# What keeps you going as a composer



## José Herring (Jan 1, 2021)

So earlier on my birthday of all days, somebody took the time to seek me out and make some rather rude comment about one piece of music I wrote that honestly I hardly even remember writing. Somehow this person is perhaps a forum member here and also somehow managed to get on my FB friends list. Since deleted. 

I wasn't terribly effected by the comment other than I'd thought maybe this person was some great unknown composer and maybe I might learn something. So I tried to find this person's music and nothing, nada, zippo. This person that trashed me personally along with one of my pieces doesn't even appear to have written any music at all which is all too typical.

But, I am here sort of thinking about it as I do and coming to some realizations about why and how I write music. Some music I write is fairly complicated and accessible, I rarely share those pieces. And, yet other pieces are just downright simple. I don't really have an inbetween. Personally the simple stuff is what usually gets the most notice from the public and I never minded that. The simple stuff just comes from my heart rather than my head and I've been cool with that for years. 


Sometimes I just sit down and have an idea for piece and literally 20 minutes later I have something finished. Last night a filmmaker contacted me wanted to use some of my music in his film. Willing to pay me some fee that honestly I wasn't even interested in the fee. He's somewhat of a friend and I've seen his film, so I offered to do just a little more for the fee and just because I wanted to do some music in that style and I sat down and created 2minutes of a cue in about 15 minutes. I wasn't worried about that it was a masterpiece, it was just something that I was feeling and I thought it might fit his film. He loved it. He loved it more than other stuff we've done together that I spent weeks slaving over. It was simple. 3 notes in the whole piece. But, it had a mood and a vibe and that's what I was going for. 

So after this so rude encounter where some total stranger took time out of her life to try and antagonize me I found myself actually calm and peaceful just thinking that I write what I write and it's usually what I feel and I don't make it any more complicated than that unless I have to. When I was young I was more interested in people thinking that I was knowledgeable and smart. These days I'm just interested in emotional impact. Maybe in a year or two I'll be able to combine them both. 

I watched that video that HZ posted with Gal Gadot and Patty Jenkins in his studio performing the main theme to WW84. I mean, it's simple but the stuff is fun and they were having a blast and it was great to listen to and great to see people having fun with music.

So what makes you write music? Do you want to prove to the world that you're a genius, or are you happy writing some twisted version of an emotion or idea you have no matter if it's simple, complex, or somewhere in between? What motivates you to take it out of your head and actually put something out in the real world for people to view?

Curious.


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## Markrs (Jan 1, 2021)

I think Christian Henson alluded to similar thoughts, of writing more simply, trying not to complicate things or throw in the kitchen sink. Though he also mentioned taking longer on things, but I think that is because he takes a lot on and needs to say "no" more often.

For me, anything I produce just relates to either just messing around, normally with melody lines or is exercises from tutorials, as there is a lot to learn.

Really pleased José, that you have reached a level of acceptance with writing music how you want to, that gives you please. I think this is the best way


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## Zero&One (Jan 1, 2021)

Not nice to hear that, but sadly not surprising these days either. Glad it hasn't ruined your day.

I just write, I'm not overly concerned what people will think of it. Actually... the only time I am is when I upload something here.

When I do get doubts, I open YouTube and visit 3 people I highly admire. I then see all the thumbs down, nasty comments and advice on how they could improve their already hugely successful careers.

I just finished a piece of intro music for a band. They couldn't be happier. One even said, we'll sound dreadful after that intro! Then gave me a cheese pasty we agreed on.

Those are the moments I remember. Not 'you suck!' on YouTooob or when I'm walking down the street... wait... I do mind that last part actually!!


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## GtrString (Jan 1, 2021)

I write for the average listener who is not broke from analysis paralysis syndrome, but just enjoys music and the sentiments. I see music today as quite a celebratory thing, as so much already has been done. And I write for music supervisors, media producers and other desicion makers who look for music that can lift and support their own work. That keeps me moving (= motivation). I also write for myself, to express myself, find katharsis and have a public voice (which plain people like me otherwise don’t have).

But other composers.. nah, I couldnt care less. They do their thing, and I do mine. I don’t expect any recognition, empathy nor praise from that direction. Never. A dog don’t ask another dog where the bone is.


