In this series of articles, I will address, not the specifics of how one composer worked versus another. Instead, I am going to take a bird’s eye view of the music composing process.
[Update: 2019] I’ve written some more on the process of composing, and I think you’ll enjoy these articles as well.
- Failing Before You Start: The Pre-composition Stage
- Everyone’s Doing It, No One is Talking About It: Sketching Music
- Video: Five Minute Speed Composing Session
- All Articles and Videos on Process
The Composing Process is Personal
The music composing process is a personal one. Every composer that I have ever met, or read about, has their own unique process. Some, like Mozart, are famed for being able to compose an entire piece of music in their head, and then write it down.
Others, like Beethoven, struggle with an idea for years, putting down fragments of sketches in notebooks, only to realize the full form of the music years later.
But where are the consistencies? Is there anything that all composers do, regardless of how they execute their process?
Know Thyself: Self-Reflection
My goal is not to give you a roadmap for composing your masterpiece. If I were to attempt that, I would undoubtedly fail.
My goal is actually to give you insight into your own process of composition.
One of the great similarities between all of the great composers, was their keen intellect and ability for deep, reflective thought. Not only did they read about and discuss philosophy and the nature of the universe, religion and themselves – they were also very deeply in tune with what they needed to accomplish in their process of composing.
How Do You Get Your Best Ideas?
Some composers prefer to improvise their compositions, writing freely and letting ideas flow.
Other composers prefer to write down specific themes, and then let their subconscious come back to them later.
Still other composers would work out their music systematically, step by step, using formulas and mathematical equations.
None of these methods are better or worse than any other. The end result still needs to be music you composed that you can live with, and hopefully enjoy.
In fact, they are really just ways of generating ideas. Generating ideas is only one step in the process.
Musical Inspiration
First, all music must be initially inspired, whether in complete form, in fragments or even in the idea of mathematical equations.
Without an initial spark, or “fantasy,” as Max Graf calls it, there is no music. This is the inspiration that brings us to compose.
How composers get this inspiration is as varied as the musical product themselves. Some get it from reading, others observing the world. Many have inspirations from life events.
Inspiration may not be in the form of a flash of brilliance in your mind. It may be one note. Or maybe a rhythm. It may just be a word describing an emotion – love, hate, fear. Whatever the inspiration is, you must be able to recognize it.
Inspiration may not also come immediately. Many composers are fond of writing down many ideas, improvising, or just playing freely until they hear something they like. Then they’ll write it down or play around with it.
What About When I Have No Inspiration?
Sometimes, you will not have inspiration. What do you do? You need to stir your imagination. What works for me, is to feed myself with as man sources of potential inspiration as possible. I read about music theory, I try new techniques, I listen to new composers, I’ll play different instruments… but most importantly, I’ll force myself to write down music.
If you write down music, ideas will come eventually. Sometimes you have to work to be inspired.
Removing Inhibition
Sometimes inspiration is not enough. If it were, then everyone would be a great composer. That is because everyone is inspired by something. Everyone has emotions and almost everyone wants to express themselves in the most true way possible. But the great composer has to be able to do one thing above and beyond others. This is the suppression or even removal of inhibition.
Inhibition, or letting the conscious mind throw away ideas before they have germinated into something more powerful, is the enemy of inspiration. Some composers struggle with this more than others, but all great composers have come up with a process of removing inhibition from their minds while composing.
The first sketches of an inspiration may not be the best you can make with that inspiration. Inhibition will prevent you from even getting those first sketches down.
Raising Your Composition Like a Child
Composing can sometimes be like raising a child. You give birth, and it is the most beautiful thing in the world.
But after a few hours, you realize that this little thing, poops, cries, scratches, needs to eat, and seems to wake up immediately after you fall asleep.
But if you tend to its needs, feed it, change it, love it, teach it – you will end up with another fully formed soul, that lives on its own. It creates its own magic.
Composing is the same. Do not suppress your inspiration. There will be plenty of time in the future to say whether or not an idea is worth pursuing. For now, just go with it.
Leave a comment about how you find inspiration and remove inhibition.
I “hear” melodies and song structures. For instance, if a hook/idea comes to mind, whatever it might be that has inspired me, the first lyric line always has a melody embedded in it.
After that, the second line of the song is automatic, and from there, if it needs a chorus/bridge, they follow until we are back to the main body of the song and its completion./resolution. I do not play an instrument, do know some music theory, but any song I’ve composed, I just sing it after the inspiration. Thus far, it has been country, country rock, pop, a lullaby and although I have not composed them, I hear jazz, blues, rap and am very interested in classical music. Currently, I am studying violin and, of necessity, learning music theory. My music video based on one of my songs can be viewed/heard on VEVO: krististaffordtrophywife
This is excellent advice. Many thanks. I love that you make room for all types of composing processes. I was worried I was weird! I generally improvise my work and then write it down. I’d love to be better able to plan things and then execute but so far I’m happy with what I turn out. Thanks for your encouragement.
Thanks.
This text is very good. As you just mention ideas (not digging really) it is very easy to catch a more holistic point of view.
Cheers!
