Top 13 Tips on A Successful Performer- Composer Relationship As a young college composer, I was often asked to create pieces for my eager colleagues. Happily I would slave a semester away on a composition, only to see the confused faces of the performers when I excitedly handed them my carefully scrawled pages. "Uh, er...Thanks," they would say....then about a week later, they would let me know the piece was "too hard" and they couldn't fit it in this semester, with the exams, juries, and Phi Mu Alpha keg parties coming up. After piling up a dozen rejected pieces, I began developing questions that would help me get to KNOW the performer . QUESTIONS YOU SHOULD ASK BEFORE YOU WRITE A SINGLE NOTE: 1) Do you have a recording or upcoming recital I can hear to listen to you perform? 2) What length of composition can you fit into your schedule? (I recommend starting SHORT with a new performance relationship.) 3) What styles of music do you prefer to per...

Composing for Tape/Multimedia and Live Musicians Composing for tape, media, and live performers is closely related to composing film music. Just like a live orchestra must have a score perfectly synced to what is happening in the film, a score for multimedia and live performers has to be perfectly timed and in sync for the performance to succeed. This usually means: 1) Including Time Code in the score 2) Including audio and/or visual cues in the score 3) Many hours syncing up measures and notes with time code 4) For rehearsal (and possibly concert purposes), a practice CD or DVD with a click track for each performer and the conductor 5) Neat, legible, and professional quality music scores 6) As much communication as possible between composer and the ensemble during the creative process 7) It is up to the composer, not the ensemble, to make the entire composition understandable and performable by providing clear instructions, legible scores, and playable music. A note here: There ...

Sweet Relief 4150 Riverside Drive Burbank, CA 91505 Sweet Relief provides financial assistance to all types of career musicians who are facing illness, disability, or age-related problems. ----- musicians Foundation 875 Sixth Avenue, Room 2303 New York, NY 10001 Performers only, no composers.