Day In The Life of a Composer, Drew Morris Vlog #8, October 4, 2021

[@RenellShaw]

This actually made my day, it's nice to see another composers process. All the best for the future man!

[@drewmorrismusic]

Thanks for watching, and I’m glad you enjoyed it! If you liked this one, I have a few other videos talking about composer things and an entire series from last March where I wrote 31 pieces in 31 days and put a video out every day of the month. I saw that you had some interesting stuff on your channel too and I’m gonna check those out today! Thanks again!

[@RDRussell2]

Composer here, and yes, when I sit down with nothing in mind, I very easily fall into my old patterns. My hands on the piano are the worst, because the hands fall into all the familiar chord changes, favorite pieces you know (by other composers or yourself), etc. I love to improvise, and I think it's essential to composition. And yet...and yet. My improvs tend to sound the same. How to change things up? My favorite way is to take a very brisk walk. Near jogging sometimes, but the point is the tempo of my footsteps starts musical ideas going in my head. The only catch is being able to capture that musical idea while you are walking. You can sing into your phone recorder, or maybe you have a small staff paper notebook. I have heard entire great pieces of music in my head whilst walking, but I don't ever want to stop to record the ideas, and so it's a tricky balance! Two other things I do: Come up with the story of your piece before you start writing. Is this going to be an ABA form? Something more complex? What story are you trying to tell? I once drove across the Rocky Mountains and saw there was a mountain named "Neversummer." That name intrigued me so much, I instantly wanted to write a piece with that name. With that title in mind, I imagined woodland creatures all making autumnal sounds deep in the forest. The middle section is a heavy, low strings ostinato, starting small but getting ever larger, representing the onslaught of winter, with a third section devoted to an icy stillness where no life can escape. I didn't want it to sound tragic as that sounds in writing, but peaceful and beautiful. Knowing the "story" of my composition first helped me to not repeat myself from prior pieces. Lastly, I write a lot of music that has lyrics. Whether theater songs or art songs or whatever, the text will keep you from doing what you've done before. It will suggest a form to you, probably. Even if you don't mean to write a piece to be sung, following some poetry and setting it to music (and then leave the words out) will probably NOT be a repeat of a prior piece.

[@drewmorrismusic]

That’s all great advice. I go for walks to try to get my brain stimulated all the time. Though, I’m more of a leisurely walk sort of guy when I’m walking for creative reasons. Otherwise I’m going for a run. I hadn’t thought of trying to come up with lyrics to get things rolling in a long time. Probably 5 years or more. That might be a good way forward for the piece I’m stumped with right now. Thanks for watching! And I hope you’ll consider checking out some of my other composing related videos!

[@AndyRue25]

This is really cool advice. I have the same problem and I think this might help me out a ton.

[@drewmorrismusic]

@@AndyRue25 I hope it does! Thanks so much for watching!

[@anahausmannmusic]

"but today I decided to shower first" #goals

[@drewmorrismusic]

Haha. When I really get in the groove, showering before I get the day started can be pretty rare. Though whenever I do manage to shower I feel like I’m much more productive. So I should totally do it more often. :) Thanks so much for watching! I’ve got some other videos about music and composing if you ever feel like checking them out. Do you write music too?

[@anahausmannmusic]

@@drewmorrismusic really? That's an interesting hack, I'll have to try it out... Mornings are rough. I do! Also, yes subscribing now! This one just came up in my recommended; thoroughly enjoyed! ( 🎹)

[@drewmorrismusic]

@@anahausmannmusic thanks so much! I really appreciate you sticking around to the bitter end. Haha. I just checked out your channel and subscribed too. I’ve only checked out your most recent video so far, but I dig what I heard and look forward to seeing more!

[@anahausmannmusic]

@@drewmorrismusic ah thanks! I hardly ever upload anything but i might start soon :-)

[@drewmorrismusic]

@@anahausmannmusic I’ll keep an eye out for it if you do! I’ll check out your older stuff in the meantime.

[@jeffreyhooper3678]

Yes, Drew, I agree. The best composer in me and the most creative ideas I ever have come alive front and center in my head when I'm standing in front of a sink full of dirty dishes.

