8 TIPS for Composers (with issues)
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 19 มิ.ย. 2024
- I look at 8 of the main issues I've seen student composers deal with (and that I've dealt with myself) and offer a few tips through the challenges.
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00:00 Introduction
00:42 I don't have any ideas, and when I do have ideas, they are always rubbish
03:02 I've got an idea but I don't know how to take it further
05:19 My pieces end up a bit of a jumble of different ideas, they lack coherence
07:46 Why does my piece sound a bit muddy, a bit lacking in life
10:39 I've got ideas, but what form should I use? I've no idea how to handle form
14:03 I find transitions really really hard
16:32 Why doesn't my piece seem well written for the instrument.
18:06 Those other people are geniuses and I'm obviously not, should I just give up?
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#composing #composition #musictips - เพลง
The Amadeus stuff had me 😂😂😂
Love your work Aimee! Same here!
lmao
Mozart went to see an opera and then went home and wrote the whole 3 hours of music down with no errors. He used to get music, even whole operas, appear in his head which he hated as he'd have to spend three days writing them down. Imagine you where born a musical genius and had no radio, TV, phones, internet, nothing to distract you, just other musicians to play and [gasp] inprovise with? Where do you think Miles Davis, Charlie Parker, Wes Montgomery got their chops from? Not the internet! And if like Mozart you had played violin, had perfect pitch and read music better than your native language then yes you too would be able to tell someone exactly what to write down - just as chess players can play six games simultaneously blindfolded.
Tonight I listened the The Ivors Composer Awards 2021 on BBC Radio 3 and its literally disgusting how talentless composers are today. So, there you go, we are all talentless and any 'art' piece you write are only listened to by the judges of composer award competitions. Social media is contemporary classical music's only hope for innovation - while it has vanished up it's own backside, other types of music have flourished into new genres.
So next time someone gets 4,000 violinists to play the quietest flautando then puts it through a broken reel to reel with a chimpanzee playing bells and looped samples of an 80 year old Scottish fisherman recorded in 1963 and has the audacity to call it art just punch them in the face as hard as you can as a) it will stop this crap and b) you'll get instant fame.
I really appreciate when professionals talk about the things they struggle with.
Nobody is perfect and nobody knows everything, if you aren't struggling with your music then you aren't trying. There's always more to learn, nobody ever knows it all. So hearing a professional actually recognize that and talk candidly about it is amazing imo! It's really appreciated!
What you say around the 4min mark, how essentially "not to fear patching stuff together" is a really important point and reminded me of the great Nobuo Uematsu who once explained that he wrote little fragments, day by day for like a month and at the end he just puzzled it all together and out came "One Winged Angel", once of the most unique and iconic pieces of video game soundtrack ever written....
You’re like the calm, reassuring, inspiring music teacher I always needed. This video is a godsend
are you saying he is
calm and composed?
Great video! Full of insights and loved the Amadeus part 😅!
Re Tip #8. My dad was a theory/comp professor. He told me that at some point every composer has to face up to the reality that you won't be the next Beethoven, and instead focus on being the first 'you'.
That last bit spoke to me so deeply...I've learned that being a musician goes way further than handling music. It's a lot about handling yourself: your habits, mental health, self-awareness, needs, obligations....There has been so much time I wasn't able to spend time making music because I was dragged down by my inner struggles, even though I had exciting projects saved in Cubase
No
@@WomenCallYouMoid Yes. 90125.
@@rozzgrey801
Those are nice numbers. 90125 is a deficient number. Is it supposed to mean something?
@@WomenCallYouMoid It's an album by rock group Yes. I was just taking the piss out of the shit you posted, twatto.
Can we all agree that David is a beautiful, brilliant human heing?
Yes, definitely
Sycophant
I think these are good tips not just for composition but creativity in general
Thanks so much for sharing them
When you have an idea and you've written it down, but you think it sucks just add a new parameter. Dynamics and maybe a different tempo can work wonders. They give a plain, rather stupid, idea a flow. They give it direction. Then after you can change notes, but you will see how much dynamic markings make a difference when starting with an idea!
Tempo: I was singing Durufle's requiem at one point. Durufle had written specific tempo markings on many sections. I was surprised how strong effect the change in tempo had on music.
Dynamics: I think this is the key element across all music. You *should* have contrasts inside compositions and/or between compositions.
My problem is that I have plenty of ideas, but my inner critic speaks in a distorted, vaguely Germanic electronic nightmare voice, and I'm too disturbed to compose anything. ;-)
DAMN YOU ROBACH!!!
does anyone know what it is called?
dude lean into that. it worked for kraftwerk
@@rainbowkrampus Robach, hahahaa!
@@imlxh7126 Damn, you beat me to that comment. I am currently hearing mixture of traditional classical music and robotic voice...
I needed this today. Been such a task to get everything going.... but this has been very timely and helpful! Thanks David!
Always comforting to know I'm not the only one, best of luck with your work, I hope you're able to make something great :)
When I'm thinking of form and repetition I take Elgar's side: if an idea comes back, it's never the same, ever.
