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Post by Mike Hewer on Aug 29, 2017 8:10:43 GMT
Hi All, I was a professional composer for almost 30 years, working in media - music for film, tv and ads. I won several professional awards in my time and was fortunate enough to be able to take early retirement in order to concentrate on finding out if I have anything more profound to say. This is of course ongoing and will be for the rest of my time. Although I studied composition at the Royal Academy of Music in London, I consider myself self taught. My technique has been honed over the years by working with some of the UKs' finest musicians in recording sessions. I have composed for all manner of ensembles, from the small and intimate to large orchestra and the insights gleaned from my experiences has put me in good stead. I hope to make a meaningful contribution to the site and laud Dave Dexter for setting this up. You can have a listen to some of my efforts so far on my website.... Mike Hewer
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Post by Dave Dexter on Sept 1, 2017 18:37:38 GMT
It goes without saying it's a pleasure to have you here, now - laud away.
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Post by BootHamilton on Sept 4, 2017 21:05:11 GMT
Mike - I just started going through some of your pieces posted on your website. Wow. In particular, Adagio for Strings has currently grabbed my attention. Nice life and repertoire. Can't wait to hear what's next.
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Post by Mike Hewer on Sept 5, 2017 8:35:44 GMT
Hi Boot,
Thanks for having a listen and a special thanks for the compliment. The Adagio was a commission from an old friend with whom I worked for many years and was written in 2 weeks. If you listen to any more, you will find my language has 2 sides - one that is clearly tonal, the other less so. The latter is where I am now, so be careful what you wish for...:-) Thanks again, it was most appreciated.
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Post by David Unger on Sept 5, 2017 17:39:46 GMT
I really enjoyed your Violin sonata. Having had great trouble with my own Classical style sonata I am very impressed by what can be done with the duo by a "real" composer. I will surely return to that piece again. Great to see you here as well. I think a lot of us who are amateurs in the field can learn a lot from from your presence here. All the best
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Post by Mike Hewer on Sept 6, 2017 17:43:29 GMT
Hi David, Thank you for your kind words. I was fortunate in getting 2 of the best players in the UK for the violin sonata. One of them, the pianist Huw Watkins is also one of the UKs' finest composers, just google him and you'll see what I mean. I hope I can help in a small way, because I have had a lot of real world experience which I am happy to impart if it helps. From one composer to another, what trouble did you have with your sonata? A discussion about procedure in all aspects of composition might be an interesting one.
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Post by BootHamilton on Sept 6, 2017 18:08:07 GMT
Oh yes, please.
I, for one, would breathe it all in. For example, although I have been playing since decades ago, my professional experience is primarily in the field of Blues. I've self-educated myself in theory, as well as composed many rather 'experimental' pieces. However, due to the informality of my education, I constantly find myself suffering from a dearth of organized knowledge as far as conventional 'classical' form and structure, among other things. I now find myself an adult apprentice.
So, any such discussion regarding compositional procedure would be most interesting to me.
That's one vote.
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Post by David Unger on Sept 6, 2017 20:12:07 GMT
Hi Mike!
To discuss what problems I had with my sonata would be a long discussion. Everything from coming up with ideas for themes to harmonic progressions, bass-lines, formal issues, creating dialogue between the instruments and more are hard work for me. A lot more basic training with small pieces is certainly needed before I feel confident in my writing. These things are of course not possible to discuss in a general way (and perhaps not at all since they derive from inadequate studies). BUT what can be discussed (and would be interesting to do, in my opinion) is the question of for whom such pieces are/should be composed. I struggle a lot with the fact that new pieces in the Classical style (where I am from) are concidered study-pieces for amateur composers and musicians alike. But to still make the most out of a piece and remaining on the right level of difficulty and thereby increasing the chance of the piece actually being played is a real nut to crack for me. To make a piece that is equally challenging and beneficial for both me as a developing composer and the developing musician/student/amateur is tough since I still want the possible audience/listener to enjoy it as well. The question I am constantly asking myself is how high I should set my level of ambition to match the actual quality and usefulness of the outcome. But these are also questions that arise from my constant doubt in myself and in the value of my music. But perhaps I will post a link to the sonata in the critique or finished pieces thread to get a second opinion from others here on the forum
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Post by fuguestate on Sept 6, 2017 20:56:21 GMT
David Unger: Please do post it. It's hard to give specific advice without seeing the actual music. Who knows, perhaps our feedback may prod you in the right direction(s) to make a successful piece out of it. In my experience, even general principles are best learned in the context of a specific piece or passage. At least, that's how it best works for me and how my brain works, because while it's easy for me to assume that I understand something, it's when working out of the details of an actual piece that I realize I didn't fully understand it, and that's where the real learning happens.
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