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How often do you revise a piece after you think you have completed it? How thoroughly do you revise it? What do you think does a composer's frequency of revision of pieces say about them? What do you think does the fact of needing to revise a piece say about it? Do you think that it is the mark of a great piece that it needs to be constantly revised - or that of a lesser one? I think the need to revise a piece might mean that one is developing as a composer, that the previous degree of care and consideration taken in judging a piece complete is no longer definitive or sufficient. It might also mean a piece is problematic, or that one was too quick to judge it complete. Alternatively, it might mean that the piece was subtle, seminal and/or full of possibilities and unseen potential that one failed to see or appreciate, let alone fully develop, at the time that the decision/judgement of completeness was taken.

What is its role for you as a composer? Do you disregard it, listen to it and find it beneficial, or do you even depend on it to guide you in what to compose and how to compose?

Hey Everyone, This has been a long time in the woodwork, but recently I discovered that out of everything (and there were a lot of possibilities), I really want to become a film composer. I was wondering if anyone has any tips/advice on how to go about it. I'm in a pretty small country (New Zealand), and I'm not so sure how helpful a three-year course would be in really equipping me for this (time, money, and where I am in the world - we travel a lot - are also considerations), and whether I'd actually get a job at the end of it. So I would really appreciate your insights and experience on this. So fire away! :) Cheers, and thank you very much in advance! KahliaSkye

I wonder why each composer feels compelled to compose, and would like to hear each of your reasons for composing. For me it might be an inner need springing from my subconscious, a need to probably order and harmonize experience. And composition for me has never been an intentional act or deliberate act. I have early on felt compelled to respond in my own music to the music I heard. But presently, it is more an inner inspiration that leads me to compose. And this inspiration is mostly something whose existence is not in my hands. It might happen that I am no longer inspired after today. But still, my present period of compositional activity (in the past 6 months) coincided with getting a new software for composition (Sibelius 6) whereupon I experienced an increase in compositional activity and output, composing 37 short pieces in that 6-month period. So, from this experience of mine I can also infer that composition can be a response to external stimulation (in my case a new software program). For others (and for me also) it might be other types of stimulation that lead to compositional activity. What might these other types of stimulation be? I think new experiences, like meeting new people, doing new things could be examples of such stimulation. For example, after attending a religious conference, I wrote a short song as a march for the group. Waiting to hear your reasons for composing.

Anyone know any good books on composition? Especially regarding form, harmony, and counterpoint. Right now I'm reading "the Study of Counterpoint from Johann Joseph Fux's Gradus Ad Parnassum", so anything similar to that anyone would recommend?

For me, inspiration is almost everything. Without it I wouldn't compose. And the pieces that I write as a product of inspiration bear that mark and are far better than the pieces that are the product of trivial inspiration or no inspiration at all.

How many times have you heard that you CAN'T make money in classical music. I'm like, this is a bad philosophy to teach. I mean, what are we in academia doing if one can't make a living. I'm not saying Quincy Jones rich, or even sticking in the same vein as classical music, say William Bolcom or Frank Tichelli. HOWEVER, there is a flaw with this type of thinking. Now we have to think OUTSIDE of the box. Therefore, I like to say, "you can make money with classical chops!" I'll add more later!

Really need a moving piece for my leavers assembly. I have lyrics, anyone write music? Please help! Will make it worth your while :) Email 07rebeccalancashire@longdean.herts.sch.uk

Really need a moving piece for my leavers assembly. I have lyrics, anyone write music? Please help! Will make it worth your while :) Email 07rebeccalancashire@longdean.herts.sch.uk

Do you agree or disagree with the above statement? To agree would mean that no matter how much a person lacking the gift of composition studied, they would never get good at composition just because they lack the gift; and that a person who possesses the gift of composition would display that gift no matter the amount of instruction or study he/she has had in composition. To disagree, on the other hand would mean that a mediocre talent or even one who patently lacks the gift of composition could get good at it thanks to instruction and study; and that a great talent might be totally wasted because of a lack of the proper instruction and study.

On some positive stuff, what is everyone working on? I'm starting on my last two movements of my symphony. It's very programmatic based on scriptures from the Old Testament and I'm learning Dvorak 8th!

Please take the question in a broad sense. I am not just asking why you yourself compose. Try to be philosophical and consider for a moment what might the role and function of musical composition be for humanity, what its goal or purpose could be. Is it the same as the goal of all art or different from that of other arts? What exactly is happening in the creation of a piece of music? To make the question even broader, one might ask "what is the goal of music?"

I think that many a piece of mine could have benefited from further revision had I not decided too soon that it was finished. Now I am becoming more careful before declaring a piece finished. So how and when do you know (or decide) that a piece you are working on is finished?

