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Would doing "a song a day" help me speed up the composition process or just result in frustration?

Desire Inspires said:
A song a day? LMFAO!

You need to be doing a minimum of 3 a day to keep up with the trends and patterns emerging. This is serious work. Yes, music is work, not an indulgent hobby to be performed whenever the "feeling" strikes. Either you feel it always or you get a dayjob.

Many lazy people have far greater talent, but far less accomplishments compared to those that do the hard work on a consistent basis and forge ahead.
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So i assume you do this? How do you decide what you're making and when it is finished? things like, how long, what style etc. Composing/Producing when it is for an assignment is no problem for me. It is when I just do it for practice when I can't seem to find the discipline to finish it.

PaulBrimstone said:
No kidding, but I get half my melodic ideas—or at least a kickstart—from random windchime sounds on my porch, and various household appliances that keep pinging and bleeping through their cycles. I suspect other more successful people do this too, as I swear I've heard fragments from famous scores quite frequently: Howard Shore’s Lord of the Rings is currently the front-runner, so I strongly suspect he also owns an LG dishwasher, and Music of the Spheres chimes bought, like mine, from somewhere magical like Inn of the Seventh Ray in Topanga. There again, the whole notion could be my OCD getting worse, much worse. :)
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well, that's the easy part. Actually pushing yourself to make something out of it is what takes discipline and energy.
 
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douggibson said:
I highly recommend thinking of "writing" as distinct from "producing" or anything with your computer.
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This is exactly what I have been pondering. I am actually planning on trying this out tonight. I've tried this in the past but I have this problem where until I hear something mocked up, I can't be sure I like it.
 
I think Alex Ruger has some great advice in this thread. Maybe the broader question isn't really "should I write every day?" it's "how do I get out of a creative rut?" For me forcing it never seems to work, though sometimes the ass in the seat is the only way. Going outside for a hike or a swim, being okay with taking a little time off (if possible), seeing friends etc. can really help me when I'm going through a creative dry spell. Being disciplined is great until it takes all the enjoyment out of something that is supposed to be play.
 
douggibson said:
Very, very few who take the route you outline will ever learn to orchestrate like Ravel.
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I highly disagree.

Those who attain orchestration skills like Ravel must understand that their tool, the orchestra, requires mastery to use effectively. So, they seek mastery.

Many of us, myself included, make orchestral music that is, specifically, recorded. Orchestration is just one tool in the toolbox now. Those who reach great heights with synths, processing, mixing, sound design, etc do so via the same route as the orchestrators: seeking mastery.

"From one thing, learn one thousand things." Take that approach, and all these different topics don't seem so different.
 
Simon,
I don't know if you can read or what level your music education is at so I can only generalise, but apart from sensible advice given above, have you considered seriously coming to grips with your flaws (assuming you have them given the nature of the OP:)) and being honest about your weaknesses? Start there and develop a plan to improve upon said flaws, little by little and bit by bit. An example.."I can't seem to write a good theme". Well ok then.
Great themes have an inevitability about them but writing one is often hard won because sometimes one can try too hard when simplicity is needed, or through a lack of technical focus/ability, not able to feel ones way out of the hands down mentality and find inner implications of an idea (which is a big contributor to inevitability).
A great theme's inevitability comes from (stepping aside from other factors) its shape, climactic ark, intervallic/motivic manipulation and phrasing. Clearly harmony, genre context and other factors come into play, especially (if writing for orchestra) appropriate scoring and instrument selection. But generally speaking, one can glean a lot of know-how from just looking at the theme itself.
( As an aside, the ideal is to be thinking in terms of colours as you write and if you know your instrumentation well enough, that will also inform your creativity in the way you write for the instrument - think JW and Star Wars trumpets or The bassoon solo in the Bourne films, both are musically and psychologically appropriate timbres).

These technical aspects of a theme can be studied and assimilated but don't expect it to happen quickly. One needs to apply and commit to regular (everyday) focused work much the way one practises scales and arpeggios when learning an instrument.
So yes, something everyday, but what that something is can only come from an honest appraisal of what you are missing at present and a willingness to get your head down for a prolonged period.
I hope this didn't go to far off the mark for you.
 
