how do you teach composition?

[slavyanka]

Hello all,

I am looking for advice on how to learn to compose music. I have perfect pitch and a reasonable ability to play the piano, but I can't play well enough to be able to improvise freely. Can you recommend any course of learning composition? I have books on musical form by Ebenezer Prout, apart from counterpoint and harmony, but I am far from having mastered them. Currently, I am at a stage where I can think up a piece like a minuet & trio, but not anything bigger.  

Should I first learn to analyze larger pieces? Should I try and imitate other composers? Should I practice writing lots of simple periods and hope that the skill and understanding will develop on their own?

I appreciate your ideas.

[sharmayelverton]

Hi there, I teach composition in London. Analysis of other music is an invaluable approach to learning composition but by no means the only. In my mind you can learn theory/harmony which are certainly tools to be used in composition, but learning composition is something more then that. I'm not saying that it can't be taught to some extent, after all I took a degree in the subject, but it certainly should be something that comes from within. The teaching composition beyond theory and conventions is in manny respects just a guidance into discovery and creation. I was composing well before I learnt any 'rules' so to speak and often I feel that these early pieces have something unique about them. Of course each genre has it's conventions, what styles of music would you like to compose?   

[slavyanka]

Thanks so much for the response. Well, I remember writing short pieces when I was 13 or so, as well as putting poems to music when I needed to memorize them for school. I easily write melodies, too. The goal is to write something worth performing... I love baroque music, so, for instance, writing a few pieces in the likes of brandenburg concertos would make me happy! Apart from that, I like Russian romantics as I am Russian myself. Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninov in particular.

It's good to be talking to someone who actually composes himself! Do you think studying composition was a good contribution to your skills or could you have learned it all from just listening to music and analyzing it? What do they teach that is most valuable?

I am in London too, maybe I should take a few lessons from you

[jhvisible]

I believe it would make sense for you to either take a group composition class or find a private teacher, perhaps someone who plays piano well and perhaps also improvises. And a teacher that might not just take you through composing in various styles. It would help if someone could look at your work and comment on it, analyse the phrases and structure of your melodies, think with you about the harmonies you're using for accompaniments and ways that you might vary these. Your work needs to be considered and looked at properly.

Yes, listen to many styles of music and find what interests you. Attend as many live concerts as possible, especially contemporary music. There are certainly plenty of opportunities in London! When you hear new pieces, take notes, think about what you might do differently, and also write down what you like about the pieces (e.g. rhythms, intervals, instrumentation, the overall shape of the pieces). It might also interest you to read critical reviews about new pieces in the newspapers (if you're not doing this already).

Continue to develop your skills on piano. Become a musician. It can be argued that composing is the ultimate musical craft. You may have perfect pitch on that instrument but not on others, e.g. clarinet or a full orchestra. Pitch is a memory and it is often very much related to timbre. You should hear and get to know as many instruments as possible if you want to compose. You should know why an oboe would work better in a particular piece than a clarinet, e.g., or a trumpet vs. a horn.

Ideas are one thing, developing them is another. And you also want to compose for other listeners! So there are many things to consider - certainly too much in any kind of simple correspondence, like this. If you want to compose, then write. Practice. (Just like with piano, composing also needs practice.) Write for friends. Try anything and everything you can. Get feedback.
...and enjoy the experience!
Jean Hasse (Bristol, UK)

[pleasantfairy]

I am planning on majoring in composition, and I came across these essays by Dr. Gregory Youtz, who teaches composition at the university I will be enrolling in this fall. You might find them interesting - he talks about composition in general, and has several "games", or exercises, at the end of each section.

https://www.plu.edu/~youtzgl/essays/oncomp.html

[slavyanka]

Thank you very much for your responses!