Composing? A Good Excercise for Pianists?

[R.Q.]

I love to write music almost as much as I love to play it, but I wonder - Should we, if we don't intend to be serious composers, really "waste" time like this? When I get going I don't want to stop and have wasted a whole six hours (otherwise practice time) on composing... So, in a nutshell, should pianists ocmpose?

~ Young Virtuoso

[allchopin]

If you do it enough, it can always be something to fall back on if you decide youre sick of it. for instance, you could major in accounting, but still compose and sell youre pieces to a publisher. if anything, youre just working your mind and are getting smarter  

[R.Q.]

I don't think you quite understand my problem - you see I already am stuck as a full-time pianist (going to college for my piano performance degree). And I was wondering wether it is advisable to be both musician and composer... On the other hand, you're probably right about it being good no matter what - A thourough knowledge of counterpoint and harmony has been of great use in memorizing stuff. But does actually writing music - not for business, or even performance - really aid my pianistic pursuits?

[allchopin]

i guess i underestimated your name- i assumed young virtuoso was like not yet college....
anyway, writing down music on a piece of paper isnt going to make you a better player physically, if thats what you mean. It could help you better understand what other composers were thinking when THEY were writing their music, though.  but you generally cant use your own music to improve yourself- you will always have difficulties that you are unaware of that other composers will bring out.  Ive gotten the worst brought out of me so many times...  :-/

[ThEmUsIcMaNBJ]

This is from the  Anything but piano board...

I'm 14, and teach and perform extensively. I like teaching advanced students, but nearly flip out trying to pound basic musical knowledge into the heads of five year olds...

~ Young Virtuoso

I'm confused Virtuoso...  Are you 14 now and plan on working on your piano performance degree when you get into college?

[R.Q.]

I was homeschooled, so I'm out of Highschool already. I'm working on the general courses for my degree at a local college before applying at a better one. Don't worry, I'm not in Juilliard yet!

~ Young Virtuoso

[R.Q.]

By the Way, I'm 15 now (whoop whoop!!).

~ Young Virtuoso

[NetherMagic]

youngvirtuoso you're 15 and you're in college and you're a performer, teacher, and well according to your name, a virtuoso!  that is insane!  im almost as old as you and i wish i wuz already in college!  actually no, but you get the idea  

[R.Q.]

Not insane. There are many young people in college these days - mostly homeschoolers. I know 2 in my own college just 14 years old!

~ Young Virtuoso

[Irock1ce]

what college u at?

[R.Q.]

Working on my 'General Courses' at a PA Community college (since I don't live near enough to anything better, not that I really care - just general stuff).

~ Young Virtuoso

[xenon]

Composing is a good idea, if you have the time.  If you learn composing, then you'll have a better understanding of counterpoint, and the way harmonic structures work.  This could be useful in improvising music.  I am a pianist at my church, and playing the hymns like the way they are written is not good enough, so I have to improvise upon them to make them sound better and to get the congregation in the spirit!  This can also help you to better understand music.

Anywho, aren't homeschool people under more scrutiny when applying for a university?  You have to go through more exams etc... ouch.

[R.Q.]

Good idea about improvising, I never thought of that.

No. Homeschoolers, if anything, have an easier time getting into college or university. Colleges assume we got a better education than a public or private school could give. I've heard it said, that besides good SAT scores, being a homeschooler is the greatest asset you can have. I had no problems with my little college.

~ Young Virtuoso

[Hmoll]

The answer is so obvious that it's hardly worth asking the question.
If someone is pursuing an artistic endeavor, anything they do that is artistic will enhance their primary artistic focus, and it will not be a waste of time away from practicing.
Composing, going to museums, attending opera and ballet performances, reading about the lives of composers, listening to other styles of music, etc. are all positive influences.  Activities such as these will also help someone become a well rounded person - something a lot of musicians could work on more.

Finally, anyone who is serious about pursuing music as a career will have to take advanced music coursed in college, university or convervatories, which will include composition.

[Sketchee]

I agree with writing.  It does help with understanding the structures behind music.  Music theory classes often move you into the theory behind writing. I have been told by my professors and experienced that learning and applying music theory makes one a better sight reader.  There are many benefits to it IMHO, but the most important thing is, if you enjoy composing you should do it.

[Beethoven87]

Holy sh*t dude...  You and I are like the same...   I'm sixteen (barely), taking classes at a community college, teaching, taking lessons, preforming sometimes (at church, at the college, and one or two schools), and I also tend to wheedle away the hours composing.  However, I am the only person I've ever heard of that has been making music up off the top of my head at the piano (improvising) since I was six.  My opinion?  Keep composing.  If the music is in your heart (how dramatic...) and you want to be able to write it down, and you want to be able to hear other people play what you heard first, than keep doing it.  I actually consider myself foremost a composer, and to me, the more I continue being a musician, the more I'll be able to understand fully what I can do with the piano and compose better.  i guess, corny as it may sound, if you love doing it, keep doing it.  If your goal is to become a concert pianist, perhaps it would be a better use of your time (at this point) to practise technique and expand your repetoir.  Thanks...

[Beethoven87]

oh, I'm also a homeschooler like you.   yeah,  my sister's going to college in grinnel iowa (maybe...  {she homeschools too} she's thinking about it), and they're practially begging her to attend (but she's like a brainiac, so I don't know...), but I think alot of schools actually like homeschoolers to attend.  It could be a diversity thing, though, like they might want to keep certain percentages of different poeple in (I.E. african americans, latin americans, homeschoolers, that sort of deal), to appear more diverse or whatever...  I dunno.  Just a thought.

[glamfolk]

Composing and improvising are really what music is all about.  Your ability to capture a feeling and make music about it is essential to both composers and players, so compose and improvise as much as you can.  If you do those things, your knowledge of theory will improve through practical use, your ability to sightread will improve because of your greater ability to understand the language and the composer's intent, and your songs will improve because if you do it alot, you'll just get better at it.  Don't think for a moment that the great composers (and improvisers) got good because they practiced scales all day.  

[mattgreenecomposer]

I agree.  composing will help your playing tremendously.  We take for granted that the notes are already on the page.  Remember it was blank before the composer got ahold of it!  It really makes you think about how the music is constructed from scratch, but it's very difficult to do well...probably harder than anything.
mattgreenecomposer.com for new music

[ted]

All the answers are sensible, especially the suggestion that you improvise, but I think, in the end, it is just one of those things you must decide for yourself and not necessarily right now. It usually does not occur to intensely creative people to ask the question at all; the imperative to create is so strong and uncompromising. In other words, there is a clear difference between those who are driven to create and those who are in love with the idea of creating. If this difference is not blindingly obvious to a given individual then he or she is almost certainly of the latter type.

Having said that, I think at fifteen it is better to try a little of everything and let nature and inclination take its course rather than demand a clear-cut decision from yourself. Keep all your options open.

[keyofc]

I am shocked that you would ever think that composing might be a waste of time!

Do you enjoy it or are you doing it for theoretical reasons alone?

Do you like what you hear after you've composed it?

I compose all of the time - and I can't imagine not being filled with joy doing it.

Composing - assuming you are really composing and not just doing an exercise (not that it can't be part of it) will also help you with your technique.
If you hear music inside of you - and are able to play it - then you don't have to decode
musical notation - and you will be surprised at how you become an artist at the piano.
It will help you on other pieces you may have a challenge with too.
No one can play as well as you can a piece that you alone hear in your head.