How I personally learned to compose music

[@dynamicmusicacademyonline]

Brilliant! Simple, down to earth, and practical, that's how composition should be!

[@vincecomposer]

Definitely !

[@Layla-ot]

I found your channel through one of your videos performing with the SWAM library (it was very helpful to me). I just finished watching this video, It's incredible how much it's helping me organize a lot of information and ideas that I have about it but I still couldn't incorporate into my daily practice, I didn't know how. It's very important to be methodical and you helped me a lot by sharing your insights. Thank you so much!!!

[@vincecomposer]

Hello! Really happy that it resonated with you and I wish you all the best with your composing journey 😊

[@Layla-ot]

Ooh it means a lot for me. Thanks!! I already subscribed to your channel 😊

[@marcus_ohreallyus]

I flesh out an idea which will be a peak part of the track, then work my way outward front to back. I have no idea where its going to take me

[@vincecomposer]

This is a great approach! I’ve done this too.

[@qubix8327]

Great stuff, love your vibe! Really insightful.

[@vincecomposer]

Thank you!

[@Vegan_Kebab_In_My_Hand]

Hi Vince, nice video! My favourite type of content from you is showcasing compositional techniques (and by extension music theory) and then playing with them. And the visual reference of a live keyboard on screen is very helpful. They're very inspiring and help me develop my vocabulary. That being said, it's not like I expect you to only make those videos. I think you have a nice and pleasant way of speaking and there are some useful insights that you've provided here in this vid as well! Happy composing to you too 😊👍

[@eltonwild5648]

I like the tips you showed us here. I'm thinking how can i do the same thing but for learning music production instead of composition 🤔

[@CybreSmee]

I've spent my life writing for theater and pop music, but recently I've been leaning more towards cinematic orchestral music like John Williams and Hans Zimmer. My issue is I can't seem to shake off the 4/4, intro-verse-chorus groove of pop music. Orchestral stuff feels way more free-flowing with its note choices, like a bunch of motifs tossed into a blender. How do you even figure out where to go next? And what sparks the idea to follow up for instance a flute run out of nowhere with a 5-beat trumpet staccato? It all seems loosely connected, but mostly just random bursts of inspiration.

[@johnnmusic]

I feel EXACTLY this for slightly different reasons, that "ad hoc" brilliance of orchestral music make it feel so far out of grasp. I think listening to 100's of hours and forcing yourself to attempt to write in that style will start to make it all feel less mysterious. Also, be honest with yourself and accept your style for the value it brings on its own, vulnerability and honesty speak much louder than trying to emulate someone else.

[@CybreSmee]

@@johnnmusic I agree with the honesty part, it's just I've discovered orchestral music is so much more emotional and immersive than the pop stuff I've been writing, so I want to change. I just can't understand how the composers decision comes about to use certain instruments, chords or scales, it all seems so random yet connected. I've tried to do it, but it sounds a total mess.

[@vincecomposer]

I’m still pretty new to fully orchestral writing tbh- all I know is for me my decisions around what instruments to use (and when) always come from a sense of being guided by the thing I’m composing for (or the brief I’ve set myself). I don’t usually think in terms of trying to emulate E.g John Williams in full music to picture mode. And when I have it’s tended to lead to something quite unfocused. So maybe it’d be helpful to find some external structure - whether you plan it out first yourself or you find something to score to, like a film or a story?

[@CybreSmee]

@@vincecomposer I brought The Orchestra Complete which has a lot of this stuff built in, and I find it very clever for making up passages and parts. It just doesn't usually work immediately with my piece and often sounds out of place. I just wish I knew how composers like JW just somehow know the right instrument and chord combinations. I guess it's just learning chops and being a genius.

[@johnnmusic]

@@CybreSmee The intangible part (the "why") is different and unique to every person, the way you choose to use an orchestra will be different and it's OK to appreciate that. When I listen to John Adams or Ligeti I think "how did a mind think of this??" It used to intimidate me, not it just inspires me to experiment and discover on my own. Vince is 100% right, you should create a framework that you want to achieve/story you want to tell not just with the orchestra but with the composition itself. For me, those guiderails create a "less is more" mindset and the orchestral part doesn't feel so overwhelming anymore. If you want to improve the technical side, Rimsky-Korsakov's orchestration book holds up very well. Score-listening on KZbin has taught me more than I ever would have thought.

[@WinItReigns]

For a First Video that Ive seen of yours It was a good one. Stay True to the Process😊 Happy Composing

[@vincecomposer]

Happy composing!

[@WinItReigns]

@@vincecomposer Getting Deep into the Process Today! Thanks so much! God Bless!

[@pedrosura]

Vince, I love your channel and what you do.

[@vincecomposer]

Lovely to hear!

[@MartinJG100]

This should be interesting, Vince. Disappearing down a musical wormhole is always challenging. 1:36 PS - Don't knock plinking plonking away at six years of age. It's still part of my daily regime...

[@siyamishra7140]

subscribed

[@eltonwild5648]

I think your last point is very important. It's like the athlete analogy. The technical and theory part of music is the gym equivalent. The Composing part is the game day. You don't have to execute the movements exactly like you did in the gym session. It's game time! I think a good reading for composers and writers is Nobody wants to read your shit by Steven Pressfield. He talks about form and structure in the arts. I think is so important

[@matt566]

alkaizer's dad is a composer!