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ThomasNL said:
So i assume you do this? How do you decide what you're making and when it is finished? things like, how long, what style etc. Composing/Producing when it is for an assignment is no problem for me. It is when I just do it for practice when I can't seem to find the discipline to finish it.
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Don’t force yourself to finish it. Just put it away.

Once you get hit with a deadline, you work with what you started and work like crazy to knock out the music to meet the deadline. That is when you finish.
 
douggibson said:
Charles:

If I may directly comment towards you.
I recall about a year ago you posted two short pieces, and I gave feedback on them.
They were really imaginative and wonderfully executed. If I recall correctly, at that time, you were struggling with
extending the works beyond 2 minutes. Thus, development was an issue. (That's common...you're normal !)

If I also recall correctly they were sort of (I just made up this term) "Film Music Impressionism". Nice clear melodies with an abundance of orchestral color.

Also, if I remember right, you make high end animation or graphics for films/media ?

Basically, you already know how to use a computer. You are not some drooling retard calling tech support because the instructions tell you to hit the "any key", or like someone on my all time favorite youtube video.
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haha close (it's Simon btw). I am not a high end animator or anything like that.

I do remember you commenting on piece of mine but as to the exact ones I cant recall sorry.

Development is still something I am working on.

I must say I've read your post over a few times now. As you said: you know and you're completely correct where my skills are lacking.

Those tracks you posted are pretty incredible to listen to. The differences are just...larger than I could have imagined.

FYI I've started my next track going through these steps. The last thing I want to do is continue how I have been: Throwing crap at the wall and seeing what stick....well not entirely, but often it feels like that; stitching together ideas until it resembles a song, rather than having the blueprints to work from.


Thanks to everyone else who's commented. It's really interesting to hear many different opinions.
 
To answer the original question.
I've done the one/two/three tracks a day. I don't think it will help your compositions in the long run. Speed writing becomes more about refining the production *process* and workflow rather than the music itself. So, it'll teach you to work quicker but you (might) find yourself getting into a rut in other ways: Using the same sounds and plugins as a crutch for example. Efficiency is important, but it's one part.

I'm with Alex and others. You can't really compartmentalise all the different skills. It's a process with overlaps.

My advice would be to put a cap on investigating/buying more stuff, clear your headspace (maybe ignore this forum for a while) and just write. Trying to structure the process is simply another form of resistance to actually writing.
Actually, I should probably follow my own advice. Best of luck!
 
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Nice thread! I go often after feelings (coming from theater music). The first i do is: i define the goal of the track, what it should transmit to the listener. If i have that feeling defined the rest is eaten bread, i am then free to express this feeling with a bongo, a balalaika, metal guitars, synths or orchestra.
 
For anyone who's interested, this track took me about 2 weeks (35-40ish hours) to compose/orchestrate


Contrary to many opinions here, I found that taking the step by step approach really helped me focus. Not compartmentalizing, composing by feeling and not structure - these things just aren't working for me because it appears my brain is like a child on hyper ADHD.
 
Simon, unfortunately the soundcloud link above stopped working. But over time I have listened to quite a few of your tracks on member's compositions (including the 3 tracks for an Indie game that you posted recently). And I remember them to be outstanding, in terms of composition and mockup both. To write and produce on this level is quite the stunt.

Writing orchestral tracks of this quality takes time. And programming mockups with such levels of detail and skill takes time. Of course it would have obvious benefits to be quicker. But look at it this way: in your case, I would say being a bit slower is not a deficiency, but a feature. The quality of work you deliver is outstanding, and it can't be had without a lot of hard work, which inevitably takes time. So yes, do strive to get quicker. But at the same time be aware that beyond a certain level, becoming even quicker would mean cutting corners and compromising the quality of your work. So don't expect unrealistic things from yourself. And keep up the sheer quality of your music and mockups, even if it means being a bit slower. Because it really makes your music stand out from the crowd at the moment, and giving that up would be sad indeed.
 
muk said:
Simon, unfortunately the soundcloud link above stopped working. But over time I have listened to quite a few of your tracks on member's compositions (including the 3 tracks for an Indie game that you posted recently). And I remember them to be outstanding, in terms of composition and mockup both. To write and produce on this level is quite the stunt.

