THINK BEFORE YOU COMPOSE

Have you ever found yourself stuck after creating a fantastic 16-bar loop, or grinding to a standstill trying to complete a track? Are you actually clear what you want the track to do?

I’ve written this entry with production music libraries in mind, but I think it applies to composition in general. Before you write a note, think about what you want the listener to feel when they listen to the completed track. What sorts of images and emotions do you want to conjure up for them? And (for music libraries) what uses could the track be put to? If you’re clear about them, that’s a great start – but that’s not all.

Then, what sort of structure do you think the track should have, to best convey the feelings and mood you’re seeking to portray? What journey do you want to take the listener on? Should it be a big build? A simple A/B pattern? Something more experimental? Giving each section a specific name can be a great help too – not “Intro” but something more suggestive like “The glint of a knife” or “The sun emerges”.

And what sort of sound palette and instruments would best fulfil the track’s purpose? This particular question is important to me. I find it a lot easier to write and complete a track if I'm pretty clear on the instrumentation and the timbres I’ll use. It also helps me to avoid one of my own bad habits, which is to keep piling on more layers when I’m not sure what to do next with a track. Limiting yourself to a particular set of instruments, sounds and textures can really help focus the music.

From there, and with all those thoughts in mind, I often just “play” with one instrument for a while, saving everything, judging nothing – before going back and seeing if I can assemble the overall structure from what I have recorded. If not – and if there’s time – I’ll often leave it a day or two and come back to it fresh, “playing” again without listening to what I’d previously recorded and then going back through the process. Once I'm happy with the structure and broad musical ideas, I'll turn to the arrangement, followed by mixing.

You’ll have to experiment to find what works for you, but hopefully these ideas give you a good start.

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