# What made you decide what type of composer you wanted to be?



## Dan Mott (Jun 30, 2013)

One day did you just want to make film music? Pop? Rock? Jazz? anything.

What inspired you to go down a certain path, music wise?

Also. Do any of you wish you were making a living off writing for a different genre than the one you are now?

Really interested in your thoughts!

Thanks!


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## Ryan (Jun 30, 2013)

I haven't decided yet, and I think I'll never will.


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## Justus (Jun 30, 2013)

While I have a soft spot for Funk and 70s groovy Jazz (which sadly doesn't have a place in the media anymore, well in Germany anyway) I began to love what music does to pictures and got a passion for modern orchestral music as a whole.

Especially the more adventurous scores from the 80s and 90s brought the fun back into orchestral music IMO. Then HZ showed us how to rock the orchestra...
=o


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## dcoscina (Jun 30, 2013)

Good question. I wanted to write music like John Williams for a long time but realized I'd never even get close. I think the hardest thing is to hone in on one's own style. I became very influenced by John Adams' concert works from the 80s and 90s and began employing some of his minimalist techniques in my own 90s music. But I would say my sound is closest to my own when it marries classical with some jazz elements as that's what I studied in university. I like third stream a lot. 

I also still use some Goldsmith devices but more in my concert work than film stuff that's DAW based. Herrmann is another composer whose music I enjoy and often emulate.


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## EastWest Lurker (Jun 30, 2013)

As a songwriter I always pretty much loved it all and wanted to be able to write it all. When I started composing for films, that goal just followed.


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## PMortise (Jun 30, 2013)

No concrete decision made yet - I'm still following my heart with that one. I just want to be a considered a good one! :mrgreen:


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## Darthmorphling (Jun 30, 2013)

Rhandy Rhoads and Eddie Van Halen got me started playing guitar. Metallica cemented my love for metal, while Yngwie Malmsteen exposed me to classical music.

I never really listened to film music, aside from the occasional John Williams piece. One day, while searching for amp sim videos on YouTube, Mike Verta's live composing video showed up as a suggested video. I though to myself that this looks really cool. Upon researching further, I discovered Daniel's and Alex's walkthrough videos. 

I mostly listen to film music now. Especially the more hybrid type stuff as it reminds me of the rhythmic metal riffs I loved so much in my youth.

My carpal tunnel no longer dictates what kind of music I can create unlike with my guitar playing. I am only hampered by my knowledge.


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## rgames (Jun 30, 2013)

"What made you decide what type of composer you wanted to be?"

Finances.

As in: I'd never make a living at it, so I'm the type of composer who does something else for a living.

rgames


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## Darthmorphling (Jun 30, 2013)

rgames @ Sun Jun 30 said:


> "What made you decide what type of composer you wanted to be?"
> 
> Finances.
> 
> ...



I started composing after 16 years of teaching, but I could never compose for a living. I like having a steady income/ retirement. There is also that talent thing too :mrgreen:


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## Sasje (Jun 30, 2013)

Not so sure, I'm not a film composer. :D 

I do like the idea of writing to moving images, it kind of works together very well. I don't think I'll ever be a film composer, it's not something I can do on my own or just for the fun of it. 

On composing music, I don't know either. Sometimes I love it, other times I hate it. Can't really say what inspired me... I have this love/hate relationship with all creative things. It's such a wooly thing... especially when there is no clear path or inspiration. 
I think when it comes down to it, I guess I do it for my own enjoyment, a leisurely activity, I'm just afraid that being too serious about it that I will lose my interest. As some philosopher once said: Find out what your passion is, and then let it kill you.


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## MrCambiata (Jun 30, 2013)

When I was younger I had a composition teacher who was very Avant-garde. I kept bringing my romantic pieces and he told me it was a waste of paper (well he only told me that once but this sentence still rings in my head..) Then I went to a jazz school and studied jazz-piano and compostion, it was a relief to write this kind of music which serves me well until now. My teacher there was also a composer who orchestrated wonderfully and his music was contemprorary but very communicative. 

So now I try to write what's natural to me which is either Neo-romantic or jazz/pop. Most appreciated medium for this kind of mixture is the theater, which is what I'm currently writing for.


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## bryla (Jun 30, 2013)

When did you decide what kind of person you wanted to be?

Surely you can influence your style but really you're just a product of your environment and summed influences. Basically I follow the path that pays my bills. I'm not in to specific styles as long as I can fulfill my job.


