Better Composer, Inc.

Sooooooo.... lets talk about one of those thing that no one wants to talk about. No, I'm not talking about that rash on your leg; I'm talking about what you can do to better yourself as a composer.

For myself personally, one thing in particular I would like to improve upon is my palate of instrumental tonal colors. By that I mean upon starting a piece, I usually start out at the piano (not that I am a fantastic piano player, buy its guitar or piano for me, and I feel more "at home" at the piano); assuming I haven't yet chosen what I'm writing for, I plunk around with a general feel (this pattern, this mood, this register etc.) until something sticks. I would like to go from that to thinking, "that would sound good on a flute" or "that would sound horrible if played in this register of the clarinet so lets move if down an octave".

Having not played in a wind ensemble for quite some time (i.e. since grade school) I sometimes feel that has helped me because I have no bad habits when it comes to composition, but I don't really have good ones, either.

What are your goals for improvement?