# Is this strategy good to avoid massive composer's block in a symphony?



## caters (Aug 2, 2018)

So I am trying a different strategy to writing a symphony. Before, I would decide my orchestration first and I think this is what lead to my failure to complete a symphony. So now I am going much more gradual, and since I figured it would be easier if my first symphony were programmatic, I am starting with a story and then this is the process I am going through.

After I finish the story I want my symphony to tell(which I am writing in the form of an outline), I will decide on what themes I think will fit best. Once I have decided on the themes, I will first write them for piano since I find writing piano sonatas to be way easier than writing a symphony. I will also develop them while keeping with the piano score.

Then once I have a piano score of the whole symphony, that's when I would be answering questions like "Okay, should the flutes play this melody or should the violins play this melody?" and other similar questions. I would also be deciding whether I really need a vast orchestra or if it could be played with your standard Classical period orchestra. I tend to go vast in the size of the orchestra I compose for. These are the instruments that I tend to have in my orchestral scores on top of the standard orchestra instruments:


Piccolo
Alto flute
Bass clarinet
Contrabassoon
Tuba

I also tend to write the trombone section as 3 separate staves for Alto, Tenor, and Bass.

While this is great if I am transcribing the Pathetique Sonata for Orchestra and want the instruments in multiples of 3 staves to make distributing the melodic lines easier, it might not necessarily be great if I am composing a symphony.

Once I have decided on the orchestration and I have completed the piano score, it is mostly just distributing the notes of the piano score and copying the dynamics and articulations of the piano score. I might like have more extensive development but with the piano score, I have the basics of the symphony decided on.

So is this a good strategy to avoid the massive composer's block I would have if I just went right into the orchestration?


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## Vandalism (Jan 13, 2019)

Could your composer's block stem from the historical figures -- Beethoven and Mozart, namely -- that I get the feeling you're trying to emulate with this symphony? Please list a few of your favorite symphonies. I wouldn't want to discourage you from writing something in a Romantic vein, but there's a whole lot more to being a composer today than that (plus, most of it's been done to death before).


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## caters (Aug 2, 2018)

Here are some of my favorite symphonies:

Beethoven's 5th
Beethoven's 9th
Eroica
Symphony no. 40 in G minor

But honestly, I don't think the massive composers block stems from the composers I emulate. Otherwise I would get massive composers block with sonatas as well and I don't. I think it stems from me deciding on the orchestration before anything else which is why this time I am approaching it through the piano score route.


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## MarkW (Feb 16, 2015)

Although, as you are composing certain instruments jump out at you for some passages (which you might want to make marginal note of), most composers write a rigorously cogent piece of music first, then orchestrate it. Structure and expression come first.


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