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## el-bo (Jan 1, 2021)

José Herring said:


> What motivates you to take it out of your head and actually put something out in the real world for people to view?
> 
> Curious.


Like the philosophical thought experiment about falling trees in forests, I share my music because if nobody hears it then it might as well not exist. It's been a while since I shared anything, because it's been a long while since I completed anything. But I still make music for my own enjoyment, every day.

It's a shame someone took such exception to your work. My normal knee-jerk reaction used to be to defend myself by making excuses for why the music actually was as bad as they thought it was (I'm generally a worse critic of my music than any detractor would dare to be), but these days I'm pretty sure I'd either engage with them for some constructive suggestions, or just let it slide ('cause nobody likes everything, and/or flinging shit at others seems to be somewhat cathartic).

As for simple being best? Sometimes it's absolutely all that's necessary. There's certainly a lot to be said for music existing in the space between the notes. And though I've never been asked to write music for a film, I'd imagine that in most cases the intent is to support or augment the visuals, mood etc. Not the time to pull focus or to suddenly find one's voice. Of course, there are times when the opposite is called for. Inticate, bombastic and kitchen-sinking have their place, too.

If you are enjoying what you are creating, that's already good enough. From there, any appreciation from others is a very welcome bonus.


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## mybadmemory (Jan 1, 2021)

I’m just a happy hobbyist, and my daytime career is in design, but for me writing music has always been about managing anxiety. Ever since I got started tinkering on the piano as a kid, playing and writing music is one of the few things in life that totally absorbs my mind, and completely shuts out all negative kinds of stress, replacing those with a sense of control, satisfaction, calm, and happiness.


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## shponglefan (Jan 1, 2021)

I like a challenge.

I love learning.

I love creating.

Learning to write music checks all of the above.


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## Henning (Jan 1, 2021)

Regarding simplicity: it is rather an art to use as few notes as possible and as much as necessary. Just sayin.


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## el-bo (Jan 1, 2021)

Just got this in my YouTube subscription feed, and thought it apropos. Jacob Collier, the master of complex arrangements, and huge stacked harmonies, shares a bare-bones song, recorded on an iPhone (Memos?), on a slightly out-of-tune guitar and with a few dud/dead guitar notes. Imperfectly perfect:


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## Uiroo (Jan 1, 2021)

José Herring said:


> So what makes you write music? Do you want to prove to the world that you're a genius, or are you happy writing some twisted version of an emotion or idea you have no matter if it's simple, complex, or somewhere in between? What motivates you to take it out of your head and actually put something out in the real world for people to view?


I want to make music that is accessible and has depth to it. A lot of music is just one of both, and that's fine, but my favorite music is usually both.


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## RogiervG (Jan 1, 2021)

i just compose/produce/arrange whenever i feel i want too. (no pressure)
Sometimes it's weeks of nothing, sometimes its weeks daily making music. (i have other hobbies too)
I let my mind/mood judge the flow...

Not setting musical boundries (it must be this and that complex or that style!) or deadlines (i want to have it done by the end of this week) etc.. liberated me quite a bit and i became more enjoying making music than before.
e.g. i don't do competitions. since that violates the no deadlines part.


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## Gerbil (Jan 1, 2021)




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## Henu (Jan 1, 2021)

I need to compose music, it's been in my blood since my early childhood. My brain is basically like a kettle which needs regularly to let out some steam or it explodes. 

I also want to learn, challenge myself and create something which speaks to myself and hopefully to others, so I take even the smallest gig and task rather seriously and try to find an angle which speaks to me either musically, spiritually or sometimes even pedagogically. If you even just learn something new from a a gig, it's already valuable, which keeps me going also on the bad days.


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## Sunny Schramm (Jan 1, 2021)

my passion and dream to score something bigger...

there is hope my health will get much better this year. and then - finally - I can rev up 💚


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## CoffeeLover (Jan 1, 2021)

writing music in a good studio makes me feel good. specially with few people and some positive mental attitude. one could say that im addicted to certain senses. this is healthier addiction than drugs and alcohol, but is it important in the grand scheme of things? no its just another compulsive desire crap from my brain that holds no true value to me but my little ego thinks its the most important thing in the world. i think its a made up need that ive accumulated over the years. i try not to obbsess over it but it gets hard not being authenticated in your fun zone while turning buttons on few classic fantastic analog gear on the 2bus. 😇


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## TomislavEP (Jan 1, 2021)

Music is the center of my life ever since I've started at the age of six. This passion lasts for more than thirty years now, although I was formally educated in completely different areas. For the last decade, I am somehow making the ends meet only through music, mostly as a live and studio musician, even though I'm often struggling financially. At the same time, music brings me freedom and peace that I could probably only dream about if I had chosen a career as a lawyer instead (which is what I am on paper, amongst other things).

