The Winning Formula from a Top Competition Composer

Jeff Hijlkema, winner of our April 2023 Composing Competition, explains how he wrote his winning track.
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[@envrie9423]

This is a really strong composition. Really makes you feel something. I entered the contest myself and I was one of those people who made more of a “texture” for my piece rather than a shifting melodic & harmonically driven piece. I didn’t make it as a finalist but at the end of the day I produced and wrote what I wanted to hear & I was satisfied.

[@valimoormusic]

What competition was this? This randomly popped up in my feed😳

[@envrie9423]

@@valimoormusic Ryan hosts contests for composers and assigns us to write and produce a short composition over a specific piece of digital art that he chooses. There’s judges including him who deduct which one should win . It’s a really great opportunity for composers!

[@valimoormusic]

@@envrie9423ty for responding! Nice! I've been feeling like i should get back into cinematic music lately so I'm probably gonna jump on one of these ^^

[@RachelHardy]

I think getting what you want to get our of any composing competition is such a good practice, whether that's a strong piece for your portfolio, something you can personally enjoy and be proud of, some good practice in style you want to explore, or something completely different than anything you've ever tried.

[@envrie9423]

@@RachelHardy yea it’s not so much about winning, (although that would be flattering) it’s more about taking the step to put my music out there to be looked at and creating something I wouldn’t have on my own and doing it with composers of all different skill levels.

[@amarug]

This entry really gave me goosebumps and made me feel like I was there. The melodies alone are better than most you find in typical TV and movie productions...

[@RachelHardy]

Excellent work, Jeff. As you could tell from my comments, I was a big fan! It is a gift to take what seems like a decently simple motif / idea and expand it into so many interesting and emotive ways. All the best with your career!

[@kiransiebel4414]

This might be my favorite piece of music to come out of one of these competitions. Gave me goosebumps.

[@thedeafmusician]

It was hard to last a week without video😂😂

[@RyanLeach]

I honestly wasn’t sure if anyone would notice

[@raz3r_476]

@@RyanLeachi sure did 😂😂, anyways nice video as always 👍

[@SmileyFabian]

This a really beautiful melody and arrangement. Love it.

[@dvk180]

Well deserved win! Lovely melody and great mixing and mastering aswell!

[@marialazarevamusic]

Great interview and tips on the composition! Thank you very much for arranging it!

[@DorothyOzmaLover]

Stellar analysis of the prompt and wonderful explanation about how to tell a musical story that captivates.

[@Patrick-go8ub]

What an absolutely gorgeous piece.

[@Frank.Zimmermann]

Wow! What a GREAT piece of music! 💛

[@etiennedelaunois1737]

The man is back! 😊

[@braydenroot4579]

Thank you so much for all your videos! I have gotten much better at composing since I’ve started watching, this might be a dumb topic but I was wondering if you could make a video covering how to make a good intro and outro for a song?

[@RyanLeach]

I haven't done outro yet but here's an older one on intros: kzbin.info/www/bejne/moO2qGRriammrpY

[@Necare94]

Hey Ryan, love the channel! Any chance we could get a video with tips for writing for soloists in larger pieces?

[@feraste]

Great vidéo !

[@thatguy3688]

Wow, stumbling on this is a big moment for me. I had the biggest imposter syndrome and felt like giving up because I just have a huge collection of random tidbits but felt like I was missing something to be an actual composer. I need to figure out how to get into this community

[@V-A]

hi ryan, where (and when) do you usually announce the start of these competitions? thanks in advance!

[@RyanLeach]

Next announcement June 28th for the July 2023 competition. We do them every three months and announce right before the month begins

[@ed_halley]

Actual link to the winning piece is not listed here and is two half-hidden links away. kzbin.info/www/bejne/rYPWZod-j9Rmoq8

[@parkerchace]

How would you write a concerto? I want to take someone on a trip through the emotions of a particular experience. Maybe a better, more contemporary approach is a bunch of 4 minute songs that all connect to a main motif?

[@SoraiaLMotta]

nice

[@OdaKa]

compoer

[@OdaKa]

composing competition, or as we tracker kids call it, compo