[@drewmorrismusic]

YES! Sometimes you just have to get away from the computer/piano and get your hands busy doing something else, and then your creativity just comes alive! Thank you so much for watching, it means a lot! If you liked this one, you might also like my videos from last March where I composed 31 pieces in 31 days! (if you haven't checked those out already)

[@HSin-vz1po]

It's nice to see a composer sharing about their day and process, it feels more realistic and relatable then the other videos I see. Seeing that having that brain fog when composing feels somewhat validating, that it happens to others. I also couldn't help but laugh when the mallet sticks dropped when you talked about more beans for dinner. 🎹

[@drewmorrismusic]

You're the first person to mention the sticks dropping on the keys when I mentioned the beans. haha. It took a while for me to get the timing right for that. haha. And thank for the kind words about my video. Yeah, the brain fog happens sometimes. It sucks when it does, but it's inevitable. I'm considering doing a short video about some of the things I do when I get stuck like that, so keep an eye out for that. (assuming the next several months don't end up being as busy as the last few. haha)

[@kathleenhutten3826]

I'm constantly writing the same things over and over. The only way I've ever been able to get out of that rut is by doing something as far from my original work as I can. Last week i started a vocal piece on my soprano melodica just so I wouldn't fall into old habits, so I totally hear you! It's helpful for me.

[@drewmorrismusic]

I know exactly what you mean. I try to not work on two similar pieces back to back, but sometimes there’s no way around it. Thank you so much for watching! If you liked this video I have several more composing related videos I hope you’ll check out!

[@awaytogether]

“Was that just from Journey?” Lol

[@drewmorrismusic]

Did it sound like Journey to you? Haha

[@InstrumentManiac]

Haha I relate to a lot of this 😂 great vid!

[@drewmorrismusic]

I'm glad you liked it! Thank you so much for watching it. It means a lot!

[@hellomannyhernandez]

The shower before composing is key! Great vid!

[@drewmorrismusic]

I know what you mean. So many times I just go straight to composing, but the days I shower first make me feel so much more focused. Every once in a while, if I need to be super productive, I'll take a shower and also put on a shirt and tie, or jacket and tie. It helped me finish a deadline strong one time. (I don't know why I don't do it all the time🤷)

[@thisintangibleexistence]

You are an absolute inspiration.

[@drewmorrismusic]

I should put that on the testimonials page of my website. haha. Thanks. :)

[@stevenaustin4591]

I could never write music in my head, Id need to work on it on a computer, play with ideas, develop them in various ways. The only rules I have for writing music is no1 - dont think, just do/run with it, you never know where it'll lead to, and no2 - Never repeat ideas from previous pieces of music, always try write with sounds you've never used before also. :)

[@drewmorrismusic]

I write in my head a lot. Not whole pieces though, mainly just the kernel of the idea or melody that helps get the piece going, then I take it to the piano. Thanks for watching!

[@MartaL.Gabriel]

I googled a day in the life of a composer as I was procrastinating and trying to hide away from Sibelius. It´s nice to see another composer having the same problems. And now back to work 🎹

[@drewmorrismusic]

That’s hilarious. Well I hope you enjoyed it! And I hope you were super productive when you got back to work. :)

[@precious4857]

Hi this was so amazing to watch as a young composer. Although i mainly compose on the piano or organ the fact thar you use so many intruments is impressive interesting and inspiring. Also thank you for showing the truth of not always being super productive it was super reassuring :D. And yes i also do find myself using the same chrod progressions or something like that in a piece (it's kinda addictive lol)

[@drewmorrismusic]

Thanks for watching! Lately I’ve been having more unproductive days than productive ones. Hopefully that will change in a few days when I finish teaching for the semester. I hope you have some super productive days as well!

[@iamdjgwiz]

Love this video man. I can definitely relate to everything in this video. Thank you for sharing this, best wishes 🙏

[@drewmorrismusic]

Thanks for watching! I'm glad my video connected with you! If you liked this one you might also enjoy my series from the past March where I composed 31 pieces in 31 days and released a video about it every day of the month.

