Have you ever experienced that you wanted to express in music, because it could not be explained adequately with words?
Music is an incredible thing, that can often express the ineffable, but how do we go about that process? How do you get from emotion to music?
In this article, I discuss specifically how you can start the process of turning your experiences into a Symphony. This is a journey that I have been on for many years, and still have many more to go.
It All Begins With Experience
Only when I experience something do I compose, and only when composing do I experience anything.” Gustav Mahler
I am a firm believer that wisdom only comes with experience. There are some things that cannot be learned from a book, they have to happen to you. One of these things is emotion. Emotion cannot be described to the point of experience, it must be felt.
But music offers something different. It is one of the few things that can convey emotion. When you hear Beethoven’s 7th Symphony, 2nd Movement, you feel his emotions.
My Motivation to Write
I, like many others, dream of writing a Symphony. It was something I attempted in my teenage years, but I failed. I never finished. Maybe because I didn’t quite get the form, or I just didn’t have the patience to see it through. But more than likely, I didn’t have the experience. Not necessarily in writing music, although that plays a part, but definately I didn’t have the Life Experience.
Life Happens
But something funny has happened to me over the last 10 years. I grew up. Life happened. I graduated, joined the army, went to war, got married, became a Dad, went through ups and downs, lost some family and friends. I have lived.
So this is where I believe my desire to compose a symphony comes from. It is more a desire to express my life through music. So how is this done?
The Process of Composing a Symphony – Planning
As with most things, I attempt to be methodical about everything I do. My process for composing a Symphony may seem a little dry, but I think it will prove to be very helpful. I wish I could say that I envisioned the entire Symphony in a flash of genius, and am just writing down that revelation. But it’s not true. So I am planning it out, each step, in detail. This will give me a plan – a map.
The process of composing in writing (like writing a book or essay) is very similar. You create an outline and you fill it in.
The funny thing about plans, they don’t always go to plan. But as we say in the army:
“If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.” Mean Old Army Guy
The Traditional Symphony as a Roadmap
We have to start somewhere, so let’s take a look at the Symphony overall. I realize this is not every Symphony. I am not going to worry too much about what a “Real Symphony” is, or if it should be three, four, or five movements. I am just taking a General Symphony Outline and building from there.
A symphony traditionally has four movements
- First Movement – Tends to be in Sonata form (also commonly called Sonata-Allegro form, to differentiate it from the Sonata Cycle). I will stick with this, as the Sonata form gives you a great vehicle for development. An excellent example of this is Beethoven’s 5th, 1stMovement.
- Second Movement – Tends to be something slower, and can be in many different forms. Sometimes this is swapped with the third movement, which we’ll talk about below.
- Third Movement – Tends to be a Minuet and Trio or a Scherzo. We’ll talk about these forms more in depth later on down the road.
- Fourth Movement – Once again, this can be in all shapes and sizes, but it usually has a much more “finale” type of feel to it. I am thinking of doing a rondo for the last movement, but I haven’t made up my mind.
For my purposes, I am going to swap the 2nd and 3rd Movements. I’ll explain in later posts.
My Motivation
So with the overall view of the symphony down, I will approach it from an emotional direction first. I want to make sure the symphony conveys an emotional journey. What better to do that then to use the last few years of my life to map it out. These are the “life experiences” I am going with.
- First Movement – Going to Iraq
- Second Movement – 15 Months in Combat
- Third Movement – Meeting My Wife
- Fourth Movement – Coming Home
With those four topics, I have about a million different emotions to convey, so I will have to be selective, but this is a good starting point.
First Movement – Sonata Form
Going to Iraq. I won’t get into the details too much, at least not here, but in a period of a few weeks, I went through an emotional roller coaster:
- I prepped for going, a good friend got shot down in Iraq
- I was in a car accident, my car was totalled
- I said goodbye to my family (for all I knew was the last time)
- I partied in Scotland (thank goodness for “crew rest,” the airplane crew had to take the night off)
- I stepped off a plane in Kuwait, into what felt like a hairdryer all over my body
- “Crossing the Berm” into Iraq
It was a crazy time.
So with this in mind, I have tried to capture the emotions I felt in a logical way, that will help me compose the Symphony. This is what I came up with. It’s basically an outline.
Outlining the Symphony
To start, I listed the movement, wrote my inspiration, and then wrote down all the emotions.
Next I mapped those emotions along a shell for a sonata form. The sonata form can go through various keys, but it is usually firmly rooted in tonic for the exposition and dominant for the development. I’ll go over the sonata form in a later post in much more detail, like I have with the small themes. Please forgive me for not writing complete sentences in the outline, it was more stream of through type stuff.