In composing the masterpiece that is "One Winged Angel," Nobuo Uematsu had something like 8 unique and different ideas where he had to sew them together.
This is mental health for us composers. God Bless This Channel. It would be an honor to share my work with you one day sir!
Thank you David! I've been battling with a simultaneous eagerness and fear of creating music for years. As an adult learner I tend to notice way too often which areas of music are "too next level" and "out of reach" for me. Your approach to music edutainment helps me to concentrate on what is possible and doable. Tricks for confused moments, yes, that is me. I suddenly realize I am already a composer with a musical mind. I will not shy away from half-ideas anymore but embrace and cultivate them with your tips.
“Restrictions set you free” is one of my pet peeves related to Microtonality: If you have no boundaries, then there is no cleverness to be had. If I could telepathically transmit any arbitrary feeling into your mind, then it’s all just dream-state experience! What’s interesting is how turn a limited framework of expression to your advantage.
Just what I've been needing. Thanks David!
These tips are so invaluable, David. Thanks for sharing these!
Two examples presented without context or what part of the video reminded me of them:
Mahler, Das Lied von der Erde: last movement, singer has one phrase repeated three times, and a flute accompanies the first two but transforms the third by its absence
Rachmaninov, Symphony No. 2: march featuring a tuba solo in the scherzo
A lot of your advice apply very well to visual arts as well, I really felt it helped me too, even though I don't make music. Thank you ❤️
Love this, thanks for making this video!
I’ve been waiting for this so much! Thank you so much!
Wow, so many amazing tips packed in here!! Thank you!!
Excellent advice. You’ve gone through all the stages there. Thank you .
you're always prophetic to me bruce, thx
This is great advice, thank you so much! I bet many composers out there will be happy with all of these tips!
This video couldn't have come at a better time! Thanks, David!
Thank you once again, David Bruce, for an inspiring talk! I really do enjoy your way of giving advice!
Very helpful and thoughtful David. Thanks heaps. I need to go through this a few times and take notes! You've addressed all the problems I'm currently experiencing.
That's the kind of Content I've been looking for for a while.
Thank you
Your points about self-care are spot on. Thanks for all the insights!
Thank you so much... very good pointers and especially the number 8 really resonated and gave food for some thought on how to proceed with my own music writing and producing path.
Very well thought out. Thank you.
The editing is insane! And thanks for yet another insightful and useful video.
These are great. great tips. Very helpful and insightful. Thanks!
Just watched this. Nicely done. Thanks for putting in the time and effort, as it addressed many of my thoughts.
Fantastic video. Answers so many of the things that I continually experience.
This video is SO rich in content and insight, thank you! I feel like most of these apply to me and I'll try to take them into account.
I've been waiting for a video like this! All great advice. I know I've struggled with the last two in particular. Your point on the cultural implications of each instrument and it's history is a cool way of thinking of things.
Great information , I really needed to hear this.
Hey David, thank you very much for your insights! Your talking about your experience not only on the subject of composing but also on the subject of developing your personality as a composer, is very inspiring.
timing of this video is great, recently finished my first piece. thanks david
great advice David, really appreciated 😌
Thank you for posting this priceless video!
This was really inspiring. A lot to think about. What you said at the end about handling myself - very important to think about. Thank you!
The last line of the video hit me so hard. Thank you!
thank you for this most apprechiated vid. Exactly the right thing I needed to hear❣
Superb! Thank you very much. This really helps.
Pure gold, David! Thanks, as ever! :)
This is fantastic. I watched this. Then some time passed and I watched it again. It is good. Very useful. I'm excited to write something new. Thanks again, David!
You've got my like after just the first minute :)
This intro was brilliantly done, and reminded me of the various things I should keep in mind as a composer.
Such a great informative video, I really thank you for the great advice. Through my composition journey, I think I've started to realize all these things subconsciously, but this video really put them all into words, and hearing the intuitive explanations really was enlightening. Let this video inspire the composers of the future!
That was really nice to put together thank you
Just want to say that every video I watch of yours hits the nail firmly on the head for me like no other you-tuber. And this one does that particularly well. Very appreciative of the time you take out from composing to make these vids.
David, your videos are wonderful: useful, profound, honest and original, totally lacking pretension (the sign of a genuine artist/intellectual). Thanks for your generosity in sharing your knowledge and experience.
I really appreciate this video. Thank you so much.
Thank you for this wonderful video David. Most of this stuff is equally relevant to my field of the arts (not music). Your insight and clarity of thinking on the more confusing and frustrating aspects of the creative process mark you out as a first rate teacher. :)
Brilliant video, thank you!
Thank you for your postings. Too many people think that music is something that God has given some select few individuals - whether it is performing or more often composing. Either performing or composing, people don't realize how many hours are spent "practicing". I went to a clinic with Dee Barton many years ago and he recommended everyone write a song every day whether it was AABA, Verse and Chorus, or and A, B, C march. Whether or not any of these become "hits" or the basis of a "magnum opus", the practice serves anyone who is willing to do the exercise. All this applies whether you "don't have any ideas" or "other people are geniuses and I'm not". Keep up the good work.
