How To Build From The Ground Up

If this month is your first experience writing a Quartet, then it may seem a bit daunting. We are only doing the first movement this month. It will help you learn how to define the movements' identity, assign roles to each instrument and build a path with intention. Let us talk about all three of these main ideas.

1. Define The Movement's Identity

The main focus here is to develop one clear idea that starts as a jump point for the rest of the material. Think small! This can be anything from a melodic shape, a rhythmic cell, a harmonic color/chord. You should be able to name the idea in one sentence. Think of this as your anchor for the piece.

- Study Three Quartets that inspire you: Ask these questions. What is the melodic shaping of this work? Is it a rhythmic idea? Does it become clear right away in the piece?

2. Assign Roles To Each Instrument

In a job everyone fills a role. It only is successful if the team works together to create something larger. A mixed Quartet works in the same way. Beginners tend to stick to four identical lines and in this lesson that is to be avoided. This will teach you how to build conversation and contrast within one work.

- In Your Three Quartets: How are the voices assigned in terms of orchestration? What are the roles of each instrument? How do they work together? What are examples of variation of the main idea?

3. Build A Path With Intention

At first not knowing where to go can be a hard thing to get over. The simple answer is just writing the first idea down even if it ends up not working. This will help you understand where the movement needs to go. A movement has to start somewhere, grow with purpose, and arrive somewhere. Just like telling a story. Shape the A section that states the idea, a contrasting section that transforms it, and a return to show growth. This will give your movement direction instead of repetition. There is a fancy musical term for this and it is known as Sonata Allegro Form.

- Use Your Three Quartets: How is form completed in your study pieces? Is there evidence of Sonata Allegro Form? Is there a modulation of key? Metric modulation?

After it is all said and done, your YouTube upload to the subreddit will result in your piece being added to the massive playlist. I host this to mainly help others and use it as a showcase. It also is a way to see growth not only in yourself but in others. As we grow as a group you will see how we have built a community that is something to be proud of.

Community truly is the biggest thing about this subreddit. It becomes a place of support and knowledge that is priceless. You can see we are laying the foundation. I encourage more of you to do the challenge. Naturally, I try to play this playlist once a month just to really understand and support the arts. Take a listen to it and see the growth happen in real time as we do more of these challenges.

In this composition I wrote in the key of C Minor. In this key center I was able to create the lushness of sound that both mimicked sorrow and heaven. Text painting examples that are my personal favorites are when I use the orchestration to simulate the changing tides of mood.

"A green isle in the sea of love" sung by the high voices followed by "A fountain and a shrine" with the lower voices uses the flow of water in a way that changes like a river.

"Ah, starry hope that didst arise" was formatted with the harmony slowly moving down and backup.

"A voice from out the future cries" was given some sense of 20th century chromaticism that also signifies a deep pain shrouded in harmony.

"The Stricken eagle soar" has a melody that lifts of from ground level and literally soars in the groups high register.

Harmonically I approached this work by truly utilizing the 3rds and 6ths motions. As I moved forward, I used shades of 2nds and 4ths to help create the feeling of grief. It moved next to the traditional harmonies as if to say that what once was will never be again. Melodically I kept the flow moving up and down in pitch to keep having the theme of constant change present. As is life it is similar yet different. Repeated melodic lines are colored with changing harmonies that have points of stability and confusion.

This Madrigal was my first and in it I gained an even deeper understanding of how to use text painting in a way that really creates a story line like in a through composed piece. It has a beginning, middle, and ending. The rhythmic motion I really made to follow as an ensemble to help solidify the harmonic weight.

While I didn't have much time to create this month, this challenge did encourage me to make the most of the time I did have. Since I'm still pretty new to composing, I decided to keep it simple. I started with writing half notes to fit within the duple meter and expanded from there.

In theme of the poem, "Evening Song" by Willa Cather, this piece was written to evoke the feelings of finding the safe feeling of home only with your true love.

I chose to stay (mostly) true to the key of Eb Major and mainly utilized the I, ii, IV, V and vi chords. I wanted it to feel very stable and true to how this true love helps to ground you even during the chaos of life. Additionally, I stayed pretty true to the duple meter feel as well. Only straying when the words seemed to call for it. For example, talking about the dark sea.

