Does anyone else compose this way?

[tedsingingfox]

Quote:I once did a session for fun with a bunch of friends. We decided spontaneously to get naked, and sport transparent underwear, made from the plastic bags that drum heads are shipped in. Yes, there was a little alcohol involved. Too much information? Quote:I KNEW that was going to come up. Actually, Steve, that reminds me of a moment outside at the Rally when you suddenly tossed out the statement, "I stole a car once..." that became the beginning of our plotting the lambourghini theft... And DAVE, you asked for that one after all the talk about porn music listings, and you KNOW you did... Ted

[trev]

i play several instruments...and usually just plinking around on one will give me an idea for a song... i'll record that part, once i've played it enough to be comfortable with it...i only work on one song at a time...if i can help it.... all the other parts for the song happen pretty much the same way, by playing along with the original part till i work out what i'm going for and then record that. after i get the original part done though, i can start hearing the other things in my head....a snatch of a chorus, etc. many of my songs don't have lyrics though, but some do. my biggest trouble is remembering how to play it once i've recorded it. i'll move on to another song, and hardly ever go back and just play them, so i forget how. i have to listen to them and learn them again if i want to play them....if that makes sense.

[kevinmathie]

Hey Trent,I hate that when I come up with something good, and then can't remember quite what I did! Arrrgh!So, when I'm at my piano, I have a little handheld digital recorder handy. Sometimes I'll even record notes to myself "Key of C minor, starting on a C minor with an added 9th," so I don't have to do the "hunt and peck" method to figure out what I had just done when it comes time to transcribe the recording.More often, however, I do my improvising in Logic Pro. I have a template set up called "Nightly Improv." When I boot up that template, Logic comes up with my favorite piano all booted up ready to go, with just the right amount of reverb, and with the metronome silenced.Then, I just hit "record" and improv to my heart's delight. I don't worry about looping or anything like that. It's not about perfecting at this point. It's just a stream-of-consciousness thing. And, it'll last from 5 minutes to 45 minutes. The "tape" just rolls, and I play whatever comes to mind.Later, I'll go back, listen to the improv session and pick out the things that are worthy of being developed. The nice thing about doing it in Logic Pro (or any other sequencer, for that matter) is that the notes are all recorded. You don't have to worry about transcribing your performance from an audio tape. All you have to do is show the sequencer where the beats are, and it'll transcribe the performance for you.It's a time saver, and a very accurate way of capturing your ideas.

[crs7string]

I do most of my writing at the piano even though I'm a much better guitar player. On guitar I'm more apt to fall into something familiar and comfortable, rather than reaching for something new. I also try to avoid writing with all my software and hardware synths fired up. For me this tends to result in music that is playing alot of cool sounds rather than a composition with some sense of form. ( although for some listings this is what needs to be done)I try to write something every day even if it is just a two bar bass line. Over time I've tended to separate the writing process from the arranging and orchestration process. I have stacks of ideas written ( I do write everything in standard notation) and when a listing comes up I'll either write something new or arrange something already written for the style of the listing.Some of this is my training as a jazz guitarist coming out. It is not uncommon to choose a standard tune that was written as a ballad and play it like a bossa nova. Or take an up tempo tune and play it like a ballad. I take my lead sheet into my studio and then flesh out an arrangement with an arranger's hat on instead of a composer's hat. This works well for me.I also find writing when I'm slightly tired or first thing in the morning when I'm not quite awake is interesting because I don't seem to have my over analytical part of my brain functioning.Chuck'

[trentoliphant]

Thanks, everyone for all the input on this (and the little bit of a tangent ). I think I need to get myself that portable digital record (after I get my piano sounds upgraded). I also need to set up a template for myself in ProTools for recording my improv at the computer.Kevin,Do you record the MIDI data or the audio? If the MIDI (which is what it sounds like) I can't figure out how to get ProTools to change where the beat is. Anyone - I know that ProTools is a bit behind the curve on MIDI - is this one of the features that is missing, or do I just not know how to do it?Trent

[kevinmathie]

Quote:Kevin,Do you record the MIDI data or the audio? If the MIDI (which is what it sounds like) I can't figure out how to get ProTools to change where the beat is.I record the MIDI data, not audio.You know, I don't know how to show ProTools where the beat is after the fact. I do all my sequencing in Logic Pro, and, up until about a year and a half ago, Digital Performer. So, I only know how to do it in those two programs.Kevin

[avillaronga]

Quote:I do most of my writing at the piano even though I'm a much better guitar player. On guitar I'm more apt to fall into something familiar and comfortable, rather than reaching for something new. I also try to avoid writing with all my software and hardware synths fired up. For me this tends to result in music that is playing alot of cool sounds rather than a composition with some sense of form. ( although for some listings this is what needs to be done)Chuck, those are excellent points. Maybe I'll ditch the guitar more often than I do now

[mazz]

Lately I've been writing at the keyboard cause some of the stuff is piano oriented, but I prefer to write away from anything and just get ideas down on staff paper first (usually at the coffee shop). They don't always sound like what I thought they did in my head but they are not very influenced by by keyboard playing, which is a good thing. I'm with Chuck, many times I want to stay away from ingrained patterns and, man, I've got them when it comes to the keyboard!!Sometimes I'll improvise and use that as a basis for the composition, using some and throwing away most.I try to hear it in my head first, if possible.Mazz