To all the writers & composers!!

[Sylvie Pacey]

Hello Freddyjellmusic, what an interesting topic you have started. For myself I don't compose very often, but usually its because a short phrase perhaps of only three or four notes kicks off a theme when I am least expecting it. Sometimes I write some lyrics and then add music, sometimes the other way around. Sometimes I write just music without words. Try sitting at your instrument and play around with chords and chord progressions until you find INSPIRATION!! A basic understanding of the Cycle of fifths is really helpful. Above all, have fun. Music should lift the spirit, not grind it down. Sylvie

[gina]

[Andrew Roussak]

I'm an atheist.

So what???

[rojo]

Hi Andrew,

I think James was responding to this post:

By the way, am I the only one who's not religious around here?
Not that I mind... jhust curious.

[Andrew Roussak]

Hi Andrew,

I think James was responding to this post:

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa! ....Aha.
I kinda understood it in a way an atheist composer would use a different approach by writing things...
Hmmmmm.........

[Houshintida]

Search for some songs, somehow take a look at it or study its lyrics and how it is being arranged. Remember this when you write a song put your heart on it, put some passion and love what you are doing. Then it will just follow. You can then write a great and one of a kind composition/song of your own.

[gfgkusdfdjsfkj]

That is so nice collection.Well after finding your this comment there is no need for any book reading search of last few years.I like your idea for distributing the books by years.Thats so nice attempts with links.Please continue this type of activity.Thank you for sharing such a nice comment. ans sources

[franksspace]

Great topic - and a courageous thread starter.

Thought I would do mine to keep it alive.

As it comes to sources of inspiration -
they are numerous and still you can explore new ones I guess.

As far as I know, WANTING inspiration is impossible.
You must create the circumstances and "ask" for it -
(pray for it - if you like).
You GET an idea - you dont create it -
you receive it - - - from where? - You name it.

One of the sources of inspiration that has been most
surprising to me is pure emptiness.

Through an almost complete empty mind, the most amazing
things have developed. - Truly surprising!

(and this has not been reached through a state of practised
meditation. It has been reached through a kind of emotional
point of zero - an almost depressed state of mind - actually)

The empty space has no distractions, no criticism,
no boundaries. I has only pure space for pure music.

But to put it down dry: Im mostly driven by emotions,
and I kind of seek resonance for my emotions in sound and
music. When I find it, it improves and enhances the emotions,
making me wanting - and exploring - searching for an even deeper
level of resonance or understanding.
So it can go on for quite a while. And out of that comes -
(hopefully:-) music.

The most important in all this I guess, is to believe it.
When you feel its there, seize the moment - of inspiration.

can you recognize your self in some of that? - or not?.

Feedback on this is very welcome - even if I dont know you.
I just started, so I dont know anyone in here.
(But maybe thats gonna change)

franks,

[AmateurComposer]

I would really love to write - compose my own songs, but i can't..
I have cubase, a midi keyboard and a good computer, but I don't have the most importent thing of them all.. "The inspiration and the ideas"..

Are there any melodies playing in your head? If no, I do not understand your drive to write music. If yes, these are your "inspiration and ... ideas".

[Catrina]

Franksspace writes a beautiful and analytical post above, thank you Frank.

I would like to reply in my own way if I can. Yes, you ask for a piece or a work, I ask for entire albums worth. Then you work, you wait, you try, you erase, you try again... you 'listen'. Sometimes you will have to work with nuts and bolts - a motif, a progression, a riff. Sometimes it comes all at once, or seem to, even if you cannot 'capture' them in time, the gist of it all came in a flash. They are all legitimate, and all can yield truly great music, and do not be afraid to edit, re-edit, interpolate other ideas, try new things, experiment, discard. Do not be afraid, nothing and no one can get hurt by sitting down and composing music, this is not sky diving

[annapope]

I'm not sure I'm much help when it comes to explaining the creative process. Because I just get whole pieces or streteches of pieces coming into my mind when I'm just going about my daily life. The trick is then to find time to sit down and get it down onto paper, either at the piano, or sometimes at the computer with Sibelius. I then spend some time developing the piece and the ideas, but usually it is already in my head, words and music and chords and melodies all together, and I have to 'transpose' it. Two things which have helped a lot with getting to the point where this happens is immersing myself in music - in my case, LOTS of singing in some really good choirs and lots of listening/concert experiences.