Unfortunately, due to various circumstances, I'm yet to start capitalizing on my work as a composer and producer more seriously. In the past few years, I've completed ten full albums of original instrumental music that I'm hoping to start publishing in due time, in accordance with my modest means and abilities. So far, I haven't had many opportunities to mingle with the right crowds, my marketing skills are not very good, I tend to avoid social networking in general, the finances are always limited, plus I have a very strong bond with my family, which is why I was always reluctant to leave my small home town in Croatia.

But I never stopped believing that music is the very best of me and the most that I can offer as a person. My true motives were always larpurlartistic in nature: the sheer joy of being creative, the sense of fulfillment, and hopefully, the potential to actually move someone in an emotional sense. On the other hand, I'm also hoping that this lifelong dedication will leave at least a small trace someday.


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## telecode101 (Jan 1, 2021)

..


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## Arbee (Jan 3, 2021)

Great question, and trolls really can take you by surprise sometimes. Don't they say you're nobody until somebody hates you? 

As someone who left a reasonably successful pro music career decades ago, my reason is quite simple these days. I write to see if I can connect with ordinary people, to "find my voice" with the luxury now of time and single mindedness, and to meet myself in a few years to hear if/how I've improved with a disciplined and constant focus on learning and development across composition, arrangement and production.


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## toomanynotes (Jan 3, 2021)

I learnt you can't be loved by everyone, if 'being loved' is your motive.


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## Rossy (Jan 3, 2021)

Far from me to call myself a composer (but I do compose ) my answer is quite simple, music has never let me down, when I'm sad, it's there to cheer me up (or make me sadder) it gives me optimism and helps me focus. It makes mundane tasks fly by and it wraps its arms around me in my time of need no matter what my mood is. The world can throw whatever it wants at me but music is always there to give me a playful punch in the shoulder, a smile and a wink, and when all my ducks are in a row, I actually become part of its creation by writing it....and some of it isn't half bad


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## bill5 (Jan 4, 2021)

I'm a hobbyist and I don't put something out in the real world for people to view. I may some day. But in the end I could give a flip what any given person thinks about what I do for the most part (some people I know personally I might to a degree, but they're likely to say nice things regardless so I pretty much dismiss it as such). I do it for myself and if I'm happy with the final product and feel convinced it's quality work, screw what anyone else says, least of all some loser troll on the internet, whose opinions are at most the equivalent of a gnat buzzing around my head.


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## ryans (Jan 4, 2021)

I don't think I have a choice whether or not to "keep going". This is an addiction.


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## asherpope (Jan 5, 2021)

Man. Fuck that prick!
I seriously doubt that anyone who takes the time to be that much of an arsehole has never made a cent from his music or produced anything remotely listenable.


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## mikeh-375 (Jan 5, 2021)

I'm now writing to see how far I can travel down my own path.
When I was in the business, my composing chops where tbh (and certainly without any intention to brag) underused, because I had a deep, personal and formal education in music that fully qualified me for all aspects of composing, some of which is unnecessary for media work, (not that any of it makes you any good of course).
As we all understand, a lot of musically technical know-how isn't a pre-requisite to do media work, or to compose faithfully even, but 28 hours in a day and eight days a week is certainly needed. I had to shelve any serious ideas I had for music as a 'work' in the concert sense until I got out of the business.

My music is too niche in relation to popular writing and I'll probably drop in front of an ms covered in smeared graphite from a rubber, but I'll have pushed as far as I can go and that'll do me.


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## Arbee (Jan 5, 2021)

mikeh-375 said:


> I'm now writing to see how far I can travel down my own path.


Or in other words, which I live by, "don't die wondering!" 👍


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## Rodney Money (Jan 5, 2021)

The glory of God, the refreshment of the soul, and to feed my family.


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## Dear Villain (Jan 5, 2021)

Rodney Money said:


> The glory of God, the refreshment of the soul, and to feed my family.


