8 TIPS for Composers (with issues)

Музыка

I look at 8 of the main issues I've seen student composers deal with (and that I've dealt with myself) and offer a few tips through the challenges.
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00:00 Introduction
00:42 I don't have any ideas, and when I do have ideas, they are always rubbish
03:02 I've got an idea but I don't know how to take it further
05:19 My pieces end up a bit of a jumble of different ideas, they lack coherence
07:46 Why does my piece sound a bit muddy, a bit lacking in life
10:39 I've got ideas, but what form should I use? I've no idea how to handle form
14:03 I find transitions really really hard
16:32 Why doesn't my piece seem well written for the instrument.
18:06 Those other people are geniuses and I'm obviously not, should I just give up?
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Adam Neely's video on "The most elegant key change in all of pop music"
• The most elegant key c...
David Bruce Composing Hacks: • TOP 10 COMPOSING HACKS!
#composing #composition #musictips

Пікірлер: 357

  • @AimeeNolte
    @AimeeNolte2 жыл бұрын

    The Amadeus stuff had me 😂😂😂

  • @605gbird

    @605gbird

    2 жыл бұрын

    Love your work Aimee! Same here!

  • @Terracraft321

    @Terracraft321

    2 жыл бұрын

    lmao

  • @PrinceWesterburg

    @PrinceWesterburg

    2 жыл бұрын

    Mozart went to see an opera and then went home and wrote the whole 3 hours of music down with no errors. He used to get music, even whole operas, appear in his head which he hated as he'd have to spend three days writing them down. Imagine you where born a musical genius and had no radio, TV, phones, internet, nothing to distract you, just other musicians to play and [gasp] inprovise with? Where do you think Miles Davis, Charlie Parker, Wes Montgomery got their chops from? Not the internet! And if like Mozart you had played violin, had perfect pitch and read music better than your native language then yes you too would be able to tell someone exactly what to write down - just as chess players can play six games simultaneously blindfolded. Tonight I listened the The Ivors Composer Awards 2021 on BBC Radio 3 and its literally disgusting how talentless composers are today. So, there you go, we are all talentless and any 'art' piece you write are only listened to by the judges of composer award competitions. Social media is contemporary classical music's only hope for innovation - while it has vanished up it's own backside, other types of music have flourished into new genres. So next time someone gets 4,000 violinists to play the quietest flautando then puts it through a broken reel to reel with a chimpanzee playing bells and looped samples of an 80 year old Scottish fisherman recorded in 1963 and has the audacity to call it art just punch them in the face as hard as you can as a) it will stop this crap and b) you'll get instant fame.

  • @corduroyal8260
    @corduroyal82602 жыл бұрын

    You’re like the calm, reassuring, inspiring music teacher I always needed. This video is a godsend

  • @pettermossberg1599

    @pettermossberg1599

    8 ай бұрын

    are you saying he is calm and composed?

  • @joelkulesha8284
    @joelkulesha82842 жыл бұрын

    I really appreciate when professionals talk about the things they struggle with. Nobody is perfect and nobody knows everything, if you aren't struggling with your music then you aren't trying. There's always more to learn, nobody ever knows it all. So hearing a professional actually recognize that and talk candidly about it is amazing imo! It's really appreciated!

  • @rosssmith4179
    @rosssmith41792 жыл бұрын

    Re Tip #8. My dad was a theory/comp professor. He told me that at some point every composer has to face up to the reality that you won't be the next Beethoven, and instead focus on being the first 'you'.

  • @NahreSol
    @NahreSol2 жыл бұрын

    Great video! Full of insights and loved the Amadeus part 😅!

  • @ClarkPotter
    @ClarkPotter2 жыл бұрын

    Can we all agree that David is a beautiful, brilliant human heing?

