# What are your musical goals?



## Phil loves classical (Feb 8, 2017)

Critiquing someone's work involves some interpretation of a goal, or could be the musical goal of the one doing the critique, which may be different than the one composing. 

What are you goals? Could be to just make something pretty, something new and original, something to challenge the listener, or to emulate the past Masters, or simply to make something sound striking regardless of any rules or taste.


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## mikeh375 (Sep 7, 2017)

The one thing you missed off there Phil is what I am trying to do now- namely listening to myself and writing it down. I've done the pretty and just about everything else in my time. My advice would be to be sincere in whatever you write and don't worry about what somebody else thinks unless they are paying you.


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## QuietGuy (Mar 1, 2014)

My goal is to get back into composition again, and produce interesting (to me, at least) pieces of music. One piece is a ballet/tone poem idea that been floating around in my head since 1984. Another is to find a text (along the same lines as James Agee's text for Barber's Knoxville) that moves me enough to want to set it to music. If I could fulfill these two goals, I could die happy.

In response to Phil's request to be more specific:

The ballet would written in Messiaen's 2nd Mode of Limited Transposition (lots of Augmented 6ths); if I ever find the text, the vocal piece would be more traditionally romantic.


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## Phil loves classical (Feb 8, 2017)

Ok. Could y'all be more specific, like what is interesting to you? atonal, 18th tonal, borderline, baroque, etc?


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## mikeh375 (Sep 7, 2017)

QuiteGuys' use of a Messiaen mode is quite specific Phil. As for me, I have recently been writing also using an adaptation of Messiaen - his technique of additive rhythm. 
My composing of late has also ventured into more dissonant fields, but my listening encompasses everything from plainchant to the 21stC. Currently I am listening to modern symphonies by David Matthews. His language has a discernible link to tradition, but he doesn't pull harmonic punches.


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## Phil loves classical (Feb 8, 2017)

mikeh375 said:


> QuiteGuys' use of a Messiaen mode is quite specific Phil. As for me, I have recently been writing also using an adaptation of Messiaen - his technique of additive rhythm.
> My composing of late has also ventured into more dissonant fields, but my listening encompasses everything from plainchant to the 21stC. Currently I am listening to modern symphonies by David Matthews. His language has a discernible link to tradition, but he doesn't pull harmonic punches.


Ya, I saw Quite Guy's additonal response after. That's great. My 2nd last piece I used a 1:2 distance model which makes modulation at multiple points pretty seamless while adding an extended range of harmony, which I would like to get into further.


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## mikeh375 (Sep 7, 2017)

Phil,

Can you explain a little further the 2:1 distance model? Just curious as I don't think I've heard of that before. Careful about that extended harmony, you never know where you will end up...


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## Phil loves classical (Feb 8, 2017)

mikeh375 said:


> Phil,
> 
> Can you explain a little further the 2:1 distance model? Just curious as I don't think I've heard of that before. Careful about that extended harmony, you never know where you will end up...


Makes use of a scale like C-Db-Eb-E-F#-G-A-Bb which are semi-tone and whole tones apart alternately, and is "equally tempered" between each semitone pair. It was a technique used in the early 20th century.

Here is a good example  of its use:






I used "altered" chords near the middle to "modulate" into the other scale that is a semitone higher (or lower)


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## mikeh375 (Sep 7, 2017)

Ahh, now Phil, if you'd have called it an octatonic scale I would not have needed to ask. It is not exclusive to the early 20thC.

BTW Phil, if you are looking to expand your harmonic vocabulary, check this out...it is free here and is a useful way of thinking about new harmony.

https://archive.org/details/harmonicmaterial00hans


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## Phil loves classical (Feb 8, 2017)

Thanks. I browsed through and got a headache. I'll listen to some of the examples that makes use of it. That is where I would get interested to dig further, if I find myself intrigued by the music.


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## QuietGuy (Mar 1, 2014)

Phil loves classical said:


> Makes use of a scale like *C-Db-Eb-E-F#-G-A-Bb* which are semi-tone and whole tones apart alternately, and is "equally tempered" between each semitone pair. It was a technique used in the early 20th century.


That's one iteration of Messiaen's 2nd Mode of Limited Transposition I mentioned in my previous post. The others start on C# & D. When you get to Eb, the same pitches as in C repeat themselves (limited transposition.)


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## Phil loves classical (Feb 8, 2017)

QuietGuy said:


> That's one iteration of Messiaen's 2nd Mode of Limited Transposition I mentioned in my previous post. The others start on C# & D. When you get to Eb, the same pitches as in C repeat themselves (limited transposition.)


The higher modes of LT sound like interesting ideas, but I'm not sure how the scale is derived between groups.


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## Crassus (Nov 4, 2013)

My goal is to convince people that writing music in the current century isn't as futile as some would suggest. I tried employing harmonic minimalism in a melodic, "rhythmatically engaging" framework for a string quartet not long ago. Theme&variations that won't bore you and where not a single perfect cadence is heard up to the 90th bar, can you believe it?


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## Phil loves classical (Feb 8, 2017)

Crassus said:


> My goal is to convince people that writing music in the current century isn't as futile as some would suggest. I tried employing harmonic minimalism in a melodic, "rhythmatically engaging" framework for a string quartet not long ago. Theme&variations that won't bore you and where not a single perfect cadence is heard up to the 90th bar, can you believe it?


let's hear some of it. how bout posting some pieces


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## cimirro (Sep 6, 2016)

goals as a composer? me, my wife and my two cats very happy with the sounds I "select" daily!
Of course, any other people who may enjoy it will be welcome...


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