For the money. No, not for you, Rodney


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## mikeh-375 (Jan 5, 2021)

Dear Villain said:


> For the money. No, not for you, Rodney


aaah nice to see you again Dave.


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## telecode101 (Jan 5, 2021)

..


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## el-bo (Jan 5, 2021)

telecode101 said:


> thats what J.S. Bach did. and look what happened to him.


He ditched it all to make flower remedies, or so I heard.


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## Dirtgrain (Jan 5, 2021)

I wonder if I'm on a slow, logarithmic decline in some way. With literature, when I was young (in my fifties now), I would read so many novels; I can still feel the freshness of them, how they opened up new things for me. As time moved on, I had fewer and fewer of those experiences from reading--seen that, done that, and so on. I still do find a book or series now and then that hits me, but it is much rarer. I go through months-long periods where I don't read any books--they have collectively lost some of their appeal (this is weird, as I am an English teacher). 

This parallels my experiences with music over the years. From early on, I was collecting records. Bachman Turner Overdrive's "Freeways," AC/DC's "Dirty Deeds," and an Elvis greatest hits albums were my first. I cried when Elvis died and went into my room and played his records over and over. My record collecting was a reaching out to find things that connected with me, that became woven into my identity. It was all so meaningful and fresh to me: Pink Floyd, Bob Marley and the Wailers, Ray Charles, The Specials, Fishbone, The Bad Brains, Jean-Michel Jarre, Tangerine Dream, Bach, Beethoven . . . As I have aged, it is again rarer for me to feel that freshness and that deepness of connection with identity when listening to music. I still love it and immerse myself in it, but it is different.

That was all about input: reading, listening. Does it parallel creating, writing, composing? Maybe it doesn't quite have that level of profundity that was a part of my forming identity as an adolescent. But it still means a lot to me.

Perhaps a young musician is more diving into the unknown; and old one more often diving into the past, to memories. But I still like the unknown. I like exploring. Much like when I write poems and stories, I am trying to express and get to some core part of myself (my personality, my experience, my perception and take on things)--see if I can convey it--and hope that at least some other person likes it. 

Composing can offer puzzles, riddles, problems that I often enjoy--and once in a while loathe  I've always loved the challenge to improve technically on guitar and piano. The last few years, I have enjoyed getting into more complex compositions and learning about mixing and mastering. The brain is designed to learn--it craves it. I'm always seeking out new things to learn (and for crying out loud, I keep buying more VSTs and libraries to quench my thirst).

Composing can be therapeutic. Getting in the flow frequently is good for the soul.

And, honestly, sometimes I make music because I am otherwise bored.

Regarding the troll who went to such lengths to trash the OP, you ought to frame that as a situation where you should pity her--and not feel at all bad about her bashing of your music. She is messed up.


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## InLight-Tone (Jan 5, 2021)

The fact that the entire UNIverse is composed of vibratory energy...


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## Greg (Jan 5, 2021)

I love it because its a never ending journey only limited by your imagination. I feel like I'm only becoming a worse composer (comparatively) every day as I discover aspects of my work that suck and listen to new music and old music that I start to understand better. That gives me a burning desire to constantly improve my craft.

Also its a bit like treasure hunting, searching for that perfect trailer cue that might license for 30k and buy you a new car. Or searching for a new way to say something with music that you haven't heard before and the sense of achievement when others catch on to what you're saying.


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## bill5 (Jan 5, 2021)

Greg said:


> I love it because its a never ending journey only limited by your imagination. I feel like I'm only becoming a worse composer (comparatively) every day as I discover aspects of my work that suck and listen to new music and old music that I start to understand better.


But you know I hope that really means you're becoming better...you just set the bar higher.


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## giwro (Jan 5, 2021)

I think that what keeps me going is having come to the realization that I feel most like my true self when I'm creating something...

Last month I needed to provide 3 short interludes to be used between scenes of a virtual Christmas Pageant... it was so fun to write those miniatures (and feel like even though they were utilitarian that they also had some creativity and artistic merit).

I used to write hoping to impress people and get accolades... I got over that quite awhile ago. I'm certainly gratified if someone likes my work, but I don't need the props to write. If I am satisfied and pleased with the piece, I really don't care if someone likes it or hates it.... the joy is in the creating.


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