  • @felicienne38

    @felicienne38

    Жыл бұрын

    Yes, definitely

  • @milesrout

    @milesrout

    Жыл бұрын

    Sycophant

  • @amarug
    @amarug3 ай бұрын

    What you say around the 4min mark, how essentially "not to fear patching stuff together" is a really important point and reminded me of the great Nobuo Uematsu who once explained that he wrote little fragments, day by day for like a month and at the end he just puzzled it all together and out came "One Winged Angel", once of the most unique and iconic pieces of video game soundtrack ever written....

  • @vaclavmichalekmusic
    @vaclavmichalekmusic2 жыл бұрын

    That last bit spoke to me so deeply...I've learned that being a musician goes way further than handling music. It's a lot about handling yourself: your habits, mental health, self-awareness, needs, obligations....There has been so much time I wasn't able to spend time making music because I was dragged down by my inner struggles, even though I had exciting projects saved in Cubase

  • @Mike-lx9qn

    @Mike-lx9qn

    2 жыл бұрын

    No

  • @rozzgrey801

    @rozzgrey801

    Жыл бұрын

    @@Mike-lx9qn Yes. 90125.

  • @Mike-lx9qn

    @Mike-lx9qn

    Жыл бұрын

    @@rozzgrey801 Those are nice numbers. 90125 is a deficient number. Is it supposed to mean something?

  • @rozzgrey801

    @rozzgrey801

    Жыл бұрын

    @@Mike-lx9qn It's an album by rock group Yes. I was just taking the piss out of the shit you posted, twatto.

  • @florisheijdra6086
    @florisheijdra60862 жыл бұрын

    When you have an idea and you've written it down, but you think it sucks just add a new parameter. Dynamics and maybe a different tempo can work wonders. They give a plain, rather stupid, idea a flow. They give it direction. Then after you can change notes, but you will see how much dynamic markings make a difference when starting with an idea!

  • @Rubrickety
    @Rubrickety2 жыл бұрын

    My problem is that I have plenty of ideas, but my inner critic speaks in a distorted, vaguely Germanic electronic nightmare voice, and I'm too disturbed to compose anything. ;-)

  • @rainbowkrampus

    @rainbowkrampus

    2 жыл бұрын

    DAMN YOU ROBACH!!!

  • @krakenkrispykremelivinthedream

    @krakenkrispykremelivinthedream

    2 жыл бұрын

    does anyone know what it is called?

  • @imlxh7126

    @imlxh7126

    2 жыл бұрын

    dude lean into that. it worked for kraftwerk

  • @Bushwhacker-so4yk

    @Bushwhacker-so4yk

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@rainbowkrampus Robach, hahahaa!

  • @asa.pankeiki
    @asa.pankeiki2 жыл бұрын

    I think these are good tips not just for composition but creativity in general Thanks so much for sharing them

  • @bigogle
    @bigogle2 жыл бұрын

    When I'm thinking of form and repetition I take Elgar's side: if an idea comes back, it's never the same, ever.

  • @mikhail2406able
    @mikhail2406able2 жыл бұрын

    I needed this today. Been such a task to get everything going.... but this has been very timely and helpful! Thanks David!

  • @Pattamatt1998

    @Pattamatt1998

    2 жыл бұрын

    Always comforting to know I'm not the only one, best of luck with your work, I hope you're able to make something great :)

  • @FormulaXFD
    @FormulaXFD2 жыл бұрын

    In composing the masterpiece that is "One Winged Angel," Nobuo Uematsu had something like 8 unique and different ideas where he had to sew them together.

  • @mymasmith7848
    @mymasmith78482 жыл бұрын

    The everyone else is a genius reminded me of a time many years ago, in the first class on the first day of grad school for chemistry at a Big Name university, the professor walks in a starts by saying "Let me be clear, none of us in this room will win the Nobel prize, including myself, now let's learn some chemistry". I suppose it is similar in composing where nearly all of the composers will not win the Pulitzer prize or a Grammy or Oscar or such.

