Saturday, September 20, 2008

Round 2.

I've been really stressing out about my compositions.
I got Sibelius a few days ago from a friend. (Thank God, he let me use his second copy.)
I was trying new things and seeing what I could come up with but I didn't like anything I wrote.
Finally after a few hours I came up with two systems that were completely different. At first I was going to go with opposing motives in the one piece, but then I decided to separate those two motives into two pieces. Now I'm stuck with two beginnings!

What next, indeed.

It's frustrating to see that this is so easy for some people whereas I feel like I'm completely lost.
I feel out of my league. 
I guess it'll come in time.
But the thing with that is, there isn't much time.

M.

3 comments:

Kate Bevan-Baker said...

I feel the same way!!

I just installed sibelius a few days ago, and i have no clue how to use it. I think that once I know how it works I'll be able to have a lot more fun playing around with things and trying some different techniques.

Even though it's frustrating some of the time, I still find this project a lot of fun!

Good luck

Justin Guzzwell said...

I agree with Kate. Having Sibelius to mess around with is EXTREMELY helpful. I've used it extensively while doing this assignment and it has helped me better understand the context in which I've written some of my ideas. Being able to step back and actively listen to something you've written can really simplify that whole "what next?" question we all seem to be plagued by.

Clark Ross said...

The notation programme I have used for the past 15 years or so is, as you could imagine, one I feel extremely comfortable with.

Unfortunately, the manufacturer stopped supporting it in 1997! Which means that if I want to use this software, I have to keep an old computer around that can run it, because it doesn't run under the current Mac operating system (OSX).

Obviously, at some point this will no longer be an option — all computers die eventually — so, a few years ago I bought Sibelius and Finale, intending to try both to see which I liked better, and then stick with that one.

Only trouble is, I am usually composing to meet a deadline, and, as you are discovering, it's very difficult to learn a new notation programme AND meet a composing deadline!

So, I definitely can relate too!