I want to be a composer someday.?

Question

I asked this question once before, and got only a little help. One answer was quite helpful, but got deleted.

I am 15, sophomore in high-school.

I have decent grades. If I get As for the rest of high-school I'll have about a 3.9.

I'm thinking about being an exchange student to Germany my senior year, and graduating the previous year when I'm 16. I speak a little German.

I really enjoy writing music, but I'm not exceptionally good at it yet.

I need some advice on what the ideal path to becoming a classical type composer. education etc. How likely is it that I'll end up working at safeway?

I have been learning basic musical principles since kindergarten, and I have played the violin for 6 years. I have also played french horn and trumpet for a few years.

ANY advice is helpful. Maybe tell me how YOU became a composer. ANY advice or words at all. Thank you.

LONDON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA!! I'm awed and flattered that you would spend the time to help me!!!!!!! I ACTUALLY CORRESPONDED WITH SOMEONE IN THE LONDON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA!!!!!!!! Thank you an infinite amount!!!! I'm adding me to my contacact list, but if you don't want to use up more time on my questions I understand. This is amazing!! Are you really in the London Symphony Orchesta?!??!!?!?!!?

To the answer from the 13 year old. I used to thing along those lines somewhat, but you don't understand how important a good education is. You can't just magically know things like harmony, counterpoint, and orchestration. I can write interesting songs too, but they'll never get to the level of AMAZING without an education. You seem a little naive, and I think anyone else who reads your answer will agree with me.

also, it is very rude and somewhat arrogant to call professionally trained composers and musicians that they are brainwashed. I think YOU are the one who has been brainwashed by todays society with modern "musicians" who write little sex-themed songs, and then go and get stoned afterwards. e.g. britney spears, greenday, etc. These posers have given you the notion that good music can be written with no education, but you don't seem to understand that, compared to real composers, their "music" is GARBAGE.

Answer 1

you are doing all the right stuff.i would recomend learning the piano, as well as that will help with getting ideas out of you read and into sound. look on classical websites such as classic fm, and BBC 3, as they run composition compositions) Also dont be afraid to have a go at writting even now. after all mozart was 3 when he compsed twinkle twinkle little star. get any performance practice you can (for you in both strings and wind) as this will give you an idea how music is stuctured at orchestral level. another good way is to get into conducting as well. this way you will get plenty of exposure to full scores and may give you ideas. once you've finished school get to a GOOD music school, pref one in europe such as the royal academy, or the berlin conservotire. but bear in mind that places are hard to get. but if you get in then your carrer will be made.

good luck and if you need any advice (i am a proffesional violinist with the London Symphony Orchestra) then please ask

Answer 2

Wasn't this answered about a week ago. (resolved). The Sibelius score shows that the structure is far more complex than it needs to be, and that it's darn near impossible for two pianists to to work it out as written. Take a look at measure nineteen and explain why the lower lower staff of the second piano has a dotted eighth rest, followed by a sixteenth, followed by six more dotted eighths. and the two staffs above are at least simplified to whole rests. At measure 24 we find, three dotted eighths, a sixteenth, an eighth, and three more dotted eighths in the bass of both piano parts, but a whole rest in the top of one. What's with the 3/4 measure (measure 23) having a half rest followed by a sixteenth and dotted eighth? And why time signatures like 21/16 and 13/16? (why not 7/8?) Why long stretches of pianists on coffee break? (or at least one hand on coffee break?) Who can play what is written at measure 19-40? At the speed you've got Sibelius playing? There are elements in there that are good foundational building blocks, but as a whole, I don't think it works.

Answer 3

1) Get music lessons; the piano is especially usefull (because then you also get an understanding of harmony)

2) Get theory lessons, understanding of musical theory is absolutely essential to becoming a composer. I'm not sure what the situation is in the US, but in the UK there is a system run by the Associated Board of the Royal School of Music which gives you a graded level of theory - you can buy a book of (say) grade 4 theory, learn it all and then take the exam. If you're in the US you could probably have the books imported via amazon or whatever if there's no US system.

3) Buy books on composition. There are literally hundreds. It depends on what exactly it is you want to do and how much you understand, things can range from "the idiot's guide to composition" to "harmony" by the celebrated Walter Piston. These will teach you all about rhythms, harmonies and other compotisional techniques.

4) Take music at school. You will learn a LOT in these lessons, plus they're free

5) Get private composition lessons. Again, you'll learn a lot, but you'll have to pay.

6) Buy some software - this isn't essential, but once you're serious about it it will definately come in handy. Again it depends on what you want to do, if you want to work with live or recorded sound and editing that (making 'soundscapes' not normal play the dots music.) then you'll want something like Protools or Cubase. If you want to write "normal" music with a score then something like Sibelius will be what you need.

