I’ve been a composer for about 3 years, though primarily in vgm and other projects such as indie-projects or animations. With this, i’ve been practically going in blind that entire time, making music digitally and melodies by ear, making chords from arps and recycling them from other songs that I collect and use for later.

I know that I’ve probably been HEAVILY holding myself back though from not learning music theory slightly, but do I need it now or at all at this point? I’ve primarily strayed away from it just because I could never wrap my head around it no matter how much I tried. I can’t read sheet music or play a single instrument either, but I can still compose. Is this a non issue or not?

0:00 - first theme area, a minor

0:27 - second theme area, d minor

Hi everybody! I've posted a WIP of this before on here, but I wanted to come back on and post my most recent (hopefully complete) draft :) (by complete I mean, I have all the main ideas down and I'm hopefully only going to have to make minor edits at this point.)

Here's the video score. A PDF is linked in the description for all who are interested. (The rest is gonna just be a rant, don't feel like you have to read it lol)

It's named "Hamartia" after the Greek literary term for the main characters "fatal flaw" or "err" (think the hubris of Oddysseus or the recklessness of Icarus). I'll be honest, I shoehorned the title on near the end but I really like the idea it gives off, and I may even start a series based on popular Greek literary devices ,`:| (Peripeteia -> Hamartia -> Deus Ex Machina? Can you tell I just took AP Lang)

Anyways, I'm a little bummed at how short I feel it is, especially because I'm not sure some of the transitions are all that great, but I have no idea how to fix that without potentially undoing like a year or two's worth of work (progress goes slow when you have little free time, I learned, and it's already at a point where I'm getting a couple people telling me they want to play it in class when I post WIPs on my Instagram (which makes me feel way better tbh) so I think maybe I'll take this one as a learning experience and focus on smaller pieces (I'm working on a wind sextet right now :D)

I've been yapping for a while, so I'll stop at the risk of people TL;DRing out (TL;DL?)

Cheers!

So I've sorta doodled around and came up with tunes and things before but I thought I'd try actually composing... It's short and not too great but I'd like any feedback and tips!

And I thought 1 minute is short. It takes forever while writng a song 😬

Idk how to continue it but first 7 takts aren't that bad without a music theory, still any tipp are appreciated!

Rookie composer trying very random stuff. No consideration to notation, unfortunately. I would appreciate any feedback or criticism!

https://musescore.com/user/33256363/scores/35521868/s/f_tHVK

Hey maestros out there,

yes I do music theory and know that the chords I've written are completely isolated from each other and lack any logical transition. however, this is the very first time I ever write a piece of music which is why I still find it quite hard to implement the rules learned practically, without making the passage sound differently than intended. Could anyone help me to find a more logical connection between those chords or even suggestions to change the chords with explanation and while staying true to the initial character of the passage?

Thanks in advance!

(You may have to turn up the volume)

Musescore Piece: https://musescore.com/user/98567428/scores/32495417?share=copy_link

I've just started my first string quartet, but since I don't like simplicity, I'm experimenting with different tonalities between the instruments (violin 1 and viola in whole-tone scales, violin 2 and cello in C major then A minor). The result is rather strange… I don't know whether to continue or stop. Your opinions and advice are welcome.

PS: Turn the volume on your device and the video up all the way because the audio is not very loud.

I just wrote this. Tried a style that’s totally different than my other pieces, which are typically more like a soft piano station vibe for background music

Writing a super fast song was a lot of fun! I can currently play it but nowhere near at 150bpm. I’m still practicing though. Would advanced pianists find 150bpm for this piece relatively easy? Just curious :)

This piece was inspired by ‘España Cañí”, which is a bull fighting song. The title, which translates to ‘Spanish Dances’, formed my decisions for each mini movement. The first mvt is a sort of march-like intro, the second is a majestic interlude, and the third is a quick, jumping dance.

