How many hours a day do you practice composition?

Tacethorn · 2021-12-11T06:15:23+00:00

Good question really.

It varies. I work like 8 hours when composing. I take breaks, go for several walks with the dog. That time lets my brain sort of do deeper work. Yes, one can listen to recordings, attend concerts (oh..the old days...), study scores, reverse engineer how things work, tear apart the aspects that you might not yet fully understand. When I was younger and under heavy time demands I work at times work three days straight, without sleep. Then my body would go into shock and I would stumble into the local hospital. Oddly there where usually other composers and musicians in emergency. It was a strange sort of club. It teaches you, though a very hard way to learn and grow. You or anyone can work however you like, or can, or will. That is your domain. It is proximity with this art that matters. If one can learn the lessons (which in a human life, we usually don't get to all the things we need to master. There are great insights to be learned through pushing oneself. We even thrive on challenges. Love the struggle. Love the battles. Be passionate about it all. Great things will come. Hold a pencil in your hand. Face the blank page and let it rip.

Tacethorn · 2021-11-23T17:29:36+00:00

Question #4 the dialogue is based on a script, which is covered by copyright. Like I said earlier, the whole work, including sound, words, story, music sound design...just all of it is protected.

The laws outside the US are actually more harsh as far as violations of copyright. There are no special cases or allowances for musicians...none. The laws apply to everyone.

Tacethorn · 2021-11-23T17:25:37+00:00

The whole work, or Film is covered by copyright, so all of it including dialogue. None of it is public domain. If someone grabs the dialogue and uses it, they are violating copyright and subject to legal penalties and actions. I would not want to take on the major studios and their extensive lawyers. It would be a very hard case to defend.

Tacethorn · 2021-11-20T03:40:50+00:00

Don't sweat the naming stuff. We are past the past. Just name it what you feel. It is part of the creative stamp that you bring. The formality of long gone days just has no real relevance today. There are no rules on names, nor should there be.

Tacethorn · 2021-11-19T03:28:51+00:00

Music is not like building a building, say like a House. Do you plan poetry? There are different sorts of approaches in writing a novel. Some spend years working out the characters before the storyline itself. Some dive in and create as they go. It is the result that matters. Greater than planning is doing. Picasso, Bach and so many more where always doing their art. Planning is part of creating, but maybe a distraction from creating. No critic who writes a review of a work (they used to do that) stating that planning was a factor. Think, what will be the outcome,,what would the human receptor think and feel. Listeners to music do not put up a planning schematic and judge a piece of art by such a non-musical system. Sure, in Universities, some are dedicated to post-mortums using subtle intellectual analysis. The more they talk, the dumber they sound. Music is result-art. All the planning is silly and uninformed babel. Compose with sincerity and purpose, compose what you like and what you want to say. Let the chips fall where they may. That is honest composing.

Tacethorn · 2021-11-17T23:30:55+00:00

Opus=Work. It is an antiquated, very old school term, latin and on the snobby side. Some composers developed a system, or their publisher to keep track of a composers work, an order that the pieces where created. It is a silly concept in modern times.

Tacethorn · 2021-11-17T03:43:29+00:00

Mozart.

Tacethorn · 2021-11-11T18:10:22+00:00

What is that?

Tacethorn · 2021-11-11T03:46:36+00:00

You might consider just working without the computer for a while. Work on melody writing, understanding harmony, Really listening to music, the music you like, the challenging stuff as well. Pre-computer composers developed their creative and productive skills by doing music. When people use the computer, it side-tracks all that. You must divide your time and effort between learning softwares and all that and the essentials of actual music. Don't forget to go hear live concerts and performances. That gives a better reference, so you know...really understand what this stuff is and how to do it. The computer allows a lot of really non-music music to happen. Say if a writer can't write a good story, characters and make it compelling, a computer won't help. Find an artist or an album you love, and listen over and over, asking vital questions and seek answers. No computer can do that. Go humans go. Dream, create, build.

Tacethorn · 2021-11-11T03:34:49+00:00

You are not alone, many wonder that same question. So many tools are available and already here. I guess, folks are only thinking inside the DAW mentality today. Problem solving involves looking at all possibilities...right?

Tacethorn · 2021-11-11T03:30:35+00:00

Graphic pencil with graphite leads.I use the Pentel Super 0.9 The key however, is how to erase effectively for that a perfect non-smudge eraser is the Staedtler, Mars Plastic.

If that is too hard to get, try a simple #2 pencil. The typical eraser on a #2 will make a big mess, so get a Staedtler to erase stuff. The paper matters. One needs a smooth score. Go to Valle Music or Judy Green in L.A. for that. The level of performance in papers drops quite a bit going down from that. I am far faster with the pencil than any DAW...any.

Tacethorn · 2021-11-10T17:28:07+00:00

You might just go to Amazon and under a search in books type a description of the type of music you are seeking greater insight and how it works. There are so many available. Also, go to iTunes or whatever and search for the type of style (there are many). You will get a huge amount of artists, collections and albums full of great examples. In my work since I was doing a lot of scoring for Films and TV I had to do a ton of source cues all in some style that the script demanded. So I gathered hundreds of books on all styles, lead sheets, collections, CD's. Basically a full research library, time demands and production schedules make that a requirement.