7) Get your compositions played by real people, and get them recorded. If you already have sibelius or similar it sounds a hundred times better having it played by a real person than having it played by the awful midi on your computer.

8) Listen to music. All day, all night. Nothing can improve your understanding of music more than listening to as much as you can. If you don't want to pay for each track yet still want to do it legally then there's loads of internet radio out there (like pandora http://www.pandora.com/ or you can use napster if you want to download it.

9) Get other people, especially other composers musicians or music teachers to listen to your music and ask them what you could do to make it better.

10) Keep at it! You don't HAVE to do anything with composition; quite literally anything goes (there was a piece written by John Cage which is just 4 minutes and 33 seconds of silence!) but you will need a greater understanding of HOW things are done in order to find out how YOU want to do things.

Answer 4

1) Keep writing music. It's very humble of you to say that you're not exceptionally good yet, but keep doing it. Write short pieces in a variety of styles. For example, sit down and say "I'm going to write a 64 bar movement for string quartet in the style of Mozart." Then pick another composer, and do the same thing.

2) LISTEN to a LOT of music. Even stuff you don't like. You should familiarize yourself with as much music as possible. (plus, this is essential if you're going to do #1 above)

3) Learn to play the piano.

4) Accept that you probably will work at Safeway to pay the bills, and support your composing. If you are interested in teaching, then you can support yourself in that profession. (if you're not interested in teaching, then don't do it -- there are enough uninterested teachers out there...)

5) Learn theory. Even if you want to compose atonal music, despite what someone mentioned above. Study counterpoint and harmony. Learn Fux's species of counterpoint (hey, Beethoven started with this stuff, and he didn't turn out too bad!)

6) Start researching composers at universities. Pick a school, and see who teaches composition there, and then go and listen to music by each composer, see if it moves you. You might start at Univ of Michigan -- their composition faculty is fantastic.

7) Go to Germany. Even if it doesn't help your composing, it will be a life-changing experience.

Good luck!

Answer 5

The ideal path is to go to a good college with a good music program. Get your BFA/BM/BA (you'll take two years of theory, form & analysis classes, orchestration, etc.), and then go on to get (at the very least) a MM in Composition.

If you take lessons, ask your teachers what schools they would recommend for you to look into. Go to your high school guidance counselor and see if they have a book of fine arts universities in the US, as well as worldwide.

The world of music is an extremely competitive one, as I'm sure you know. As talented as one person is, there are hundreds (or thousands) more just as talented, if not more talented, people in the world. So, odds are, you will not be able to make a living off of only composing music (especially not during your teens/20s/30s). Nearly every musician I know (myself included) has had to have a side job (or two) in order to allow us to have the means to practice our art.

So, be prepared for competition and A LOT of work, obviously.

Answer 6

Wow.....where to start....

1)Unfortunately music theory is a MUST unless you plan on composing weird atonal craziness.

2)Write what you feel, what you see, and what you experience, otherwise it will be bland and generic.

3)Make it playable and listenable

4)Music composition is a difficult field to partake in, you need a backup plan.

5)Write music for the love of it, not for anything else.

6)Be patient, you have to be...

7) Listen to your idol's music and analyze the chord progression, the melody and harmony, understand the framework.

8)Good luck and persevere, maybe one day we'll all know your name.

:D

Answer 7

I'm no composer I am a sophomore in high school myself and after being a musician for 10 years so far, I say you'd better have your theory down pat!

Answer 8

1 learn your theory
2 learning instruments is great ....experiment with more instruments to get a feel for them and learn piano/keyboard
3 get your degree in Music Ed so you can feed yourself so you can eat and have a music career of some sort
4 write write write and toss nothing and keep it simple until you are comfortable with more complex or inspired
5 you have chosen a difficult path but with perseverance you get somewhere
6 go to Germany to broaden your personnel experience with life ... it can only contribute to your creativity
7 write something for your music friends to play and make sure it is within their abilities and get it performed to get reactions

good luck

Answer 9

when Robin Williams, the movie actor, gave his acceptance speech at the Oscar ceremonies in Hollywood, he said that when he told his father that he was going into acting, his father replied "Fine! As long as you have something else you can do like plumbing to back you up in case anything goes wrong."


Musical Composition - Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_composition

Answer 10

All those other people have been brainwashed by to days society. There opinions are perfectly valid but you don't have to do any of that learn your theory stuff. I have been playing the piano for one year and have already composed some very impressive work just by sitting down and fiddling with different sounds. By all means learn your theory so you can write down your compositions but don't go all the way with your theory cause you don't need to.

p.s anything you don't know how to write musically can be found on the inter-net.

p.p.s I am thirteen so you don't have to listen to me... but you should!!!