[@rowanlovesmusic]

Feeling like you're always going back to the same ideas? Relatable. Good luck on your projects, it's cool to see other musicians' workflow/process 🎹

[@drewmorrismusic]

I do the best I can to change up the types of music I’m writing from one project to the next in hopes of not doing too much recycling, but it’s always a challenge. Thanks so much for watching! It means so much!! If you enjoy watching workflow, you might like my series from last March where I composed 31 pieces in 31 days and released a video for every day of the challenge! There’s a playlist on my channel. :)

[@rowanlovesmusic]

@@drewmorrismusic oh nice, I'll check it out!

[@drewmorrismusic]

@@rowanlovesmusic Sweet! I'd love to hear what you think as you watch them!

[@georgereasonproductions]

i have same feelings towards making music i love it too excellent work:)

[@drewmorrismusic]

Thanks for watching! If you liked this one, you might also like my videos from March where I composed 31 pieces in 31 days and released a video for each one.

[@electropunkzero]

I spy a D&D set too!

[@drewmorrismusic]

YES! I got into d&d 5 years back and play it whenever I can! I wish I’d gotten into it so much sooner. Do you play?

[@electropunkzero]

@@drewmorrismusic yes I have played some pathfinder, d&d, and Starfinder and done a little DMing. Usually online with roll20.

[@drewmorrismusic]

@@electropunkzero I had to use roll 20 exclusively for several years (even before Covid) for d&d as well as a few other game systems like Monster of the Week, Blades in the Dark, and Masks, in addition to some cool one shot games, but I’m excited to have some in person games happening now!

[@AMARINS]

So cool you’re making these videos! I hope you and your channel do great! Nice to see another musician making videos!

[@drewmorrismusic]

Thanks so much!! I’m glad you liked it! I’m hoping to get another video out pretty soon. I’m pumped to check out your videos too! I just subscribed and added a ton of your videos to my queue! I can’t wait to see yours too. It will be really exciting to see what the life of a violinist is like. :)

[@AMARINS]

@@drewmorrismusic that’s so nice of you thanks!! Can’t wait to see more of your videos and cool to be connected like this :) enjoy!

[@drewmorrismusic]

@@AMARINS I decided to watch your vlogs last night instead of watching tv, and now I'm watching again with my morning coffee. I really enjoy them! It's really cool to see the working life of such a talented musician! It makes me want to try to write something for violin! I agree, it's so great to connect!

[@AMARINS]

@@drewmorrismusic aw thanks!! 🫣🫣🫣

[@maciej74174]

I subscribed your channel after 30 seconds of your video. Promising.

[@drewmorrismusic]

Thank you!! I’m sorry to say that I haven’t been able to post any new videos in quite a while, but I’m working on a few. And in the meantime there are a lot of videos for you to check out from the last few years.

[@thisintangibleexistence]

I went from watching Tiffany Poon and aesthetic beautiful Russian piano conservatory girls day in the life videos, to watching you eat a bean burrito. Honestly, I want your life.

[@drewmorrismusic]

haha, my video definitely wasn't beautiful, but it was honest. :) Thanks for watching! One of these days I'll post another day in the life video. I actually started filming another one back in august (no bean burrito this time), but it didn't really turn out to be much so I abandoned it, but I'll try again soon, I hope.

[@electropunkzero]

I'm a big fan of the moleskin notebooks with the elastic band. However, I have graduated now to a Trapper Keeper. They're still around!

[@drewmorrismusic]

I’ve never used a moleskin before. I’ve thought about it though. Didn’t know trapper keepers still exist! (Btw, sorry if you got a dislike on this comment, I accidentally clicked the thumb down instead of the reply button…sorry about that)

[@gerrie7407]

i have so much in common with you being a composer myself,

[@drewmorrismusic]

Thanks so much for watching! I have some other composer related videos here on the channel that you might dig too! What kind of music do you compose?

[@jamalwest7658]

This also could be "A Day In The Life Of Narrating An Audiobook "

[@drewmorrismusic]

I’d watch that video! :)

[@rik-keymusic160]

Man your funny !! 😂

[@drewmorrismusic]

Thanks :) and thanks for watching!

[@orderon329]

Really cool video, it was interesting to have an insight of your daily tasks as a composer, you deserve more recognition. Keep it up!

[@drewmorrismusic]

Thanks so much for watching and for the kind words! Feel free to share this video with anyone you think might enjoy it! I'm hoping to get another composing video recorded in the next few weeks. If you want to make sure you catch that, consider subscribing if you haven't already!

