# Composer daily regimen



## gsilbers (Nov 17, 2014)

Ive been out of it for a while but I remember a few Berklee scales /random exercises, but id like to get more into it. 
What are the daily exercises, time spent on it and the specifics. (books, videos etc, piano/instrument exercises etc)?


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## Red (Nov 17, 2014)

I'm convinced that the whole point of this thread is to make me feel bad...

As far as daily regimen i do whatever feels needed or whatever i feel like

It be score studying or ear training, instrument practice, reading books.
I know i know. Its hardly a routine. But it keeps things fresh and interesting and fun


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## rgames (Nov 17, 2014)

When it comes to writing music, my only consistent daily regimen is procrastination.


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## edhamilton (Nov 17, 2014)

Always tough to make progress when your already busy.

- pick something you want to study. GET A TEACHER. There is nothing like a pending lesson approaching to force you to steal some time to shed.

- Micro Chunks.
Transcribe something small. Pick a cool section of a piece. do a quick transcription (and I mean quick. don't kill yourself. Chord Progression, a couple interesting lines etc at most).
Now try and compose something using it. Mock it up. Spend no more than an hour on the whole thing.
Pretty amazing how much new material you can internalize over a year doing this. Keeping the chunks small makes it doable and gives procrastination less of a chance to get you.


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## passenger57 (Nov 17, 2014)

> When it comes to writing music, my only consistent daily regimen is procrastination.


Me too! lol :D


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## dgburns (Nov 17, 2014)

rgames @ Mon Nov 17 said:


> When it comes to writing music, my only consistent daily regimen is procrastination.



I will eventually get around to trying this.but first I have to play with every insignificant piece of tech that is in my line of sight,such as updating plugins,software,backing stuff up,tuning up and cleaning instruments,checking forums,mail and surfing a bit....then eventually go for lunch.will be right back.


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## Mike Marino (Nov 17, 2014)

"People will ask my wife: 'Did Alan write anything today?' And she'll say: 'No, but I think he's cleaning his sock drawer.'"

- Alan Silvestri


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## davidgary73 (Nov 17, 2014)

gsilbers @ Tue Nov 18 said:


> Ive been out of it for a while but I remember a few Berklee scales /random exercises, but id like to get more into it.
> What are the daily exercises, time spent on it and the specifics. (books, videos etc, piano/instrument exercises etc)?



Daily music workout is take the Star Wars score or other scores, listen attentively to a section/part of music i like to imitate, i'll then play the instrument parts via DAW so i can view the midi notes or write it down on a manuscript and then look at the score and be corrected. 

Video wise, i'll view Mike Verta's teachings, EDM tutorials and mixing tutorials etc. 

Books..none so far 

But most of the time, like everyone else, procrastinate. Hanging out in this forum and gearslutz.


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## Stephen Rees (Nov 18, 2014)

Get up.
Get dressed.
Put washing in.
Ring Mum.
Have breakfast.
Chase cat around house for 5 minutes.
Catch cat.
Give cat Spot-On flea treatment.
Have morning tea.
Get washing out and put in drier.

To do:

Tesco shopping.
Make lunch.
Get washing out of drier and put away
Listen to Shostakovich string quartets.

*wonders whether Jerry Goldsmith's typical day was like this…...


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## jcs88 (Nov 18, 2014)

Stumble in from my day job at 11pm.
Warm up some food.
Load up project in Logic.
Listen through a few times, move some notes.
Pass out.
Go to bed feeling guilty.

o-[][]-o


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## AC986 (Nov 18, 2014)

One of our cats was sick in our bedroom at 6.00 am this morning.

I'm still recovering but the cat is fine. 

Currently listening to one of my old tracks as I type this because the publishers want me to get the same sound for a Don Giovanni take-off.

Later, when my wife gets back from my mother's, we will go out to buy bubble wrap.

It's a romantic life being a musician. It's even better when you're pretending to be one.


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## joed (Nov 18, 2014)

Drink coffee.
Stare at arrange page.
Drink more coffee.
Think about making more coffee.
(repeat steps 1-4)


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## Will Blackburn (May 19, 2015)

- Wake up later than most people so feel like a total bum.
- Make a handful of fresh 8 bar loops (all completely random genres)
- Work on the loops late into the night (never actually creating a structured song out of them)
- Wake up next day
- Don't like yesterday's loops anymore

Rinse and repeat!


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## chrysshawk (May 19, 2015)

2h education
2h+ implementation

optional:
10h bitch about template balance, samples


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## Guy Bacos (May 20, 2015)

joed @ Tue Nov 18 said:


> Drink coffee.
> Stare at arrange page.
> Drink more coffee.
> Think about making more coffee.
> (repeat steps 1-4)


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## PhobiaMusic (Jun 29, 2015)

jcs88 said:


> Stumble in from my day job at 11pm.
> Warm up some food.
> Load up project in Logic.
> Listen through a few times, move some notes.
> ...



This.


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## dannymc (Jul 11, 2015)

ha ha. mine would be:

work 9-5 monday to friday in my day job
think about the next piece i want to write
think of what instruments could be in it or think about my favorite instruments that i have'nt yet used. 
think about basic structure 
listen to some scores on spotify 
then come saturday, sit at the keyboard & PC from 11am to 7pm, if not going out i'll stay at it till midnight taking some breaks. 
think i'm a bit of a crammer like studying for an exam when it comes to composing.


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## thov72 (Jul 12, 2015)

My perfect way of procrastinating is writing new melodies. It´s creative.....but all those previously written melodies remain untouched and collect digital dust. I´ve forced myself in the last months to at least write a bass line or a simple chord progression for every new melody. Sometimes even expanding things so it´s not just 30s of music . Needs a lot of discipline and I´m glad I don´t do this as a pro. I´m not good at kicking my own butt to finally get up and do something.


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