Addie Gleason

Freshman Samir Shaik plays Chopin’s Nocturne Op. 9 No. 2 in a practice room. He spent weeks struggling with the piece, and it was a challenge to train his fingers to move faster. “There’s this one section where you have to play a lot of notes quickly. And I remember struggling with that for two weeks, just on that one passage, over and over again practicing it,” Shaik said. “And then one day, it just clicked, and it worked well, and the feeling of satisfaction when it all just came together was really good.”

Amid the mundane sounds of the household, the gentle murmur of the kitchen sink, the insistent ticking of the clock and the constant white noise coming from the television, a sweet melody rings freely and clearly through the Shaik household. The afternoon sunlight shines lazily through the numerous living room windows, framing freshman Samir Shaik’s fingers as they delicately dance across the ivory keys of his grand piano. Finally, he pauses and lets the soft notes linger in the air a little longer before abruptly lifting his foot off of the pedal and reaching for his computer, beginning the tricky process of putting this new song to paper.

Shaik’s interest in the instrument began at a very young age: the piano in his living room caught his attention at two or three years old. However, it was not until the third grade that Shaik started taking music more seriously and learning from professionals. 

“I had a piano in my house that I would just play around with. I’ve [also] played the violin and the flute a little bit, but piano is the one thing I’ve stuck with,” Shaik said. “But I never practiced when I first started playing the piano. I would just sit and play my own things, come up with my own songs and play them for my family. It was from very early on that I realized that writing music, not just playing [it], is something that I wanted to do.”

Ever since Shaik realized his love for composing music, it has been a constant in his life, influencing his actions.

“Playing the piano has made me appreciate music a lot more, and by proxy, it makes me appreciate life more. Ever since I started composing and playing, I just had this new outlook on life where I think of things in a new way. It’s hard to explain, but it’s taught me the value of hard work,” Shaik said. 

Writing music is a stress-relieving activity for Shaik that he often engages in after a tough day at school. In addition, he has applied the skills he learned through playing and composing music to other areas of his life. 

“[Writing music] means a lot to me. It’s a way of putting out a feeling that can’t be expressed into a piece of paper. Like how journaling [is relaxing] to some people, composing is that to me,” Shaik said. “Thinking musically is a concept that my teacher taught me and that I still do to this day. It’s thinking in a more free-form, dynamic style and not in any rigid way. Once I learned composing and [thinking like] that, I started incorporating that style of thinking into everything that I do.”

Shaik plays other composers’ music just as much as he writes his own, and he performs in recitals at the Steinway Piano Gallery every winter. In the past, he used to write down his original music onto paper, but he has adopted a more modern approach to this hobby, using apps such as MuseScore and Finale. 

“There’s more satisfaction in knowing that you wrote something and especially playing something that you write. I feel closer to a piece that I’ve only played for myself. I wrote it, so I know exactly the style and feeling that I’m trying to capture,” Shaik said. 

Shaik received his first composing software as a present from his parents for his fourth-grade birthday. The first composition he wrote was called “Dance of the Seasons,” inspired by Italian composer Antonio Vivaldi’s “Four Seasons.”

“It was really bad. I didn’t know how to work [the composing software], so I was trying my best to do it and there were a ton of wrong notes in there. I was writing things that were impossible for musicians to play in real life. I made one singular flute play three notes at the same time,” Shaik said. “But I always go back to that piece to see how much I’ve learned and grown from that point. It was a lot of trial and error and learning that’s brought me to now.”

When it came to “Dance of the Seasons,” Shaik primarily created his melodies and harmonies by playing multiple notes together and deciding what sounded best by ear. Over the years, Shaik’s composing process has changed drastically, and he uses his ear and his knowledge of chords, music theory and his emotion to create new works. His most recent piece, called “Rainy Afternoon,” was written during winter break about the happiness of starting break, the sadness of ending the semester and the stress of finals week.

“Now [when I compose music], it’s a feeling that I try to capture. It was called ‘Rainy Afternoon’ because I wrote it on a rainy afternoon. All those feelings just came together. Instead of just trying to write, I tried to have an idea in mind of the thing I’m trying to capture,” Shaik said. “There’s a lot of special songs for me. I wrote one when quarantine started called ‘The Days.’ It was a catharsis of all the emotions I was feeling and the uncertainty of the time I was going through.”

