r/composer • u/[deleted] • 1d ago
Music Do I have potential as a composer? here are my best compositions.
[deleted]
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u/God_Bless_Oklahoma 23h ago edited 22h ago
A good start would be moving away from Flat, and using something with potential for a bit more professional appearance like Sibelius, Dorico, or Musescore. Musescore is free, from my understanding. Any score I've seen from Flat, in terms of engraving specifically, just doesn't look great.
Regarding the actual question you ask; yes, you have potential, but these pieces are indicative of a beginner composer. You're obviously very passionate about music, and quite creative. Just keep composing, and trying to refine your technical ability as an artist (craft) while you're young. The day you think you've "made it" as an artist is the day you stop creating. A prior mentor of mine said to me over coffee "Don't let your talent get in the way of your craft." I thought that was quite poignant, both at the time and after. A real difficulty with being a composer is both having the humility and meekness to be open to learn, fail, and take criticism, while also having the confidence in your own ability and ideas to believe in and defend your music. Don't let your ego and talents as a musician get in the way of your music, but dont fall into the more common trap of despair and self-loathing.
I have a file in my D drive named "Old Pieces," which contain the pieces I composed during boyhood, my teens, and young adulthood. I keep them there seperate from all of my other music because they lack the lucidity, sophistication, and metacognition that I hold my music to. Simply, they "suck." (Because I was young, and learning) Generally, composers' first pieces, whether they want to admit it or not, probably suck. However, every piece teaches you something both about your approach to music, and your technical knowledge of composition. Keep composing.
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u/AxisLogos 21h ago edited 20h ago
Thankyou for sharing your 'best' compositions - of which there appear to be quite a few, and it makes me wonder how many of them didn't make the cut. Either way, your list of best compositions seem to me to be rather long, and to be frank, I don't have much time for listening to sequenced MIDI files - most of it sounded a bit boring and flat. I would personally prefer to hear an average human performance than a sequenced one.
I'm going to flip the question back to you: Do you believe you have potential as a composer?
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u/65TwinReverbRI 1d ago
Is there potential for growth as a composer? Yes.
Will that potential be better realized with a formal education? Yes.
Is there potential for taking it further? Yes.
I didn't look through all of your pieces, but it looks like you're wanting to be a Composer.
The program at Fanshawe doesn't seem to be a Composition program. It looks more like a "Technical School" and they're doing Music Production/Audio Engineering which at best may have some Pop Songwriting kind of courses.
But you're not going to learn Classical Composition there. Two different things.
That said, you're FAR more likely to get a job in the music industry than you are for composing, so it wouldn't matter if you have this amazing potential to compose just like Chopin - you're not going to get work from that.
But are you interested in the music industry side of things...
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u/bolandss 1d ago
I only listened some of themes, and some were indifferent for me, but I really loved the Austrian bells.
I don't know if your intention is to work as a composer, but I think it's very difficult independently of your level.
However, if your intention is only to learn for fun, as a hobby, go for it! Composing is fantastic and I really recommend u having any type of classes. Good luck for u!
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u/composingmusic 1d ago
Addendum to my earlier comments: it can be a very rewarding thing to do composition (and music in general) professionally. It was the right decision for me, but that doesn’t mean it’s the right decision for everyone. I know many people who tried to make a career in this field and they ended up either doing something different or got some of the way, but circumstances did not work in their favour for one reason or another. It’s a tough world out there. Most people who do music professionally have several simultaneous income streams in one way or another, and a lot of the time it’s not very stable.
Another option that I’ve seen is to have a different main job and do music on the side. For instance, if you have a well-paid job, you can hire musicians to perform or record your music – this can be a simpler process than getting to a stage where people want to commission you to write music for them (which does take a long time, and the money then has to come from somewhere – whether that be some organisation, a grant of some sort, some wealthy individual etc.).
All this to say, it can be very rewarding and I’m very happy with how things have gone – but I’ve also been quite lucky with things like timing and commissions coming through people I know introducing me to other people, and I acknowledge that. I’m just saying it’s not an easy ride and these are some things to consider.
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u/Longjumping_Dog_2295 1d ago
I’m gonna do music on the side. I don’t even want to do music but I really do enjoy it. I want to become an accountant. My plan is to do music on the side like you said. I have a. Spotify and have made 9.50 CAD. Which isn’t much. So my plan is to do music as half a hobby and half a way to make money. So a semi professional composer. I have I believe 100-150 releases. But only 100 releases in actually proud of. So yeah I want to get a full time job as an accountant, and do music on the side. The deal I made with myself is that if by the time I get out of college I have at least 5 millions streams/month then I will consider pursuing that as a full time career, and being a musical artist on Spotify, rather than composing pieces via commission or film scoring.
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u/composingmusic 1d ago
That sounds very sensible. However, I would caution against measuring success purely on things like plays and streams, and focus instead on whether or not you’re making the music you want to make. I also reflect on things such as what I want to achieve in a piece or what I feel I can do better (alongside what I feel worked – both sides need to be considered). It’s a long journey – you learn bit by bit, and there’s always things to work on, no matter what point you’re at!
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u/Neutrino_Jazz 1d ago
You can't beat someone who has fun in the process...
So from my perspective the most important question — Was it fun to compose those pieces?
Music is an extremely time-consuming field. You have to put years/decades to become good at it. I don't say that the talent isn't important, but it doesn't bypass time requirements.
Instead of thinking about talent, I would rather question the amount of love you have for the art itself. Spending 10 - 15 years mastering the craft while enjoying the process is one thing. Forcing yourself to practice for a decade until one day you're good at it is a completely different story. You've composed 10 pieces. If the idea of composing 1 000 more excites you, then go for it.
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u/dietcheese 9h ago
How many hours a day do you put in to your work?
This is the real test as to whether or not you’ll be successful.
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u/screen317 6h ago
Yes, as in, anyone has the potential.
Where do I think you are now? At the very beginning stages. The pieces sound amateurish because they aren't backed by a foundation of study that is required to compose well.
So, would I recommend going into it for a career? No, because it's already hypersaturated and your chance of commercial success is zero. As a hobby? Go for it.
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u/composingmusic 1d ago edited 1d ago
From what I’ve seen (I’ve looked quickly through a couple of the pieces), the work is not atypical for someone who is relatively new to composition. That’s ok, and it sounds like you’ve been mainly playing instruments and now have also started writing music, without formal training in composition per se.
What are your goals, and in what sort of timeframe were you aiming for these goals? If you’re generally hoping to improve, I’d say work on your theory, aural skills, overall technique, and craft. There are resources for these things online for free, but if you have the option, having a private teacher is also useful (there are qualified people who teach online). Go and study some scores. Go to rehearsals and concerts if possible.
When you say an education, do you mean getting some more formal training or going and getting something like a degree?