# New to forum, I compose via writing down as opposed to PC / MIDI files.



## JamieHoldham

Hello everyone, I am new to this forum and will do just a "brief" introduction of myself here;

Sorry for spelling mistakes / grammar errors.

I am a self taught composer the age of 19, and I started to get into classical music / composing about 4-6 months ago when I first heard Beethoven's 9th, for the first time. Over time I gradually understood and familiarized myself with the basics of composing, different styles, not just music genres within classical such as a sonata, but certain composers style from different countrys such as Vivaldi / Italian music, Bach and pretty much all the greats / from Germany, Jean Lully / French music. I try to incorprate there styles in my music such as Bach did when he went abroad.

As you can tell from the title of this post I compose on paper with all my compositions, not just single keyboard pieces, but Sinfonias, Masses and (in the future!) grand oratorios / operas. With a mix of imagination and careful analysis of certain instruments one at a time and how they affect each other I can put together a piece as a whole. My refusal to use MIDI programmes and instruments is because I really really cannot stand the mechanical and terrible quality sound of it, more so than other people. A problem of composing so many pieces at once is I lose touch of a piece if I stop composing for a while and come back to it.. although it isnt that big of a problem.

Because I cant share my music for others to listen to without going through the ardrous process of putting all the notes into a programme such as Finale for example, I am sharing just a few pictures of some of my works, I can only share 5 for each post and I dont really want to spam the site with all my works because I dont want to get a wrong message across i.e banned. Sorry for the terrible quality of my iPod by the way, its a old 4th generation .

































At the moment I am composing a Requiem Mass, Messiah, Magnificat, Symphony 1 & 2, Violin Concerto No.1, Solo Violin Partias, Organ Passacagila, Solo Cello Partias, Missa Brevis, Orchestral Suite, my "Canon Varietys." (a collection of all types of canons increasing in length and complexity hopefully to a technical mastery never done before), and thats it for now, but in the future I want to make so soo much more, and its not just for quanitys sake I want to make beautiful, complex and well structured pieces which brings me onto my next point.

Education: Since I am 100% self taught and I do want to have a career in composing I will be going to ethier College (again) > Uni > futher education or a job to compose for Films / Games to try further my knowledge and compositional methods + theory.

Sorry again for this "brief" introduction... if theres 1 thing I am it is extremely passionate about music and I dont just want to do it for fun or for a short period of time, I want to create a large amount, of the highest quality attainable within my talents music of many types, choral music, church music, masses, canata, oratorio, preludes, fugues, variations, operas, and you get the point. I dont just want to be a composer, I want to try, and it will take great sacrifice and effort, to make myself the greatest composer I can be.

I could write so much more and show alot more of my work but I wouldnt want to waste more of anyones time, I dont even know if anyone will read everything I have done but, I guess its worth a try.

Thank you to all who read this.


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## Pugg

You wroth all this in 6 months?


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## Xenakiboy

Welcome, I'm new here too. Composer, self-taught (I study by analyzing scores and reading essays etc) as well but in the "contemporary" field. I'm very interested to hear your work now! Welcome!


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## JamieHoldham

Pugg said:


> You wroth all this in 6 months?


Yeah I did, pretty proud of it since I am self taught and am composing such imposing works such as a Messiah, which has atleast 40-50 movements. Most of my works are just at the 1st movement stage, apart from my Violin Concerto though, if my video game obession would go away I could focus more on my music.


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## JamieHoldham

Thanks for the welcome, I still analyze scores to so I can learn different composers styles and how different instruments affect each other, and I will try to keep this or seperate posts updated as to how my work is coming along, with pictures if possible.


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## JamieHoldham

Just writing a quick small update that I will try get a better quality camera for taking photos of the scores to make them look visible, also will only put up pictures from now on when I fully finish and complete a work, because I go through sketches and ideas like most artists do who want to perfect there talents.

Also I doubt anyone is really interested in what a lone composer is making but I will be taking my time and dont expect anything too soon.


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## Samuel Kristopher

That's quite impressive to write it all down. Do you have any means of listening to your works other than playing them at the piano?


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## Pugg

Samuel Kristopher said:


> That's quite impressive to write it all down. Do you have any means of listening to your works other than playing them at the piano?


Very good question , I am also curious to O.P answer


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## JamieHoldham

Maybe interesting to you, but I have no means to hear my work but in my head, I can play no instruments ^^


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## JamieHoldham

Just adding a reply because I cant see a edit button, but if I ever learn to play a instrument it will most likely be the Organ, I will still compose pen and paper because since I first started I feel like I can more comfortably listen to multiple instruments slighty better, although this is a skill that will probally grow very gradually. When I eventually learn Organ and get access to one I will probally use that only to help me create Preludes / Fugues / Choral Preludes and Trio Sonatas & plain sonatas.