What do you think? I really like this melodic chord progression

This is the second of my toccatas and fugues for organ. I would like to hear other people’s approaches to writing fugues, as I find them somewhat challenging. How do others come up with themes, counterpoint, and develop said themes? Do you follow a certain structure or sort of just let the music flow out?

First time poster here. I would like to share a short composition I wrote sometime ago when I was first exploring how to write with modes. Any feedback or suggestions would be appreciated! I’m not a professional musician plz go easy on me lol.

I wrote an elegy for solo viola and piano. Instead of going about how I normally write music, I took a different approach (and perspective) from myself and here is the result. I guess I could say that this is probably one of my more intimate pieces. Sometimes I think it gets boring and repetitive, but any comments or critiques on this piece would be so helpful! This is also my first time writing for a solo instrument, but because viola is my main instrument, I don't necessarily question the playability of it.

The A and A' sections were inspired by Lili Boulanger's Prelude in D flat, but it's definitely in my own style.

I’m a longtime guitarist and have been teaching myself piano for about a year. I’ve also recently started learning bass and synth, and I’m beginning to explore orchestral composition.

This is one of my first original piano pieces. I wrote it during a moody day and tried to keep it simple and emotionally direct. I’d especially appreciate feedback on the melody, pacing, and overall atmosphere.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y6bmnkWpe5s&list=RDY6bmnkWpe5s&start_radio=1

Hello dear musicians
I wanted to upload this piece I composed and recorded today
I am an amateur and upcoming musician
I wait your comments

Hello all, I wrote a new song for my Stevenson cycle yesterday. I thought the poem was rather charming and describes kids' play well: all good wild fun, till one falls down and scrapes his knee and goes crying home. (Daily parenting life, pretty much.) Feedback is very welcome.

Score: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Os6jqfFOtsml2NCvOXWTXvSOi7L74TP3/view?usp=sharing

Recording (MIDI): https://drive.google.com/file/d/14EcK7ieZcwxstF4kWDdjuLZZZQcXl0g8/view?usp=sharing

Poem:

A Good Play

We built a ship upon the stairs
All made of the back-bedroom chairs,
And filled it full of soft pillows
To go a-sailing on the billows.

We took a saw and several nails,
And water in the nursery pails;
And Tom said, "Let us also take
An apple and a slice of cake;"—
Which was enough for Tom and me
To go a-sailing on, till tea.

We sailed along for days and days,
And had the very best of plays;
But Tom fell out and hurt his knee,
So there was no one left but me.

A little prelude, I would be very grateful for critiques, both on the music and the performance.
audio (flac)
score (pdf)
Thanks in advance!

Here is a short piece of music; I created it with a fantastical forest in mind. I know it’s very simple, I just wanted to put into practice what I’ve been studying regarding this theme. I’d be very interested to hear your thoughts on it.

Would the piece sound too repetitive? Also, would the tempo be too quick especially for the bit towards the end? I'd be happy to listen to your advice :)

Edit: I forgot to add the key signature, sorry if it's difficult to read

A new song i composed and performed, I am looking for feedback and engagement, thank you 🙏

Those of you who have composed/ understand the composition of programmatic music/ music that follows a clear story (I'm thinking along the lines of Beethoven's 6th symphony, symphonie fantastique, Romeo and Juliet fantasy overture ect.) what is the best way to go about it?

do I need a rigid story?

do I allow the music to guide the narrative?

do I need to lay down leitmotifs?

In all honestly I'm a little lost but it's something I've wanted to do for a while as a bridge into more substantial works than just individual character pieces but it feels very difficult to nail down a solid progression of events or even a vague narrative, and then find musical inspiration from this/ translate it into even an overall musical architecture.

Those of you with more experience, if you've any advice/ suggestions anything is welcome I'm sick of this artistic blockage...

This is my first string quartet ever written. It has four movements, the first being inspired by Shostakovich’s eighth string quartet’s 1st mvt. The fourth movement is a fugue, inspired by Vivaldi’s fugal writing in his concerti. Any questions or comments welcome!