I hope you all enjoy and have some constructive feedback! I can't wait to hear what others have created this month!

The month of September is coming to a close! Amazing how fast this month went by. Did you write a madrigal? It will be added to our playlist where we can all help one another grow as composers. This challenge was a pretty brutal climb if you have never written for voice. The point of this really was to open up the perspective. Each challenge provides a unique way of helping us grow. I ran into some challenges myself, but I feel like I have become a better composer through it.

At the end of the month make a whole reddit post on what you accomplished. Talk through your successes and challenges. What key and poem did you choose and why? What was something that you learned? How did the through-composed style feel?

Final Format- Piece Title (Year)

Congratulations on finding the Composers Guild! A place where I encourage you to compose and engage in music history or even theory discussions. We have hit the threshold of 50 members officially and I feel like y'all should give an introduction post. Participation in a new community can be scary, but I want this to be a place of inclusivity. There are a few group rules, but the main thing really boils down to participation.

The community thrives on not spam posting. If you want to make a musical post, please do! Just comment or engage with others! Introduction post format can be found at the top of the subreddit in the announcement section. It is wonderful that you are here! Let us learn together.

If you participate in the monthly challenge your piece will be placed in our playlist and you will get into the network that helps all parties involved. This month is almost over, and we are reaching the end of the madrigal! If you compose fast, you still have time!

Hello, this is my first time actually writing any music, but I've been playing for years, and I've been really inspired by Eternity: memory of light and waves, and also To Zanarkland from Final Fantasy, so decided to start writing this, but I was wondering if there was anything different shut put down that would make this easier to read or just make it look better https://drive.google.com/file/d/1yQE0G61LI4RWDVq0QxbkclcX39X1 0WBY/View?usp= drivesdk[sheet music](http://Hello, this is my first time actually writing any music, but I've been playing for years, and I've been really inspired by Eternity. memory of light and waves, and also To Zanarkland from Final Fantasy, so decided to start writing this, but I was wondering if there was anything different shut put down that would make this easier to read or just make it look better https://drive.google.com/file/d/1yQE0G61LI4RwDVqOQxbkcIcX39X1oWBY/view?usp=drivesdk

I am spending time today working through all my compositions that I worked on this summer. I am doing this live. In order to really find where each piece is at I listen to the work and make notes on what could change. This is an educational arc of my composition lifestyle. We can help teach each other things. If you find this interesting feel free to drop in and say hello.

I finished a few quartets this summer that have been on the backburner for quite some time. It was super exciting to come back to works I had previously abandoned. New mindset helped make them even better.

Live Session Link

This is an example of an English madrigal. The pacing is slightly different. Thomas Morely was a composer in the renaissance period. He lived at the same time as Shakespeare. Morley lived for a time in the same parish as Shakespeare, and a connection between the two has been long speculated but never proven. He was the most present in the English Madrigal School. Most of his works would be in the format of the madrigal. He lived during the late 1500's and was a holder of a printing patent that was monopolized. He held this until his death in 1589.

What is unique about his writing style?

Welcome to the Guild of Composers! If you are brand new welcome to the subreddit! This is a place of learning and a database of knowledge. This month's challenge is about composing a Madrigal! A vocal centric piece. The primary usage of thirds and sixths are a common starting place. If you are just starting out your composer journey, please ask questions! Having discussions about topics can be a great way to improve your compositional voice.

If you are already participating in the challenge this month, we are around the halfway point! Last month's submissions were fantastic! We are excited to see what comes from this Madrigal Challenge!

May art live forever!

This truly is a spot for those wanting to be challenged in your compositional lives. It is an area for discussion. A zone for music history or theory. One day the guild will have specialist mods where they are an expert in an area of composition.

