Quote Originally Posted by thefecesthrowinggod View Post
I think something that needs to be taken into acocunt is the fact that originally the idea was to demonstrate the musician's prowess with their instrument/s. I think the best demonstration would not only be to compose, but to perform. If performance cannot be demonstrated it will not be held against any participant, but the ability to compose with their instrument should definitely be demonstrated. Not everyone has the ability to record themselves playing their instruments, but composition software is abundant and, in many cases, free. Not only for Windows, but Macintosh and any Linux operating system as well, I can guarantee you will find something to help and expedite composition.
Yes but you need relatively strong amount of musical theory to compose something using software like that. I think the effort these programmes take and how boring they are to use would turn a lot of people off. But if all people have to do is plug in a microphone and play then it'd be easier to get people on board. I for one am not prepared to start trawling through the internet for free linux-friendly composition software, familiarise myself with it and start hammering stuff out for the purpose of one of these compositions.