Hi all!

I've been listening to some of our elders' original work and was inspired to start assembling something myself. I'll noodle around for a bit, get a good riff or melody and record it really quick on my iphone before I forget it. Because I will forget it.

At the moment, I'm listening to a beautiful and rather LONG piece and I'm wondering - how do y'all go through the process of composing? I imagine that most folks noodle and then document, noodle some more and document.

How do you document? Do you iteratively record as you get closer to completion? Do you just record each musical idea and jot down notes on potential final structure? Or do you keep it in your head and fingers until you're ready to begin recording the whole composition? Anyone actually WRITE MUSIC while composing?

I'm especially curious how folks do this for longer works.

Happy Friday!

I've used score writers (essentially sheet music word processors) to compose basic ideas since I was 15. I tend to see things in charts and sheet music as is, so it's been a tremendously helpful process. That said, you definitely sacrifice unique tones, especially when using MIDI playback to verify the sounds. Still, score writing technology is my go to scratch pad.

Best,
~Nick "Klaus" G.

I guess this process is different for each musician. On my side I like to build something on an original chords progression first. It always starts on something basic and then I work on substitution, passing chords, etc.

If I have a basic melody I look if this melody is always compatible with the new chords changes. If not I change these notes to be sure I'm targetting well my basic idea.

Concerning the rythm, I try different approaches and then I pick up one. It doesn't mean I'll never change it in the future.

I usually start with the form and plan out a kind of arch for the tune in boxes. If jazz then First part of head, repeated, middle eight, then first part of head again. Then a box for first soloist (band leader often keyboard) second, and third soloists (usually horns if straight up jazz), guitarist, bassist and drummer if you include them and possible trading fours, then a return to the head which can and often needs to be abbreviated for jazz. For big band you can add composed sections between soloists some of which often echo the head.

If pop/rock then it's boxes with intro, verse, chorus, verse, verse, chorus bridge, verse and/or chorus, outro.

For jazz fusion I combine the above with that last kind of thing except add extra sections with new material as with salsa and progressive rock.

For really long works even if they're jazz fusion or progressive rock inspired you can't go wrong with sonata allegro form; First theme, second theme more lyrical than the first, transition or third theme, development, transition, Recap of one or both of the initial themes played alternating solo tutti, and Coda with a prolongation of dominant harmony. I can't remember if it's the Recap or the Coda which gets the rapid soloistic passage called a cadenza.

This is very useful if you need a map for keys and progressions. This explanation is very simplistic but; First theme in tonic key, second theme in dominant key, move through the cycle of fifths during the exposition possibly using the rules for fugue as well or instead. The recap is in the tonic key. Coda has alternating VIVIVI...

Actually, contemporary composers almost NEVER do what Mozart would have done anymore. Very often as in film music the second theme is a chromatic mediant, tritone or half step from the first theme. The exposition may be ii I progressions moving by chromatic mediant. The recap may be the third theme, new material or be a continuation of the development and be in the wrong key such as the subdominant.

Give an identification above each box and what you're going to do within each box concerning instrumentation, melody, chords, rhythm and dynamics before you take the time to put in actual music.

I've composed this way for several of my long pieces which I can put here.

Make sure the arrangement makes sense. Don't drop out instruments during the climax for example or bring the dynamics down when reaching the high note unless you have a reason for doing that.

Like Beethoven and after though, don't let the form dictate the music. If during the course of composition your melody wants to take on influences from eldritch dimensions, don't stop it. Let it.

Here's one example, it has been cut up because it's so long and was hard to upload. It only goes through historical styles up through cage and post minimalism so isn't too alien for most. It follows the above directions.

http://soundclick.com/share.cfm?id=12186815

http://soundclick.com/share.cfm?id=12186818

http://soundclick.com/share.cfm?id=12186822

http://soundclick.com/share.cfm?id=12186829

I have other more advanced examples than this if you're interested.

I tend to be pretty organic about it. Different ideas come to me different ways. If I have an instrument melody or melody/harmony that is coming together, I write it down. If I have a lyrical inspiration, I write it down. I practice it until I "feel" another idea grow out of it or have a parallel idea that works with it. The music then seems to arrange itself. I have noticed working this way, that I get either unusually short or long amounts of repetition within a piece that I like to adjust before considering done.

I kind of just let the music flow in my head even before I touch an instrument. Sometimes I imagine things in a certain key or certain tempo played by a certain instrument. Other times I just go off in random directions with no real forethought to see if anything interesting bubbles to the surface. I can almost separate the wheat from the chaff automatically this way in that anything that doesn't strike me as that great will likely be forgotten whereas anything I like will be remembered with almost perfect clarity. I have a real hard time jotting down notes and trying to force it so I let it come on its own and naturally and worry about recording after the fact. Eventually I have a small collection of riffs and passages that I can mix and match as necessary.

I'll use dreams every so often to compose music too. Music I write subconsciously always turns out to be my absolute favorite which usually ends up shaking me to my core. That is it's own other subject though.

I also put other information in the planned sections such as starting and ending pitches for the melody, starting and ending positions of the melody, beginning and final chords desired and possibly highest and lowest pitches, since those are reserved for the climax plus do I leap to the climax, or walk up to the climax and leap down.

My favourite method for composing is simple; I shut up and listen. No instruments at hand, just listening to silence. Most of the times the music that then starts pouring into your mind is a good starting point. The challenge is to translate this "music inside the head" to arranging, choice of instrument, harmonisation etc. Here comes phase #2, "your personal unique toolbox" (things in music that you like and master). Look inside your toolbox and pick up the shapes that fit what you're hearing. Finally comes phase #3, puzzling it all together without losing the general vision.

That is great Per...you make me think about something else...many times I do have new ideas when I walk on the street or when I'm just outside of my place and do everything but music (with an instrument in my hands I mean) and then, suddenly, new musical ideas come to my mind without asking for it. I can be just sit in a park close to my place and this idea comes to my mind and not having an instrument close to me is a bit frustrating sometimes... . I should have a small recording machine for these occasions. Who knows...maybe I wouldn't have the same ideas coming to my mind...

A cell phone recorder can be your friend.

I was thinking more about "your personal toolbox". One gadget in mine toolbox is "poly". Both poly rhythm and poly harmonising. Not sure this is the correct terminology but what I mean is that I do not like to layer hits and notes on top of each others, rather spread them out in time and tonal range. This is a solo performer's concept though, and very good with the Stick. Every note you play should stand on its own both in rhythm and in harmonisation. If playing a melody as many notes as possible in that melody shall replace the same note in the accompaniment. With a great sounding instrument like the Stick this sparse arranging of music is nice - the constant trick is to balance everything and spread out musical importance to make sure every tap has an important role not duplicated by any other tap.

Well, that was one gadget in my toolbox. Just as an example of what I mean. There is a great educational video online where Trey Gunn talks about "building your toolbox". That's kind of square one for any composer.