Beethovenian's Questions on Composing

[Beethovenian]

Ok, I'll just put it straight out there: I suck at composing. Not having the freedom to take any composition classes doesn't help either (curse you Asian parents!  ). So if you guys don't mind too much, I know I'll have tons of questions for you composers so I figured it would be easier if I simply stuck them all in one thread rather than making a thread for each question.

1. How in the world do you guys pick your starting key?

[Cato]

Ok, I'll just put it straight out there: I suck at composing. Not having the freedom to take any composition classes doesn't help either (curse you Asian parents!  ). So if you guys don't mind too much, I know I'll have tons of questions for you composers so I figured it would be easier if I simply stuck them all in one thread rather than making a thread for each question.

1. How in the world do you guys pick your starting key?

Well...I am not sure I understand the question.  Use whatever "key" your mental ear gives you, when a musical idea hits.

That assumes that you are unintentionally "hearing" original music in your mind, and can identify a key either through perfect pitch or ear-training.  Can you tell the difference between e.g. C major and D major, or D major and D minor?

If not, and you are finding inspiration by dabbling on a keyboard of some sort, then choose the key that your dabbling happened to use.

Much classical music in the last 100 years has gone beyond key signatures and uses other methods: do you know about polymodality, polytonality, microtonality, serialism, free atonality, etc. ?

[North Star]

Well...I am not sure I understand the question.  Use whatever "key" your mental ear gives you, when a musical idea hits.

That assumes that you are unintentionally "hearing" original music in your mind, and can identify a key either through perfect pitch or ear-training.  Can you tell the difference between e.g. C major and D major, or D major and D minor?

If not, and you are finding inspiration by dabbling on a keyboard of some sort, then choose the key that your dabbling happened to use.

Much classical music in the last 100 years has gone beyond key signatures and uses other methods: do you know about polymodality, polytonality, microtonality, serialism, free atonality, etc. ?

Could I suggest also that if one finds something by dabbling, one can just as well try transposing it on the instrument. Doing that should also help distinguishing the different notes.

And, you forgot quarter-tones   

[eyeresist]

1. How in the world do you guys pick your starting key?

I don't know if key is that important a question artistically, but it can be important depending on what instruments you are writing for, i.e. you need to know their tonal range. Google "musical instrument range chart" for the basic info.