guy500

Definitely. We're not loving it as any claim to greatness or mastery (that really would be arrogant). We just love it because what's come out of us naturally resonates with us. Unless we're exclusively technical in how we write, we put, to varying extents, part of ourselves into the music. We write what we find to be beautiful, even if no-one else does, so it's not surprising that the same beauty strikes us when we hear it back.

I don't think it sounds arrogant. At its best, our music is a deep unconscious expression of our own essence. It carries our signature like nothing else does. If we don't love it, we don't have a healthy relationship with ourselves. Even if no-one else resonates with it - it's important that we do, else what are we making it for?

Definitely. That's important too. i think I was suggesting more that if a composer matches your preferences and listening expectations because they truly resonate with you and that's just the music they compose when they're focusing on what's beautiful for them, this would lead to a more satisfying experience of both composing and listening than if the composer was putting aside what they find beautiful in order to specifically meet your expectations. I suspect there's not a lot of difference between what we're both saying.

Thanks a lot Henry. Appreciate the comments. Yes INFP, so not only introverted feeling, but that combined with extroverted intuition. It means the intuition is naturally stronger and the capacity to learn theory is naturally weaker, so for me it's a choice between going against the grain and trying to learn in the conventional way anyway (which would likely kill my process), or try to find a different way (difficult as it's so rarely talked about....).

I've really struggled to get my head around music theory - the way it's currently presented - since I started composing last summer. So, I've been giving some thought as to alternative ways of presenting it that might make it more accessible to new untrained composers, especially those who use DAWs and samples rather than manuscript. This video is meant as an exploration only - not suggesting better or worse approaches, or taking a position - only considering alternatives that could work for some people. Hope it's helpful. https://youtu.be/O_SSqvaVKDA?si=QXuksfXovuawS3Tf

Everyone is different and it's likely that John Williams is understandably perfectionist, and his insightfulness allows him to see what he could have done better. Being human, that's likely to lead to some degree of self-criticism and regret. My tendency is to look at things a little differently. I don't see any flaws in any music, including my own. That's not to say there aren't plenty of ways to improve, but ultimately, the music was that person's best expression of themselves, to the best of their ability at that moment in time. That different strategies or ideas could have been used is not a flaw (the way I see it), but a springboard for future improvement. Just yesterday, I was listening to the first ever piece that I composed from last July, which I don't think I've listened to since then, and I was expecting to cringe. Of course, I heard many things that I'd do differently and more effectively now, but I was struck - shocked even - by how much that music still resonated with me. Like you, I could hear many of the "flaws" (I don't really think of them like that - just as if you see a painting by a small child, you don't see it as flawed compared to Rembrandt, you appreciate it for what the child put into it), but the essence of any music can transcend these. If we can keep this more charitable outlook on our own and others' music, I think we'd be happier overall, as well as improving faster. I like your suggestion that trying to create the next masterpiece is unhealthy, as it's most probably about striving to create something that meets others' expectations or criteria rather than simply looking for the most authentic form of self-expression. I think that if we pursue the latter, it will be a more effective way of driving the search for improvements and expansion in our composing without the self-imposed pressure of feeling the need to prove ourselves.

This is my first attempt at sustained 4-part counterpoint. How did I do? Audio – https://soundcloud.com/guy-shahar/track-16-vocal-quartet-satb?in=guy-shahar/sets/new-compositions-2024&si=d2d57780dc6f4ae7a75b7ea8a5dbdbe3&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing Score – https://heartfulhealing.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Track-16-Score.pdf I don’t usually ask for feedback on the score, as I barely read music and tend to just rely on the one Cubase generates. It’s way out of my comfort zone, but I think it’s probably time for me to get the hang of the basics of scoring, so I’ve got Dorico and have been trying (hard) to get it to help me. How does this one read? What adjustments should I bear in mind for scoring my next piece?

Thanks very much, Pate. Yes, I'm pretty sure that's where I went wrong - I didn't realise that their part was meant to be read an octave lower, so it all makes more sense now. They were actually singing an octave lower than I'd though.

@Luis Hernández that's cool. I didn't know (and don't know theory so probably couldn't do much about it even if I did). So, purely co-incidence...

Thanks for your comments @Luis Hernández. I really hope it can be performed by real humans and real instruments one day... Did you mean they sounded old as in more consonant, or with a certain dissonance?

I want to write some simple choral music and I see that very often the tenor part plays easily and comfortably at least an octave above middle C. I've bought some high quality Solo Voice samples from VSL. The problem is that when they go anywhere near that sort of range the tenor sounds strained and struggling and it doesn't sound very natural. Other voices also seem to struggle in their upper registers. Is there a reason for this? Is it a known issue with these samples that this problem arises? What can I do about it?

Thanks @Luis Hernández- appreciate that. I didn't know Athenaton but am listening to it now - really nice, though I don't see so much similarity... Glad you introduced me to it though. (Ah, I've just come to Akhnaten and Nefertiti, and I do fort of see how you might connect them) Yes, I think you're right about the piano having a more background role. There is a score video - it's pretty basic though using the Cubase score. I'm only just starting to learn to score and it's coming very slowly (I only started composing last summer and have no musical training or theory, so I don't really even read music at this point....). It's near the bottom of this page - Track 13 - Prayer To The Eternal (February 2025) -

Hi - I've just joined the forum and set up my profile. I started composing last summer - unexpectedly, and with no musical training or theory (I can't really even read music....). But I've been very happy and grateful for what's come out of me since then. I've been pretty busy in that time, and am currently working on my 16th piece in about 9 months... For now, I'm attaching my favourite to date - a simple pared down piece, with just 2 instruments and 2 voices, Prayer to the Eternal. It's at https://heartfulhealing.co.uk/track13. You can hear all my pieces at https://heartfulhealing.co.uk/music Track 13 - Prayer to the Eternal.mp3

This is a really lovely piece. I've listened several times and it has such a warm and deep quality to it. I would have thought more middle-eastern influence, so surprising to hear you're from India. But a great fusion piece all the same!! I agree with another person who commented about the reverb. This would be greatly improved by turning it right down.