Thanks Paul for the insights. I think that one of John Steinbeck's tips for writing equally applies to composing. To paraphrase it: Forget the generalised audience. In the first place, the nameless, faceless audience will scare you to death and in the second place, unlike the theatre, it doesn’t exist. In composing, your audience is one single listener; it helps to pick out one person-a real person you know, or an imagined person and write to that one person. Most of the time that one person is yourself.
5:05. Oh yes. Very important :). 16:56. I remember Tom Stoppard describing his own creative process as a sort of reverse engineered assembly of bits and pieces. Seems to me the key to artistic endeavour is that it all hinges on the voyage of discovery. Interesting video, Paul.
* I listened with keen interest to this video as you described the process that takes place as musical ideas come to me and how to capture those ideas. I thought I was a lone wolf in this experience. Now, I imagine, that might just be how most composers experience it. I just wish my results were anywhere near what you produce... not even in the ballpark. Oh well. I'll keep working on it. If you will join me in the DEEP end for a few moments, * I'd like to share my thoughts on where musical ideas come from (I'll keep it as short as I can)... * Virtually all of us are used to having thoughts, but very few of us stop to ask "Where was the thought before I thought it?". Since thoughts come into existence, and anything that comes into existence has a source, there must be a source of thought. It is from this source that all the myriad of thoughts that we have spring forth. Depending on many factors (natural ability/inclination, upbringing, education, experience, etc.) we can take these thoughts and expand upon them to varying degrees leading to great (or not so great) books, machines, buildings, ways to solve problems, etc.. * A musical idea is just another form of thought, a nonverbal one. These thoughts rise from the same source as other thoughts. They just, generally, bypass the intellect. Since we, and most everyone else, experience and have experienced verbal thoughts on a regular basis since childhood, we take them for granted. We don't wonder much about them. Not so with musical thoughts/ideas. Many people can recall a musical idea they've heard before. Not as many people can have a "new" musical idea and bring it to fruition using/for various instruments. These people have a strong connection to the source of thought from which spring forth musical ideas. The MAGIC in this process is that music affects us directly on the level of feeling, bypassing, for the most part, any intellectual involvement. Yes, music can be intellectually analyzed and often is, but that is, for the most part, not its appeal. Its appeal is how it makes us feel. The feeling level can be affected during composition (and often is) as well as on listening to a completed piece. Again, depending on many factors, different composers (both great and small) can take these musical thoughts/ideas to great (or not so great) places. Thanks for your wonderful post! Loved it. It generated many new thoughts for me 🙂
First thanks for your very kind words! Second: Totally agree. You described it really well. So hard to babysit that process and keep the idea pure - I guess thats the life of a composer!!
That song has a very Scottish feel to it in my ears. It reminds me a lot of a traditional song about Loch Lomond. Then again there are a lot of old Scottish folk songs which are essentially people yearning for the land they left for other shores, which fits your home away from home idea
Really grateful of the sharing of this process. I wish more writers of music would talk about this side. I've been writing every day on average for about four years just to see if it works. I can definitely say it does. Ive learned that having an environment for the energy to come is a huge part, even if its a mental space. I think i could take my piano anywhere. But when I sit, its time to reach out and pluck something down. Where Id originally have 15 seconds of an idea per month, if i was lucky, now theres not a day that goes by with less than 10-20 minutes improvising on the spark, feeling the idea out until it dries up. The focus on that flow state can definitely be grown. Now im left wondering if itll take another four years developing the ability to finish this catalogue of ideas... I certainly hope not!
Fascinating and inspirational stuff. Letting go of the 'perceived expectations' of others (director, music supervisor, competition judges, your peers, the public etc.) in your head is so hard but so necessary. Thank you for sharing the journey. I look forward to following this.
Another great video! Following an idea until you can't follow it any more is SUCH good advice. Take advantage of that state of creation and go for it, you can always edit later! I love the idea of thinking of an album as an art gallery too - you can show people round, but ultimately they'll gravitate towards different pieces that resonate with them, and find their own meaning. Thanks again!
Great thoughts and I really liked the piano idea. One thing I do quite often: When I have music ideas, I record them as quickly as possible. They tend to be just short "snippets". I store that in my "snippets folder". Sometimes this stuff collects dust for years 🙂. But every now and then when I am looking for ideas, I browse through my snippets folder - and often that opens up a solution for something I am looking for or it creates a new idea. I'm having more success with this than playing the lottery 🤣🤣. Good stuff Paul as always. Cheers, Roland
Thanks Paul. You have inspired me to not rely on muscle memory in Dm. And, I use Cubase Pro 11 for all my work. In the DAW is a tool I often use to inspire new changes and chord progressions. I use the "Chord" track and the rule of 5ths. Since I don't write or read music, this is a great way of getting "Started.