  • @CuratorOfRealities
    @CuratorOfRealities2 жыл бұрын

    Two examples presented without context or what part of the video reminded me of them: Mahler, Das Lied von der Erde: last movement, singer has one phrase repeated three times, and a flute accompanies the first two but transforms the third by its absence Rachmaninov, Symphony No. 2: march featuring a tuba solo in the scherzo

  • @mr88cet
    @mr88cet Жыл бұрын

    “Restrictions set you free” is one of my pet peeves related to Microtonality: If you have no boundaries, then there is no cleverness to be had. If I could telepathically transmit any arbitrary feeling into your mind, then it’s all just dream-state experience! What’s interesting is how turn a limited framework of expression to your advantage.

  • @emmak.1313
    @emmak.13132 жыл бұрын

    Thank you David! I've been battling with a simultaneous eagerness and fear of creating music for years. As an adult learner I tend to notice way too often which areas of music are "too next level" and "out of reach" for me. Your approach to music edutainment helps me to concentrate on what is possible and doable. Tricks for confused moments, yes, that is me. I suddenly realize I am already a composer with a musical mind. I will not shy away from half-ideas anymore but embrace and cultivate them with your tips.

  • @oscarjohnzen9808
    @oscarjohnzen98082 жыл бұрын

    I’ve been waiting for this so much! Thank you so much!

  • @JCM-LedZeppelin-Stories
    @JCM-LedZeppelin-Stories2 жыл бұрын

    This is mental health for us composers. God Bless This Channel. It would be an honor to share my work with you one day sir!

  • @oranharkin8855
    @oranharkin88552 жыл бұрын

    Just what I've been needing. Thanks David!

  • @dleov4645
    @dleov46452 жыл бұрын

    Love this, thanks for making this video!

  • @eliotmccann2589
    @eliotmccann25892 жыл бұрын

    This video couldn't have come at a better time! Thanks, David!

  • @veronicapagelaflin
    @veronicapagelaflin2 жыл бұрын

    That was really nice to put together thank you

  • @giulioburratti4538
    @giulioburratti45382 жыл бұрын

    you're always prophetic to me bruce, thx

  • @rodterrell304
    @rodterrell3042 жыл бұрын

    Great information , I really needed to hear this.

  • @nigelhaywood9753
    @nigelhaywood97532 жыл бұрын

    Excellent advice. You’ve gone through all the stages there. Thank you .

  • @Lynkevmusic
    @Lynkevmusic2 жыл бұрын

    great advice David, really appreciated 😌

  • @tomothy527
    @tomothy5272 жыл бұрын

    Your tips have helped me so much!

  • @CarlosLalonde
    @CarlosLalonde2 жыл бұрын

    These tips are so invaluable, David. Thanks for sharing these!

  • @babawawayoyo
    @babawawayoyo2 жыл бұрын

    Wow, so many amazing tips packed in here!! Thank you!!

  • @EvilDuck37
    @EvilDuck37 Жыл бұрын

    These are truely great advices, thank you so much :)

  • @musicalintentions
    @musicalintentions2 жыл бұрын

    Your points about self-care are spot on. Thanks for all the insights!

  • 2 жыл бұрын

    This is great advice, thank you so much! I bet many composers out there will be happy with all of these tips!

  • @ilanmetoudi
    @ilanmetoudi2 жыл бұрын

    Thank you, for the great advice!😀

  • @mosheknoll1603
    @mosheknoll16032 жыл бұрын

    Thank you for posting this priceless video!

  • @janhugosaabye3800
    @janhugosaabye38002 жыл бұрын

    Thank you once again, David Bruce, for an inspiring talk! I really do enjoy your way of giving advice!

  • @StudioOrchestrations
    @StudioOrchestrations2 жыл бұрын

    Pure gold, David! Thanks, as ever! :)

  • @christianmaltais
    @christianmaltais2 жыл бұрын

    These are great. great tips. Very helpful and insightful. Thanks!

  • @simonpaulaustin
    @simonpaulaustin Жыл бұрын

    Fantastic video. Answers so many of the things that I continually experience.

  • @pasikeranen
    @pasikeranen2 жыл бұрын

    Thank you so much... very good pointers and especially the number 8 really resonated and gave food for some thought on how to proceed with my own music writing and producing path.