Writing orchestral tracks of this quality takes time. And programming mockups with such levels of detail and skill takes time. Of course it would have obvious benefits to be quicker. But look at it this way: in your case, I would say being a bit slower is not a deficiency, but a feature. The quality of work you deliver is outstanding, and it can't be had without a lot of hard work, which inevitably takes time. So yes, do strive to get quicker. But at the same time be aware that beyond a certain level, becoming even quicker would mean cutting corners and compromising the quality of your work. So don't expect unrealistic things from yourself. And keep up the sheer quality of your music and mockups, even if it means being a bit slower. Because it really makes your music stand out from the crowd at the moment, and giving that up would be sad indeed.
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You're too kind. And I do really appreciate the support you've offered over the years! It really does help.

There's 2 main reasons that my pace drives me a bit mad

1. Writing slow means the transition to full time composer (or just generally working in the industry) means a longer slog, and it gets hard sometimes.

2. I feel like for 5% of my time, I am actually writing productively, the rest feels like I am banging my head on the desk. Perhaps my perception of my process is 'off' and that's just the way it is.
 
SimonCharlesHanna said:
You're too kind. And I do really appreciate the support you've offered over the years! It really does help.

There's 2 main reasons that my pace drives me a bit mad

1. Writing slow means the transition to full time composer (or just generally working in the industry) means a longer slog, and it gets hard sometimes.

2. I feel like for 5% of my time, I am actually writing productively, the rest feels like I am banging my head on the desk. Perhaps my perception of my process is 'off' and that's just the way it is.
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Well, what do you consider to be “working in the industry”? Do you have any music with production music libraries?
 
Desire Inspires said:
Well, what do you consider to be “working in the industry”? Do you have any music with production music libraries?
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I'm getting there... but my slow writing and day job really make me not well suited to library work I think.

I'd love to be earning minimum wage doing anything music related (composing, teaching, orchestrating, midi mock ups etc).
 
Your situation sounds familiar to me. I am in the fortunate situation to earn a living in a music related dayjob. Working parttime it leaves me with time to create some music too. If you want to transition into fulltime composing, I think this would be an ideal way.

Maybe you can talk to Carles. He quit his dayjob to go all in on library music. He might be similar to you in the style of music he writes. If I'm not mistaken, he is also not crazy quick at writing and producing tracks. I'm sure he might have a trick or two to share with you.

Other than that, library music does favour having a lot of tracks published. You are reporting that speed is a weakness of yours. I am telling you that quality of composition and mockup are strenghts of you. In this configuration, focusing primarily on library music is probably not the best match for you. If I were in your shoes, I would a) try to get into top tier music libraries, where quality counts more than quantity and every track has a good chance to generate royalties. b) try to get custom scoring jobs for games, short films, ads etc (you seem to be doing good here, judging from the tracks you submit). c) look around for composition competitions that are open to the style of music you write, and offer prize money/and or a commission for a work.

It's tough and takes a lot of time and commitment. I hope you will get there, because I think that musically you have got what it takes.
 
Music is like golf, you play against yourself. Whack @#$&k

And like golf, you don’t necessarily get better the more you do it. Handicap ?

But you get really good at repeating your bad strokes.

There’s always beer after the ninth hole however.
 
SimonCharlesHanna said:
Still much slower than I want to be.

I've tried many approaches suggested here but nothing has worked definitively for me.
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Maybe the “want to be” is the problem. Thats what I figured out for myself at least. I mean it takes what it takes and we are no sorcerers unfortunately. And imo computers haven’t made it easier necessarily. But if I’m satisfied with the end product I don’t think about the amount of time it took me there anymore. (Well more or less) I think if time and money is a serious issue for somebody who is making music this isn’t really the place to go. Is it? I say this as someone who has been very frustrated about how long it took me to get my last track together. And it was nothing all that complicated.
 
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