Should I start with traditional tonality?

I’m a 16-year-old trying to become a composer, and I’m pretty much new to this forum! I really want to express myself in more modernist idioms, but I’m still developing my technique. Right now I’m working on a traditional harmony course, and I’m at the point of cadences and simple modulations. I’ve composed several tonal pieces, including a mazurka, a sonata movement, and a late-romantic waltz.
 

I guess my question is whether I should compose many more “traditionally tonal” pieces before moving to the idioms that excite me more? If so, when is the point when I can move to non-functional harmony? Or can I just study traditional harmony on the side, but try to compose more modern-sounding music? I have already been doing this to a certain extent (my late-romantic waltz). Thanks for any suggestions! —Matthew

Hey there Matthew,

Do you have a teacher? Or do you study music on your own with online course guidance? 

My opinion is do what you want, learn what interests you, but I think it's really advantageous to continue with tonal harmony. When you learn why tonality broke down, it helps with understanding the motives atonal music is trying to achieve. 

Also, post your music if you haven't already! That'll really help with your growth, as even strangers on the internet can provide a wealth of knowledge. 

Cheers buddy

Hi Matthew. 

Here's my answer: 

It is easier to start with tonal harmony vs modern harmony.  It is probably better start with tonal, traditional harmony so you can understand modern harmony change that. 

Hello @mahler2009,

Welcome to the forum!

I couldn't agree more with @Thatguy v2.0.

11 hours ago, mahler2009 said:

I really want to express myself in more modernist idioms

What is the idioms you want to express with?

Henry

Welcome to the forums, Mahler2009! 

I agree with my colleagues here dude. Get more into tonal harmony + whatever piques your interest. Keep composing, this is a discipline that's best learnt by practice, trial an error. Getting your own voice may be difficult but if you are resilient, disciplined and constant, you'll achieve it. Your first works may or may not hint you where you want to go. Be curious, experiment, come back, go forward. Feel free to share them with us, we won't go hard (not much, I hope 🥶) !


Best regards,
Daniel–Ø.
 

Hey everyone, thanks for your thoughtful and prompt advice! I’m glad to be a part of YC after following it for over a year 😃
 

8 hours ago, Thatguy v2.0 said:

Do you have a teacher? Or do you study music on your own with online course guidance? 

I’m completely self-taught in music theory, and I’ve been studying piano for over four years. I feel like I’ve spent a lot of time reading music theory books (Schoenberg, Messiaen, Hindemith), and far too little time actually completing exercises and sketching ideas. Nothing can replace actual composing! But my technique still has a long way to go.

8 hours ago, Thatguy v2.0 said:

Also, post your music if you haven't already! That'll really help with your growth, as even strangers on the internet can provide a wealth of knowledge.

As soon as I’ve composed something I’m half-satisfied with, I’ll make sure to post it on YC! Thanks Vince!

4 hours ago, Kvothe said:

It is easier to start with tonal harmony vs modern harmony.  It is probably better start with tonal, traditional harmony so you can understand modern harmony change that. 

I agree with you on that: traditional tonality is much easier to handle for a composer in an early stage. But could it be an option to sketch ideas in more adventurous styles alongside my harmony studies, even if they’re not great, so I don’t lose sight of my personal voice (not to mention my motivation: diatonic tonality really doesn’t excite me to be honest)?

2 hours ago, Henry Ng Tsz Kiu said:

What is the idioms you want to express with?

While don’t like to use too many labels, I would say I personally gravitate towards music that has a rich use of rather coloristic harmony, with a strong feel for natural resonance, strong formal logic and internal coherence, as well as a sense of direction. I think of music often in terms of space: my ideal music opens up spaces and dimensions that the listener may not have foreseen, while remaining colorful and somewhat transparent. My biggest inspirations musically are probably Messiaen, Beethoven, Wagner, Debussy, and Scriabin (not to mention Grisey, Saariaho, and late Boulez). Because of my interest in tonal space and acoustics, I like to utilize geometrical lattices of tonal space, and much of my musical understanding is shaped by them.

1 hour ago, Omicronrg9 said:

I agree with my colleagues here dude. Get more into tonal harmony + whatever piques your interest. Keep composing, this is a discipline that's best learnt by practice, trial an error. Getting your own voice may be difficult but if you are resilient, disciplined and constant, you'll achieve it. Your first works may or may not hint you where you want to go. Be curious, experiment, come back, go forward. Feel free to share them with us, we won't go hard (not much, I hope 🥶) !

I think that’s good advice: keep building technique, but also attempt to compose the music you want to compose on the side. I’m excited to undertake this journey of developing my personal voice, thanks for the encouragement! And I do tend to be quite critical of my own compositional attempts: but the great thing about posting for others to evaluate is they’ll provide constructive criticism, and real feedback for improvement. That’s something I can’t do on my own!