Hi this a very democratising video Paul. The information is so helpful to those just starting out in composition and for those further down the line, you describe some very useful practices with regard to capturing creative output in the absence of fully formed ideas and also for those finding themselves in the “moment “. If I had a tip for folks it would be always have you daw recoding the midi you play when you are exploring . 😀👏👏🎶
Thank you Des! And yes - having the DAW running great advice: I know of quite a few songwriters who tape all their sessions (I guess partly in case something magical happens that they can't recreate from memory and partly to prove they wrote the song!)
Interesting, your process from using the phone to capture melodies to note taking in a book and just playing is close to my process. Ideas captured on the mobile I transfer into studio one and use a pitch detection plugin to enter notes into the score. I rarely notate on to score paper, but I do write lyric lines down and put above the words and syllables notes to indicate length. The process of the music just coming and flowing at the keyboard I experience as well, and I cannot explain it. Other than to say my undergraduate major was in Visual Arts and the same "cosmic flow" can take place making marks to create an image, it seems to come from nowhere and results in a "finished" work.
Global Warming Alert: Paul doesn't wear a scarf! Or he can heat his studio now. Chose one. Joking aside, thank you for this video, Paul, you pointed out many of our ways to try to catch those ideas which sneak away in the ether of our minds. Actualy, are we ideas hunters?
I don't think there's a truer phrase than, "..when you start filling in the notes, sometimes you veer a bit off course" !
Haha.. and sometimes off course might be good.. but many times not!
Thanks Paul for the insights. I think that one of John Steinbeck's tips for writing equally applies to composing. To paraphrase it: Forget the generalised audience. In the first place, the nameless, faceless audience will scare you to death and in the second place, unlike the theatre, it doesn’t exist. In composing, your audience is one single listener; it helps to pick out one person-a real person you know, or an imagined person and write to that one person. Most of the time that one person is yourself.
Perfect - love this David.
Thanks for this. Very inspiring. Looking forward to getting my copy of your new album. I still love albums.
Thank you!
5:05. Oh yes. Very important :). 16:56. I remember Tom Stoppard describing his own creative process as a sort of reverse engineered assembly of bits and pieces. Seems to me the key to artistic endeavour is that it all hinges on the voyage of discovery. Interesting video, Paul.
Love that Tom quote - thanks for that!
Please, please, please more Spitfire libraries on StaffPad!
Watch this space!
* I listened with keen interest to this video as you described the process that takes place as musical ideas come to me and how to capture those ideas. I thought I was a lone wolf in this experience. Now, I imagine, that might just be how most composers experience it. I just wish my results were anywhere near what you produce... not even in the ballpark. Oh well. I'll keep working on it. If you will join me in the DEEP end for a few moments,
* I'd like to share my thoughts on where musical ideas come from (I'll keep it as short as I can)...
* Virtually all of us are used to having thoughts, but very few of us stop to ask "Where was the thought before I thought it?". Since thoughts come into existence, and anything that comes into existence has a source, there must be a source of thought. It is from this source that all the myriad of thoughts that we have spring forth. Depending on many factors (natural ability/inclination, upbringing, education, experience, etc.) we can take these thoughts and expand upon them to varying degrees leading to great (or not so great) books, machines, buildings, ways to solve problems, etc..
* A musical idea is just another form of thought, a nonverbal one. These thoughts rise from the same source as other thoughts. They just, generally, bypass the intellect. Since we, and most everyone else, experience and have experienced verbal thoughts on a regular basis since childhood, we take them for granted. We don't wonder much about them. Not so with musical thoughts/ideas. Many people can recall a musical idea they've heard before. Not as many people can have a "new" musical idea and bring it to fruition using/for various instruments. These people have a strong connection to the source of thought from which spring forth musical ideas. The MAGIC in this process is that music affects us directly on the level of feeling, bypassing, for the most part, any intellectual involvement. Yes, music can be intellectually analyzed and often is, but that is, for the most part, not its appeal. Its appeal is how it makes us feel. The feeling level can be affected during composition (and often is) as well as on listening to a completed piece. Again, depending on many factors, different composers (both great and small) can take these musical thoughts/ideas to great (or not so great) places.
Thanks for your wonderful post! Loved it. It generated many new thoughts for me 🙂
First thanks for your very kind words! Second: Totally agree. You described it really well. So hard to babysit that process and keep the idea pure - I guess thats the life of a composer!!
That song has a very Scottish feel to it in my ears. It reminds me a lot of a traditional song about Loch Lomond. Then again there are a lot of old Scottish folk songs which are essentially people yearning for the land they left for other shores, which fits your home away from home idea
Nice! I do have scottish blood oddly..
