very upbeat swing piece I made, I hope y’all enjoy. Please let me know what you liked and what needs work. Thank you 🙏

This is the title song from my musical by the same name, the second half of the video explains the context of the song. The song is meant to be a fifth lower, accompanied by string orchestra, and sung by a tenor. I'd appreciate feedback both on the video and the music- not the performance, I'm a professional violinist, not a singer! Cash

Agree. I don't see Art in any form as a competitive sport. Can understand. We have a tenant, a female who'd make a great surrealist composer if she / when she puts her mind to it. She went to a close-by college as an undergraddy but hated most of the curriculum. I happen to know her mentor, however, and over a whisky he suggested I might help her. Introduced us. I don't think I've been much help but at least she felt free and could stomach the college stuff.. He too doesn't like his profession, agreeing with me that you can't "teach creativity." He gave her the degree all the same because he appreciated her passion for composing. I should mention that as a male I ditched a college course part way through.

Well, PeterthePapercomPoser, I’ve already mentioned that I don’t use notation software for composing and rely on paper and other things. Perhaps I suffer ADHD but musical ideas lighting my mind are sometimes ephemeral. If I don’t capture them somehow I can lose them. I'll jot them somehow on any piece of paper available if necessary. Notation software is too slow. Perhaps if I practiced it like a secretarial touch-typist I could be a lot faster – but then why, when I can jot on a piece of paper? Across time I’ve developed a shorthand. It also doesn’t restrict me to time signatures and preset barlines which can seem a block to freedom. (It’s why all my engraved scores are in 4/4. I really should do something about that!) I can include a rough time line if I want, useful when I can’t be sure of how long I want something to sustain. Likewise, a silence between phrases sometimes necessary in music. But it’s also admin. I sometimes compose at the piano, sometimes not, but at one point or another I may change my mind or want to try something else. So I just pop down to the next available staves and jot the alternative. With software I’d have to save the original and the alternative, probably have to print one off for comparison. Fine for one alternative but if more ideas spawn from that it could become a headache on a computer. Eventually I’d have to consolidate for putting in the DAW. Trying to combine bits from multiple files is probably another headache and time consuming – whereas at worst I can literally cut and paste on the table. I can have as many sheets on display as I like. The other bit is a tendency to think orchestrally. I find orchestral instruments all the resource I need with some exceptions. So I add text notes for instruments that seem appropriate as I go. I can’t think of notation software that allows this. I’m also aware of the tendency toward thickness if trying to write straight into full score so I work in short score but sometimes open out to 4 staves if things are getting elaborate. So the basic process is: paper, on completion get it into the DAW, make any final adjustments; produce a score (if I think I’m likely to submit it or even have the rendering played at any form of public event). But I have to admit, the DAW has made me lazy, experimenting with instrumentation when I can’t arrive at a decision through my imagination. But I never cheat – rather than mess around with the faders I set them to a mezzoforte for each instrument with the velocities set to around 64 then make all adjustments louder or quieter through the velocities. It’s seemed to work so far.

Wow! I love that imagery. Really cool perspective...I wouldn't have though of that, but listening to it and thinking that I can see it so vividly!

WELL SAID!

Fine composition. Check your voicings at times. The clashes with Bnat and B# (and the like) are prevalent throughout this piece. Your performers are going to constantly ask you about things like that because you just told us a half a beat earlier it was one note and now you want me play something else. It's just how are ears are. I read earlier how you want to portray sadness. You can still have it and have harmonic consistency (i.e Transfigured Night, Alberich scene's in the Ring).

I am a programatic composer: I always have a story to tell. I hardly ever write absolute pieces. So for me, I love hearing other people tell a story.

Great critique I was going to say something similarly. Go ahead and expand in the middle. Winter is beautiful. I did picture children playing in the snow. However, winter can be tumultuous. Roads are terrible and flights are canceled. Perhaps add that to the harmonic vocabulary in this. Also, try not to have the "oom pah pah" orchestrated the same throughout. The violas can do more. With this chamber orchestra, you could give it to other parties. Change it up! My $0.02.

