Composing: Play 1st and THEN Write it? or Write 1st and Play 2nd?

[ahinton]

Meh, for an average joe learning how to play helps a lot. However if you can write compose great music without having to learn an instrument or improvising then good for you. Good music is good music.

If you'll pardon my saying so, in my experience it's by no means so much about whether you can write any music "without having to learn (to play) and instrument" but whether you can do so even if you have no natural ability to play one however well you might be taught to do so!

Best,

Alistair

[pianoplayerstar]

John Coltrane


He probably started Blue Train by tapping and improvising... His is initially easier to do than composing first before sitting down on the piano bench

.. Then again, j may be wrong: Coltrane may very well have thought through and philosophized about it ... Then sat down with a pencil... AND THEN improvised... I highly doubt it though... Although there is definitely a rhyme and reason to his music, which many believe is some random concoction of gibberish and mumbo jumbo which eventually "sounded nice" (which this I also doubt.. As he was and may have been a music geniu as well)

[classicalinquisition]

(Alistair, your wording confuses me) Star, I believe you are asking whether professional composers write first or play first? Paid professionals most likely think and plan and write first due to the job they have and the requirements and demands they are given by the publishers or producers/directors. Those that play first normally do so and stumble across a nice sounding phrase or pitch and from it they create songs and melodies. Is this what you were looking for

[ahinton]

(Alistair, your wording confuses me) Star, I believe you are asking whether professional composers write first or play first? Paid professionals most likely think and plan and write first due to the job they have and the requirements and demands they are given by the publishers or producers/directors. Those that play first normally do so and stumble across a nice sounding phrase or pitch and from it they create songs and melodies. Is this what you were looking for

Please advise what specifically confuses you; I'm curious and will be happy to help if I can by explaining what seems unclear.

Best,

Alistair

[classicalinquisition]

Alistair, to answer this post from star, are you saying it doesn't matter which order?