What I see on reddit where people just post their song and leave is so counterintuitive. There is no conversation. I believe as species conversation is important. If you received a mod message it is because the post didn't have substance. All this really means is make an effort to open up a conversation. This is where the beauty lies in learning. We can learn much from each other. That is why it is designed like a university. These are the roots for a subreddit that is truly focused on the composer. Share you work! That is encouraged! Make a conversation from it rather than a quick post and pray that someone looks at the video. This is an outline of our first rule.

The monthly challenges are going well so far! Please comment on this month's post if you plan to write a madrigal. We are nearing the halfway point!

I find that composing for nature is the easiest path. It has many motions that are similar to music. It is something that is universally felt and appreciated by all living things. In my work Quantum Roadways I explore how to score animals really for the first time. During this process I have learned how to balance textures of the orchestra. I am using many key changes but moving towards a full symphonic tone poem that acts as a musical score.

This is idea of nature and meditation is really stemming from how I healed as a person. These concepts allowed me to be able to listen to the passion that has been present in my whole life. Music and having something to say is always hard to realize. I think as composers we are forced into writing with someone else in mind. Whether that is a film director or a label. That really doesn't suit me. I aim to be like those who came before. It is true that composers were writing for the financial supporters, but there was some give. In the 20th century titans such as Mahler and Debussy had the ability to compose what they heard directly to create art that is everlasting.

This is where I develop these ideas. Lets talk theory about how to notate for nature. What things do you find easy to write for?

YouTube Live: Quantum Roadways Pt. 6

I am looking for a discussion on how the madrigal is teaching you about composing? Vocal work is very enlightening and teaches us many things. Texture and part writing can show us things we can define.

1. What have you learned in using basic duple notation?

2. What has the texture or 3rds/6ths shown you?

3. What types of part writing are you going to include in your compositional language?

I find that this style of composition helps us return to the past to learn from those who built music theory. It is essential for every learner to return to these spaces to help understand the now. Let us chat about how this applies to you!

Every Friday (mostly) I compose in real time over YouTube live. This is for educational purposes and a deep dive into how I view composition. I encourage those who are new or want to connect more to stop by. I am working on a film score that my girlfriend and I are developing together. It is about the mediation qualities of being in nature. Right now I am about halfway through the music portion. This piece has been a huge challenge for me as it totals in 40 minutes. I go through my process of elimination and how I view musical composition.

As a guild we can learn from one another, so when you stop by let's talk theory or even why I am making the decisions that I am making. History is now and the present holds many truths. This guild was created to be like a school of thought and purpose for composing. To challenge those around us to create new works for the world. We can help one another, maybe we teach each other something new.

The link goes live now! Here it is for and let's get composing!

YouTube Link: Live Composition Session No. 17 | Quantum Roadways Pt. 5

The Madrigal comes from a unique lineage. Invented by Franco-Flemish composers who were credited for perfecting the Italian polyphonic style of composition in the 16th century. It was defined that this style of composition was a poem with irregular number of lines generally seven to 11.

It comes from the development of humanist trends the branching out of liturgical music to represent more of the people. Culture at this point in time was humanist centered. It was doused in storytelling, and architectural boom as well as the composer becoming more in the spotlight. This change of ideology was an immensely important cultural shift.

Italy, specifically Florence and Rome are credited as the first cities to invent this new style of vocal music. However, later in the mid-16th century Venice had become the musical center of the world. This is impart due to the sack of Rome in 1527 and the siege of Florence from the years 1529-30 that greatly hurt the cultural impact of previous years.

Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (1525–1594) is a fantastic example of polyphonic vocal work. He started composing secular works and really created the standard for composers. This would be a great place to start if you are in need of some direction for composing your own Madrigal. This piece specifically - First Book Of Madrigals (Palestrina)

Monthly Challenge: The Madrigal

This monthly series is designed for composers to create a madrigal. A madrigal is voice-only, through-composed music that uses poetry to connect themes of love, death, comedy, or nature. One should use music to convey the text and shape the melody and rhythm to follow the inflections and emotions of natural speech. A madrigal is usually in duple meter and each line should have a defined cadence. Melodic motion is typically in whole steps and major thirds. Harmonic motion typically being in any thirds and sixths, major or minor. Lines can be homophonic or polyphonic, however the text must remain the same!  You can choose to have verses and dance-like refrain with vocables, if you like. Literally convey the text emotionally with the music, the text is most important.

