Leaderboard

*** My biggest problem when it comes to composing is the fear that what I write "sounds like something else" or as soon as I start, it "reminds me of something else". *** The key word in that sentence is fear. And it's not a good thing. It's a remnant of what's left in the wake of Modernism, where originality trumps every other aspect of music. It forces us all to be unique or to be nothing. A lousy choice. There is no middle ground. You must lose this pesky irritant that peeks over your shoulder when you are writing. Don't be afraid of being derivative. People will not judge you harshly if you write something that sounds like something else if it is based on sound musical ideas and construction. You simply need to write, and write a lot, to get better. So if someone dismisses you or your music, you can always say, Sorry, I'm not a Modernist. And the irony of all this is that you WILL become original by not being original.

All I can say is: "Good writers borrow, great writers steal"