Musical Practice and Performance Stack Exchange
Musical Practice and Performance Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [composition]

For questions about the creation of new music and the techniques used to do so.

The art of creating new music from choosing the instrumentation of a piece and defining the form to the finer details such as articulation and expression.

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I accidentally composed a song that sounds like a famous song

About six months into learning guitar, I tried my hand at composing a song. Looked into some basic composing theory, picked a specific tempo, learned how to record and actually play the thing, and then two months later I "finished" the song,…
GGMG-he-him
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What is the difference between a duet and a duo?

I wrote a peice for piano and flute but I don't know if it should be called duet or duo. I see that duet is when the players have equal importance but that is not necessarily the case fo my composition. Would duo work? There is no Wikipedia article…
user71207
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What components make military music especially rousing?

If someone were going to compose a piece of military music to especially rousing, what components would they be looking to emphasize? Like is there a certain key or time that military music is often played in that makes it especially rousing? What…
Uticensis
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Why did John Williams use a march to symbolise Indiana Jones?

John Williams is famous for using certain styles of composition to represent characters (e.g. a military march style in Superman to represent freedom/USA etc.), but why was Indiana represented by the Raider's March? He's a hero, but not in a…
Woodman
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How to organize/categorize compositions

When composing, my current process results in me stacking a lot of score paper into a folder. This works for now, but I can see that in the long-run, I will want some system of organizing my compositions if I want to be able to dig through them…
Daniel Neel
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Selling arrangements online

This summer, I want to earn money to buy sequencing software. I really enjoy arranging songs (as well as writing them) so I thought it would make sense for me to try to sell some online. Can I do that without being certified or anything? If so, are…
Stan
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Expanding chord progression repertoire when composing

I'm working on writing some sad sounding songs. Every time I'm jamming by myself on the guitar, I can play a few chords and sing or whistle what the leads could be. Leads come to me easily, and I can create vocal melodies and guitar melodies that…
cat pants
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Some fear of composing?

I'm not sure if this problem is unique onto to those who start composing or even just me, but I seem to sometimes have a fear that if I tilt towards certain chord progressions while composing classical music, my song will become "cliche" and…
SharkRetriever
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What do I need to notate as I play?

I hope this isn’t a silly enquiry. My daughter improvises on our piano, classical style, and I would like to know if there’s a means to notate on computer as she plays. We bought Sibelius software but haven’t taken it out of the box yet! I…
Easthamgirl
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How to write music if you already know music theory

Everywhere I go on the internet, I see people telling me to learn music theory if I want to write songs. Problem is, I'm playing the piano for over 10 years now and I had music theory for 1 and a half years in school, and yet every time I try to…
NeinsDev
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General methods for turning a riff into a song?

Say if have a really nice 2-bar riff that I like a lot. How would I go about composing a song around that? Ok, the obvious answer is "play it a few times, then make some variation of it, play that a few times, then play the original a few more…
naught101
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Is there a term for this compositional technique?

There are many examples of a particular compositional technique, so I was wondering if it had a name. The example closest to me right now is Beethoven piano sonatina in F, 2nd movement (Anhang 5), starting around measure 27. We see a chromatic…
Michael Stachowsky
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How to prepare for a music major?

do you guys know how to prepare for a music major? More specifically a composition major, in an university/faculty that emphasizes performance. (or a conservatory) Should I be a master at my instrument?
Joel
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Composition - How to connect musical periods

How do you exactly keep a continuum between musical periods? And somewhat related, how exactly do you tell a story with it? I am trying to compose something for piano, and while I'm able to connect various phrases that make sense and have a clear…
nash
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How to create fast runs (i.e. speedy notes)?

I am a competent composer. I am trying to improve a particular skill: creating sequences of very fast notes that sound pleasant. Examples: Chopin's Fantasie Impromptu Chopin's Etude Op. 10 No.5 I have both read neuroscience articles and measured…
Stan Shunpike
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