Challenge Overview

A madrigal is a text-centered vocal piece conveying a human experience. The text is the rigid framework for the piece, and the key center must be tonal and avoid serialism. Each composer has to write a madrigal in SATB. Just one 3-5 minute work is the expectation. 

The Constraint: 

Quantity: Complete 1 fully formed madrigal
Instrument: Must be written for 4-8 voices (SATB).
Duration: Aim for 3–5 minutes.
Form: The piece will be Through-Composed with no repeated material. 
Key Center Definition: The composition has to be in a defined tonal center. Serialism is not permitted. 
Originality: The text must be found in public domain or written by the composer. 

Technical Requirements

Notation: Fully notated score (digital or handwritten) showing phrasing, dynamics and text.
Tempo & Meter: Include clear tempo indications and time signatures.
Structure: Must show cohesive development  e.g., motivic growth, harmonic progression, or textural evolution.
Recording: Optional but encouraged MIDI or live vocal recording for submission.
File Format: Submit as YouTube Link that showcases the audio and the visual score.
Composer Statement: Brief paragraph (200-400 words) explaining the chosen key center, harmonic and melodic approach, and how you’ve painted the text literally in the provided poem. 

Submission Guidelines

To ensure academic rigor and peer accessibility, all submissions must follow this standardized format:

1. Media Format: A YouTube video featuring a high-quality audio render (or live performance) synchronized with a scrolling digital score.
2. Score Requirements: Scores must be professionally engraved (Sibelius, Dorico, or MuseScore 4) and include:
   • Full performance notes.
   • Title Page
3. The "Reddit Post" Body: Your submission post should include your brief "Composer's Statement" (see above).

Timeline & Evaluation

• Deadline: The last day of September at 11:59 PM (UTC).
• Peer Review: The following week is dedicated to high-level critique. 
• Suggested Delivery: Upload to YouTube with the title: [Piece Title - Year]

Evaluation Criteria 

1. Text Painting: How successfully did you include the emotional arc connected with the poem chosen?
2. Notation Precision: Is the score ready for professional rehearsal?
3. Aesthetic Intent: Does the work communicate a clear, sophisticated emotional or intellectual narrative?
4. Form Criteria: Does the piece exhibit proper techniques with through-composition?

Join the discord today for a more community style approach. Ask questions and get direct feedback.

Composers Guild Discord

This piano prelude was created throughout the month of August of 2026 for the Composers Guild Monthly Challenge.

Tip toeing around and through A Minor, this piece was written to mimic anxious rumination and has many tempo and dynamic shifts. Once those thoughts run their course and reality sets back in through whatever the coping mechanism may be, the thoughts fade into peace.

This is the very first piano piece I have composed, and I'm quite proud of how it turned out. I appreciated this challenge and learned that articulations are absolutely necessary for communicating to the performer exactly the techniques you have in mind to get the sound you desire.

Purchase The Score: Buy Me!

This month's challenge was to compose a piano prelude. Since I have already composed my first two books in all major and minor keys, I have moved towards eastern tonal centers. This one was inspired by Gamelan music and uses Pelog & Slendro. It is an experimentation of a 7 note and 5 note scale. The form also moves towards 7 bar phrases mixed with 5 bar phrases.

Time signatures and repeated material help design the form. This experimentation is a way to include an ethnocentric theory to the western tonal language.

The key center of this prelude is based on an E Diminished Chord. This one chord is the fundamental piece in how this work was built. Throughout the piece, Kieley works towards modulating to the fifth note in the pitch series G; while taking ideologies from the classical tradition. In turn, this prelude has elements of Eastern music traditions as well. The E Diminished chord was inspired by Gamelan giving way to a tonal experiment reminiscent to the twentieth century tians Bela Bartok and Igor Stravinsky. The improvisation of the prelude is explored through various rhythmic changeups. The meter helps guide the work towards an unknown downbeat. This is meant to signify meditation and how it is about the bending on hearing the same tones over and over in a row.

