# Need advice from composers or anyone who's studied music



## Argus (Oct 16, 2009)

Here's the background. I'm 21 and have never studied music formally at any level. I have only been playing music for about 4 years but I am certain I want to be involved with it throughout my life. I am proficient on guitar and bass but have been struggling with tendinosis/chronic tendon pain in both hands for about a year now and may have to take a break/sabbatical from practicing if it get's any worse. I tried focussing more on my piano playing but that just gave me more pain. I have seen both doctors and physiotherapists to no avail, so I am almost resigned to the fact I won't be able to perform music on an instrument regularly. I can still play daily but it seriously hurts after say an hour and also constant pain throughout the day. This has disheartened me somewhat but I am now more determined to move towards composition as opposed to performing.

Now I can read music and have a decent understanding in musical theory of things like structural functions of harmony and counterpoint, but my ears are weak and untrained. I struggle to translate sound onto paper and most of my writing is done first via improvisation or quasi-improv on an instrument and then by working my improvised parts into a cohesive work. I am not necessarily interested in composing strictly 'classical' music but I want to be make progressive music.

I have just recently handed in my resignation at work and leave at the end of the month after being there almost 3 years, in an attempt to get out my rut and get the ball moving.

Now here's the questions. 

How and where would you recommend I study music?
How should I best utilise my time between leaving work and formally studying music? 
Is it possible for me to learn to compose without the use of an instrument?
How much will having a hand injury hinder my chances of getting into uni/college?
Can you recommend a decent free notation software in the vein of Sibelius?

Any help with any of those questions would be greatly appreciated.


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## Aramis (Mar 1, 2009)

So, you're having physical problems with your hands! It is your chance to get closer to your hero, Iommi. Invite some super-gloves that will make you able to play without experiencing pain, just like him.


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## David58117 (Nov 5, 2009)

So your plan is to attend a music program at a university? I'm a bit interested in going that route, but I've also been doing a lot of learning on my own the past...10 years or so off and on. One of my music instructions recommended I purchase the theory book they used during his time in school...so I did and worked my way through it. When I got stuck I was luck enough to be able to ask others for help (like my recent questions on here). I had to admit, learning without an instrument in front of you would be a bit difficult. 

If you're interested in ear training, have you started learning solfege?


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## Edward Elgar (Mar 22, 2006)

Argus said:


> How and where would you recommend I study music?


Depends on where you live. Looks like you live near Manchester. There's the Royal Northern but I suppose you'll need to wow them with previous work. I study nearby at Huddersfield Uni and that's great for contemporary composition. Have you heard of the "Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival"? It's the largest in Europe! Plus, it's quite easy to get on a BMus course. If you are looking for a career in composition I'd recommend the education route.



Argus said:


> How should I best utilise my time between leaving work and formally studying music?


Immerse yourself in art. I'm looking at Mattise and Rothko and listening to Bartok and Feldman at the moment. Also, find inspiration from non-art stimulus (politics, society, rice pudding and income-tax). Begin composing so you have something to show a university if you apply.



Argus said:


> Is it possible for me to learn to compose without the use of an instrument?


Yes, but you need knowledge of instruments. It sounds like you have sound knowledge of the instruments you play. I recommend Samuel Adler's orchestration manual and famous orchestral scores to learn more about the instruments you don't play.



Argus said:


> How much will having a hand injury hinder my chances of getting into uni/college?


It depends what course you're doing. Huddersfield Uni asks you to perform in your 1st year, but you don't have to major in it in that year and you can drop it for your final two years (which are the only years that count towards your final result).



Argus said:


> Can you recommend a decent free notation software in the vein of Sibelius?


Go to a computer fair and get an illegal copy of Sibelius for less than a pound. Just don't register it on the internet!


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## Argus (Oct 16, 2009)

David58117 said:


> So your plan is to attend a music program at a university? I'm a bit interested in going that route, but I've also been doing a lot of learning on my own the past...10 years or so off and on. One of my music instructions recommended I purchase the theory book they used during his time in school...so I did and worked my way through it. When I got stuck I was luck enough to be able to ask others for help (like my recent questions on here). I had to admit, learning without an instrument in front of you would be a bit difficult.
> 
> If you're interested in ear training, have you started learning solfege?


I have been studying traditional methods of composition from books by Schenke, Piston and Schoenberg as well as standard books like the pink and blue A.B. ones. I understand most of it but do get a bit stuck at the turn of the 20th century where tonality is very vague and less restricting to the harmony. But I'd also like to learn about different ways of thinking about sound and music, whether that be twelve tone serialism, atonalism, modalism or further divisions of the octave and sysems built on extensions of the overtone series.

As for ear training, I have just been practicing pitch recognition from one pitch to another and series of notes. I am getting better but still struggle to distinguish certain harmonies. I haven't really started with solfege yet, but if you could recommend some good books on the subject I'll definitely look into it.


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## Argus (Oct 16, 2009)

Edward Elgar said:


> Depends on where you live. Looks like you live near Manchester. There's the Royal Northern but I suppose you'll need to wow them with previous work. I study nearby at Huddersfield Uni and that's great for contemporary composition. Have you heard of the "Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival"? It's the largest in Europe! Plus, it's quite easy to get on a BMus course. If you are looking for a career in composition I'd recommend the education route.


I'm not sure whether I'll be suited to the Royal Northern seeing as I got into music late but I might go for an advice audition there and see what they recommend I should do. Huddersfield is one of the uni's I've looked into and is close enough to home that I could commute easily without relocation.