- First Movement:
- Inspiration: Going to Iraq
- Emotions: Uncertainty, Pain, Excitement, Anticipation, Vulnerable, Sadness, Missing my family, Feeling pain in my heart for the chance that my family will have to miss me. Uncertainty. Relief after first flight was over. Feeling of accomplishment.
- Form: Sonata-Allegro
- Introduction: In America, week before leaving, car crash, friend gets shot down. Packing up. Arrival to Kuwait, funny, odd, camels, sand storm, late nights, lots of work, preparation.
- Key – Dominant (this is the typical key for introductions in classical form).
- Slow, ominous in America, Odd in Kuwait
- Exposition
- Key – Tonic, maybe minor for uncertainty
- Main Theme
- Depart for Iraq
- Flying around Bagdad, Tigris, Euphrates, Palm tree groves, landing, safe.
- Subordinate Theme: Defeat, death of more friends, moving to Mosul.
- Development: Finding my place in Mosul, new job. Direction coming.
- Key – Dominant
- Re-transition – Focus on Dominant 7th
- Recapitulation – Tonic, major
- First Theme
- Transition/Secondary Development
- Subordinate Theme.
- Introduction: In America, week before leaving, car crash, friend gets shot down. Packing up. Arrival to Kuwait, funny, odd, camels, sand storm, late nights, lots of work, preparation.
I plan on posting my exposition very soon. I want to make sure I put up something good.
That is it for now. I would love to hear your thoughts on this. What is your process of composing music?
Am I being too analytical?
Thank you for posting this amazing blog!
I am a composer and pianist currently completing and undergraduate music degree. Here are some things to consider for all the aspiring composers here: learn to write good development material. It’s easy to compose a theme if you know basic theory, but the real meat of a substantial composition begins when the exposition ends. This, in my opinion, separates “classical” and “pop” music: learn how to isolate, change, and even ‘fugue’ motivic cells and ideas. For this, the works of J.S. Bach and Beethoven are amazingly informative to study. Also learn how to prolong cadences and use them to create high points of arrival in your work, not used too often in order to maintain your power. I’ve had to learn this mostly myself from experience (I have written many short piano pieces, several symphonic poems of moderate length, and most recently a trio for piano and strings), reading, and occasional feedback. If I can do it, you can too!
I’m ok w/ the language (MMus Performance), but new at actually composing. This will be my first work. My major issue at this point is getting great ideas, then forgetting half of it before I get it down. What are your tips to combating this?
You can improvise using a midi keyboard, and just have your DAW recording things in the background. You can then pause and go back and listen. It gives you some security, but you have the flexibility of writing ideas by hand.
You can also work to improve your musical memory by transcribing music, and playing things by ear.
You can use short hand, like chord symbols, and analysis.
All these composers and only one posted something we can hear? Wow. What’s up with that?
I can share something if you like.
https://musescore.com/user/8661166/scores/6593749?share=copy_link
This is beautiful. And easy to follow. And written in a way that stirs the heart of this English major. Cheers.
Hi Jon, I’m impressed by all the life experience you will put in this Symphony. I’m also making a Symphony now, which is only based on ‘Rain’.
I first wanted to write something for String Quartet. Played some chords on the keyboard, written down some idea’s but had no idea what it would be all about. While I was busy, it was raining hard outside and then I got the Idea. There must be a pizzicato part, like raindrops falling, some faster heavier part, representing a thunderstorm and a few slower parts.
So I started composing and it became clear that the composition was begging for Brass, Timpani etc.
That’s where I decided to leave the idea of a String Quartet and making it a Symphony.
It all started 20 years ago. I had already written the String parts but then got discouraged by the fact that it probably never would be played by a real Orchestra. So I did not worked on it for a long time.
Now my 9 year old daughter started to learn the Cello, I got interested again. I realized that It needed an extra voice because it was only 4 voices while the String section of an orchestra has 5. So I had to write a 5th voice. Wat begun as a curse turned soon out to a bless because the sound is al lot richer now and some parts that where to high on the Cello, are now moved to the Viola.
The String parts are ready now. I really hope that I can do some kind of a try-out with a real String Quintet. That ‘s why I first made a String Quintet version with some brass and wood parts, which I have in my head, included in the String parts.
I especially want to know if the composition is Playable and easy enough so it can also be played by amateur orchestra or students. Also if the music is easy to play, then the musicians can use all their energy to make it sound beautiful instead of making it sound right.
