Tim Rohwer: Composer

In order to show more about the compositional process, I wanted to spend some time taking readers though my thought process while writing the different pieces in the emotions suite.  For this article, I wanted to talk a bit about how I arrived at the decisions for different parts of the piece.  If you haven't had a chance to hear it yet, you can check out the video on my YouTube channel!!  (Shameless plug included today) The first decision I made was on what kind of instrumentation I wanted.  I wanted this to have the feeling of a full orchestra with some percussion to give it a richer, more diverse, and more full sound.  So I created a Finale file that had all of the instruments I was likely to use and that I might use. After that, I wanted to figure out what key area this should be in.  I felt that B-flat would have a warmer sound to it (no particular reason:  I just wanted B-flat). After this came the more nitty gritty work:  how do I c...

I've been hoping to stretch my composition skills and at the same time create a useful resource for others.  In order to do this, I've started a project to create a series of orchestral pieces that describing different emotions and moods.  I'm going to start making the MP3 files available on my new website , and these will eventually be put into the Unreal Engine Marketplace for game developers to be able to utilize.  Check out the video above (made using Unreal Engine and Blender) with some of this new music! As I write these new pieces, I'll also describe some of my thought process for how I went about writing the pieces, and creating the feel.  Stay tuned for the next article about "Warm and Calm."

While continuing to develop the skill acquisition pyramid I developed in 2014 ( read the article ), I've been expanding out my knowledge while teaching students about how to learn more effectively and practice more efficiently.  My goal is to take the things I've learned and turn them into a video series on YouTube to help anyone wanting to play an instrument. The first video is now up on YouTube, and I'm so very excited to share what I've learned about becoming a better musician through effective practicing!  Check out the video now:

In order to teach some of the skills I've learned in my 16+ years of working with notation software, I've created a small arrangement for piano of the song by John Henry Hopkins Jr. "We Three Kings of Orient Are."  There are several things that I'm going to be doing with this small arrangement: 1) I'm going to be putting this arrangement for free on this blog (follow the link to find the free sheet music) for anyone who would like to download it. 2) I'll be creating stream-able music on YouTube and on SoundCloud for anyone who wants to hear the song. 3) I'll be creating a YouTube tutorial series showing how you would go about transcribing music (specifically this arrangement) into MakeMusic's music notation software "Finale." 4) I'll be taking suggestions for future things that I can create arrangements of and other videos that anyone would like to see.  :) I'm excited for this opportunity to share some music and some ...

Since taking over a small private orchestra program for youth, I've expanded the repertoire and the original philosophy.  I'm excited to announce that this coming school year I'll be launching the class with this updated philosophy and with a new name:  the Da CAPO Youth Program.  This stands for the "Collaborative Artist's Progressive Orchestra."  The overall philosophy is to collaborate together to create better music and better artistic experiences. You can check out the new Da CAPO page at the following address: Da CAPO Resources Wix Page You can also check out the resources for the class at the following address: Da CAPO Resources Blog Page (Most Updated) I'm very excited for the changes that are coming this school year!  More chances to work with local music students and art students in general, as well as professional musicians, dancers, etc.  We'll be starting an program branch in Bountiful when we receive enough enrollment in the cl...

To continue where I left off in part 1 of this series on arranging music, I wanted to talk about what the eventual goals of the piece you are trying to arrange are. Why would having goals for your piece be important?  This helps you keep focused on what your final outcome will be.  If you don't maintain this focus, what you can end up with is a result that feels like lots of great parts that could sound good independently, but which collectively don't match very well. How can we go about defining these goals?  While I usually don't write out the goals for my arrangement, I have always taken the time to think about what my goal for the final result is.  Here are some questions I go about asking: -What can I expect the players in my group to be able to do well with as far as key signatures, time signatures, etc.? (see " Thoughts on Arranging Music - My Personal Process Part 1: Who are you writing for? ") -What do I want this arrangement to sound like? ...