  • @MoeThermodynamics
    @MoeThermodynamics2 жыл бұрын

    The last line of the video hit me so hard. Thank you!

  • @StephenBennettVocalTracks
    @StephenBennettVocalTracks2 жыл бұрын

    Very helpful and thoughtful David. Thanks heaps. I need to go through this a few times and take notes! You've addressed all the problems I'm currently experiencing.

  • @philkonestos2837
    @philkonestos28372 жыл бұрын

    That's the kind of Content I've been looking for for a while. Thank you

  • @louisvonbeethoven
    @louisvonbeethoven2 жыл бұрын

    Very well thought out. Thank you.

  • @Max-jf5vu
    @Max-jf5vu2 жыл бұрын

    This video is SO rich in content and insight, thank you! I feel like most of these apply to me and I'll try to take them into account.

  • @Akumasama
    @Akumasama2 жыл бұрын

    4:05 -- literally how One-winged angel was composed.

  • @michaelneedham3151
    @michaelneedham31519 ай бұрын

    I really appreciate this video. Thank you so much.

  • @wanderfra42
    @wanderfra42 Жыл бұрын

    The editing is insane! And thanks for yet another insightful and useful video.

  • @chuckmoore7771
    @chuckmoore77712 жыл бұрын

    Just watched this. Nicely done. Thanks for putting in the time and effort, as it addressed many of my thoughts.

  • @kalynnscompositions
    @kalynnscompositions2 жыл бұрын

    I've been waiting for a video like this! All great advice. I know I've struggled with the last two in particular. Your point on the cultural implications of each instrument and it's history is a cool way of thinking of things.

  • @MatClasenSax
    @MatClasenSax2 жыл бұрын

    Hey David, thank you very much for your insights! Your talking about your experience not only on the subject of composing but also on the subject of developing your personality as a composer, is very inspiring.

  • @parsa.mostaghim
    @parsa.mostaghim2 жыл бұрын

    timing of this video is great, recently finished my first piece. thanks david

  • @severalfrogsinatrenchcoat408
    @severalfrogsinatrenchcoat4082 жыл бұрын

    A lot of your advice apply very well to visual arts as well, I really felt it helped me too, even though I don't make music. Thank you ❤️

  • @Kwprules
    @Kwprules2 жыл бұрын

    Brilliant video, thank you!

  • @manoletemora5267
    @manoletemora52672 жыл бұрын

    Excellent advice!

  • @mdue72
    @mdue725 ай бұрын

    Great concepts of learning, thank you 👍🙂

  • @ThePlanetzyz
    @ThePlanetzyz10 ай бұрын

    Just want to say that every video I watch of yours hits the nail firmly on the head for me like no other you-tuber. And this one does that particularly well. Very appreciative of the time you take out from composing to make these vids.

  • @LysSylva
    @LysSylva2 ай бұрын

    thank you for this most apprechiated vid. Exactly the right thing I needed to hear❣

  • @edgenovese
    @edgenovese2 жыл бұрын

    Very smart and useful for all the insecurities us fragile composers own. The relaxed sharing of the different conditions puts all of us at ease. Great! Thank you. Got to get to your patreon channel and send you something. You should be supported . God bless~

  • @shivani41
    @shivani412 жыл бұрын

    Superb! Thank you very much. This really helps.

  • @ArthurRosch
    @ArthurRosch2 жыл бұрын

    David, you are an incredible articulator of musical issues. I LOVE the history of classical music (I'm a jazz musician) and you speak like a writer. What a treasure. I look forward to watching more of your videos.

  • @jtn191
    @jtn1912 жыл бұрын

    These are great advice, thanks 👍

  • @yvmpianist
    @yvmpianist2 жыл бұрын

    Thank you very much David! Even though I am a pianist rather than a composer, I can really apply most of your tips to better deal with the inner critic both in the practice and performing settings! Very useful and helpful!