Just keep working at it.
For the ones that are interested, here is a link to this composition: https://soundcloud.com/user-682842367/pluvio-string-orchestra-and-percussion
It contains the full string section with percussion.
I think I am ready to start adding the wood and brass for now. But first have to deal with an annoying bug which is messing up the layout on Musescore 2. The transfer to Musescore 3 was not successful also because of other things that got messed up. I think I’m gonna make an export to MIDI and import it again in Musescore 3.
Hi Mr.,
Thank you for posting this article!
I have been playing piano for eleven years now, and am thinking about writing a short piece on an experience I had recently. I participated in a music competition for piano. (There were categories for other instruments as well.) Anyways, I am writing this piece as a… description or story about my experience which included being inspired by another musician.
I will include small bits of the melody from the piece that I played, when appropriate, and do the same for the inspiring musician’s melody in a different movement.
This piece I’m working on is still in the planning stage. Is there such thing as a short symphony, or a symphony that has a movement removed?
I would love to hear any ideas or opinions that you may have!
Thank you!
Allie
Symphonies do come in many shapes and sizes. Many symphonies have only 3 movements. Some have 5. There are some with 1 movement. It really comes down to you being able to express what you need to. If you judge that you only need 1 movement, then that is completely valid. With that being said, I think there is justification to want to compose along traditional lines (3-4 movements) as it puts your music clear dialogue with past composers.
I am 14 year old composer with a year and a half composing experience and I must say it brings inexpressible joy and a profound sense of accomplishment. Having composed six symphonies, two piano concertos, three piano sonatas, a string quartet, two string serenades, an oboe concerto, two violin concertos and currently a mass, I must implore every other composer to pursue their composing dream. I keep coming back to this blog and reading the step-by-step instructions to further better my compositions. I also completely agree with Jon on his words that you need experience to compose. Will you by any chance complete this post?
Thanks
Judging by the number of pieces you’ve written, you seem to have the process down. Keep up the good work!
Would i be able to hear what you’ve written so far?
Not yet. I have gone back and forth, putting this project on hold, and having to do some other projects in between. I am back at it though, and will talk about it more when I am done.
How does the thinking/hearing work as you compose for the many different instruments within a symphony orchestra? I’m using composing a piece for a symphony orchestra and what goes into incorporating all the Instruments, how they’re scored, tempos, keys, etc.
I tend to think of things as abstract as I can. For instance, a melody could be played by many different instruments and have a different character. To imagine what they sound like, you need to spend a lot of time listening to all those instruments play many different things.
Reading scores makes a huge difference. Copying sections out by hand is also helpful.
Listen to solo literature from instruments as well.
Even starting with 13 years, by having such a repertoire at your age, I can tell you’re likely a child prodigy. By the way, are you classical or modern-oriented?
Classically oriented for sure.
God… a 14-years-old with 13 pieces composed in 1,5 years is incredible !
How long are your pieces ? Did you post these pieces in Youtube ? Are they tonal ?
Child, if this is true you´re one of the best composers alive in the world
P.S – English is not my first language, if you see any gramatical error please correct me.
Forget format and write from the hip so to speak.
I feel great emotion from nowhere and just write!
Stop regimenting and start feeling my friend!
Having just seen a TV documentary about Alma Deutscher, it reminded me that I had ideas about being a composer when I was a child. I used to make up music in my head following the same algorithms as composers like Mozart, and although I could never remember enough of it for long enough to write much of it down, I was sure I had the potential to write something of substance some day. I then discovered folk groups like Inti illimani, Rumillajta and Los Kjarkas and my interest in classical music declined, but I’m now returning to it and find that I can still make up music in my head that sounds as if it might have been written by Mozart. Perhaps it’s too recreative of his work and doesn’t break any new ground, but I now have a story idea that could provide a good framework for a symphony stuffed full of emotion and playfulness, so I’m strongly tempted to have a proper go at it, hence my discovering of this page and others like it as I do some research to find out what I might be up against.
One thing that strikes me though is this – there appear to be many people out there who are writing or who have written symphonies (which have likely never been performed and which may not have been fairly judged as a result). Two 14-year-olds commenting here claim to have written a symphony, and that’s quite some achievement in itself (I’d like to see/hear some of their work). Is the problem as bad as it is for writers of novels where publication can be hard even for books that go on to be best-sellers? J. K. Rowling had her first Harry Potter book turned down by lots of publishers, for example, so is it possible that some first-rate composers are out there who are getting no recognition at all? If I was to succeed in writing a symphony of the same quality as a well known composer, would anyone actually pay any attention? Would anyone recognise it as being any good at all just by looking at the manuscript, or are there so many bad pieces out there that all they ever get is a rudimentary glance by people who are too pushed for time to give anything a fair go?