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## Dan Mott (Jun 30, 2013)

Thanks for sharing so far guys.


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## Harzmusic (Jul 1, 2013)

I'm 18 years old, so I am still pretty at the beginning of the process and everything might change in the next years, but I have done some thinking nonetheless.

I started off wanting to write big orchestral music with a lot emotions and dragons and all that stuff. But I realized after a few years, that somehow most of my music sounded similar. The themes and melodies were different sure, but I already got stuck in a certain style which also was pretty limited.
So I figured that I just needed new influences, listened to more different music, studied some theory (still work in progress) and tried to get more flexible in style.

And that is the decision I have made so far. I love orchestral music and I want to be a really good composer of orchestral music. But in order to do so I need to be a versatile composer, being able to compose in different genres and styles, trying out different stuff and always looking out to discover new music.

On top of that I think in film scoring it is very very useful to be versatile. How many movies nowadays really require a pure neoromantic orchestral score?


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## Christof (Jul 1, 2013)

7 years ago I played around on my Mac with garageband just for fun, one day I published a track on Myspace, a director stumbled upon it and asked if he can use it for a short film.
This short score won some awards for best music, so I decided to develop this hobby.


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## Jetzer (Jul 1, 2013)

^^That's quite a cool story  

I actually had zero creativity in me (musically) until I was like 16.
I always had to play from the book, even when I had drum lessons I couldn't even play a simple beat without reading notes...

I don't really know how or why, but at some point that changed. I started fiddling around at the piano, but this time without reading notes (had lessons when I was really young, but quitted). 

I still remember the first things I 'wrote', which I thought to be accidents at the time. 
Sometimes of course it still feels like that :mrgreen: Like it just comes to you, out of nowhere. They didn't come the first 16 years of my live though. 

I always had a love for film music, and my style of writing was a bit like film music (whatever that means). At some point I thought what if I could add a cello line here in this piece...found some samples and that was like five years ago. 

I like to write songs as well, as in rock/pop songs. But after a while I get bored and want to do something without that structure verse/chorus.

Still deciding...


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## JPQ (Jul 2, 2013)

I dont decided this thing becouse i composer what comes my mind. i actually have good tools currently make most my ideas. but still i need bit more samples,and plugin upgrades. and this before current stuff goes non working state.


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## MacQ (Jul 2, 2013)

For me, it's the project itself that determines what kind of composer I am. I've written a lot of music in the past 10 years, and it's always been in service of the film/radio-spot/game, etc. As for a personal favourite style, I really like writing rhythmic electronic music that incorporates acoustic elements. I love sound-design and hate limitations, so anything that uses a whole bunch of tracks to achieve a dense texture is usually my cup of tea. I don't do ambient very well ... I like melody too much, I think.


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## impressions (Jul 2, 2013)

I was told there are 2 types of composers that we all struggle between- 
1. jack of all trades (does every style, good with mimicking templates, not emotionally attached to anything-good merc). it does not mean master of none-but one that can do really well everything.
2. master of one field.

of course there is a wide area in between those 2, but it covers the 2 extremes(the guy who told me that was the former senior music producer for warner brothers).
from my point of view-it was always making money out of art. or the craft of music if there's no other choice. that is always a challenge. I also am a firm believer of no-type composer. composer is a dude who can compose, for anything. although my first gig was film. I did almost everything else afterwards. if you can composer-you can do it to any project. especially when you don't have the luxury.

at the moment i'm jack of all trades, until i can find my own voice and be a master of my own style.


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## nikolas (Jul 2, 2013)

Dan-Jay @ Sun Jun 30 said:


> One day did you just want to make film music? Pop? Rock? Jazz? anything.


I have always been in love with classical music! I soon figured out that it was too difficult to become a concert pianist and I probably didn't have the chops, so I kept on composing "only". 



> What inspired you to go down a certain path, music wise?


We're talking about the pre-Internet era, so incoming recordings and info was all about the HUGELY FAMOUS composers. Until I actually moved to London I had no idea that one could have relatively small career (compared to that of Ligeti, for example) and still make enough money to live happily, teach and overall feel great!



> Also. Do any of you wish you were making a living off writing for a different genre than the one you are now?


Well... I do various gigs on the side, but I'm quite happy with composing contemporary classical music and music for computer games!:D


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## Dan Mott (Jul 4, 2013)

Thanks guys.

I do have a question though.

