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I think it's the joy in the instrument as much as the technical restraints that it imposes. There is a reason that you chose to play the instrument that you do. (And if your parents dictated that you take violin starting at age five, there's a reason that you still play, having reached the age of reason and independence). The instrument speaks a language that speaks particularly strongly to you. It's not so much that I know what will or won't work with vocal music, it's that I know what feels really wonderful to sing. Certain things sound wonderful, but certain things just feel wonderful because of some combination of factors. There's a pleasure in the execution that would be entirely lost on the audience, except that your enjoyment shows and is carried in the sound. You can present a wonderfully polished performance of any technically challenging piece with enough dedication to practice, but the really wonderful pieces aren't wonderful because they sound wonderful to hear. They are wonderful because they feel wonderful when you are right in the middle of them and therefor they are played with relish. When we speak, most of the time we don't actually speak fluently. One of the things that separates native speakers from new language learners is the LACK of fluency of the native speakers. They start a sentence in one direction, pause to collect their thoughts, and finish it in another direction, and resulting in verb tenses changing mid-way. But we understand them completely, even better than the new speakers, because we see their thought process playing out in real time. It's not actually the words that are important. Its the emotional content that comes along for the ride. Whatever instrument you play, you understand it's emotional content and how to express yourself clearly using it. Whether you speak in complete sentences or trail off in...

Actually, I wonder if this is exactly why you are good at orchestration. You take a balanced, objective stance. You aren't playing favorites. Makes you good at works for large forces. (:

As a composer (if you choose to compose using the same instrument somewhere in whatever you choose to do), it helps you fully understand the technicality when composing with that instrument. It also helps you really fully understand the boundaries and what you can do with it and you can pick up your own little quirks and discover little tricks with your instrument. Fundamentally, your passion for your instrument may motivate you and drive you to compose (in my opinion); I love singing and from that it eventually extended to having a great passion and love for choral music.

Although I've written a large number of pop songs, and had limited success. I've always worked in jobs related to writing music.. For many years, I was a recording engineer, then started arranging and producing other peoples music. I traveled around the world as a sound mixer for a famous rock group for two years. Although it seriously cut into my 'writing and recording time'. The opportunity was golden.. I got to mix music for crowds up to 70,000 people. That is quite a learning experience in itself, seeing what drives an audience and the band, to become more creative, when there was good energy. My good friend and business partner was in the band, and he told me how much he learned just by hearing his music on the radio. It was quite a different teacher. So the paths a composer takes in life varies widely, and quite often something we do that is seemingly quite unrelated, can be a wonderful opportunity to gain a different perspective on how to make music. In fact that is the 'kernel' of creativity, the ability of a human to take seemingly unrelated things and synthesize them into something new and wonderful. For instance a home health care worker, may spend many years caring for dying people. But he(she) could take this situation, and use it to create beautiful, serenely inspiring music. Indeed, during the 90's lots of my friends died of AIDs, I spent a lot of time caring for a few people.. As a result, I got into writing new age music, that would comfort both myself, and people that were dying.. Eventually I moved on, and stopped creating 'new age' music. I also took two years to take care of my dying mom. I bought a laptop computer, and got to spend a lot of time working with some new music software (Synfire Pro), and take care of my mom. As a result, I feel my music has much more 'depth' than it previously had. I do pop music, so in a way it doesn't relate that closely, to the 'serious' composers here. Working those other jobs, gave me lots of opportunity to learn and become aware of other types of music.. I was also 'composer in residence' at UMass in Boston back in the 70's. They had built a state of the art 16 track studio, with a large custom built MOOG synthesizer.. I would have to hustle up jobs, myself, then realize them in the studio. Again I got exposed to a lot of different music.. We also had a state of the art video editing suite, so I got a number of jobs doing music for the video being produced there. But I also worked on a lot of music that is what the client wanted, not something that I necessarily wanted to do. At the age of 47, I took a part time job, being a doorman at a club. I did get to hear a large number of DJ's, but by this time I had grown out of the 'disco, hi-energy, tech' music.. Now I write for myself, and others I find who have the same goal as me. This gave me the opportunity to explore things, that would give me no financial rewards (musically). My job at the club was a part time job, and payed well enough, that it allowed me to spend large amounts of time writing. When I think about it, this is all I ever wanted out of life, was to create music. As a result, my music 'matured', and I have been finding older musicians and singers in a similar situation (I'm 64). Now we create quality music. I live a very modest life, but have enough money to buy new computers, and kb's when I need them.. But I always did music for the love of creating, I didn't care about being famous or rich.. I had a few friends who accomplished that, but most have burnt out or died by now. Also the music business has been shaken to the foundation, and a new business model has replaced the standard. Someone well versed in the internet, can become famous world wide, without the grooming process of record companies. A lot depends on the person, and his emotional makeup.. What he can learn and gain in life.. His attitude about these discussed situations, are an extremely valuable tool to improve one's craft. A few years back, I took several online courses at Berklee music school in Boston, again changing my direction.. I have a friend who is quite well known in hip-hop circles (many here not even considering it music). He took a composing for movie course at Berklee. He bought a ton of 'sample libraries', and now knocks out scores very quickly. Personally I don't like this approach, it is like assembling "Leggo blocks" for music. After checking out a lot of the sample libraries, I have noticed, how much TV music uses them. A lot of movie 'trailer' music is the same. My friend plays by ear, and knows practically zero, about theory, harmony, counterpoint, etc. He assembles these pieces quickly; more important someone else in his class is connected with a music publishing company. So they have an outlet for this 'music'. Creating music that way is not something I want to do, and I can imagine the response, of some of the composers here.