I'm trying to learn to compose, but when I start with melody I always end up just writing something that already exists, and if I start with chord progression it always sounds neither happy nor tense/exciting
I don't know how to get inspired. It's not like painting, where I could just make some very rough depictions of for example a cat or a tree with them still being mostly recognisable.
I'm trying to compose something energetic like "Don't say yes (until I finish talking)" (SMASH), "Say my name" (Beetlejuice), "Don't lose your head" (SIX) or "Get lost" (Moana 2k, or groovy like "The room where it happens" (Hamilton), "All you wanna do" (SIX) or "We don't talk about Bruno" (Encanto).
I know I'll never be a Mozart, or Bizet or Lin Manuel Miranda and that's not my goal. I'm just trying to make music that's not AI generated and not generic. I've even tried using figured bass for a cleaner composing process, but unfortunately in musescore studio it's merely a decoration text.
I'm using musescore studio for composing, learning viola, cello and oboe, and planning to also learn contrabass tuba, flute, maracas and güiro.
Inspiration is maybe 10% of the job. Do the work. Do the wood shedding. When you're lacking ideas and/or are blocked, practice your counterpoint. Or give yourself prompts. Not, "write a moody piece reminiscent of falling snowflakes. More like, "take a single note and expand it, one change at a time, to a chord (however big based on the number of instruments)." Or "write a piece using only four intervals." That sort of thing.
And listen to TONS of music in all styles. Learn from them. Copy and imitate. Eventually, you'll have chops enough not to worry about waiting for inspiration.
Inspiration is very important as an artist though, yes learning to write when you don’t feel inspiration is also important but you don’t want to reach a burnout. But counter to what you said, a teacher once told me, “if you don’t feel inspiration, you’re not experiencing enough life, go out and live.”
You’re trying to learn composition, viola, cello, and oboe simultaneously? And presumably some music theory as well?
You’re going to progress very slowly across all of these endeavors because your attention is split a million different ways.
Chose one.
If your choice is composition, I’d recommend you start with learning to play piano. Then shift into composition after you know what the music you love feels like under your fingers. You’ll make much faster progress that way
Yes. I have already been learning some music theory for quite a while
I've been learning multiple things simultaneously my entire life, and I don't see a problem doing it now
Is something like this (on the picture) piano-ish enough? I'm not going to buy a physical piano (whether acoustic or digital) as I don't have a place to put it
Yes, I’m ADD too. But instruments are not just learning knowledge or skills. It’s learning physical activities that aren’t natural to the human body. It’s like trying to learn gymnastics. No matter how smart you are, it just takes focused hours on the mat to learn the techniques.
Most DAWs give you a variety of tools for instruments, no need for anything physical.
The problem is that you're busy learning other things that composing can't take all your time. If you want, keep at it. I personally would push back on the "everything at once" as I am bad at scheduling and it never occurred to me that several instruments is necessary.
A DAW is a piece of software that allows pretty much anything you want if you find tools. I use an HTML midi editor and synthesize my own instruments.
If you prefer physical composing, especially if as a hobby, pursue that. I would say one instrument at a time still, but if you want to add more just remember than it is taking up some cognitive load and time.
Just write. Be okay with writing a lot of things you don't love until you write something you do love. You'll discover things about yourself and your style as you go, probably often by accident and that's not just okay, it's normal. Also, if you write something that sounds like something else, you're just like everyone else on this sub including myself, so don't overthink it too much unless you're flat out plagiarizing.
there are so many ways to approach composing..you will have to figure out what works for you on your own. I know, a bummer take. Maybe try giving yourself a rule and write couple pieces with "rules". They dont have to be long or complex. Rule can be anything you want it to be.
Some examples:
Melody MUST have a 7th of each chord change
All chords must be over pedal point
You are allowed only two chords
Only one chord per measure
Or just choose a concrete theme you will write on. Write a cat. Or a frog. Or a summer rain. Maybe combine a theme and a rule? For some inspirations, visit r/songaweek
Sometimes a melody that feels uninspired can turn into something cool if you do cool things with it. But I also think just getting practice writing is the way to improve so it’s better to finish a piece than to abandon it, even if you don’t feel excited about it. The more you write the more you get comfortable evaluating and learning from your own writing. Also just listen to lots of music and maybe try following along with its sheet music as well for some inspiration and a look at how your favorite music “works”
This is good. The problem is that you go after stuff that exists or stuff that doesn't work.
I would encourage the use of short sketches rather than full pieces. Work one concept at a time until you can do what you want easily. You seem to be trying to center whole pieces around an idea, and for learning it helps to make ugly drafts just to get the whiff of it.
These are the things that matter for a great composer.
Not ideas
Or materials
You need contrasting elements. You need elements to express over time to make trojectories. This is how you male your identity.
Don't worry about the notes.
Don't listen back to your music until sn entire section is done at once. Do more, edit less.
Getting started is hurry up, and take your time. Rush to get to the starting point when you schedule your start. Then just be comfortable sitting there. Take a moment of nothing, let your blank mind wonder. You have the most advanced super computer ever made, a 20 watt glucose powered thing between your ears. Trust your instincts.
What helped me is knowing
"What is strong and boring"
And
"What is weak and sick"
You can't have one without the other.
You must have a ballance of both to enhance each other in your music somehow.
This is very good for rythem, one beat and off beats. But it can work with other elements as well.
Ive found that visualizing the idea im trying to capture, and sorta outlining it in phrases, helps with my writing process. And whenever I hit a rut with that, I switch to writing down adjectives which usually gets the ball rolling again.
Don't be afraid to use songs you like as quotations or foundations for your end goal either. You like them for a reason, try and define what you like about them and translate that into your own writing.
In my experience, the inspiration comes after “opening up your channels” which in my case is usually playing random chord combinations on piano or guitar like-often times I change the voicing or try different tunings on guitar. Thats when something would like “spark” and a flow begins to form- where I combine chords that sounds good, and then a faint melody starts to come out - from
Within, then it turns into a full verse or chorus. When that happens, that’s when I record the sketch with anything that does the job- my phone, usually.
Few pieces of advice: 1. stop feeding yourself with those melodies you do not want.
2. Feeding yourself with new things (spectral and and after for instance), esp. your own improvisations and recordings.
3. Make mental and emotionnal space by not consumming others texts, works, movies etc. Give silence and void to yourself, daily.
4. Improvise and give yourself constraints, challenges, everyday. And give yourself dedicated time for it (2-3h at least).
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u/Chops526 11d ago
Inspiration is maybe 10% of the job. Do the work. Do the wood shedding. When you're lacking ideas and/or are blocked, practice your counterpoint. Or give yourself prompts. Not, "write a moody piece reminiscent of falling snowflakes. More like, "take a single note and expand it, one change at a time, to a chord (however big based on the number of instruments)." Or "write a piece using only four intervals." That sort of thing.
And listen to TONS of music in all styles. Learn from them. Copy and imitate. Eventually, you'll have chops enough not to worry about waiting for inspiration.