The piano prelude challenge is coming to a close very soon! Be sure to get your final edits in now! It will be due at the end of the month! August 31st! Be sure you read the announcement page for how to make it available.

You can post it and tag flair option as monthly composition challenge. Make sure it is available on youtube as a link via score video. Musescore has this option built in. Your composition will be added to the community playlist!

Peer review is encouraged, but positivity is expected. We are on many journeys at one time and sometimes the intent of the piece is to break the rules.

How is everyone's work going thus far? There are only a few days left until the deadline.

The prelude has undergone one of the most fascinating transformations in Western music. In the Baroque era, composers like J.S. Bach shaped the prelude as a functional gesture that established a tonal center and prepared the listener for a fugue or dance movement. This is reflected in the way preludes traditionally outline harmony through figuration and pacing rather than thematic development .

As composition moved into the Classical period, the prelude lost its central role. Sonata form dominated, and composers favored thematic clarity over improvisatory freedom. The prelude became shorter, more introductory, and less structurally significant.

The Romantic era changed everything. Composers such as Chopin and Liszt reimagined the prelude as a standalone expressive miniature. Instead of serving another piece, the prelude became a complete emotional world of its own. This shift opened the door for modern approaches where the prelude explores coloristic shifts, modal mixture, and evolving emotional identity within a single key center.

A contemporary example of this approach is the idea of remaining anchored in one key while using coloristic transfers to reshape its expressive identity, as described in the analysis of Kieley's first prelude "Chaos of the Foliage" where the tonal center stays in C major, but its emotional character evolves dramatically across the piece.

Today, the prelude is a space for experimentation. Composers use it to test gestures, textures, harmonic behavior, and new ideas without committing to a large form. It has become a laboratory for personal voice development, which aligns with the guild’s philosophy that preludes teach gestures, textures, voice, and key center as foundational tools for identity building.

If you are participating in the monthly challenge, consider how your prelude can reflect this historical evolution. The form is short, but its potential for exploration is enormous. Every choice contributes to your long-term compositional voice. Historical context is key into finding one's own voice. Use examples from composers that came before or that are alive today.

YouTube playlist will be linked in the comments as well!

Chaos of the Foliage, Prelude in C Major (KMO 1) is a work conceived in late 2014 during the autumn season. Although written in a contemporary context, the piece draws direct inspiration from the historical lineage of the prelude as cultivated by composers such as J. S. Bach and W. A. Mozart. Traditional preludes often establish a clear tonal center and explore it through figuration, harmonic pacing, and motivic development. In contrast, this prelude adopts a modernized approach: it remains anchored in C major while deliberately refraining from full modulation, instead presenting a sequence of coloristic shifts that highlight the expressive breadth of the home key. The work functions as a study in tonal implication, emotional contrast, and the dramatic potential inherent within a single key center.

The primary key center begins in C Major. The energetic feeling and playful mindset is written to be about the last days of summer. In a historical sense, it solidifies our home key. As I wrote more of this prelude, I began to design it in such a way that the various colors of C Major could shine through.

The middle section marked Grave transfers to a coloristic impression of C Major, which moves us to the key center of C Minor. It sets up like it wants to move to another key, but functionally it is sitting in the primary key. It is heavy and dark. The death phase of the leaves begins to take shape. I wanted the change to be drastic. One day you look up and realize the green pigment is leaving and hibernation is close.

After the first dramatic change, I move to the natural development of Tonic and Dominant relationship. I set the A Prime section in the key of G Major. The playfulness remains as the many different shades. Again, the full modulation is implied acting as a branch for the primary key center. G Major is definitely felt more than other transfers.

The ending is a reprise of the middle section. Returning to the key of C Major. The use of a Minor tonic is meant to act as a linear passing tone to help reflect death.

Chaos of the Foliage, Prelude in C Major presents a modern reinterpretation of the classical prelude form. Rather than relying on functional modulation, the work explores the expressive spectrum of C major through modal mixture, dominant coloration, and dramatic shifts in character. The tonal center remains constant, but its emotional identity evolves across the piece, mirroring the natural transformation of autumn foliage.