  • @yuliastone9704
    @yuliastone97042 жыл бұрын

    I love your video editing 😄

  • @danielrennie8444
    @danielrennie84442 жыл бұрын

    Thank you. You've helped a lot. I appreciate your advice.

  • @yehudalichtenstein574
    @yehudalichtenstein5742 жыл бұрын

    You've got my like after just the first minute :) This intro was brilliantly done, and reminded me of the various things I should keep in mind as a composer.

  • @victor29rc
    @victor29rc2 жыл бұрын

    Thanks so much for the video, David!

  • @victor29rc

    @victor29rc

    2 жыл бұрын

    please make this version of Amadeus a whole 1h long video

  • @michaeltroke7239
    @michaeltroke72392 жыл бұрын

    David, your videos are wonderful: useful, profound, honest and original, totally lacking pretension (the sign of a genuine artist/intellectual). Thanks for your generosity in sharing your knowledge and experience.

  • @Mort7an
    @Mort7an2 жыл бұрын

    Thank you for this wonderful video David. Most of this stuff is equally relevant to my field of the arts (not music). Your insight and clarity of thinking on the more confusing and frustrating aspects of the creative process mark you out as a first rate teacher. :)

  • @sabrinaschantz
    @sabrinaschantz2 жыл бұрын

    thank you so much for this video!

  • @jonathanreeves18
    @jonathanreeves182 жыл бұрын

    Some great advice and excellent tips as always. Also I came away feeling more positive about my compositions. I loved Mozarts ‘Three blind mice’!

  • @kallehed6330
    @kallehed63302 жыл бұрын

    Such a great informative video, I really thank you for the great advice. Through my composition journey, I think I've started to realize all these things subconsciously, but this video really put them all into words, and hearing the intuitive explanations really was enlightening. Let this video inspire the composers of the future!

  • @GeoffLiMusic
    @GeoffLiMusic2 жыл бұрын

    The points about making movement a part of the nature of the piece (as opposed to only in the transitions), and specifically pinpointing the "parts you're slightly embarrassed about" in your writing as the things that make your writing unique, were what I needed to hear today 🙏

  • @leadingmusicians
    @leadingmusicians2 жыл бұрын

    An excellent video, David.. Thank you!

  • @bengt-erikfroberg9191
    @bengt-erikfroberg91912 жыл бұрын

    I think this is one of wisest thing I've heard in my entire life, and I would have needed to hear it like 40 years ago. Repeated and literally bashed into my head. Thank you so much!!

  • @wesleywolhuter2592
    @wesleywolhuter25922 жыл бұрын

    I love your Work !!!

  • @ccrider5398
    @ccrider53982 жыл бұрын

    Thank you for your postings. Too many people think that music is something that God has given some select few individuals - whether it is performing or more often composing. Either performing or composing, people don't realize how many hours are spent "practicing". I went to a clinic with Dee Barton many years ago and he recommended everyone write a song every day whether it was AABA, Verse and Chorus, or and A, B, C march. Whether or not any of these become "hits" or the basis of a "magnum opus", the practice serves anyone who is willing to do the exercise. All this applies whether you "don't have any ideas" or "other people are geniuses and I'm not". Keep up the good work.

  • @DRSwain1988
    @DRSwain19882 жыл бұрын

    Fantastic video, David. A very honest account of some very familiar struggles. I think creative individuals need to be reminded of the fact that everyone else faces the same challenges from time to time, regardless of ability or experience. Oh and the "Three Blind Mice"/Amadeus mashup almost caused coffee to shoot out my nose. Keep up with the fantastic content!

  • @ShaharHarshuv
    @ShaharHarshuv2 жыл бұрын

    Some very good points, well done.

  • @AndreaMoonMusic
    @AndreaMoonMusic10 ай бұрын

    This was really inspiring. A lot to think about. What you said at the end about handling myself - very important to think about. Thank you!

  • @philipclifford2314
    @philipclifford23142 жыл бұрын

    This is fantastic. I watched this. Then some time passed and I watched it again. It is good. Very useful. I'm excited to write something new. Thanks again, David!

