here are too many boks to mention!
The first thing to do is differenciate between the art of composition and the art of writing for brass band.
A good composition with bog-standard scoring techniques wil always sound better than excelnt scoring but not-quite-so-good compositional skills.
If anybody is serious about composition, one should IMMEDIETLY study harmony and counterpoint. Without this skill or education u'll be lost. R.O Morris wrote a fantasic one!!!
It's no good just to know what notes feature in certain chords, you must know how to apply them in any given situation, again there is nothing you can do but study harmony and counterpoint.
The art of orchehstration/instrumentation is largely about problem solving!
One must study long and hard for years. There is NO shortcut, unfortuately, again remeber the basics about composition: melody, harmony and counterpoint, inversion, retrograde, pitch classes and note row's, 20th century notation techniques. There are so many books on these subjects that it's impossible to reccomend a few, go to ur uni library, or serach the web;
http://www.amazon.co.uk
Scorew writing/instrumentation is a skill on it's own and requires a technical knowlage of sound. You must know how instruments produce sound and how it's overtones effect it's sound at different volumes. Books and above all experence are imperative.
I get numerous email very often about advice on creating chords, etc, one must remember that to fully understand how harmony works in music, one must study it for himself through books and experience and experementation.
Don't be afraid to be wild - don't feel you must conform to tonal rules or even atonal! Composition is about expression, it's not about creating music that sounds good.
I teach composition regulary and always start them off by giving them a break from making music, I get them to think about what moves them, what turns them on, what do they hate, what is it that pushes thier buttons: if you can answer these questions you are ready to start the art of composition, I would not reccomend you start until you have thought about these as you'll be wandering the dark - you're compostion must have a purpose.
Recommended books:
Orchestration: Cecil Forsyth
Scoring for Brass Band: Dennis Wright
Harmony and Counterpoint: R.O Morris
The brass band scoring book will get you started but personally I found it very very bland, very uninventive, but a good starting point for an absolute beginner - I would not reccomend any brass band scoring books/online info for those seeking to get exciting sounds out of the Brass Band, so far I have found them all to be useful for beginners only who seek to create 'generic' sounds and not for an expereienced composer looking to create better and unique sounds.
I teach all my pupils to be individual and experement, most opf my pupils are wring better stuff than some of the 'names' of today - good on them!!!!
The most important thing: experement, remember the technicalities but at
ALL COSTS GET YOUR OWN SOUND!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ps: i aplogise for my spelling, I have just got back from a funeral and had few Jack D's! :wink:
