# Learning to Compose



## erodred (Aug 19, 2021)

Hello everyone!

So I have sort of played around with my samples and made a couple of what I hope are original pieces. I know I need to work on the realism of it to make it more authentic. 

I tried to train my ear and practice producing realism by listening to some of my favourite composers. I am curious what other people use as a method:

1) look at the score and input it and adjust the midi parameters to achieve a similar sound?
2) just listen to it and try an pick out the instruments and melody?

I am currently trying to adopt 2 but I find while I can pick out the main melody line, I am not guessing the correct instrument.

So I am curious how people go about recreating mockups.


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## zedmaster (Aug 19, 2021)

What helped me most in the VERY beginning was trying to recreate one of my favorite orchestral OST's completely by ear, and trying to get as close as possible to the result. Took me about 1 month and it wasn't *that* close. But I learned an incredible amount.

Had to listen to it for SO many times, because I wasn't yet trained in hearing horns, trombones, violas, etc. but it paid off


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## erodred (Aug 19, 2021)

zedmaster said:


> What helped me most in the VERY beginning was trying to recreate one of my favorite orchestral OST's completely by ear, and trying to get as close as possible to the result. Took me about 1 month and it wasn't *that* close. But I learned an incredible amount.
> 
> Had to listen to it for SO many times, because I wasn't yet trained in hearing horns, trombones, violas, etc. but it paid off


Yeah, that is exactly what I am doing. I started off taking a month to learn Romantic Flight from How to Train your Dragon. with that one I took the approach of like every 10-20 seconds I would identify the instrument and the melody.

I am now taking on the Jurassic Park Theme. This one I did a different approach of first trying to sketch out the main melody purely on piano. And then do the orchestration afterwards. 

But just in the beginning it sounds like he has lots of woodwinds going on and maybe its my library and my lack or maybe too much of reverb (I am using BBCSO woodwinds, but may switch it up to CSW instead)


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