Another note for my Organ music whilst I do want to get my use of counterpoint mastered (certainly not to Bach's unparrelled skill) but to the highest of my particular skills, and I will continue to look at Bach and Buxtehude (Bachs inspiration for creating complex contrapuntal works) scores and works to create beautiful, obvious and clear different contrapuntal melodys. Its one hell of a challenge but one I welcome for and will take on as hard as I can. And never give up to simple monophonic music.


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## Samuel Kristopher

Very inspiring mate, I wish you the best of luck. I wish I had the time/patience to work by hand - there's something magical about the look of hand-drawn music!

Organ sounds like a very fascinating instrument to play. My knowledge of it is almost nil - I have a feeling it's remarkably different in dynamics and style to a piano, although in the school I went to, you could only study organ after having done four years of piano. 

If it's acceptable to you, you could upload a picture of one page (perhaps the first) of one of your works, and I could score it in Sibelius just to hear it (and even upload the result here so others could listen). Of course that's your prerogative - just my idea, because I'm interested to hear something and it seems others are too (hey Pugg  )


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## JamieHoldham

I wont lie my Organ knowledge is very limited, all though I know the basics that a Pipe Organ has pipes (duh) and certain tempertures affect the tuning thats why they are in a closed space, controlled environment, also the front pipes you see of a organ in a church are just fakle ones just for display, and thats about as much as I know on Organs. And if I ever need to learn Piano in the future just to get to learn the Organ, I will do whatever it takes.

As for a picture of one of my works all this talk of Organs got me started to create a Prelude & Fugue, I have nearly finished 1 page and when its done I will post the picture up here, and you can put it in Sibelius if you like  Even though I hate anything thats isnt the real instrument itself, even if you play Bach in a notation programme it just doesnt have that same feel, too mechanical. Thats just my opinion though


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## Samuel Kristopher

No I totally agree about the sounds of notation programs, it is a bit frustrating. I try to remember that it's just for reference and getting a general idea  however, the piano doesn't sound too bad if you go through each measure one by own and manually add a more "human" dynamics such as rubato and tempo fluctuations. I even managed to write a whole sonata in this way, partly to see if it could sound convincing, and it's not too bad IMO. 

Organ, however, eurgh  probably Sibelius' weakest sound set. I tried writing a short organ piece a few months ago and it sounds like a very scratchy violin xD


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## JamieHoldham

Just finished the first page of my Prelude & Fugue for you to chuck in Sibelius if you like 

I took two photos to try and get as clear of a picture as I could but sorry still for the bad quality, I am not exactly up to date with the lastest iPhones nor do I care to pay £600+ for one, anyway I digress, the 1st photo has the first 4 measures, and the 2nd photo has the next and last 10.

Also if you are wondering why I am only using 2 staffs for a Organ it is just to save space and allows me to compose more with the amount of page I have, and if you have trouble I can help decipher it. By the way; the lower staff is the middle part of the keyboard in Sibelius until I made a note of "Ped" = Pedal to change the lower part of the staff from the middle keyboard to the pedal.


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## JamieHoldham

Forgot to add the pictures, here you are


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## JamieHoldham

Making a note here partially to myself but also for others interested in what I am doing, I bought some 28 staff paper and it should be delivered soon, and when it comes I am going to use it to create a Saint Matthew's Passion for double orchestra & choir. Here is a link to Bach's if you the reader what to have a rough idea what the one I am creating will sound like. (Although no where the level of Bach, obviously)


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## Samuel Kristopher

Nice one, I'll give it a crack and see what I come up with


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## Samuel Kristopher

Hi Jamie, I've had a go at scoring it and I have a question about the fourth measure of the first image. I see quarter-notes on beats 1 and 3, but I'm slightly confused about what's in between. On beat two, there are five notes, seemingly in the pattern of 16th-8th-16th-8th-16th. This fits if the 16th notes are written as appogiaturas - otherwise I'm not sure how the rhythm is meant to go xD the same with measure 5


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## JamieHoldham

Looks like I made a slight miscalculation and the amount of notes dont quite fit in with the time signature, I would say just do it as it is shown, but if the notes overlap onto the following measure because I messed up and it doesnt quite fit with the time signature, just continue, it will be the exact same notes and everything it will just look different to how I have written it


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## JamieHoldham

And if its too much trouble also, you dont have to do this, I wont argue since my bad maths skills would make this a bit awkward for you


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