Advice to composers

some basic ideas

I am often asked about how to make the music composition process flow organically. Young composers speak of getting into a “writer’s block” or being caught up in judging their work using other people’s standards. Here’s what I tell them:

·      Some composers think of notes; others think of sounds. Develop the ability to think both ways, and to switch between them at will.

·      You can start a new composition with a melody, a chord progression, a groove, words, images - any or all of those together.

·      Stay alert to capture your musical ideas as they bubble up. They are quick and disappear easily. Have your notation tools always sharp and ready to deploy. The best tool for a composer is the quick reflex.

·      Be clear to yourself and learn to distinguish between your work as a composer from your work as an arranger. It’s easy to confuse the two.

·      Never judge your ideas. They are not “good” or “bad”. They are your ideas. What you do with them is the determining factor.

I hope this helps…