Really grateful of the sharing of this process. I wish more writers of music would talk about this side.
I've been writing every day on average for about four years just to see if it works. I can definitely say it does.
Ive learned that having an environment for the energy to come is a huge part, even if its a mental space. I think i could take my piano anywhere. But when I sit, its time to reach out and pluck something down.
Where Id originally have 15 seconds of an idea per month, if i was lucky, now theres not a day that goes by with less than 10-20 minutes improvising on the spark, feeling the idea out until it dries up. The focus on that flow state can definitely be grown.
Now im left wondering if itll take another four years developing the ability to finish this catalogue of ideas... I certainly hope not!
Thanks - writing every day definitely helps! You get better so much faster, and able to actually get started a lot quicker as well
Fascinating and inspirational stuff. Letting go of the 'perceived expectations' of others (director, music supervisor, competition judges, your peers, the public etc.) in your head is so hard but so necessary. Thank you for sharing the journey. I look forward to following this.
Thanks Vinnie! Totally agree.
Another great video! Following an idea until you can't follow it any more is SUCH good advice. Take advantage of that state of creation and go for it, you can always edit later! I love the idea of thinking of an album as an art gallery too - you can show people round, but ultimately they'll gravitate towards different pieces that resonate with them, and find their own meaning. Thanks again!
Thank you! Yes exactly. - its easier to work on something that already exists in some form!
Very inspiring! its funny - i had moments people waching me singing to a fone! its also the way i register ideas to!
people think you're mad!
@@PaulThomsonMusicyes!
Great thoughts and I really liked the piano idea. One thing I do quite often: When I have music ideas, I record them as quickly as possible. They tend to be just short "snippets". I store that in my "snippets folder". Sometimes this stuff collects dust for years 🙂. But every now and then when I am looking for ideas, I browse through my snippets folder - and often that opens up a solution for something I am looking for or it creates a new idea. I'm having more success with this than playing the lottery 🤣🤣. Good stuff Paul as always. Cheers, Roland
Thanks Roland - the trick is to remember to go back through all the snippets!!
Thanks Paul. You have inspired me to not rely on muscle memory in Dm. And, I use Cubase Pro 11 for all my work. In the DAW is a tool I often use to inspire new changes and chord progressions. I use the "Chord" track and the rule of 5ths. Since I don't write or read music, this is a great way of getting "Started.
Thats great - theres usually a midi 'filter' plugin as well that can be useful for exploring new harmonic areas.
I still almost exclusively listen to ‘albums’ even when streaming.
Me too - I'm on Qobuz and I never listen to playlists just albums.
Inspiring Paul Thanks!! Loved the piano tune !!
Thanks Marco!
Hi this a very democratising video Paul. The information is so helpful to those just starting out in composition and for those further down the line, you describe some very useful practices with regard to capturing creative output in the absence of fully formed ideas and also for those finding themselves in the “moment “. If I had a tip for folks it would be always have you daw recoding the midi you play when you are exploring . 😀👏👏🎶
Thank you Des! And yes - having the DAW running great advice: I know of quite a few songwriters who tape all their sessions (I guess partly in case something magical happens that they can't recreate from memory and partly to prove they wrote the song!)
Great break down Paul,thank you
Thanks Sean!
It’s a Hackathon Paul.
Aha!!
Interesting, your process from using the phone to capture melodies to note taking in a book and just playing is close to my process. Ideas captured on the mobile I transfer into studio one and use a pitch detection plugin to enter notes into the score. I rarely notate on to score paper, but I do write lyric lines down and put above the words and syllables notes to indicate length. The process of the music just coming and flowing at the keyboard I experience as well, and I cannot explain it. Other than to say my undergraduate major was in Visual Arts and the same "cosmic flow" can take place making marks to create an image, it seems to come from nowhere and results in a "finished" work.
If only we knew!! Interesting idea using pitch detection.
Global Warming Alert: Paul doesn't wear a scarf! Or he can heat his studio now. Chose one.
Joking aside, thank you for this video, Paul, you pointed out many of our ways to try to catch those ideas which sneak away in the ether of our minds.
Actualy, are we ideas hunters?
Suddenly it was warmer outside! lol.. 'ideas hunters' nice!
Paul, what’s the red MIDI controller to the left of your keyboard.
Its from Choi Sauce Designs - the 100mm fader version
@@PaulThomsonMusic Thank you
I don’t want to know.
I guess its always going to be a rhetorical question!
Where do ideas come from? It’s all witchcraft Paul. We’re just modern day witches hoping not to get dunked in the water.
lol! They're coming for you!!