About Composer’s Notebook
A composer talks about the ins and outs of writing music in an accessible way.
Subscribe for stories, advice, inspiration, and behind-the-scenes looks into music composition.
I’m Shane Valle, a self-taught composer with decades of performance experience and formal training in classical saxophone performance. In Composer’s Notebook, I invite you into my composing process, discuss how I analyze and learn from existing music, and share compelling ways I’ve found of thinking about music and motivating myself to write.
The newsletter serves a dual role: it (hopefully) creates a virtual gathering space where people interested in new classical music can converse; it keeps me accountable to developing and maintaining my craft as a composer by requiring me to explain what I do and why I do it.
Subscribe to this newsletter to receive regular (weekly or twice-weekly) missives from my composing desk. Right now there is no difference in offerings between a paid and unpaid subscription. If you've really enjoyed what I write and it's helped you understand or write music better, consider supporting my work by becoming a paid subscriber.
Who am I?
Who am I? Shane Valle, Portland-based composer and classical saxophonist. My idiom is modern classical music, but I borrow from and admire work from across the spectrum - from indie to ambient, jazz to EDM. I've found something to learn from each of those influences and I think the information I share here is equally applicable no matter the creative niche you occupy.
Where should I start?
Here are a few of my most popular posts, ranging from general creativity tips to exploring specific compositional techniques:
A season for everything
As time has passed, I’ve gotten more comfortable living my life in cycles and seasons.
Marc Mellits' interleaved grooves
The music of Marc Mellits is distinctive for its layered ostinati that fit together to create complex grooves:
Prokofievisms: A Practice Piece
This post is the culmination (for now) of the little series I’ve been doing on what makes Prokofiev’s music sound the way it does. Here are other parts of the that series:
George Saunders and the 900th draft
George Saunders probably doesn’t need much of an introduction: author, famous, well-loved. For all of the award-winning writing he’s done, I haven’t read much of it.…
