How to separate yourself from the music...

[KamaKase]

Hello sir, I am a long time fan of your music. You have inspired me to compose myself (with varying levels of sucess). My pieces have gradually grown structure and now actually seem to convey some sort of emotion or scene. However, I've now started to do a little programming and film making on the side; but I can't seem to manage to give a feeling of a "grand finale" or and type of "Rushed" or fast paced music. (Like your Grandia Main theme, and the battle themes respectively). I was wondering if there are any tips or helping hints you can give me to aid me in this area, or Orchestral composing in general.

Thankyou very much

Yours sincerely
Toby Smith

[Noriyuki Iwadare]

Hello!!

I'll answer this based on my own composition technique. At times when you lack confidence, if you look at scores other people have
written, and copy their music exactly, I think you'll absorb their techniques
into yourself.
One thing I always watch out for when writing music is not necessarily to
create music I personally want to hear, but to fit my music to an image as
clearly as possible. Try to reproduce every last detail of what you hear in your head. In your head, you can create phrases of any speed, and sounds of any grandeur. At these times, you have to grasp precisely what sounds, intervals, and rhythm you're hearing. It's difficult if you don't get used to doing this, but if you persevere, you'll be able to do it.
Next, you should try to replace the sounds you hear in your head with actual concrete sounds. Different sounds from what you imagined tend to emerge during this process, so go with what sounds better to you. This work requires a lot of patience, so it's important to maintain the attitude that "I can create anything!". Good luck.

Thank you!!