This reminds me about Stephen King's comments on writing. You could summarize one of his main themes as: Do the work. Start sweating and keep doing.
These are truely great advices, thank you so much :)
David, you are an incredible articulator of musical issues. I LOVE the history of classical music (I'm a jazz musician) and you speak like a writer. What a treasure. I look forward to watching more of your videos.
Great concepts of learning, thank you 👍🙂
Thank you, for the great advice!😀
Your tips have helped me so much!
There a few TH-cam channels that inspire and motivate me to push past my mental blockers and work on music. Your channel is one of them. Even if it's for 20 minutes, I usually open up Ableton after watching one of your videos. Thank you for sharing your work and perspective!
An excellent video, David.. Thank you!
Thanks so much for the video, David!
please make this version of Amadeus a whole 1h long video
Thank you very much David! Even though I am a pianist rather than a composer, I can really apply most of your tips to better deal with the inner critic both in the practice and performing settings! Very useful and helpful!
Excellent advice!
Yay a new DB video!! thanks for the great content! I have a composition debut on my channel today! A violin and Viola duet. Big fan of your videos! Thanks again!
David this was a brilliant video :)
Some great advice and excellent tips as always. Also I came away feeling more positive about my compositions. I loved Mozarts ‘Three blind mice’!
Thank you. You've helped a lot. I appreciate your advice.
I’m only through the first 2 and it’s brilliant. Really appreciate this.
Very smart and useful for all the insecurities us fragile composers own. The relaxed sharing of the different conditions puts all of us at ease. Great! Thank you. Got to get to your patreon channel and send you something. You should be supported . God bless~
I think this is one of wisest thing I've heard in my entire life, and I would have needed to hear it like 40 years ago. Repeated and literally bashed into my head. Thank you so much!!
Excellent video!! one of my favs :D
Thank you for sharing your experience. A lot of this advice addresses problems I've been fighting since I first started writing music years ago. The bit about not trying to write a piece chronologically and instead just write and piece things together later is especially helpful. I've often told myself "I'll write more music once I know how the next section goes." As a result, I'm not very good at developing and changing an idea. I find your music uniquely original and enjoyable. The comedy in this vid is top notch as well
These are great advice, thanks 👍
Great video! Thank you! ♥️❤️♥️❤️
Some very good points, well done.
You wrote another brilliant video that I enjoyed immensely. I’m too embarrassed to call myself a “composer”. I just make stuff for background of images. I write carelessly, keep bits I should get rid of, and don’t rewrite often. Still, I enjoy myself and don’t have a bad conscience cuz I seldom listen to my final product. I used to paint and write poetry the same way. There, I’ve said it
I think it's important to like what you create and to revisit it for recreation and leasure after it's finished. I listen to the half hour of music I've created so far every day.
I love your Work !!!
Excellent! Thanks a lot.
The points about making movement a part of the nature of the piece (as opposed to only in the transitions), and specifically pinpointing the "parts you're slightly embarrassed about" in your writing as the things that make your writing unique, were what I needed to hear today 🙏
Fantastic video, David. A very honest account of some very familiar struggles. I think creative individuals need to be reminded of the fact that everyone else faces the same challenges from time to time, regardless of ability or experience. Oh and the "Three Blind Mice"/Amadeus mashup almost caused coffee to shoot out my nose. Keep up with the fantastic content!
thank you so much for this video!
Thank you, David. That was very well said (and very familiar). One other issue I've often run into is knowing when I've actually completed a piece. I've had instances where a piece comes nearly fully-formed and I've finished it in a matter of hours, and I'm happy with it. Then there are other pieces that I want to tweak to death. (One piece I kept revising for 14 years!) So I've trained myself to work on a piece for no more than a few months, and then call it done when it's pretty much matching my intent. And I use each piece as a stepping stone, setting out to learn something new for myself when I compose it. When I feel the piece is finished, I don't concern myself with whether it's a masterpiece; I just move on to the next piece. I've found that if I come back to a piece years later, my mindset has changed from when I originally wrote the piece and I begin revising it with the new mindset. That's a futile task that never ends. So I've just learned to say, "done".
I needed this video, thank you
I love your video editing 😄
1:40 🤣
That was brilliant man, thx for the work you share & your channel.
Thank you, this means a lot
It's good to see a channel dedicated to composition - we need these
And more the simple fact of the difficulties/challenges of living as a composer. Bringing composers and performers closer together is my ideal.
4:05 -- literally how One-winged angel was composed.
Thank you David, my inner demons come frothing to the surface when you mentioned them towards the end of this episode. I need them to compose as I need my own strangeness and mental health issues. Among other things they led me to you and your increasing fluffyness. Thank you again for these great tips today. Always appreciated.
Thank you for putting out content that's actually educational unlike a certain TH-camr who's name rhymes with Stick Piano
so glad I found this channel
Simply Brilliant!
That intro was really good!