Also having a thematic idea sometimes sparks something off. For example, writing something for a concert called 'Angels vs Demons' (a piece about the experience of purgatory and redemption) or 'England vs France' (a piece about the battle of Agincourt) or writing a piece about reconciliation or 'peace'.

I think spending a lot of time with an instrument or instruments of choice is a really important way to explore the possibilities of music-making and creativity. For me, the human voice is the ultimate instrument, but any instrument which inspires you is great!

[wljmrbill]

I can also add that many times a tape recorder comes in handy to record your phrases, melodies, or chordal structures you may hear in your head.. that way you have them for future development....( this for when you do not have time to write them down.) I as a rule just find myself at the organ/ keyboard and begin to improv and develope what I hear in my head..and off we go......I do find many inspiratiions comes when I am around nature ( walking in woods, mountains, creeks,lakes etc ) There are as many ways I think as there are composers.

[Soubasse]

Or any sort of recorder really! Sometimes, I've been in the car when an idea has popped into my head and I've often grabbed the mobile phone and used the crappy voice recorder / memo function to whistle in the idea!

I'm not sure I'd agree with the notion as expressed earlier of "inspiration being overrated" especially when Franksspace made the highly valid point of emptiness or silence being an excellent motivation. Many people might find emptiness or silence anything but inspiring, but the fact remains that it can strike when you least expect it and in my case, whether you want it to or not!

Perhaps "inspiration" as a concept (particularly in reference to composing) has been vaguely articulated or badly expressed or something, but I wouldn't say it's overrated as it still amazes me the with the places and moments it chooses to strike.

Case in point, I'll tell you something that happened at school the other day. I was tidying up and closing doors after a class had left. After wheeling the xylophone back into its storeroom, I dropped my whiteboard markers onto the keys whilst reaching up for a book on the shelves behind. The marker pens bouncing on the xylo keys created a pretty cool little riff. I dropped the book (literally) and immediately worked out what the pens had "played" (!! !!), grabbed the nearest sheet of manuscript and wrote it down. It's now being used in a little piece for the whole class to play.

Sometimes thinking about it too hard can be the worst thing. It's often best to wait for it - most times you'll find it won't take long.

[Catrina]

Or any sort of recorder really! Sometimes, I've been in the car when an idea has popped into my head and I've often grabbed the mobile phone and used the crappy voice recorder / memo function to whistle in the idea!

I'm not sure I'd agree with the notion as expressed earlier of "inspiration being overrated" especially when Franksspace made the highly valid point of emptiness or silence being an excellent motivation. Many people might find emptiness or silence anything but inspiring, but the fact remains that it can strike when you least expect it and in my case, whether you want it to or not!

Perhaps "inspiration" as a concept (particularly in reference to composing) has been vaguely articulated or badly expressed or something, but I wouldn't say it's overrated as it still amazes me the with the places and moments it chooses to strike.

Case in point, I'll tell you something that happened at school the other day. I was tidying up and closing doors after a class had left. After wheeling the xylophone back into its storeroom, I dropped my whiteboard markers onto the keys whilst reaching up for a book on the shelves behind. The marker pens bouncing on the xylo keys created a pretty cool little riff. I dropped the book (literally) and immediately worked out what the pens had "played" (!! !!), grabbed the nearest sheet of manuscript and wrote it down. It's now being used in a little piece for the whole class to play.

Sometimes thinking about it too hard can be the worst thing. It's often best to wait for it - most times you'll find it won't take long.

Now all you have to figure out is how to pay the marker pen company the proper royalty fees when your work gets performed