Greetings!

Greetings everyone!

My name is Eric, I am 16 years old, and I am a classically trained guitarist. My favorite music is classical music from the baroque, classical, and romantic periods. Last year, I took an AP Music Theory class, loved it, and now wish to pursue classical music composition.

With all my schoolwork, extracurriculars, and musical lessons, I do not have time to take formal composition lessons. Fortunately, I found a great alternative upon discovering this forum – I look forward to learning much from you all.

I have one question before I share a couple samples of my work: where do you recommend I begin learning more about composition (e.g. a book on composition)? I only have a taste of composition from my music theory class, and it is enough for me to tell my compositions need A LOT of work.

The following are my first composition, a chamber piece, and a simple solo guitar piece, respectively: 

1. http://www.noteflight.com/scores/view/4ecd16872456805e28125f4005925c4c35e59532

2. http://www.noteflight.com/scores/view/1365e7893e2513d0be58e3eb520a828c3b60e00c

When writing these, I mostly put down what sounded good to my ear. But, I am well aware that they lack a good amount of compositional structure and therefore break conventional rules of which I am not aware yet. Are these pieces salvageable? Is there anything I can do to make them better without completely rewriting the composition? Please let me know what you think about the pieces, what you believe should be done with them, and how you recommend I begin studying composition. I cannot wait to start bringing more mature compositions to the table!

See you all around!

Sincerely,

Eric

Hi Eric,

Thanks for sharing your music. I'm glad you're having fun composing!

I recommend a book called "Composing Music" by William Russo.

http://www.amazon.ca/Composing-Music-A-New-Approach/dp/0226732169

In the book he goes through lots of different aspects of composition, from writing melodies, to form, to variation, to harmony and more.

It looks like you're getting a good grasp on harmony yourself! I have a challenge for you in the chamber piece. Give your melodies rhythms that stand out against the accompaniment. For example, the oboe melody in the last section. Melodies that begin or make changes on an off beat can be very effective.

All the best,

David