Composing
 

How many amateur composers do we have here? People who write 'classical' stiles on paper, or with Finale! or Sibelius or something like that.

I'm one, I'm going to school for music actually, specifically composing. I've been writing music since I was 10 or so. Anyone else?

That's too much effort :)

But good for you ;)

Only for my college assignments, and only because it's compulsary but i haven't started yet, and my poor understanding of a music stave i feel is going to let me down greatly when it comes to composing.

Another Composer
 

I compose in a 'post modern/minimalist' style at times. I use Cakewalk Scorewriter because the musical font is nice and large. You can hear some of my efforts on my website. I'm not sure if I'm allowed to post links yet, but if you are interested you can find the URL in my profile. Cheers!

I used to compose "classical" sounding music. But recently I haven't had much time.

I got my Bachelors in Composition. It's hard work! But very rewarding. I use Finale. I take inspiration from all different things...jazz, Latin, anything that sounds interesting to me and that I can incorporate into my music to make something that is personal and unique (hopefully).

Anybody familiar with Sibelius 7?

i "compose" only jazz, since most of it is improvisation, i wouldn't really call it "composing"

the base chords I do have to compose - or whether i'm using comps or vamps

what is on top is usually improvisation

i also compose "pop" songs - but that's kids' stuff

The difference between composing, and just writing a song for me is simple. Songwriting usually involves focusing on the particular melodies, and relationships to words. Composing looks at the entire song as a piece.

Songwriting you work on individual melodies, and it's crucial that you focus on those melodies, and the strength in them.

Composing, melodies are simply transitional points that bring you to the next piece. Often composers steal chord structures, and play homage by transposing other people's melodies, and folk melodies. Not because they are unoriginal, but because the song as a whole is what's important.

I've personally done a little of both. I've never written a note because I can't read, or write music at all. Yet, I have composed full electronic pieces that bare many resemblances to composing rather than songwriting:

http://www.archive.org/download/Nero.../11Chap3NC.mp3

i can read music to some extent, not really good at different time-lengths for each note

I compose piano pieces as a hobby. Nothing special, but it is fun for me.

I'm also an amateur composer, and would have liked to pursue it academically. But I chose the performance route instead. I mostly write pieces for cello, or small chamber ensembles. Haven't had much time recently to write anything, that seems to be a reoccurring problem for a lot of hobbyist composers. It takes a lot of commitment to write a piece, and a lot of people have difficulty finding time.

It would be nice to hear some of everyone's work here . . . . not gonna happen though.

I've written an album of classical piano music:
soundcloud.com/azural/sets/classical-piano-1

When I was a child I would write overly ambitious piano music that I couldn't play (and once an attempted symphony).

I kinda liked
"Brewed By Arclight."
It was original, refreshing, but kinda repeats itself in unnecessary ways sometimes. Keep working hard, you have some real talent.

I've just finished composing a piece. And would like peoples opinions.

I'm an amateur composer. I write in a very minimalistic style, but I have a love for just about everything. I'm in the process of creating my own style of aleatoric "method" for composing... And I have a very open heart for John Cage's music XD

I'd love to see/hear it!

I love sitting at a piano and using a good old pencil and paper, now a days i do use sibelious if im scoring something.

What do you mean when you say minimalistic?

I've been writing music since I was about 12 (I'm 25 now) and have used Finale in many years.

I compose very loosely in classical styles. Wouldn't be able to classify it as solely classical, I can only write things that touch upon it slightly.

Is it only me that can't write good music? I nearly always end up just stealing a riff from another song. I'm currently doing Music at university but I know they'll probably fail you if you directly copy something. I once got disqualified from a performance exam because my piece sounded too close to Roy Orbison's Pretty Woman.

You will not only get a failing grade, you will likely be expelled for plagiarism if you copy material directly without proper credit. That will make it really hard, if not impossible, to enroll in any other school (even if you go to another country - your transcript follows you!)

That being said, there is only much you can do until your compositions start sounding vaguely familiar to people. But it takes a while to get to that point. Start by experimenting with odd harmonic progressions or time signatures, and use block chords to create this progression. Once you have something, come up with a melody of sorts based on those chords, that also fits into the key and time signatures you chose. Since you're in music, I assume you can read and write music. Notate your song on manuscript paper as you go along. This will make it easier to see what direction your music is headed in.

Got one right here. Fun stuff. If only there were as many high-scale orchestras just DYING to play the music of unknown composers out there...

I myself am an amateur composer.

I dont even bother with notation software. I just play and record it right into a DAW. I guess ill write out the notes if any real musicians offer to perform my works one day xD

Hy,
I compose electro music, but i am at the beginning a pianist playingChopin.
I havé composed a small pièce of classic music. The other tracks are electro. Search on soundcloud "jaliyworld" and listen to birthofesperance... That the classical one.
Enjoy it. Bye

Notation on paper may be a lost art...

I've been working on transcribing & rearranging Tuvan folk songs for Band & Orchestra, & I'm also writing an electro-acoustic piece for chamber strings called "Disney's ****tales"

is there any money in sheet music anymore? are orchestras using kindles yet?

A friend of mine owns a resale shop and has been getting top dollar for old sheet music scores. She wanted to know if I had any. I laughed for a good while then told her no.

I am a young composer and I mainly use musescore. I have composed small pieces but I am hoping that someday I will be composing whole symphonies :D

Musescore is a nice program to work with. :) Did you already share some sheet music?
I've kinda tried to compose but stopped. Are you a tonal or atonal composer?

Edited: It truly is! Yes I have shared every composition I have made. I think that I am both tonal and atonal but I am not so sure.

I compose and arrange almost daily. Apart from teaching, conducting and performing it is what I do for a living.

Good luck with your ambitions Spykakos!

Please share your music so that we can listen to it.

I am sure that you must be able to think of a small theme/motif without reference to something else. Then you can develop it.

Can you post a link to your piece so that we can give you an opinion?

^ That post was from December 2012, and it was the only person's post. I've got a feeling we won't hear from them.

Shame !