Interesting. I have mixed thoughts about this. Music is rammed down my/our throat(s) so often that it’s become an annoyance in supermarkets; TV ads and documentaries, lifts, presumably to “enhance our experience” of what’s behind it. Film music annoys me. Worse, being in a telephone queue. I’m sure this so-called music is designed to aggravate people in the hope they’ll hang up. But in music designed to be listened to I find meaning in its sensuality rather than emotion (although a good ‘major key’ build up and climax can be exhilarating). I have to close my eyes and be drawn in to the mood. I want imagery, however surreal – anything from the abstract to the quasi-realistic; subtle sensations that span out as imagery of a kind. Hence my faves include the likes of early Sculthorpe, Delius, Debussy, Lutyens, Villa-Lobos et sim. I suppose it doesn’t help suffering synaesthesia which is a cross-modal neural problem. I don’t know if I had it naturally or through neural plasticity from ‘ingesting’ certain substances when a little younger. As I understand it now, synaesthesia is something that can be cultivated if one wants it. I rarely find emotional meaning in music which through European cultural tradition usually implies ‘key’ and the means to exploit concordant harmony. The semiotics are well established. I listen to music in keys, sure, but for me there’s no need to add to it as a composer. It’s more about being a filter to atmosphere, to impression (in which moments of tonal centre can happen but the evanescence, the flow seem more dominant in the necessarily loose structure. Yes, music can evoke emotion but I can’t easily equate that with meaning. Once more the forum has provoked me to think about this because I’m never sure why I compose. It can be exciting...it can be frustrating!

Yeah often as musicians we ignore the sound production / mastering part of our work. But I would say this is a critical aspect of music since this is what the audience is listening to. There's so many things to take into account, and I am by no means an expert at sound engineering, but these are the basics: Noise gates (these can help reduce your breaths in between words) Background music to vocal DB ratios (I don't know the ratio for singing against music, but for youtube, I set background music anywhere from -40db to -35db against my voice which is usually -3db to - 6db EQing your vocals or music (bringing up the bass and trebles make for a decent output, in my opinion. Your voice may require different types of eqing) limiter (making sure your peaks don't surpass a certain threshold (that red limit where you hear tearing, or distortion) normalization: For youtube, I normalize my voice. When I talk lightly or have a voice inflection, I want the same db levels. For music, this may not necessarily be the case though...this is a judgement call. I'm sure there's a ton more but these are the basics for some good audio output.

Powerful voice, and your vibrato is beautifully executed. Nice editing skills too! It looks like you and I have the same mic (a rode nt1?). Good choice! I have to agree with @Omicronrg9 here that the piano sounds need to be enhanced, but your powerful voice is really the central focus, and it is really beautiful. Let's talk about balancing your music now. Your loudest parts are too loud, while your lowest parts are too low. This meant that I had to raise and lower my volume throughout the video (as I am wearing headphones). Balancing music and sound production can be very tricky, but with practice, you will get the hang of it. An obvious example of incorrect balancing is when you introduce your musical to the audience. I had to raise the volume up significantly to hear you. However, once I raised the volume, I left it alone (I didn't have to raise and lower it). So while the db levels were very mismatched...they were level. As a fellow YouTuber, you want to measure your audio in LUFS, and this roughly should be -14LUFS for YouTube. This means, your peak should not surpass this level. Welcome to the forum!

Thank you so much for the kind words! For the record, I've composed a lot for non musical theatre purposes (still love that saxophone quartet I wrote when I was 16), but I just keep coming back to this genre- I love long form, word painting, song cycles, themes and variations, fugues... All sorts of things that are best explored in musical theatre, for me anyways. Thank you for the recommendation! I always want to see more non male composers, most of my favorite contemporary composers happen to be women!

Oh stop it! As someone who says that more than you, you need to have more faith in yourself. Your voice is lovely, and you bring gobs of emotion to your execution. I admit, musicals are far from my inspirations and style, but I always like to stumble upon something that catches my ear when it's not my normal jam. I'm really happy to have heard this, and welcome to the forum. It's always refreshing to hear more music from female composers, and guess what...there are some great female composers here, check them out! They'd love to hear from you, and I'm sure you would them. Here are some I can think of off the top of my head: @pateceramics @Nadin @Gwendolyn Przyjazna Of course there's more, these just stick out to me. Thanks for sharing, and well done on a fantastic performance of your music 🙂

Hello @CashComposer, Welcome to the forum! I think you sing really well as a singer! I really love your articulation and intonation which fits well for a musical. I love the F minor you use to create the more mystical feeling! Thx for sharing your music and joining us! Henry

Hi Cash. Impressive. The B&W filter fits with the music I would say, and the video looks really professional. However, a detail: the sound of the piano may have room for improvement. In terms of loudness I think it's mostly alright but the lower notes could benefit of some more volume. I'm not sure if the explanation may be better at the beginning than after the song. I may be used to the reverse order, but probably this way works better for sharing it and it bring more focus to the song itself. I recommend you to upload the sheet music here —or wherever you prefer, and then send a link here—. Some people may make use of it to give better & more precise feedback. I myself usually read the score I'm reviewing while doing so. All in all, this was an intense & brief experience. I really look forward to listen to further works from you! Kind regards, Daniel–Ømicrón.