Do you have to play your own compositions?

[Spatula]

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God I hate those stupid things..

anyways...I'm composing some stuff, but I will never play them because:

1) I want someone else to play them
2) I have better music that were written by masters which is worth learning
3) I probably will not even like what I hear
4) They're probably more difficult that what I can handle
5) I probably think they suck but someone else thinks its the next best thing!

Any of you have the same thing? 

[jbmajor]

Hahaha.  I sometimes think the same thing.  I have a few pieces started, but don't know where to take them musically.  I write about 10 bars and then I'm blank.  I'll finish one of them at least and hopefully I'll be able to play it.  It's funny how no matter how good a piece someone, anyone, writes today, it will never be considered "a masterpiece" or popular when compared to the real Masters.  Maybe after another 100 years or so. 

[Spatula]

I probably bet Beethoven in his infatuation with Elise wrote that "secret" piece and now its so popular...argghh! 

[Sketchee]

I tend not to play my own compositions. I liked writing a lot of pieces for chamber ensembles with friends but we never really played them much.  So I thought I'd write for piano since if no one else would play them, I would.  I rarely do and I certainly don't have any memorized!  I play my own transcriptions though.   If you were writing an instrument you didn't play, you certainly wouldn't have to play your own composition.  So I don't think you're obligated with an instrument you do play.

[Brian Healey]

Even if you don't consider yourself a composer per se, I think it's a good idea to make an attempt to compose occasionally, because it's a good indication of where you're at as a player.

This is kind of a touchy subject for me, because I'm of the opinion that musicians in general are WAY too obsessed with the music of the past. I'll be the first to admit that master composers like Mozart, Beethoven, Chopin, and the like were geniuses, but do we really need to hear any more interpretations of these works? I sort of split my time between classical and jazz, and the same is true of both: there is little room for the modern composer to mark his (or her) mark. If you ask me, nobody will ever play Beethoven better than Ludwig himself, and nobody will ever play Bud Powell better than Bud himself, so why try? Many pianists have the opinion that modern material is a sort of "novelty repertoire", but I say that modern compositions are just as important as works by the classical masters.

A better question would be "Do I ever get to play my own compostions?" In this history-obsessed musical world, just getting a fair chance to play your own work is an effort in its own.

[galonia]

Do you really not play your own compositions on purpose?

I find learning and practising piano quite isolating most of the time, and I get lonely, so the whole purpose of my compositions is so that I can play with my friends.  So I'll write piano duets and for combinations of instruments I have available to me (which generally means I don't write for cello since I don't many cellists).

[DarkWind]

Hell, my last piece I wrote, a toccata, I think very few people would be able to play that! So I rarely play most of my compositions, as they are usually very difficult.

[Spatula]

Same, as most of my stuff I write I don't want to attempt.  If I really want to copyright and publish these works into a book, how do I do that and what well known companies would you recommend...er maybe if I want to be economical, then I'd go with a low profile publisher.

[Bob]

I've written a few pieces for music classes.  I liked it and it definitely gives you a different perspective on music.  I think it's more like being a "true musician."

I really like one of the pieces I wrote.  Very personal.  Quirky, smooth, unusual sound, but consistent -- so it wasn't plain old chocolate and vanilla major or minor.  I still play it.  I wrote it for the technique that I have.  Fairly simple piece, but different sounding.  And it's its own whole.  The idea surfaced in my mind and just wrote it out on paper.  Very little tweaking to mess up what sprang up.  It was an interesting piece and a totally different way of looking at music.  I should dig it up and play it again....

[Ludwig Van Rachabji]

I have recently finished the first movement of a piano concerto... I'm not sure if I will want to put the time into learning such a piece right now, considering its difficulty, which is approaching that of Rach 3 or similar pieces. Truthfully, I never learn to play my own compositions. I don't find them as "fun" to play as, say, a Beethoven sonata.

However, if I ever get anything published, (hopefully soon) then all of you can learn my compositions, and I'll never have to worry about playing a note of them! 

You see, this is really true. If composers write music for instruments that they themselves can't even play, then there is no reason to worry about not learning your own compositions, even if they are written for an instrument you really can play.

I think I've rambled on enough for one sitting.


Ludwig Van Rachabji

[Brian Healey]

My personal approach to compostion is the simpler the better. If can get your musical point across without any extraneous complications, then you've acheived your goal. I think many composers get too caught up in trying to be cool that they end up with compositions that they can't even play. Just because you can write difficult pieces doesn't mean you are a good composer. My opinion is that you shouldn't compose something if you can't play it. After all, the master composers of the past all played their own works, so why shouldn't you? Plus, since the music came from you, nobody will give a more true interpretation than you will.