I like how you mentioned that there needs to be a spark for there to be music. My wife is wanting to learn how to make music and she was wondering how others have had success with composing. I’ll be sure to let her know that she’ll need to know how to make a spark to compose music.
No matter how easy it seems, composing music that would be appreciated by all, in actuality, is a challenging and time-consuming endeavour. The above write-up specifies certain secrets, which when implemented with caution will simplify the music composing process, and let you generate best possible outcome. Owing to being a film composer, and passionate about music theory, the author managed to specify some very beneficial information.
I have always wondered whether inspiration is actually a pseudonym for life experience. Ive noticed that after accomplishing something new in life it becomes 100x easier to generate ideas. It doesn’t necessarily help composing itself, but the inspiration aspect is covered usually! Another interesting aspect of this is that the music generated is ALWAYS a kernel of what is to come, always coming in its most basic form.
I was studying how inspiration in general comes not only for composing but for everything in life. By inspiration one can compose, paint, write, say or do something. I agree with you that a deep, reflexive thinking and an appreciation for the nature makes us closer to the source of inspiration. I also agree that inspiration seems to be “channeled by something larger than us”, like John B. Hayes commented. I believe in God and in these words from the scriptures:
Doctrine and Covenants 88:11-13
11 “And the light which shineth, which giveth you light, is through him who enlighteneth your eyes, which is the same light that quickeneth your understandings;
12 Which light proceedeth forth from the presence of God to fill the immensity of space.
13 The light which is in all things, which giveth life to all things, which is the law by which all things are governed, even the power of God who sitteth upon his throne, who is in the bosom of eternity, who is in the midst of all things.
Thank you so much for your words in this website. I love art and it’s amazing how much inspiration is infinite.
Thank you for such inspiring and knowledgeable article
Composing sounds like it’d be really hard. It’s crazy to think of this process like that of raising a child. I’ve raised four children, so I would rather leave composing up to the professionals.
I have three kids, and I still have fun doing it.
Composing is really easy.
Composing something that other people will like is a bit more challenging.
Being a “professional” composer is really hard.
This was an excellent article and even though i’m a kid I understand what your’e meaning/saying and it really helps me understand more about composing music so thank you for this wonderful article i got to read with my friends:)
Glad to know you are encouraged by it.
Jon
I love your article. In the same way that cooks guard their recipes, it doesn’t happen that often that creators are willing to share their process. This is very generous and much appreciated, Jon. Thank you!
Great and insightful article. Made me stop and think.
Appreciated your insights. Thank you
Also the encouragement to do something with what we have completed
Thank you!!
I’m not a musician, more of a philosopher and poet. From those stances, I’ve wondered how musical composers think and create. A 19th century German philosopher, Schopenhauer, also wondered about this. I’ll speculate that musical inspiration begins in the unconscious or the supra-conscious mind as they respond to things we consciously perceive. The musician, feeling these deeper or higher responsive impulses can’t express them verbally, but music can convey them exquisitely in the art of a Mozart or a Beethoven, and drive the rest of us into spells of ecstasy. Greig’s “Last Spring” does that to me. Don’t ask me to explain it (even though I just tried-snicker). As Schopenhauer would say, “The music is the thing itself”. When I write a poem I often feel like the poem wrote itself. But only when I didn’t get in the way. It’s as if the poem was channeled by something much larger than me.
Its a really helpful article!! Thanks a Lot!!
Thanks.
i have been working since like a machine for my music and now i got to know that why i was not getting right songs for me.
Thanks, I’m hoping your advice about inhibition will give me a new lease of life. These days any idea I get is instantly kicked into touch by my conscious mind judging it to be nothing new, or of no value. One other thing, when I compose music I very much enjoy the process of composing and arranging. However, after a near lifetime of realizing there is no requirement for my music aside from me getting it out, as I near retirement I want to embrace the process for it’s own sake. Not to make a career from it, or even to show it to people, but just as an aid to enjoying the time I spend doing it and maybe even getting better at it.
Enjoying the process is half the battle.
Enjoying the process is the whole battle.
Great read! I’d also suggest that an art-for-art’s sake type of approach and letting the imagination freely dominate is fun and suitable while learning to compose and develop an initial portfolio. Composing as a profession however will demand a fit-for-purpose approach. Analogous to the words dramaturgy and metalurgy I have coined myself the word ‘musilurgy’ to remind me of this and to try to compose with a potential audience/listening community in mind. Perhaps there is already a known term in use?
Thanks. I am not familiar with a general term that points to the purpose of the music. I think it is wrapped up in the specific terms – program music, chamber music, film score, ballet, symphony, etc. Good idea though.
This is great and direct to the point. Excellently communicated with ease. Thank you.
Thanks.
When I was a teenager, I couldn’t stop hearing some kinds of music in my ears. So many melodies and chords and ideas flew around my ears all the time.
That is why I decided to be a composer and I pursued composition degree in college.
After graduation, as I have my own inspiration and desire to write about, I feel like those fairies that used to flew around my ears are all gone now.