I have what might be a laughably simple question but does software aiding the process of music composition exist? I'm talking about something similar to screenplay or novel writing software but for music. So I might plug in something like "Sonata" and it would offer various templates for sonata forms, prod me to modulate in the appropriate places etc. Does Sibelius do anything like this? Thanks. Wil

All, I am writing to let you know about a project that I have created which serves to promote and support new compositions for musical theater in a unique way. I ask that you take a look and offer any comments, advice, or feedback that you can. It would be extremely appreciated. I am especially interested in any help in spreading my message and am eager to find original articles, music, or ideas to be shared should you know of any. www.musicalrebirth.com All my best, Joe Hargis Creator, Musical Rebirth Project

Just curious to know.

Meistersingers is proud to present their 6th Annual Choral Composition Competition. Also, we are extremely excited to release this announcement under the new name, the Knapp Award. Named in honor of Jim and Sally Knapp, ardent supporters of Meistersingers, their commitment will ensure this competition will continue for many years to come. In the 6th year of its existence this competition has received over 400 submissions, more than half created specifically for Meistersingers. With $5000 in prize money awarded to date, to both established and upcoming composers, Meistersingers is committed to fostering the future of the choral art. Please visit www.meistersingers.org for more information and the application Postmark Deadline: March 1, 2012 Prize: *$1,000.00 and at least two performances by Meistersingers *Archival recording for winner’s use toward publishing *Possible commercial recording by Meistersingers There is a $25 entry fee Submission Guidelines: Complete Competition Submission Form (can be downloaded from www.meistersingers.org) Original Composition for 4-8 part SATB a cappella choir (further divisi possible/range is not an issue) Texts focusing on light or dark themes are preferred. 4-8 minutes long Must be a world premiere performance (rehearsal read-throughs are acceptable) Anonymous Submission - Remove all names (except poet, if necessary) and identifying marks; - Provide a sealed envelope containing your name, address, email, the title and performance history of the piece (if applicable), and phone number. Submit a legible, photo-copy ready, score with piano reduction for rehearsal purposes - including a recording (MIDI, piano, etc.) is strongly encouraged but not required. If text is not in public domain, composer is responsible for including written permission to use it Selection Process: The Music Director/Conductor, Brian Dehn, shall review all scores received. A Selection Committee, consisting of members chosen by the Music Director/Conductor and Board, shall review many of the scores received. The decision of the Music Director/Conductor and Selection Committee will be final. Winning Composer will be notified by April 2, 2012 Other Items of Interest: Texts that focus on dark/light/day/night are preferred as our summer concert is centered on those themes. The winning composition is scheduled to be performed in May of 2012 in the Southern California area. Meistersingers encourages the composer’s attendance and cooperation in media publicity and press coverage. The winning composer must provide a final performance score by April 6, 2012. Meistersingers shall make 35 copies for the chorus, director, and rehearsal accompanist. There are no restrictions according to race, sex, or age. A composer may submit more than one piece. Meistersingers reserves the right not to select a winning composition and/or award a prize. A brief description of Meistersingers, including Mission Statement and type of literature performed, can be found on their website: www.meistersingers.org Send all Submissions, along with form to: Meistersingers, Inc. Knapp Award 8941 Atlanta Avenue #187 Huntington Beach, CA 92646 For further information, visit the website or email bdehn@meistersingers.org Application.pdf Knapp info.pdf

How does one self-gauge his/her growth as a composer?

The Composer’s Community Project (ccp) is an experimental platform for music. The aim is to encourage compositions of all musical genres, which will be presented in this blog. Whether it’s Classic, Contemporary Music, Jazz, Rock, Pop, Hip Hop, Indie, Crossover, Folk Music and and and Through the WorldWideWeb ccp wants to reach people, who are open towards new musical and creative experiments – composers, musicians and everybody who loves to write music to be part of the project! The main issue of ccp is to enjoy composing: the platform provides the possibility to share the music with others and to get to know the variety of pieces that are created. The works will be presented on this platform as well as the composers. ccp is also a chance for networking and communication within the blog and other social media platforms. “a melody :: a thousand songs” The Composer’s Community Project is starting with the experiment “a melody :: a thousand songs”. A diversity of compositions will be generated on the basement of a few melodic themes, that have one thing in common: recognizable melodies. The pieces will be collected in a playlist and presented in this blog. They illustrate how diverse and various compositions all created on the same basis can be! How to do Choose three of the four melodies below and create on this basis your individual composition. Which key and tone pitch, rhythm, note value, instrumentation and arrangement, lengths of the piece, whether with vocals and text or without – it all depends on your creativity. The chosen melodies can be extended just as you like – you can compose around them developing your own musical themes. Please note: the melody lines as given should not be changed. Everything besides this is up to you. How to be part of it Record a mp3-file of your piece till the 25th of October 2011 and send it to ccp@musikvermitteln.net. All submitted songs and pieces will be collected in a playlist and linked on different social media platforms. Important: With your name, short bio (approx. 4-5 sentences), photo and eventually your website we can introduce you and your work in an optimum way. If you have any questions – don’t hesitate to contact us: ccp@musikvermitteln.net! Be part of this experiment and share your music with us! – We are looking forward to your song! JUST DO IT! For further information please visit our blog or write a mail to ccp@musikvermitteln.net

