# Composition Instructors



## Captainnumber36 (Jan 19, 2017)

Do such teachers exist outside of the collegiate level? In other words, are there instructors I can pay, like private lessons, to provide feedback and such on composition?


Thanks in advance. I'm in Cincinnati Oh, if that helps at all. The big music school here is CCM, which is highly sought after.


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## paulc (Apr 18, 2011)

If you can't find someone to help you through a classified ad or a friend / family, I would suggest approaching the music school and asking them if they know of any students (past or present) who might consider giving you lessons. If they are in their second or third year (or have graduated), they will likely be fairly competent.


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

paulc said:


> If you can't find someone to help you through a classified ad or a friend / family, I would suggest approaching the music school and asking them if they know of any students (past or present) who might consider giving you lessons. If they are in their second or third year (or have graduated), they will likely be fairly competent.


Spot on advice , nothing to add.


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## arnerich (Aug 19, 2016)

Speaking from personal experience, having a teacher is very important indeed. Especially when you are just starting and also when you need a fresh pair of ears to hear a new composition. 

But people may forget that the best teachers who ever lived are ready and waiting to teach you. I couldn't think of a better teacher for counterpoint than Bach, Chopin for harmony, Beethoven for form, Tchaikovsky for melody, Stravinsky for orchestration, etc. All of them I consider teachers. You can find them at a library and their lessons are free of charge.


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## Captainnumber36 (Jan 19, 2017)

arnerich said:


> Speaking from personal experience, having a teacher is very important indeed. Especially when you are just starting and also when you need a fresh pair of ears to hear a new composition.
> 
> But people may forget that the best teachers who ever lived are ready and waiting to teach you. I couldn't think of a better teacher for counterpoint than Bach, Chopin for harmony, Beethoven for form, Tchaikovsky for melody, Stravinsky for orchestration, etc. All of them I consider teachers. You can find them at a library and their lessons are free of charge.


love this answer!


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## Bettina (Sep 29, 2016)

arnerich said:


> Speaking from personal experience, having a teacher is very important indeed. Especially when you are just starting and also when you need a fresh pair of ears to hear a new composition.
> 
> But people may forget that the best teachers who ever lived are ready and waiting to teach you. I couldn't think of a better teacher for counterpoint than Bach, Chopin for harmony, Beethoven for form, Tchaikovsky for melody, Stravinsky for orchestration, etc. All of them I consider teachers. You can find them at a library and their lessons are free of charge.


Great advice! Also, I'd like to add: Brahms for motivic development. His music is incredibly unified and organic. It's useful to study how he works through the implications of a motive. (Beethoven was great at this too.)


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## paulc (Apr 18, 2011)

Arnerich said:


> "But people may forget that the best teachers who ever lived are ready and waiting to teach you."


Yes, the scores of the Masters are readily available. I have a large pile of them on my bookshelf! Although, trying to make sense of scores with insufficient knowledge of music theory and past practice can be daunting & frustrating. Why this note here? Why that note there? Why that voicing? How the hell does this unusual harmony / unresolved dissonance work!? 

Most of the available music theory books are descriptive. The worst of these try to cover a little of every subject in the briefest fashion. I find these to be of little value. The more useful texts are written by accomplished composers. The ones which are didactic are gold.

Fux - The list of composers who studied (and in some cases, adapted) 'Gradus Ad Parnassum' is huge. The man was a competent composer, a brilliant teacher. I cannot recommend his teaching of Counterpoint and Fugue more highly. Even if you shun strict subjects, counter-subjects and corresponding answers in favour of a recurring motif and don't intend to write fugues, his instruction about double (& triple) counterpoint and musical elements which are suited to re-appearing in any voice (soprano, alto, tenor or bass) via transposition to different intervals is invaluable.

Also, Marpurg (on Bach), Albrechtsberger (teacher of Beethoven), Martini (teacher of young Mozart), Tchaikovsky (on Harmony), Taneyev (on Counterpoint), Rimsky-Korsakov (on Orchestration).

Ebezener Prout is overly descriptive, but also informative.

It will be obvious to some which books I have been reading!


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## Captainnumber36 (Jan 19, 2017)

paulc said:


> Yes, the scores of the Masters are readily available. I have a large pile of them on my bookshelf! Although, trying to make sense of scores with insufficient knowledge of music theory and past practice can be daunting & frustrating. Why this note here? Why that note there? Why that voicing? How the hell does this unusual harmony / unresolved dissonance work!?
> 
> Most of the available music theory books are descriptive. The worst of these try to cover a little of every subject in the briefest fashion. I find these to be of little value. The more useful texts are written by accomplished composers. The ones which are didactic are gold.
> 
> ...


Getting some books would definitely be helpful!

I also need to figure out an approach to studying composition. I always lean very strongly towards expression and there not being any right or wrong rules to expression. At the same time, I'd like to get some guidance of some sort on composition but not sure exactly what knowledge I seek.

Any tips on helping me decipher a self taught route would be helpful from more experienced composers on here!


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## Captainnumber36 (Jan 19, 2017)

Perhaps even the simple task of writing in a specific style just to expose myself to it would be beneficial, and doing it by following the rules.


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

Captainnumber36 said:


> Perhaps even the simple task of writing in a specific style just to expose myself to it would be beneficial, and doing it by following the rules.


Do it and let us know how you are going on.


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