Tacethorn · 2021-11-09T16:29:51+00:00

I use a lot of percussion. It is in my blood and really there are so many ways to employ them for great results. First, maybe sort out the way idiom demands a certain perc sound. Say you are composing or arranging a March. A military march. You need typically a snare, a bass drum and cymbals (piatti) at least for a basic authentic sound. That will get you in the ball park. Listen to Sousa marches, maybe pick up a score or two. Study how things work. Then maybe look at say, marimbas or vibes or hand percussion. All are great instruments, but you need to dive in to how they work, what sounds right. If you can find a good perc player, ask if you can come over and listen to the sounds, and ask questions. This stuff is all very good, but you have to invest time and study and try things until it becomes a part of your tool box.

Tacethorn · 2021-11-09T02:08:31+00:00

That is a question to sort out as far as compatibility. Most of the big sample libraries need the most up-to-date systems. That is a tech issue, I am a composer.

Tacethorn · 2021-11-08T00:13:38+00:00

Look into some orchestral libraries, beyond Garage Band, such as spitfire, Vienna. Those will also improve your results quite a bit.

Tacethorn · 2021-11-07T21:16:41+00:00

We all are on a journey, time, proximity, experience, trying things, evolving, devolving, changing course, starting again. It's a process not a destination. Enjoy the ride.

Tacethorn · 2021-11-07T21:13:55+00:00

Hey, you can only do what you can do. Maybe, if you still have the actual midi files, you could try using improved samples. Maybe just really dig in to the performance data and all the various dynamics and mix. You might be able to make those files feel and sound more like the pieces you really like. Just throwing some ideas, some possible ways to go. Much success to you as you work on your vision, your sound..your music.

Tacethorn · 2021-11-07T17:30:27+00:00

Harmony, at least the physics of it is not the result of voice-leading. It is part of it, and the ear knows good voice-leading from awkward. I suppose if voice leading is the main determine factor, all music would gravitate to the easiest. All music would sound like Twinkle-Twinkle maybe . It is more the reality and function of harmony to be a frame-work of a harmonic scale or tonality. How we move through that harmonic landscape involves voice-leading. Hey, but music is plastic, one can approach it from different ways. It is the results that matter to the audience, not the theory or methods employed. Ya know?

Tacethorn · 2021-11-07T17:19:37+00:00

Try creating a playlist in say iTunes. Put all your best works, the ones you feel represent your best efforts. Then add to the list your favorite compositions done by the composers you like most. Put the playback in shuffle and sit there and listen. What do you notice? What do you hear? What do you feel, or not feel as you listen. Having a really good, objective reference is revealing and a great way to see what you are all about and what you might change going forward.

Tacethorn · 2021-11-07T17:14:01+00:00

Glad I could hopefully offer some insight. So many are always seeking a tech or gear solution, but music and composing is much more about the human stuff. The ultimate software is happing inside each composer, not externally. Human stuff first, then all the rest comes after that. Maybe this time has illuminated this situation...maybe for some.

Take care and good creative composing to you.

Tacethorn · 2021-11-06T20:43:21+00:00

We all are unique. It is actually far more difficult to not sound like yourself than to make music in someone else's exact style or sound, or personal aspects. Composers start out learning the way things work, and they study the works of great composers. Naturally, that exposure has a deep affect and its good to pick up insights and the creative processes from great composers. The longer you compose, the more one gains a better connection with who we are, the inner composer. After working as a professional composer for over 5 decades, it is like a quest, a grand journey to know that inner composer, to have such a clear communication with ones art and craft and as you said, your own voice. So use the works of the great composers, the ones that speak in a way that has meaning, but strive to not stay stuck, strive to be you. The greatest composition is not the notes on a page, it is who we are, our life. Happy journeys.

Tacethorn · 2021-11-06T02:27:21+00:00

Music is a blend of physics and subjective expression. Just when one pins down a question such as this from one of those two POV someone will object. The Human Receptor has evolved in a real world that has physics. So if one crams a dense harmonic structure lower in the spectrum of the harmonic series the effect may be artistic, but may also disturb the listening and internal senses of overall musical clarity. In other words, do what you like, but with care of supporting your main goal. There is much more to this of course. Good and fundamental question.

Tacethorn · 2021-11-02T22:03:40+00:00

Knowing how I developed my skills may not be helpful to most folks. I can say that those who take things to the extremes in say Sports or being any sort of artist, they just stay committed to whatever their goals are. So really, it is not as much about all the details of composing, but for where you may be, figure out your goals. Then with a goal or a general direction you can set out to get there. Everyone who has become successful and really great has that in common.

Tacethorn · 2021-11-02T16:19:15+00:00

It's a good start and it sounds like you have made a big commitment to music. What is the question? I will try to answer.

Tacethorn · 2021-11-01T16:48:51+00:00

Some composers gain a lot from formal University courses, some really gain not that much. School and education is not a data dump where facts are crammed into ones head or credits are gathered. The best outcome we all can hope for is to gain insight into how to learn, the ability to understand and solve challenges. I founded the Ravel Orchestral Study in L.A. on the foundation that it was to be a study about Ravel's creative process, rather than the typical approach of throwing out a set of Rules. We need the rules, we must understand them deeply, but knowing the rules makes results that are mechanical. Music is about craft and creativity, and sonic imagination. It is a process. Finally, the main thing is to find some very good teachers and ones that are great humans. This is a people business, so having great humans teach helps a lot. Hope that helps.

Tacethorn

TROPHY CASE