[@subhajitsarkar4432]

Which notation softwere u use?

[@drewmorrismusic]

I use Sibelius. I’m currently using the subscription version Sibelius Ultimate, but I’ve been using Sibelius since Sibelius 2. I’ve thought of switching to Dorico, but a lot of people I work with when I’m writing stuff for marching shows use Sibelius, so I’d need to have both, so I stick with Sibelius even though there are certain things about it that drive me crazy. I’ve also considered trying out Musescore since it’s become so powerful recently. What do you use?

[@riverphillips22]

yes it does i have wrote the same organ concerto 4 times now

[@drewmorrismusic]

I know exactly what you mean. I think I wrote the same grade 2 band piece 4 times about 3 years ago. haha. Thanks for watching!

[@barryjneely]

Yes, 100%. I worry I’m writing the same 5 pieces, just changing the instrumentation.

[@drewmorrismusic]

I would say that I'm glad it's not just me, but that means other people are going through it too, which is too bad. But thanks for the feedback! (By the way, I'd love to see a day in the life video from you!!)

[@abymartin5146]

New subscriber here. More videos like this please.

[@drewmorrismusic]

Thank you so much for watching and subscribing! I’m hoping to do a follow up video to this one soonish, but in the meantime, I have a whole series of videos from my “compose 31 pieces of music in 31 days” challenge, where I wrote a piece and filmed a KZbin video about it every day for a month. You can find the playlist on my KZbin channel. I hope you’ll check it out!

[@theangryginger7582]

9:56 first 3 chords the same as Manteca by dizzy Gillespie, love that tune

[@drewmorrismusic]

I never noticed that. Haha. Thanks for watching. :)

[@ishantripathi9707]

Do the composers that make music for movies work on contract or are employed by the production companies?

[@drewmorrismusic]

I'm sorry to say I don't really know for sure. I think a long time ago it was pretty normal for composers to work for a production company as a salaried employee and just crank out music whenever they needed it. But from little I think I know about the modern movie business, I think most composers are basically working on a contract for a given project. I'm sorry I couldn't be more specific. I'm trying to venture more into composing for media, but I don't have much experience myself, yet. For what it's worth, I recently did the engraving (creating the sheet music for the string players) for a composer who was writing the music for a documentary. In the end, I turned in an invoice to get paid, as if I was an independent contractor. Thank you so much for watching my video. I hope you enjoyed it. And if you did, I have a whole playlist for when I composed 31 pieces of music in March 2022 that I hope you'll consider checking out, if you haven't already!

[@vivvar2000]

👍👍

[@drewmorrismusic]

Thanks so much for watching! If you liked this video there are a ton of other music related videos on my channel that I hope you’ll check out.

[@AndersOrozco]

Nice Video XD

[@drewmorrismusic]

Thanks for taking the time to watch it! I really appreciate it. :) If you like this one I have some other music related videos on my channel you might like too.

[@morganjones7690]

Okay lots of things I want to comment on but #1 I think we have the same couch. 🤣

[@morganjones7690]

🎹

[@drewmorrismusic]

I don’t even remember what was in this video. I might need to rewatch it. And I like the couch. :)

[@drewmorrismusic]

Haha. Nice.

[@TheMwarrior50]

Ill be honest. My dream job was to be a composer; back in highschool. Its been 6 years of trying to find a career path that "pays money" yet something I don't wanna live doing. Im thinking about tryin to go back. Maybe chase that dream. Is it worth it?

[@drewmorrismusic]

If it’s something you want to do, I say go for it. It doesn’t need to be full time or anything. Just write a little bit here and there when you have time and see if you enjoy it enough to take it further. Reach out to some people about playing your music or commissioning you to write more. Then once you get some momentum, just keep pushing! If it’s something you feel like you want to do, then I say give it a shot. But maybe start small and don’t quit your job to compose full time right off. I hope you find something that makes you happy, whether that’s music or something else entirely. :) Thanks for watching!

[@epicduckrex994]

6:50 yeah

[@drewmorrismusic]

I feel it! Though I’ve been super busy with teaching and house things for so long that I haven’t even managed to write anything (or rewrite something I’ve already written) in months.

