My problem with composing for "specific" projects.

I like composing and all but when it comes down to composing for "specific projects" I can just never do it. One reason is just for the fact, half of the time the project maker guy ask me to compose music I have little experience in composing or just have no interest in composing. And secondly, adding to that, the person doing the project almost never gives enough information for you to become inspired to compose that specific theme. Most of the time I'll get "I want you to compose a dark, ominous piece for this town" or "I want you to compose a happy piece" and even if the person gives me a few details, I can almost never get the inspiration to compose it.

So yeah, that's basically my big problem when it comes down to composing for specific projects. In summary, I'm often asked to compose music I have little experience in writing OR I'm composing music I have no interest in writing. It's also just hard for me to get inspired, with the vague details the person requesting gives.

I like composing and all but when it comes down to composing for "specific projects" I can just never do it. One reason is just for the fact, half of the time the project maker guy ask me to compose music I have little experience in composing or just have no interest in composing. And secondly, adding to that, the person doing the project almost never gives enough information for you to become inspired to compose that specific theme. Most of the time I'll get "I want you to compose a dark, ominous piece for this town" or "I want you to compose a happy piece" and even if the person gives me a few details, I can almost never get the inspiration to compose it.

So yeah, that's basically my big problem when it comes down to composing for specific projects. In summary, I'm often asked to compose music I have little experience in writing OR I'm composing music I have no interest in writing. It's also just hard for me to get inspired, with the vague details the person requesting gives.

Just write it

When you practice your instrument, do you get better by practicing the stuff you're good at? A wise teacher once told me, "You aren't supposed to sound good when you practice." Same goes for composing. In addition to working on things that I want to, sometimes I get some oddball thing asked of me. I was recently asked to write a Trombone Quartet. What a dreadful ensemble that is, and I never would have approached that on my own, but I have this opportunity now! I have good players that have approached ME with interest in playing my music, well it's not like I'm not going to write it so I can "write that string quartet" or whatever nonsense I might want to work on. I'm currently working on the 2 pieces right now at the same, deadlines to meet you know.

Anyway, what I'm saying is, at this stage everything you write is an experience. It's no different than buying that new concerto/sonata or whatever, learning it, going through that whole process and finally performing it. So yeah, stop worrying about "being inspired" and just go write it. Of course, plan out what you're doing and be organized/intelligent about it, but just write.

From reading your past posts on YC, it seems like this is a big problem for you, knowing what to write. This might be associated with a technical approach to how you write. Could you possibly walk me through the process of how you wrote your last piece? Also, if you could tell me your educational background...

From reading your past posts on YC, it seems like this is a big problem for you, knowing what to write. This might be associated with a technical approach to how you write. Could you possibly walk me through the process of how you wrote your last piece? Also, if you could tell me your educational background...

Educational background in music, I assume? Well been playing Sax since 5th grade(High School Senior now), played the bass guitar in jazz band this year and last year, pretty decent at regular guitar and I can also do some begginer stuff on piano and drums.

But for me the whole composing process is I'll open up Anvil Studio first. Now if I already had a piece in my head, it'll be pretty easy, but if not it's kind of hard. What I'll do to try and get an idea is just keep hitting a series of notes until I get something I like. Another common problem with me and composing is, I'll compose something, but then I'll worry it won't be "good enough" or what the person had in mind. But yeah, that's the process for me.

I'm exactly the opposite. Unless someone tells me what to write or I need a piece for a specific purpose, I can't get my ideas down. How weird, right? :)

Educational background in music, I assume? Well been playing Sax since 5th grade(High School Senior now), played the bass guitar in jazz band this year and last year, pretty decent at regular guitar and I can also do some begginer stuff on piano and drums.

But for me the whole composing process is I'll open up Anvil Studio first. Now if I already had a piece in my head, it'll be pretty easy, but if not it's kind of hard. What I'll do to try and get an idea is just keep hitting a series of notes until I get something I like. Another common problem with me and composing is, I'll compose something, but then I'll worry it won't be "good enough" or what the person had in mind. But yeah, that's the process for me.

The most important thing is, are you happy with how it sounds? I know it's easy to worry about how others might react to it, but chances are if you like it, others will too.

I would suggest learning theory, that's really going to ground you technically. I mean with the saxophone, you can't play runs in your music if you don't have a rudimentary idea of all your scales and everything, technique is important! So yeah, I don't know what "Anvil Studio" is, but there are free versions of Finale/Sibelius you can obtain (or buy it off eBay or something), and start writing music by....writing music! Especially the kind of music you seem to be attempting, you will be a lot more successful if you actually know your theory and just have a solid grounding in all those aspects of music. I hope that helps...

I looked up "Anvil Studio," and I think that might be the crux of your problem! Anvil Studio, as far as I could see, is a sequencing program. It looks like it can assist in composing (I might download the free version and play with it a little to see exactly what it does), but in the end it looks like it's designed for taking existing music and sampling or transposing, etc. You probably want to start with Finale or Sibelius, actually music writing softwares, as someone else mentioned to get you going on your composition.

There's another thread going on about whether or not composers "ought" to compose at the computer or with paper and pen at their instrument. I feel like you might be trying to let the computer do too much of your work for you. Start with your guitar or at a piano if you play (I don't think you mentioned it, but both are wonderful instruments to compose with) and start your improvising there. Make the sounds you want to make on one instrument, get the groove, get the feel, hum out a melody if you feel like it, and then use the computer to assist you in taking all those pieces you've created and make an orchestration or a piano arrangement, or a choral arrangement, or whatever your final task is.

Also, be creative beyond just the sound of the music. Your patron (or whatever) says, "I want a somber sounding piece," and you think, "Well, that's not very helpful!" Okay, so let's think of something somber. Maybe you think at the core the story of Little Red Ridinghood is very somber. You can find themes of the wolf and the innocent little girl, and the death of the grandmother and the deception etc. moving as more than just a kids' story. So, you decide to tell your view of the story through music. Create a theme for Red, create a theme of the Wolf, create a theme for Granny, see how they intertwine. Which instruments play what? And no one has to know that it's Little Red Ridinghood except you. You've done what your patron wants. You've created a somber piece. That, of course, is just one example of how to do it. Maybe he says, "Something happy," and you think, "Central Park in the middle of the summer when kids play and people picnic and tan and row boats... that's happiness." So, you go and write something that sounds like Central Park in summer. Maybe you title it so, maybe you don't.

I don't know exactly what kinds of "projects" you're talking about, so I can't go deeper. But does this make sense, what I'm proposing?

for me , im not really a classical music composer , i have been composing for classical music for around a month , but i think im a good jazz and rock/metal composer, i did an album and 2 singles.:) .

anyway , when i compose rock or jazz, i just play my keyboard or the guitar and play whatever is in my mind , and after i feel that something is nice and related to a the lyrics or the thing that im writing for (even if its not longer than 10 sec) i just do it over and over . and slowly try to add little things to it and then you'll see a verse then you do the same thing for the pre-chorus ....etc. eventually you'll get a good song.

thats what i do when im not feeling what im supposed to write about .