It's Coming Along

So. Private composition lessons are going very well. I'm definitely experiencing some real growth as a composer, and I know that's due to Hummie's methods and his insistence that I make a sketch of my pieces by hand. "Make the sketch clear," he keeps telling me whenever put my chicken scratches in front of him.

I knew the first day he started teaching us that THIS was the stuff I had been looking for as a composer. He's uber-organized, and I'm taking a cue (no pun intended) from his song book about that. I still have a long way to go both organizationally and compositionally, but for the first time in a while now I'm making progress. I feel a lot more confident when I sit down to score a scene. It's like we're pushing that boulder of doubt out of the way. The only bummer is that I only have a couple of months left under his and Andy Hill's tutelage. I'm trying to make the most of it.

My biggest problem right now is my sleeping. I've gotten into the bad habit of sleeping with my light on. I go to bed with work unfinished, intending to "take a nap." Usually the nap last 6 - 8 hours, but I never really feel rested because I left my contacts in, my jeans (and sometimes shoes) on, and my light on. Hence I'm writing this post at 3:30 in the morning. Undoubtedly I'll be tired tomorrow, too.

Recording Session

I both love and hate the lifestyle of the composer.

I'm not sure I can describe the mind-numbing pressure of the past couple of weeks. Except for short breaks when I posted online, I was too busy to do anything but proofread, proofread, proofread, and write, write, write, rewrite and proofread some more. (Right now there are dishes piled up in the kitchen sink, and I haven't done laundry in maybe three weeks. I guess we can see where my priorities lie.)

Yesterday, the morning of the recording session, I had to print, copy, and tape all the musicians' parts, as well as print my scores. Naturally, I didn't have enough paper, so I had to rush out of the house to finish copying at school. Only when I got to school, I had about seven minutes to finish copying. And I needed a total of 22 scores. (I actually needed 24, but more on that below.)

I managed to make it, thanks to the lovely technology of new copiers. But when the recording schedule started, I found myself worrying over the conductor's score, of which, in my haste, I had forgotten to make second and third copies, wondering if I'd screwed up the page order when I taped it. So I couldn't enjoy half the recording. (I managed to take a peek at the conductor's score during break - pages were right).

All the worrying was for naught, as the musicians played through my pieces without incident. (Three or more mistakes in the score supposedly would have resulted in my score being rejected, although thankfully there apparently weren't enough mistakes in my score to find out! Or anyone else's, for that matter.)

It's amazing to me how dependent a composer (or writer, I suppose) can feel at the end, when the piece is done, on other people's opinions. Was it strong? I kept asking myself. Would it work for the scene? But a classmate raved about it, and our orchestration instructor also complimented the work. I was so tired, though, it didn't feel like a triumph. I just let out a sigh of relief and looked forward to the end, when I could go home and sleep.

Another classmate was pretty awesome in proofing my work. (He's the guy with MAJOR conducting credentials, and he's turning out to be a really good composer and an excellent, helpful classmate, too.) The really cool thing about school—the only thing that helps me through it, in fact—is how we all work together as a team under pressure and help each other as much as possible.

So tonight I came home and watched a little TV and took a guilt-free bubble bath and fell asleep at 7:30 p.m. on the sofa. Another classmate was having a shindig to celebrate, but I didn't feel like going. It worries me a bit that I can't seem to celebrate when all is said and done. But maybe I was just too tired.

Excitement

I know this has nothing to do with books, but I'm excited about something.

Today I buy my first sound sample library, the Garritan Personal Orchestra. Now, this is the least expensive sound sample library I've been able to find, and East West Quantum may be better (it's certainly more expensive, and no doubt I will have to add that to my sample library eventually), but it's paired with Finale.

My pipe dream has always been to be a film composer. I am working on a film right now (a documentary), and if this sound sample thing works out, I can start sending ideas to the director and she can hear mockups of the music before I send it on to the musicians, all with realistic sounds. I can also make a demo to give to other people. And and and . . . I can start submitting music I've already written to music libraries as early as tomorrow (but more likely toward the end of the week. I expect problems. There are always problems. I just pray they won't be problems that set me back a few more months. I'm already way behind on the Life Plan.)

Okay, this may be why my writing is at a standstill. But not for long! For Neil Gaiman has lots of good advice about second drafts, which has come at a time when I sorely need it.

And by the way, where the hell are my beard pictures?