I think everyone approaches writing a symphony or any major work differently. I personally have struggled to follow through, but in the interim I have written more than enough orchestral music to add up to several classical length symphonies. If I were not actively scoring films and TV, more of my own efforts would go towards it. We all need to work through the process of composing long works, and many of our tries will be unsatisfactory. But that is part of the process and difficult to skip. We don’t get to see all the failed attempts by great composers. Usually just the pieces they want us to hear.
So I say go ahead, and give it a try. You’ll learn a lot about yourself in the process.
I am a piano player, medium to eh.. medium but have written several successful songs that have been featured in over 5000 TV shows over the past 15 years. I have had help with the mixing and mastering of course but can compose entire songs myself. My problem is I do everything from the heart so now that I am trying to compose my first symphony, I find that it sounds a little too busy and I am trying to find the “RULES” for being able to lay down 50 tracks or more.. but not have it sound busy and crowded. Any suggestions? Thank you
It sounds like you have a solid history of writing music. It would probably help to find a piece to model. Pick a symphonic work that you enjoy listening to, get the score, and begin to analyze. Breakdown the form, the melody, the harmony, and how those elements are used in the orchestration. This is a great way to internalize specific stylistic elements, orchestration textures, characteristic instrumental playing techniques, etc. And you are not just going off of my ideas, but you are building up your own unique language, based on compositions and composers you admire.
I lost my first movement of a symphony composed in 1977 and found my sketches so I am reconstruction the movement it has been a slow process so far. loved your outline I may use something like it on my future works. This could be a great way to get start on any new projects.
Thanks
Happy to see you are moving on your sketches.
Hi! I’m 14 years old and I have studied and composed for 2 years. I wrote a symphony, 2 piano sonatas, a concerto for violin and a bagatelle like Fur Elise,.. And right now, I am working on my symphony no.2 in A major as a wedding gift for my sister. I read your blog and I feel like when I started to compose. It was a great experience. The moment you feel excited when start to compose a new piece, the time when you just want to gave up because writing a symphony is too difficult. And you feel happy when finish the symphony. These are memories you’ll never forget.
Anyway, keep composing and you’ll never regret. I promise.
I am also 14 and i study music theory by my own for some years now, thought i am more dedicated to counterpoints and harmony (reading harmonielehre from schoenberg).
Love counterpoint myself and simultaneous sounding of harmonic chord. Sometimes even a minor and a major at same time are interesting.
I am 15, I am working on my 3rd symphony and I’m quite excited for this one. I am not very good at counterpoint, but I do like to combine my themes every once in a while. Hopefully you will all have your symphonies done. Don’t give up, you will only regret it later.
Very interesting piece – I have a musical theory background and share your desire to write a symphony, but I felt overwhelmed reading your composition method – I don’t have the classical or technical understanding of music that you seem to. Where did you learn about traditional symphonic structure, and does it need to adhere to a formula to be considered one?
Reece,
I in fact, decided to hold off on composing the symphony. As I started to learn more about the subject, I realized there was a lot more that I needed to know in order to write a Symphony that is of merit.
As far as the structure, most symphonies rely heavily on classical form techniques. I am actually reading a book right now on Mahler’s use of Sonata Form. So composers even as recent as Mahler (and in fact many after him as well) have used traditional formal structures, such as Sonata Form, Minuet/Trio, Large Ternary, etc.
If you read around my site, you’ll find many articles discussing these forms.
The beauty of the forms, is that they allow for a lot of flexibility. The forms are based in the idea that you can represent temporality with specific techniques. For instance, you can represent “beginning” by using stable harmony, less surface rhythmic activity, and a generally slower harmonic rhythm usually focused around tonic harmony. Compare that to representing “middle” – which often has unstable harmony – ie. lots of modulations, increased surface rhythmic activity (more notes per bar), faster harmonic rhythm, fragmentation, model-sequence technique, and so on.
These are just some of the concepts that come together to make up musical form.
PLEASE GO ON I AM SO LOOKING FORWARD ON READING THE REST PLEASE PLEASEE
I am looking for someone to help me put on paper the finished song. I need musicians, choirs, composition writers…. I don’t need to do this by myself, will be glad for the help. I have a good song and I live in southeast Virginia if there is a possible collaboration.