[@epicduckrex994]

​@@drewmorrismusic I'm not professional, I'm only in college, but I taught myself composition and the hardest thing is finding something that is mine and new.

[@alexwaynemiller]

Also, Hi Pumpkin!

[@drewmorrismusic]

I thought viewers might enjoy a little more Pumpy footage. (gotta keep the viewer retention up somehow. haha!)

[@JairajSinghPatil]

🎹🎹🎹

[@drewmorrismusic]

Thank you for watching all the way to the end. It means a lot to me! I hope you enjoyed it!

[@NicoleChamberlain]

🎹

[@drewmorrismusic]

I assumed there was a piano emoji when I added that to the end of the video, but then I forgot to double check. Thanks for verifying it for me. And thanks for watching. Are your composing days equally sporadic?

[@VasilisTsantilas_piano]

🎹👍

[@drewmorrismusic]

Thank you for watching! I really appreciate it :) and if you enjoyed this one, you might also enjoy my series from March where I composed 31 pieces in 31 days and posted daily videos about every piece. I’m also in the middle of editing a follow up video to this one that’s more focused on the self publishing side of being a composer, so keep your eyes peeled!

[@VasilisTsantilas_piano]

@@drewmorrismusic Thanks for the information, Drew! Subscribed at your channel and I’m following you in Bandcamp. Sure, I’ll watch more of your videos.

[@drewmorrismusic]

@@VasilisTsantilas_piano That's amazing! Thank you so much! I hope you enjoy some of my other videos, and my music too!

[@VasilisTsantilas_piano]

@@drewmorrismusic I’ll be in touch with your work, Drew! I enjoyed Epilogue: Unplug, from your album cable theory vol.1.

[@drewmorrismusic]

@@VasilisTsantilas_piano I'm glad you liked it! I saw you bought it on Bandcamp, thank you so much for that!

[@jovymulan2072]

This is so relatable haha! I'm a student btw

[@drewmorrismusic]

I'm glad you enjoyed it! I'm actually working on filming a follow-up video today. We'll see if I actually manage to get it done any time soon. :) Thanks for watching and subscribing!

[@ilkemusica]

Quick reply to 12:08: 🎹

[@drewmorrismusic]

Thanks for watching!!

[@caninan3155]

"piano emoji*

[@drewmorrismusic]

Haha. :) thanks for watching!

[@MagicByMyers]

🪘 no piano emoji found \m/

[@drewmorrismusic]

Your drum emoji is great. I 100% approve. :) Thanks so much for watching!

[@alexwaynemiller]

🎹

[@douglashorton1368]

🎹

[@drewmorrismusic]

Haha, nice. I almost forgot what this was about.

[@richardli9825]

🎹

[@drewmorrismusic]

I always forget that I asked for the piano emoji until I see one randomly pop up in the KZbin studio comment section. Haha. Thank you for watching. I really appreciate it. I hope you’ll check out some of my other videos. :)

[@karanpakhrin]

🎹

[@drewmorrismusic]

Thanks for watching! I hope you'll check out some of my other composing videos. :)

[@AE-ed3sb]

🎹

[@drewmorrismusic]

Thanks for watching! Since you made it to the end of this video you might also enjoy some of my recent videos about self-publishing and getting into stock music! If you check any out I hope you’ll let me know what you think of them. :)

[@manolitosanchez]

🎹

[@drewmorrismusic]

Thanks for watching to the bitter end! If you enjoyed this video I have a handful of other videos about composing and such that you might like to check out.

[@percussionpro8607]

🎹

[@drewmorrismusic]

Thanks so much for watching!

[@user-jb7is9nc8f]

🎹

[@drewmorrismusic]

Thanks for watching! If you enjoyed this video there are a bunch of other music and composing videos on my channel you might like as well!

[@Smoky_Crow]

🎹

[@drewmorrismusic]

Thanks so much for watching!!

[@josuehernandez-nava6026]

🎹

[@drewmorrismusic]

Thanks for watching!

[@Wirt2323]

🎹

[@drewmorrismusic]

Thanks so much for watching!

[@Rickettsia-i5l]

🎹

[@JanethCrespo-uy5ze]

🎹

[@drewmorrismusic]

Thanks for watching!