Have you ever thought about the effect of key signatures on your composing? Does it matter what key signature you compose in, or can you just transpose after the fact and thats that? Key Signatures …
Gradus ad Parnassum Quote
I love the opening to the Gradus by Johann Fux. Josephus: I come to you, venerable master, in order to be introduced to the rules and principles of music. Aloysius: You want, then, to learn the …
Humility
This is taken from Mademoiselle, a book about Nadia Boulanger. She is actually quoting Henri Bergson. [tweetherder text="One looks for praise in the exact proportion that one is unsure of …
A Composer’s Manifesto
I will finish every composition that I start (except the 9th Symphony. In fact, just stop at the 8th). I will not bask in the glory of my finished composition - that is what amateurs do. I am a …
Can You Learn How To Compose Music?
Learning to compose music is a funny thing. I seem to hear a lot, and read a lot, that composing cannot be taught. Why is it that so many people think this? Is it true that composition can't be …
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The Process of Composing a Symphony
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 …
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