  • @Vininn126
    @Vininn1262 жыл бұрын

    David this was a brilliant video :)

  • @davidhepworthmusic
    @davidhepworthmusic2 жыл бұрын

    Thank you for sharing your experience. A lot of this advice addresses problems I've been fighting since I first started writing music years ago. The bit about not trying to write a piece chronologically and instead just write and piece things together later is especially helpful. I've often told myself "I'll write more music once I know how the next section goes." As a result, I'm not very good at developing and changing an idea. I find your music uniquely original and enjoyable. The comedy in this vid is top notch as well

  • @grantveebeejay535
    @grantveebeejay5352 жыл бұрын

    Thank you David, my inner demons come frothing to the surface when you mentioned them towards the end of this episode. I need them to compose as I need my own strangeness and mental health issues. Among other things they led me to you and your increasing fluffyness. Thank you again for these great tips today. Always appreciated.

  • @THETYMEKK12
    @THETYMEKK122 жыл бұрын

    Excellent video!! one of my favs :D

  • @Krakenfall
    @Krakenfall2 жыл бұрын

    There a few KZread channels that inspire and motivate me to push past my mental blockers and work on music. Your channel is one of them. Even if it's for 20 minutes, I usually open up Ableton after watching one of your videos. Thank you for sharing your work and perspective!

  • @bullish7352
    @bullish73522 жыл бұрын

    That intro was really good!

  • @quavor1
    @quavor12 жыл бұрын

    I needed this video, thank you

  • @Tylervrooman
    @Tylervrooman2 жыл бұрын

    Yay a new DB video!! thanks for the great content! I have a composition debut on my channel today! A violin and Viola duet. Big fan of your videos! Thanks again!

  • @jayducharme
    @jayducharme2 жыл бұрын

    Thank you, David. That was very well said (and very familiar). One other issue I've often run into is knowing when I've actually completed a piece. I've had instances where a piece comes nearly fully-formed and I've finished it in a matter of hours, and I'm happy with it. Then there are other pieces that I want to tweak to death. (One piece I kept revising for 14 years!) So I've trained myself to work on a piece for no more than a few months, and then call it done when it's pretty much matching my intent. And I use each piece as a stepping stone, setting out to learn something new for myself when I compose it. When I feel the piece is finished, I don't concern myself with whether it's a masterpiece; I just move on to the next piece. I've found that if I come back to a piece years later, my mindset has changed from when I originally wrote the piece and I begin revising it with the new mindset. That's a futile task that never ends. So I've just learned to say, "done".

  • @HectorMurrieta
    @HectorMurrieta2 жыл бұрын

    1:40 🤣 That was brilliant man, thx for the work you share & your channel.

  • @therealjohngalaxy
    @therealjohngalaxy2 жыл бұрын

    Great video! Thank you! ♥️❤️♥️❤️

  • @jasongarner9728
    @jasongarner97282 жыл бұрын

    I've never heard the quote from the Simpsons writer. That is really fantastic. Thanks for putting out such great material David!

  • @shortfilmmakerhk
    @shortfilmmakerhk2 жыл бұрын

    Excellent! Thanks a lot.

  • @ChaplainAcosta
    @ChaplainAcosta2 жыл бұрын

    I’m only through the first 2 and it’s brilliant. Really appreciate this.

  • @willgiam3231
    @willgiam32312 жыл бұрын

    Thank you, this means a lot

  • @neilwalsh3977
    @neilwalsh39772 жыл бұрын

    It's good to see a channel dedicated to composition - we need these

  • @neilwalsh3977

    @neilwalsh3977

    2 жыл бұрын

    And more the simple fact of the difficulties/challenges of living as a composer. Bringing composers and performers closer together is my ideal.

  • @donovan665
    @donovan6652 жыл бұрын

    Simply Brilliant!

  • @41Fingers
    @41Fingers2 жыл бұрын

    so glad I found this channel