Shaik composes music for the piano, flute, electric guitar, string quartet and even full orchestras. He finds that writing for traditional instruments, such as string instruments, is more accessible than composing for non-traditional instruments, such as guitar. Because of the nature of the piano, with an extensive note range and the ability to play multiple notes at once, it’s easier for Shaik to compose music for other instruments on the piano.

“I wrote an orchestral piece called ‘Among the Stars.’ That one’s really special because it was my first time writing an orchestral piece and it turned out really, really good. I [still] feel most at home when I’m writing for the piano. There’s a ton [of songs] I’ve written over the years, but the ones I can personally play always will be more special to me,” Shaik said.

The process of composing for an orchestra or guitar has more steps than composing for the piano, especially since Shaik does not play some of these instruments often or even at all. 

“[Composing for an instrument I’ve never played before] is not as difficult as people might think. First, you have to find the range of the instrument. Then you have to find what’s possible. Is it an instrument that can play multiple notes at the same time? Are there any [special] techniques? Like with string instruments, they can pluck the strings and bow the strings. [Once you do] a little research and take that into account, you just have to write according to those guidelines,” Shaik said.  

Shaik has composed around 50 pieces for the numerous musical instruments, along with songs he created in his early life that were never put onto paper.

“There are songs that I’ve finished and songs that I’ve just started writing. Whatever emotion I want to capture in the piece is the emotions that I feel when writing it. A lot of times, I’ll start something and just never finish it because I didn’t have a deep enough connection [with that song],” Shaik said. 

Shaik is inspired by many things to compose, including the things that happen in his life, the people he knows and his environment. While the amount of time he spends playing and writing music each week fluctuates—especially since school is a new priority— he tries to spend at least a few hours each week on it. 

“My music reflects my life in the emotion it tries to capture. I like to think [I’m successful in capturing that], but it’s [open to interpretation] of course,” Shaik said. “It’s helped me cope with some things. I don’t really like talking about my feelings, so writing music about my feelings is a better way of doing it for me. I’ve gotten through some tough times by just putting it out onto a sheet of music, not for anyone else, but for myself. It feels good to release those feelings in any way I can.”

Shaik most often plays his original music for his family, and he often has his mother in the same room or the next room as he’s composing. Because of the nature of this process, his family usually gives him the space he requires to focus.

“I play for my family a lot,” Shaik said. “I don’t find it pleasing to compose in a dull environment, like those practice rooms with the strobe lights and bland walls. I find it appealing to the creative spirit to compose in [my living room], and I like having people around me when I’m composing.”

Over the summer, Shaik was accepted into a composition class at the University of Missouri (Mizzou) that he had heard about from his piano teacher. In order to get in, he had to submit portfolio pieces for review. It was a virtual course that held workshops and taught music theory and composition skills.

“I’m really grateful she shared it with me because otherwise, I wouldn’t have been able to have that experience. When I got in, I was really happy. We’d have group Zoom meetings where we talked about what we’re going to accomplish for the day. We’d compose, have one on one meetings and then at the end, we had a performance,” Shaik said. “I learned how to take a small melodic fragment and expand it into a five-minute long piece by just changing things about it. So it’s really been helpful to me, and I’ve used all of the tips they shared.”

As a part of the final performance, Shaik had the opportunity to go down to Mizzou’s campus and hear his original music played live by professional musicians. 

“[It was] a great experience. It’s almost a feeling you can’t capture. I’ve only heard my music played a couple of times. Usually, I hear it played through a [digital interface] or some random sounds library. It’s janky and not perfect. And then when I heard it played by real people, the difference was just insane. It blows me away every single time,” Shaik said. “I’m never going to get sick of hearing my music live. It just feels so satisfying to have it all come together to such a great pleasure like that, especially after such a tough week of composing.”

As he continues to learn and grow in his composition skills, Shaik hopes to pursue a musical career in college. While his plans are not set in stone yet, he hopes to graduate with a music major and continue composing for many more years to come.

“[A career in music] is definitely up there. Music is something that’s been a part of my life for a very long time, so I want to make it something that I do. It’ll enrich my life by incorporating composition and listening to beautiful music into it, something that I feel everyone should do,” Shaik said. “I just love writing music and I want to do something with it. I have a couple of different ideas where I could go, but it’s a path I’m pursuing.”

Click here to listen to Shaik’s newest song, “Rainy Afternoon.”