> Immerse yourself in art. I'm looking at Mattise and Rothko and listening to Bartok and Feldman at the moment. Also, find inspiration from non-art stimulus (politics, society, rice pudding and income-tax). Begin composing so you have something to show a university if you apply.


I'm toying with the idea of taking a year 'off' where I'll basically compose, excersise and self-study to prepare myself for formal study and hopefully so I get more out of the uni experience. 4 years of work and practice with basically no excercise has begun to take it's toll on my body. I'm lucky that I must have great metabolism as I've stayed quite svelt but my general fitness has gone down the s***ter.



> Yes, but you need knowledge of instruments. It sounds like you have sound knowledge of the instruments you play. I recommend Samuel Adler's orchestration manual and famous orchestral scores to learn more about the instruments you don't play


.

I have knowledge of most non-transposing instruments ranges and abilities, often playing their parts on guitar,bass or piano, but woodwind and other transposing instruments are something I need to learn more about. Also, do you know if Rimsky-Korsakov's book on orchestration is any good and still relevant today. I am, however, very much an electric fan (not literally) and wouldn't mind composing for either stricly electric instruments or the computer as an instrument.

Thanks for the advice.


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## Edward Elgar (Mar 22, 2006)

Argus said:


> I have knowledge of most non-transposing instruments ranges and abilities, often playing their parts on guitar,bass or piano, but woodwind and other transposing instruments are something I need to learn more about. Also, do you know if Rimsky-Korsakov's book on orchestration is any good and still relevant today. I am, however, very much an electric fan (not literally) and wouldn't mind composing for either stricly electric instruments or the computer as an instrument.


Rimsky-Korsakov's book is very dated as a lot of instruments have improved or, in some cases, been invented since it was written.

Huddersfield has a strong computer composition culture and there are popular music modules. The courses available are; Music, Music Technology and Creative Music Technology. I just do bog standard Music so I don't know much about the others, but the last one sounds more like you.


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## Zanralotta (Jan 31, 2009)

Argus said:


> I am proficient on guitar and bass but have been struggling with tendinosis/chronic tendon pain in both hands for about a year now and may have to take a break/sabbatical from practicing if it get's any worse.


Tendinitis can be a sign that something is wrong with your technique.
Are you self-taught? (I noticed that you mentioned doctors and physiotherapists, but not a guitar or piano teacher)

If you haven't done it already, maybe you could show your playing to a music teacher and discuss you problems. They could be able to help you find a less straining technique.

I know a few people who had problems with tendon pain and ended up pain-free with just a bit of adjusting. Maybe it can work for you, too?


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## Argus (Oct 16, 2009)

Zanralotta said:


> Tendinitis can be a sign that something is wrong with your technique.
> Are you self-taught? (I noticed that you mentioned doctors and physiotherapists, but not a guitar or piano teacher)
> 
> If you haven't done it already, maybe you could show your playing to a music teacher and discuss you problems. They could be able to help you find a less straining technique.
> ...


It's quite possible that it could be a flaw in my technique as I'm entirely self-taught, having never had even one lesson. I have changed my technique before. I switched from mainly playing electric guitar with a pick to playing classical fingerstyle, trying to straighten my wrists and back as much as possible.

A main contributor might have been because I was self-taught I didn't think about things like stretching before playing and warm-up exercises before sustaining my injury. I just used to warm my hands in hot water on cold days and then dive straight into playing difficult stuff. Hardly taking breaks as well. I never even thought about how unnatural and stressful it is on the body to be sitting playing an instrument for 3-4 hours a day, every day.

It wouldn't hurt me to see a teacher and they could advise me on best to tackle the problem, however, I still think taking a few months off from playing and concentrating on composing and using my ears might be beneficial to me in the long run.


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## Zanralotta (Jan 31, 2009)

Argus said:


> It's quite possible that it could be a flaw in my technique as I'm entirely self-taught, having never had even one lesson. I have changed my technique before. I switched from mainly playing electric guitar with a pick to playing classical fingerstyle, trying to straighten my wrists and back as much as possible.


The important thing is to relax your wrists, to achieve max. flexibility with as little strain as possible. 


> A main contributor might have been because I was self-taught I didn't think about things like stretching before playing and warm-up exercises before sustaining my injury. I just used to warm my hands in hot water on cold days and then dive straight into playing difficult stuff. Hardly taking breaks as well. I never even thought about how unnatural and stressful it is on the body to be sitting playing an instrument for 3-4 hours a day, every day.


I don't stretch and have never noticed a difference between playing with or without warming-up. It's more a routine aimed to collect my thoughts than anything else. I don't miss it when I haven't done it. It's not a necessity for me. YMMV, of course.


> It wouldn't hurt me to see a teacher and they could advise me on best to tackle the problem, however, I still think taking a few months off from playing and concentrating on composing and using my ears might be beneficial to me in the long run.


Of course. You know best what's good for you 
Your story is just so similar to what I've heard from a lot of self-taught musicians that I thought I could suggest something.


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## Guest (May 16, 2010)

The best way to compose without benefit of an instrument is to develop a good ear through rigorous aural training. There is a fairly cheap program out there called MacGamut that works on several levels--intervallic, melodic, harmonic, and rhythmic--and, as far as I know, is required by many college-level aural skills courses. A good ear will help you recognize intervals and thus give you the ability to notate them. 

As far as free notation software, try Finale Notepad. Beware, though, since you often get what you pay for...so to speak.


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