Edit: Starting to drift off topic here... Anyways, question for those who have composed music. Is there a certain process you typically follow to do it (from training in that subject or otherwise) or is more of a sit down at the instrument and just start improvising sort of thing?
Well, that's kinda a tough one to answer. I usually have some plan when I start writing something. Even if it's just a -very- general idea of the shape of the piece, I.E. ABA or ABCBA or whatever. As for coming up with individual ideas, or melodies, well...sometimes i'll just have a melody line in my head, and I'll write that down, and start building an idea around it, othertimes, I might just come up with a short and simple motif, only between 3 and 5 notes long, and think of the ways they can be manipulated.
After having an initial idea, I'll start writing what I call "sketches" basically a short piece of music, about a minute or so in length, that portrays the section i'm working on, but might not necessarily have all the fixings, or changing of voices.
Another way I sometimes go about writing...usually in larger works, is I'll start by writing piano music, since it's kinda a stripped down score. I'll take the finished piano piece, and expand it to ensemble, or chamber depending on what I'm trying to write.
In one of my classes, my instructor told me one way to think of a piece of music; a conversation. There could be two people, or there could be many people participating. One person could start with the subject, and the subject could pass around the people involved, and they could add new ideas or insights on the subject. Or there could be two people engaged in a debate on the subject (call and response) with others saying things in the background. It could be a quiet topic, or it could flare into a loud, angry debate or argument at times. I dunno, it made sense to me at the time. I suppose this was one way I could use and develop a simple motif.
In writing music, and this is probably a sign of my amateurism and naievete, is that sometimes my music has a tendency to "wander". That is, sometimes it's hard to see any kind of form or shape to it, and sometimes the sections aren't very well defined. It is formless, but not exactly fantasy-form. I've been trying to improve myself on that score for the last couple years. Maybe I should try to right a variations kinda piece or something sometime.
On the other hand, when I'm working on electronica, or messing with ideas in FL Studio, I work a lot with patterns especially if I'm using percussion. Here's a link to a concept I use when I work with drum patterns:
http://www.tweakheadz.com/how_to_make_original_drum_tracks.htmSometimes I'll build the music around the percussion, sometimes I write the music first. I usually have an idea of what I want before I start, and sometimes things take shape on their own as I work. I don't really have a set way or technique when I work, however from what i've experienced, and what i've read and heard, composers don't really think of music in terms of notes, rather, they think in terms of lines of music. And they don't always write from beginning to end, sometimes the first thing they write down could be the middle of the piece, or even the end. I suppose it's all just a matter of what feels comfortable, or what pops into your head when you write.
I will say this though: Taking a couple composition courses, and independent studies gave me a world of insight into what I was doing, and what I wanted to do. My composition instructor was Dr. Gary Smart at University of North Florida. He may not be as known as some people, but I found he had a way of painting the big picture very clearly, and I found his advice to be invaluable.
Music is a total art form, and while there is intelligence and planning behind its creation, the road to its completion is not always linear.
There's a short book I'd recommend. We used it as our er..."Textbook" when I took Composition/Improvisation.
The book is "Free Play", written by Steven Nachmanovitch. It's a good book for musicians and visual artists alike in my opinion.
Okay, I think I've rambled enough. *steps down off his soap box and points the spotlight back at the topic*