.I can't seem to upload this file to "Upload Music" so I'll just put it here This piano trio is from a collection of works called "Tales from Outer Suburbia" based on stories of the same name by the Australian author Shaun Tan. The story of this piece is about a man whose house catches on fire after he beats his dog to death. https://docs.google.com/a/vcass.vic.edu.au/viewer?a=v&pid=explorer&srcid=0B1Lo3cSoUa_4NjVhZjQ4OGUtMGFhNC00NjRlLWJlYWUtNzgyYjE4ZjYyNjRi&hl=en_US

So we've talked about jobs and we've talked about school? What else is there? Networking! Be nice to people. Go to concerts. Trust me, if they are in this business, you'll need them (AND I DO MEAN TRUST ME) LISTEN/BE HUMBLE This right here is kryptonite to most people. When people critique your work, listen to what they have to say. It might actually help. ASK for help. You are not Mozart. And even if you are, he still took lessons. It is well documented how other composers listened and critique each others work. TYPESETTING (sigh) I sit here in reminiscing of hearing gorgeous musician that was an eyesore. 1) Make sure your parts are correct. 2) "Just because you heard it that way" doesn't mean you have to write it that way. Yeah, Grainger did it, but most people realize how a pain that movement of Lincolnshire Posy is. 4+ 3 + 2+5+7 + 3= six bars of 4/4. You don't have to be difficult. 3) Make sure your parts are correct 4) Realize that a lot of times you'll only get one rehearsal 5) Make sure your parts are correct 6) Make sure your parts are correct 7) In case you forgot, make sure your parts are correct Contests Contest are fun but I strongly disagree writing for a competition. The resentment that might come later is not worth it (Make sure your parts are correct) Marketing Get a website and market yourself. Have music ready to be read online and for listening (Make sure your parts are correct.) Have an email address that's for branding (i.e. chad@sirwickentertainment.com.) Have a calender of your performances ready. (Make sure your parts are correct) Hope this helps!! Much Love and Musically Yours, Chad "Sir Wick" Hughes PS: I'm off to make sure my parts are correct.

Would someone write me a pop song if I emailed them a few details of what to include? It's to perform in a talent show and I want to do something original but can't write myself!! Help ASAP please :) email 07rebeccalancashire@longdean.herts.sch.uk

Is anyone entering the BBC Young Composer's Competition for 2012. For those of you who don't know, the BBC YCC is a free entry competition for 12-18 year olds. The entries are judged by top composers and the winners are perfomed at the BBC Proms! Also, all highly commended and winning entries are recorded with a live orchestra, and there are no limitations as to what instruments to compose for. Here's a link, for the website, unfortunately, the BBC haven't updated since 2011, so all information is 'old', but stay tuned :) http://www.bbc.co.uk/proms/2010/youngcomposers/introduction11.shtml P.S, if anyone finds out anymore information about the competition, please let us know. Thanks. -Phil

Hi guys, I'd like to share with you an interesting new music composition technique that I've been developing since 2009, called inversion synthesis. The core part of the process involves harmonic inversion (for melodies, chord sequences or both) and is a technique made famous by Rachmaninoff with his on a . This alone remains a huge untapped area of great source material, with the Rachmaninoff example being the only well known inversion.My technique expands on the basic inversion principle to allow inverted melodies from different source pieces to be combined together, even from different genres of music. It results in a very powerful method of creating new ideas. So far I've applied the technique successfully to creating modern piano music, but it should be suitable for composing music in any genre or style. I've written a full guide to the technique in four parts: The technique, part 1 (inversion) The technique, part 2 (synthesis) The technique, part 3 (retrograde inversion) The technique, part 4 (advanced inversion & composition) I welcome your comments and look forward to hearing your results using the technique! Also, to get some idea of how I've applied the technique, have a listen to the opening piece " " from my debut album released in 2009.Chris

Our school follows the AQA board and out unit two compulsory topic is popular song. I'm completely lost. I have finished the first draft but needs to be a million times better. Has anyone composed a pop piece with sheet music so I can look at the style and the common layout and characteristics of each instrument? Also has anyone done GCSE or A level music and got an A/A* with a pop composition if so could I see sheet music and hopefully take some ideas to improve my own. Any help ASAP greatly appreciated :)