Writing material independent of a piece

So I'm not really sure what I would call this, but I've found it to be a VERY helpful way of working out themes, searching for material, etc, etc, etc.

I keep a book of motives and melodic ideas (it's mostly on Finale now, but I still think of it as a book). This contains motivic ideas, notable harmonic progressions, possible theme sketches, and many other little snippets. I try to do one or two of these a week.

Then, when I'm writing new music, I can always look back at this book and observe "This rhythmic motive would work wonderfully for this theme" or "I should really develop this here" and so on. This way, I can more effectively use my writing time to actually write and develop music, instead of staring at paper and wondering where to start.

So, the next time you hear a snippet of notes, or a chord progression, or something else, don't sit and struggle with how to develop it - just write it down so you don't forget it. These little bursts of creativity (at least for me) are usually not accompanied by the sort of analytical thinking needed for development, so why just get frustrated?

My two cents.

Awesome idea! Thanks, Matt! :)

I do this too - albeit in a notebook I carry around with me at all times, dating each entry. I use it to write down fragments of melodies that come to me, reviews or thoughts about stuff I've heard, or just concepts for new (or pending) pieces.

I've found that just having the ability to record all of these things in one consolidated, portable book, gets me generating even more ideas because I have the ability to write them down. It helps my ear a lot too to have to be able to transcribe melodies or harmonies without an instrument present (often while I'm on the bus or something).

Everyone should invest in one of these notebooks: extremely sturdy, small and portable, and pretty cheap considering the return on investment they can provide.

Amazon.com: Moleskine Music Notebook Pocket: Moleskine: Books

They are a bit small though, so if you develop your ideas more as they come to you, maybe think about getting a larger one...

See, I either use the staff paper that I keep tucked away in my professional development binder (for teaching) or a book of 12-stave that I get for $1.50 each. I'm too "po" to start investing in fancy notebooks.

So I'm not really sure what I would call this, but I've found it to be a VERY helpful way of working out themes, searching for material, etc, etc, etc.

I keep a book of motives and melodic ideas (it's mostly on Finale now, but I still think of it as a book). This contains motivic ideas, notable harmonic progressions, possible theme sketches, and many other little snippets. I try to do one or two of these a week.

Then, when I'm writing new music, I can always look back at this book and observe "This rhythmic motive would work wonderfully for this theme" or "I should really develop this here" and so on. This way, I can more effectively use my writing time to actually write and develop music, instead of staring at paper and wondering where to start.

So, the next time you hear a snippet of notes, or a chord progression, or something else, don't sit and struggle with how to develop it - just write it down so you don't forget it. These little bursts of creativity (at least for me) are usually not accompanied by the sort of analytical thinking needed for development, so why just get frustrated?

My two cents.

Just to let you know, I have studied Beethoven's compositional method for a while and have books on it, and Beethoven actually used the EXACT same method (at least early in his career), so your idea is a very good one and you are in good company.

He would constantly write down catchy themes and such and later, when writing a symphony for example he'd flip through his book of snippets and themes and say "hmm this would be great as my 2nd subject of the exposition for this particular symphony!" and he'd use it, etc, etc...

good idea. :toothygrin:

Or you could be like Handel and, whenever you hear someone else's music that you like, just lift it for your own use. Damn copyright laws.

I rock this method also but I organize my ideas into the piece that I intend them to be for. That is to say that I sit down with a certain piece and mind and just write down anything that comes to mind. Then I go and decide which stuff I really like that will be important in the piece. After that I cut out any material I don't think goes with that stuff and then develop the material I have left. I have no idea what a piece will sound like at all before about two weeks of writing sketches and revising them. Stuff that doesn't make it into the piece I was brainstorming for rarely makes into any other pieces though.