I think composition is a reflection of your musical personality, so if you can't play your work, you're not really expressing yourself. Just my opinion.

[Spatula]

Has there ever been a known piece that the composer couldn't play?

This is a question....go for it.

[shasta]

Has there ever been a known piece that the composer couldn't play?

This is a question....go for it.

I remember reading somewhere that Grieg couldn't play his own piano concerto --- he had taken it to Liszt for advice, telling Liszt that he couldn't play it.  Liszt replied something along the lines of "well, I can't play it either", and then sightread it beautifully for Grieg.

I also read somewhere else that Ravel had problems performing a lot of his own pieces because he played with very tense wrists.

[Ludwig Van Rachabji]

My personal approach to compostion is the simpler the better. If can get your musical point across without any extraneous complications, then you've acheived your goal. I think many composers get too caught up in trying to be cool that they end up with compositions that they can't even play.

I hope you aren't talking to me, but instead to people in general. I hope you don't get the impression that I compose my music to be difficult (like Sorabji). I didn't say I couldn't learn my music, I said I didn't want to. Think of it this way: if you make a mistake performing your own music, think of how that comes across? What would the audience think. I also mentioned that I do not find my music as "fun" as a good Beethoven sonata or similar piece.

Just because you can write difficult pieces doesn't mean you are a good composer.

I don't know who this remark is directed toward, but if it is toward me, I suggest you read my post over again, and think before hitting the post button. I never said that I was "proud" of the difficulty of my music. That is the way I hear it. I write what I hear, as most any composer, unless of course, they just throw random notes on the page and call it music, as I have witnessed many times before by other contemporary composers.

My opinion is that you shouldn't compose something if you can't play it. After all, the master composers of the past all played their own works, so why shouldn't you?
I think composition is a reflection of your musical personality, so if you can't play your work, you're not really expressing yourself. Just my opinion.

This isn't true at all. Do you think Beethoven could play every instrument he put into the 9th symphony? What about Rachmanininoff? Do you think he was an expert at flute? Of course not. Also, your statement that if you don't play your music, you aren't expressing yourself is ludacrous. What is the point of music? Self expression! To put the audience in the same mental state as the composer. So basically,  by writing your music, you are expressing yourself.

Also, about Grieg, he did actually perform his concerto. He told Liszt that he hadn't practiced it, and hoped to hear him sight read it.

Ludwig Van Rachabji

[Spatula]

Same here... I could actually learn and perform my stuff...but I'd rather play better written stuff

[Brian Healey]

I hope you aren't talking to me, but instead to people in general

No need to go on the defensive, I wasn't trying to single anyone out. I saw a number of posts where people said they couldn't play their own compositions, and that's what prompted my response. Besides, it was just my opinion, and I'm hardly the ultimate master of composition, so do whatever you want, I don't care.

To go a little further in depth, I studied composition privately with a teacher in New York, and he said, "Write what you play, and play what you write." That just seems to makes sense to me. All of the great composers wrote the way they played, and that's why it was usually easy for them to play their own works. For instance, I think if Beethoven sat down and just improvised something, it would sound much like his written work.

Also, Beethoven obviously couldn't play every instrument from his 9th symphony. I'm not being that literal. I'm talking about music, not instruments. I'd be willing to bet, however, that he could play every individual part of the 9th symphony on the piano, and could probably play an orchestral piano reduction as well.

[Ludwig Van Rachabji]

I hope you aren't talking to me, but instead to people in general

No need to go on the defensive, I wasn't trying to single anyone out. I saw a number of posts where people said they couldn't play their own compositions, and that's what prompted my response. Besides, it was just my opinion, and I'm hardly the ultimate master of composition, so do whatever you want, I don't care.

To go a little further in depth, I studied composition privately with a teacher in New York, and he said, "Write what you play, and play what you write." That just seems to makes sense to me. All of the great composers wrote the way they played, and that's why it was usually easy for them to play their own works. For instance, I think if Beethoven sat down and just improvised something, it would sound much like his written work.

Also, Beethoven obviously couldn't play every instrument from his 9th symphony. I'm not being that literal. I'm talking about music, not instruments. I'd be willing to bet, however, that he could play every individual part of the 9th symphony on the piano, and could probably play an orchestral piano reduction as well.

Sorry if I overreacted. I misunderstood your post.