I wrote about 10-15 pieces while at the college, and although it’s very clumsy and theoretically-not-correct much, it felt like those pieces truly came out from my heart. Now after studying all those theories and techniques, I try to fix my original tunes to be more “professional”, you know, to get more respect from other musicians, it just doesn’t work much. And I started to lose all the music floating around my ears, and it just doesn’t feel right when I try to compose.
And I just can’t stop thinking maybe I wasn’t talented and I wasn’t meant to be a composer. And I am losing self-confidence more and more everyday and also desires to write music…
This has been over an year now.
I was so happy back then to write music. Now I am almost depressed when I try to write music.
I’m also thinking of quitting being a composer and start a totally different career or something..
and I was wondering if it was just a part of the process of write music, or It’s that I, myself is just not interested in music anymore?
I would appreciate your thoughts on my status.. Excuse my English if any of sentences don’t make sense.
Thank you
I think there are a few things that could help.
First, try to connect with the thing that really gets you excited about composing. For many people, me included, it is getting your music actually performed by other people, for other people to listen to. This means that you are not just composing in notation software for yourself to listen to. Instead, you are actually putting yourself out in the world. This can be scary, but also very exciting and rewarding.
Second, my guess is that the music you had inside you is still there, but you have other issues with not letting go of inhibition while composing. Part of this could be the mood you are approaching with – you already feel like you are not going to feel the right ideas. Part of it could be not understanding the theoretical concepts to the point of not having to actively think about them while composing. My guess is you know the theory on a conceptual level, but not on an automatic level. Once you internalize the concepts to the point you don’t have to think about it, you will find the composing flows easier. This doesn’t mean it’s easy. Like anything worth doing, it is always hard work, but if you truly want it, it is also satisfying work.
Third, I would work on transcribing some music you like, which will improve your ability to transcribe what you hear in your head, understand it, and write it down.
Thanks a lot I appreciate your selfless article
Beautiful helpful insights there Jon, Thanks
Thanks.
Jon, this article was excellent and heartfelt. I find myself doing some of the same methods you list. It’s definitely a growth process for me, with lots and lots and LOTS of tinkering/experimenting. Being able to have my notation software play the piece back to me is immensely useful as well, as my intuition will often hear where the music is “supposed” to go when it gets to the end of where I’ve written. Also being able to hear it played back in different keys and tempos sometimes opens up new avenues of thought. Thanks again for the great article, cheers.
Yeah, I am really starting to explore the strengths of Sibelius and my DAW, Digital Performer. If you get a quick working process, it can be huge.
I just came by this post.
Beautiful and just what I needed.
Thank you
thanx for sharing the nice though. i am also composing music but in a mor experimental way, much more with synthesisers and machines than with music instruments, that i can not play really well.
your reflexions make me think about something : the real and the imagination. making music is the limit between both of them. it is allways strange for me to think about that. my opinion is that we need to see our ideas in a real environnement, playing that music, sharing it, even the objects like real instruments are something that makes a state of getting something out of our head to the real world. once it is done we dont’ see that in the same way because it becames something shared and not only possesed by us in a very personnal way. see composing as realising makes us a part of the environnement not by the composition itself but by ourselves.
Nasko, thanks for the comment. I think we are heading towards a convergence of traditional instrument, classical/tonal style and electronic music. It’s just a matter of time before traditional symphonic concerts will be in conjunction with DJs.
“Inhibition, or letting the conscious mind throw away ideas before they have germinated into something more powerful, is the enemy of inspiration.”
Ah, I do this all the time. In fact, I was just doing it five minutes ago. Thank you for this reminder!
–JW
The problem is, it is so easy to throw away stuff that you don’t like. The hard part is having the courage to keep what you’ve written and move forward with it. Thanks.
Hey there,
I know this is kind of an old post but I just stumbled upon your entry.
Lately I’ve been learning a lot about the subconscious and the power of imagination. Given that, all of my inspiration comes from vivid visual imagination of a certain scene or event. I ask myself how I would feel, and what I would anticipate, and my LAST QUESTION is what sort of melodies or music would empower and evoke the scene I just imagined?
For example, I’m taking my shot at a theme for the character of Superman.
I found myself stumped when asking myself “what would be a great melody for Superman’s character” because my mind associated the question with John William’s theme and the upcoming theme in the Man of Steel Film.
Instead, I spent a good amount of time imagining I personally witnessed Superman in flight. I imagined what it would be like for me to personally witness his birth, journey, and emergence as a hero on earth. What it would be like for me to see him for the first time, staring up at the sky. That’s when I began to feel inspired, encouraged, and spurred to continue my attempts. I vividly let a “movie” of my imagination play forth and to the best of my ability, I synchronize every part of my composition with the progression of the scene in my mind. It’s really seeming to work. What’s been important is DETAIL. Imagining with detail. the more I imagine, the more I’m inspired.
thanks for your post.
Enjoyed reading this, thanks. Have recently accepted one particular point myself – that you sometimes have to work for inspiration. When I was starting out with music my life (as a teenager) was a LOT less hectic! Music came easily because I had oodles of time to let the inspiration flow. Now I have far less time to devote to music, and the ideas just don’t form themselves anymore. I now actively force myself to try different things, stick with it, work through the ideas, and the music comes through. Takes more effort but it still reaps rewards!