I searched online for composition competitions. Of what I could find, most of them require an entry free. Are there any free composition competitions that are currently open for submissions? It's one way to gauge my skills.

Hi,

Im trying to compose some of the late 70's style song. Like this one.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cXzuQH_I7WM&ab_channel=KateBush-Topic

Only piano no arrangement yet here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iPVA7_mXKsQ&ab_channel=ABCLibrarySales

I'm trying to compose for a project that's really close to my heart. We're talking about the late 70's and early 80's, and Kate Bush's work in particular.

I've linked two videos of the same title. I can't figure out how it was composed.

Was the first step the melody or the chords?

What does it mean for the rest of my composition to start with one or the other?

What's the relationship between the intervals of the verses and those of the chorus?

How could I manage (with a lot of work, I admit) to compose something so deep and touching in this style (or any Kate styles song??

Are there any identifiable compositional techniques I could learn from this?

I really want to learn to compose in this sense.

If Anyone can help me with that i would grateful forever!

Hi, everyone. I am looking for notation software to meet some specific needs. I am trying to notate music. The biggest problem I run into is the fact that most easily accessible software presupposes the need of a time signature and automatically places bar ends accordingly. However, the style of chant that I am notating does not use a time signature. Is there musical notation software that allows me to ignore time signatures and fully customize the placement of bar ends? Thanks for your help!

Hello, folks-

A high school student is asking me for some guidance on finding an undergrad composition program in the US. I've been out of the University system for nearly 20 years, so my info is for sure a bit outdated and I could use your thoughts on which programs are worth looking into these days. Plus, I feel like this could be a very useful post for people seeking out such information.

Much appreciated!

I’m going to invest in a good string library for use in my music. Any recommendations? I was checking out Cremona Quartet, very expensive, but I thought demos sounded great. Everyone seems to not rate it though. I also checked out Spitfire Appassionata strings but they sound more orchestral/cinematic from the demos I heard.

Hello fellow musicians and music lovers,

I am an 16 years old composer and I’ve recently finished writing a Sonata in C# minor, dedicated to Rachmaninoff, and I’d love to get some ears on it! If anyone is up for giving it a listen and sharing their thoughts or feedback, I’d really appreciate it. Anything from the composition itself to ideas on performance would be super helpful.

And if someone feels inspired to perform it, that would be amazing! I’m open to chatting about that as well, and we could definitely figure something out if it resonates with you.

Feel free to reach out if you’re interested, or if you know someone who might be. Can’t wait to hear what you think!

I Wrote a Sonata for Rach (Sonata Quasi Una Fantasia in cis moll) - CelvinPiano https://youtu.be/jE4mzqkKmK0

Best, Celvin

Shadow Fight Rescore

Hey everyone I would love your thoughts, tips and analysis on this rescore I did for shadow fight's trailer. I did the music, sound design and mxing with sfx for this one. I want to know where I can improve, what are my strengths and whether I am able to give justice to the scenes or not and if not then how can I approach it better. I am excited to hear from you guys! Also if this is good should I create a tutorial video of this work, is it good enough?

Probably the biggest news for composers today...the end of Finale.

I started my move to Dorico about two years ago after nearly 20 years with Finale, but I've still been using Finale for orchestrating and arranging other's work. Be sure to export your work to PDF and XML asap.

https://www.finalemusic.com/blog/end-of-finale-new-journey-dorico-letter-from-president/?utm_source=Iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=campaign_10832062

Hey so I have been making music for like 4 years but only been really composing for a year or two as I just finished my freshman year at Composition school, which was my first year of any sort of music education. Hence I have gotten more comfortable with writing sheet music and writing music with backed up theory knowledge.

The issue, however, is that I am not getting any faster. It has been a year of a lot of classes and work on my off time. but even when summer started (when school stopped and work calmed down), I just barely got a piece done (2 movements out of 3 and a prelude), and have started another small piece. 

I explain everything in very messy order and lacking in detail but that's because I just want to know: How does one write faster? I am only 20 but by the end of 2024 I wanted to have 7-10 pieces but at this pace I will have 2-3 along with some 1-2 minute school pieces that really mean nothing to me due to the time constraint given to me by the instructor to keep things under two minutes.

All in all the main question is how do you write faster? As someone that is new to composition, how do you develop a workflow and stick to it without procrastinating due to the lack of motivation or knowledge?

Thanks in advance.

I'm struggling to find composers who specialise in traditional folk instruments from around the globe who would like to contribute to a giant project of world music.

Anyone have advice how to find the right people?

How do you find directors, films or various projects for which you write music?

Since I am an aspiring cinematic musician (3+ years of writing), I have steady commissions or regular clients. I'd like to learn more about where to find clients and how to contact them.

Thanks for your help! Perhaps you can give some more advice in this regard as a beginner.