Hi Jon,
I’ve just read your story. You sound like a very organized person . I wonder if you have managed to finish your symphony yet?
Was wondering what is your opinion on a different composing method. What if I just have all the music in my head already. No plan. No structure like you. Just music. Ready. There. Waiting. Just putting it straight down onto the paper/computer. What if my composing is spontaneous, natural?
Have u ever tried it?
A.
Anna, I actually decided to hold on the Symphony for a while. As I got further in my studies, I realized there were a few things that I really wanted to understand on a deeper level first – primarily large scale form and orchestration. I am planning on coming back to the project soon, but right now, I have been working on other projects – such as scoring films.
As far as spontaneous composing – yes, there is nothing wrong with it, and in fact it is generally how many good ideas come up. But I think you’ll find, a lot of “spontaneous composing” is really just people relying on things they’ve done in the past with a slight change, or they are just feeling around in the dark. I’ve found that spontaneous ideas generally only take me so far… usually a theme but no more. After that, it is work, plain and simple to make it longer and more substantial.
None the less, composing is always a mix of spontaneity and diligent planning, even if the planning isn’t written down, you still have to have an idea of where you are going, and go there.
I too have been composing music since 1968, Jon. I started out writing down little classical instrumentals inspired so much by Bach and Beethoven.. Over there years I have composed 2000 pieces of music–mostly rock songs. But I have composed 14 full length fugues. Again, like you I am not professionally trained. just read a lot of books about it. so now I am finally writing my first serious symphony at age 57. it is hard. I have all the themes from all those years and I can still use them. It’s just getting hard starting.
That is hard, as is developing the piece, but it’s worth it.
Fantasy is a place where things of the magnitude of Beethoven’s Opus 131 can happen, reality isn’t. You will find yourself with something bland and insignificant if you base your music in the mundane, Jon.
I would say, my experience in war was anything but mundane.
I’m really excited for you to post this; are you finished? (not to be rude, but it’s been over two years and it sound very interesting!) If not, when are you going to?
Best of luck with the Symphony!
Clayton, thanks for the encouragement. I actually moved on to different things since then, but I plan on getting back into this in the next year, when I start going to a film scoring program. I still have the original ideas written down, so I can go back to them and see if I like them.
hey jon, to be honest ive never attempted to compose a symphony let alone even thought about it till last night. recently i decided to start community collage to study music theory and pretty much every thing else music wise looking over the course i saw a sec. that said composing symphonies, no i have been playing guitar for over twnty years i play mostly rock music and writing a rock song is very simple, first come up with some lyrics then build 3 or 4 chord that fit very well with those lyrics then i tend to use the circle of fifths for these parts i find the scale and keys that contain my chordsthen i look through at the chord degrees in each scale/key then picking the one i like most and i take the rest of the chord in that scale /key and i finnish writing the chord progressions, normally i will have intro and choruses in one key an verses in another jus tochange it up some and with a nother key comes another 7 chords to choose from so well thats my writing technique for rock songs any ways but im going to attempt to write a short small symphone now fshort and small for my first attempt so im looking for as much info as i can get my hands on haha
Very moving story man. You certainly have been through a lot. God bless you and your loved ones and thank you for serving your country. I enjoyed reading your thoughts and views on writing a symphony as I am currently working on my 4th piece. The first 3 are not traditional symphonies. They are more like one progressive movement but in my 4th I am learning how symphonies work but studying people’s ideas like yours and listening to LOTS of music. Dvorak and Mahler are my favorites right now but I love Tchaikovsky and others. I’ve been a musician for over 15 years but I don’t know music theory so I write from the heart, not by the book. Seems you do both. I have no idea how to tell what key a musical piece is in. Anyway, learning as I go. Thank you.
Thanks for the kind words. I am finding out that a Symphony really is no joke. If you want to do it justice, there is just so much you have to know. I am write now, really getting to know musical form, so that I understand, not just the way music has been put together in the past, like sonata forms, but WHY it was put together that way. Then I can make better judgements about the way I will put my music together. As I continue to write articles on this site, and compose more, I am coming to the conclusion that I must learn as much as I can, and then when I sit down to write, let my subconscious take over, and not over think things. It is a constant back and forth. If you’ve got any of your music posted online, I’d love to hear it. Send in a link.
Jon
hey i m 12 right now and i have composed two piano sonatas and one symphony
Great job Chakshum. It takes a lot of determination and effort so I commend you. If you keep composing and studying, you can become a great composer. They say it takes 10,000 hours of dedicated, deliberate practice, but with that kind of focus, i’ll bet you could do in 9,000 🙂