Ok so, take for example... some pop artist like Beyonce/Snoop Dogg (now Lion lol). Even Rock Bands, such as Muse/Rage Against The Machine/Metallica, you know.. all those guys. Are they composers? Or would you call them composers ...or artists?

When I think of a composer, I think of them composing any type of music, but where do the people I mentioned above fit in? To me they are writing for a specific genre, but why? Also, on their albums, it's all the same genre. Do you think that's the only way they can express them selves through music? It's like one day they decided, hey.. I want to be in a rock band only and that's the only way I think I can express how I feel... or is it more than that?

I love the ambient genre for example and I feel that relates to me, but if say I'm angry, then a rock song would relate to me, you know what I mean? 

I don't want to be a film composer, nor a composer for games, but more like finding my sound and producing something with it artisically, but that's hard to understand for some reason. I understand the role of a movie composer, or just composers in general, but not the role of those pop musicians. haha. 

Could a composer make music that is radio and MTV ready? What would happen if there was a new artist on the block that made music for different moods and each song's genre was different... would that put people off? Would it make people less likely to buy their album? Would it ruin marketing and identity for the band or solo artist? I think about this a lot. We have different genres on the radio, but those genres are covered by bands or solo artists who have chosen to stick to that specifically. I just wonder if people would tune out if every band or artist decided to convey what they felt by writing simply anything they thought fit the part. I'd think there wouldn't be brands. There also wouldn't be indie people/pop people/metal heads/emo. It's interesting.

Anyone want to discuss?


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## EastWest Lurker (Jul 4, 2013)

They are generally called songwriters. In a larger sense all songwriters who contribute to the music of the song (as opposed to the lyrics) are of course "composers" but people who exclusively write songs and not other forms of music are generally not referred to as composers.


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## impressions (Jul 4, 2013)

Dan-Jay @ Thu Jul 04 said:


> Thanks guys.
> 
> I do have a question though.
> 
> ...



I know what you're saying. but as far as I know-these guys didn't "choose" any genre, they just picked up the best way to express themselves-and they were the best at it.
regarding concept and maintaining the genre-you should never think about it like this if you're doing something artistic, you'd only be limiting yourself.
you should do just what the hell you think is right, in the pace you want it, and in all the crazy genre chaos mixing you want it to be. the new indie bands that emerge and get more noticed aren't those that made another classic rock album. they made a new sound. which fortunately to them was more popular than others. I really don't believe that if you put your audience wishes before your artistic needs you will get anywhere. that's something for the producers to worry about *after* you get popular.

in short-if you are for real, meaning, you don't just make music out of influences or by kinda copying another good artist, do it as best as you want it to be.
if you have a real original musical statement to the world, or to yourself, just do it! *it's the best way to go that really mean anything*(but you will find yourself broke if people didn't like what you had to say. sad but true). and even if it's not original, starting to make it gives you better understanding of yourself and all that spiritual yada yada etc,etc..


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## Dan Mott (Jul 4, 2013)

impressions @ Fri Jul 05 said:


> Dan-Jay @ Thu Jul 04 said:
> 
> 
> > Thanks guys.
> ...



I see.

Though, I'd never put the audience first. Not really what I'm saying.

Just interesting, that they come up with a sound, but then keep it for a long period of time. Whatever genre it is, you'd think they would want to express them selves differently or something. Hard to explain.


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## impressions (Jul 4, 2013)

Dan-Jay @ Thu Jul 04 said:


> I see.
> 
> Though, I'd never put the audience first. Not really what I'm saying.
> 
> Just interesting, that they come up with a sound, but then keep it for a long period of time. Whatever genre it is, you'd think they would want to express them selves differently or something. Hard to explain.


It could be because they excelled in one genre, and sucked at another. if you're a songwriter you don't have the same flexibility in genres such as media-composer. and you don't get bored with it as quickly. besides in just 1 genre you can put so many influences, check out blur, radioheads, the smiths, the cure, pink floyd etc.. they all have their own genre but they have tons of flexibility because of influences.


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## Dan Mott (Jul 4, 2013)

impressions @ Fri Jul 05 said:


> Dan-Jay @ Thu Jul 04 said:
> 
> 
> > I see.
> ...



*It could be because they excelled in one genre, and sucked at another. if you're a songwriter you don't have the same flexibility in genres such as media-composer. and you don't get bored with it as quickly* Describes me pretty well.


Your concept makes sense. Never thought of it in that way.


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