Posted by David Paterson on March 25, 19104 at 19:49:32:
In Reply to: Symphony posted by noriko on March 24, 19104 at 23:42:46:
: Hello, can anyone help me with steps in composing a very basic symphony? Thank you.
Nobody reads this website. Try posting the same question on usenet "rec.music.cla ssical".
I don't know if I can really help, I'm an absolute beginner. Composing is often done on piano. Are you a very good pianist?
If so, you may get away with what my friend did. She composed an entire orchestral piece 7 minutes 35 seconds long in 7 minutes and 35 seconds. She just sat at a digital piano and played whatever she felt like playing, recording everything to midi on computer at the same time. Try to forget that you're recording and just let the emotion and music flow out of you. Don't worry if it's bad or horrifically bad, record the bad along with the good.
Replay the midi file later to see whether it's good enough for the framework for a movement of the symphony. If not, try again, no sweat, you may record 50 pieces before finding one that is good enough.
When you have a good enough framework add harmony and ornaments here and there, then move parts into appropriate instruments.
The above approach may work even if you're not a very good pianist.
A more conventional approach is to set yourself a certain number of bars a day and try to stick to that. Each day play through what you already have and follow with what the music wants you to do.