Hey, guys!
We're working on a new guide for aspiring composers, but we really don’t want to leave anything out. So I’m doing a little investigation: Feel free to leave what you consider to be your BIGGEST questions about music making/composition --no matter how silly you think they sound
(You composers out there can even comment on topics you think folks should know.)
For helping out, I'll send you a copy of the guide when it's done :D

Drue

I've been recently trying to find as many online journals, periodicals, and data bases for contemporary composition. I think that it is important for composers to be informed on new music, so having a list of resources would be helpful.

I'm currently going through the archives of newmusicbox.com,the Routledge Contemporary Music Review, Contemporary World Music database, ubuweb.com (ubuweb sound), Classical Scores Library, and of coarse the fantastic Naxos Music Library. I've also looked into record companies that produce contemporary music, primarily Innova Records (which has a fantastic website, including many useful links).

I believe that being informed about contemporary music is just as important (if not more important!) as learning counterpoint and tonal harmony. If you know anymore useful resources I'd love to hear them!

Also, a reference of instrumental technique books (especially extended techniques) can allow new composers to write contemporary music for instruments that they are unfamiliar with.

I recently wrote a piece for solo alto sax. I used:
L'Art Du Saxophoneby Daniel Kientzy
and, Hello! Mr. Sax by Jean-Marie Londeix

No point trying to fit all information on composition into one source when someone has already done it for you.

What are notes in firs,second,third and so on positions?

I play guitar so could you explain those to me?

Notedude

I believe a very important part of composition is trying to keep the song moving and not just wanting to end to quickly.

Make sure you look at literature - there are a number of these already in existence.

However, I think most of them are lacking in a certain way:

Currently I'm doing a PhD with traditional composition techniques in the age of DAWs as a sort of focus. One thing I can tell you that is missing from traditional compositional manuels (ie not orchestration books, or history books, etc, but specifically composition manuals) is a focus upon present-day production techniques. Whether anyone likes it or not, modern production will become a more important focus for composers as time goes by.

Why? Because, specifically, as Paul Ramshaw points out (Ramshaw, Paul. "Is Music Production Now a Composition Process?"), technology has permitted single individuals to take over roles which previously required the expertise of various people operating several physically separate devices. Couple this with the fact that a composer stands to benefit from being involved in as many stages of the completion of the project as possible, it follows that composers will wish to learn about these new facilities.

A composer doesn't need to be the same as a producer, an audio recordist, etc, etc, but more and more it pays for them to understand about these extended techniques (as we could refer to them), as they are more and more within their grasp.

They only need to come to terms with these new facilities inasmuch as it aids their composition. However, contemporary manuals which cover methods of composition for the truly "contemporary" composer don't satisfactorily address this, in my view.

-
Tom