The n00b’s guide! How to compose!

[Thorolf]

Well, not really.

http://m.domaindlx.com/articles/Hints.rtf

The great scientist, writer of science-fiction and non-fiction alike, Isaac Asimov has written a great article, called “Hints”:

Every once in a short while, I get a letter from some eager young would-be writer asking me for some “hints” on the art of writing science fiction.
The feeling I have is that my correspondents think there is some magic formula jealously guarded by the professionals, but that since I’m such a nice guy I will spill the beans if properly approached.
Alas, there’s no such thing, no magic formula, no secret tricks, no hidden short-cuts.
I’m sorry to have to tell you that it’s a matter of hard work over a long period of time. If you know of any exceptions to this, that’s exactly what they are—exceptions.
There are, however, some general principles that could be useful, to my way of thinking, and here they are:

Then follows a set of four hints, that should be considered by every person set to do creative efforts.

The article is about Science Fiction writing, but is easily relevant to all other creative arts. And it’s a great, fun read!

He concludes:

Take my case. Three years after I sold my first story, I reached the stage of selling everything I wrote, so that I had become a successful writer. Nevertheless, it took me seventeen more years as a *successful* writer before I could actually support myself in comfort on my earnings as a writer.

This is written by the man that had published 252 books before he got his first bestseller on the charts. And one that has won every award possible in his genre…

Read and learn.



Regards

[reith]

If reading and following Asimov's advice is too laborious, here's a real n00b composer course, guaranteed to get excellent results and win the user a place in most conservatoires except Juilliard.

i) Buy the latest copy of Finale or Sibelius (notation software). They promise you everything.

ii) Buy a Midi keyboard (88-note, preferably)

iii) Install the notation and midi software.

iv) Spend as long as it takes writing pleas on the appropriate fora for advice about how to get the keyboard and notation software to work together AND produce sound.

iv-a) At this point you might decide your effort will be better spent as a computer wizz and forget about composing. Else:

v) Load up the notation software and midi keyboard.

vi) Stand before the computer screen and make magical passes at it uttering "Abracadabra" with great resonance and passion.

vii) Sit at the keyboard and whack out anything you like for about twenty minutes, being sure to end on a progression of Va-Ia.

viii) Save the notation file.

ix) That's it. Stand and give thanks to the muses for their inspiration.

x) Submit your composition to a musical forum/publisher/university.

xi-a) Study any criticism you get in great detail and try to apply it in your next composition; or

xi-b) Don't give a toss but write an essay using as many long and abstruse words as you can (invent a few too) to explain the rationale underlying your importance to the modern music movement. Try and get Faber Music to publish it.

So there you are, a fully fledged composer for no more than a few hours or days trying to get the pesky software to work!

Well, it worked for me (apart from the notation and midi software)....

Reith.

[ttw]

I see you running minor chords up the scale, but what's an ix chord?

[stevel]

Originally Posted by reith

If reading and following Asimov's advice is too laborious, here's a real n00b composer course, guaranteed to get excellent results and win the user a place in most conservatoires except Juilliard.

i) Buy the latest copy of Finale or Sibelius (notation software). They promise you everything.

ii) Buy a Midi keyboard (88-note, preferably)

[Steve says: Nah, you only need an octave's worth!]


iii) Install the notation and midi software.

iv) Spend as long as it takes writing pleas on the appropriate fora for advice about how to get the keyboard and notation software to work together AND produce sound.

iv-a) At this point you might decide your effort will be better spent as a computer wizz and forget about composing. Else:

v) Load up the notation software and midi keyboard.

vi) Stand before the computer screen and make magical passes at it uttering "Abracadabra" with great resonance and passion.

vii) Sit at the keyboard and whack out anything you like for about twenty minutes, being sure to end on a progression of Va-Ia.

viii) Save the notation file.

ix) That's it. Stand and give thanks to the muses for their inspiration.

x) Submit your composition to a musical forum/publisher/university.

xi-a) Study any criticism you get in great detail and try to apply it in your next composition; or

xi-b) Don't give a toss but write an essay using as many long and abstruse words as you can (invent a few too) to explain the rationale underlying your importance to the modern music movement. Try and get Faber Music to publish it.

So there you are, a fully fledged composer for no more than a few hours or days trying to get the pesky software to work!

Well, it worked for me (apart from the notation and midi software)....

Reith.

Thanks for the laugh!

Steve

[stevel]

Originally Posted by ttw

I see you running minor chords up the scale, but what's an ix chord?

It's not THE scale, it's a chromatic scale. In the key of C Chromatic minor, a ix chord is Abm

:-)

Steve

[Boneman]

I knew I was missing something out, I am still at the ,composing 252 pieces before I get the one piece that is right!

[Thorolf]

^ In fact, all of his 252 books up till the first best seller was “right” in the sense that they were published, read, awarded as the best in their genres, and greatly respected. He even enriched the english language with 3 concepts, now in the dictionaries: “Psychohistory”, “positronic” and “robotics”, all before the best seller… Noone can know for sure that he is the sole originator of those words (good ideas tend to ripen non-locally), but he is at least credited with early-use of them all in The Oxford English Dictionary. He also has developed a main concept for robotics in his Three laws of robotics, widely used within science fiction and elsewhere.



Regards

[LethalBunny]

lol, here's one thing that I would advise any new composer:

Learn how to be patient.

Then everything else just runs like clockwork =)

The hard work is not what makes the music sound good, that is a mistake.
It is in fact the consequence of the hard work that makes way for extreme creativity.

Working hard usually involves dedication. And picking yourself up from dead ends. That involves patience. It also teaches you that you have to look hard for creativity, due to the fact that if you work hard and nothing comes, then you start to get desperate and look for where you are going wrong.

And when you start LOOKING and LISTENING, that is the true start of creativity =)