Composing Advice:

And for those of us who are, or might as well be the only musician in town?!

Hit up your local ____________ *

*university?

*conservatory?

*high school?

*community band?

*navy/army band?

*piano/music teachers?

There's musicians lurking in many places...

If you're looking for people to play your stuff, you needn't be picky. The opportunity to simply hear your music is one not to be missed.

Seek out the musicians - they won't come to you. Well-playing amateurs, seasoned pros, or beginners - take what you can get. They'll all be able to help you realize your music.

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...which is what we're all doing on YC anyway.

Problem: no access to other musicians. Very few other musicians in medical school, the conservatory people (both students and faculty) have refused to even take a few moments to look at what I've written (most seem to look extremely condescendingly on a medical student), and musicians back at Caltech are either too busy, or regard me as such an inferior violist that I couldn't possibly compose anything worth playing (an attitude that I find extremely misguided, given that Berlioz and Wagner both didn't play any instrument with any kind of proficiency).

I've already hit up the local universities, conservatories, and community orchestras. For the most part, people refused to even look. And beginners are out of the question, everything I've written is fairly difficult music. And all ensemble music, so I need to find several people. Right now I'm looking for a cellist for my piano quartet, and this area actually has a severe shortage of cellists even without my looking for one.

Problem: no access to other musicians. ...the conservatory people (both students and faculty) have refused to even take a few moments to look ...musicians back at Caltech are either too busy, or regard me as such an inferior violist that I couldn't possibly compose anything worth playing

... For the most part, people refused to even look.

So you're not really dealing with a lack of musicians - you're dealing with assholes. I'm sorry to hear that. I guess I've not deal with enough 'classical' musicians.

My suggestion: Find some decent jazz players ...we're generally a more accomodating people, and (I find) usually quite interested in checking out new music, of any style. ALSO, befriend the musicians. I've not noticed a shortage of cellists here, I guess because I'm very close friends with one.

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I dunno - I hope for your sake you havn't given up. You may have just run into the dozen prick players in town !?

Music schools do have a fairly massive 'elitism' attitude. I saw it last year while not a student...If you're not part of the club, you don't get in.

Is it possible that I can create a great song in my head, but it turns out I was using microtones, so it really won't be possible to play on the piano?

Ahahah ! I'm the expert there, boy ! If you need advices on microtones. I'm writing a microtonal opera. Microtones are the essence of music... they are part of the natural sound... a piano is actually out of tune. If you need help about these things (like instruments, references, informations, etc)... I'll be glad to help ! :D

I'm not gonna go into a lot of technical detail as my theory sucks. Seriously! I will say this: Practice makes perfect. I know its a clich

Is a microtone just what it sounds like: Something in between tones/semitones?

minor correction: Carmina Burana is not an oratoria (by definition' date=' an oratorio is a religious work), but rather a large scale secular cantata.

There are oratorios that are not religious in subject matter. Haydn's "Creation" oratorio is not religious.[/quote']

My mistake. I didn't mean Haydn's "Creation" Oratorio, I meant his "Seasons" Oratorio.

Is a microtone just what it sounds like: Something in between tones/semitones?

Yes and no... but generally speaking let's say yes. We call now anything that isn't egal tempered microtone... even though any ancient music interpretes will laught a bit at such an idea since old temperaments (the way that we divide the octave) used in baroque or earlier music (actually even classical period music) wheren't composed with the egal temperament.

As soon as I get my website on, I'll make a page explaining microtonality as best as possible, but you just have to search the net to find lots of answers and examples (not always good... I have to warn).

Sure, people have an advantage (not always) when they start younger than you. But you shoulden't care, what about all those composers that died at a very young age that accomplished alot? Schubert (how ever you spell it) did alot for music before he died. Hopefully, you will live longer, and plus you get to experience music alot more longer than most, and compose alot more since you have lived so much longer, which makes up for them starting when they are young. Sure there are people who live to be old and started at 4 years old, but you're pretty young yourself.... Composition comes from the heart.