I understand from reading student blogs that at least some of you have felt "stuck" at some point(s) during the composition process for this project. If this sounds familiar to you, here are some things that may help, beginning with a slightly modified version of the answer I gave Mary Beth:
- Be aware that the feeling of being stuck is a very normal part of the creative process. A common reason for being stuck is that we are putting too much pressure on ourselves, and this awareness can help you react in with at least some degree of equanimity, which in turn can help you become unstuck.
- Try different things; there are many ways to become unstuck, none of which work for everyone. (More specific suggestions are listed in one of the links below.)
- In this project you were asked to write three character pieces, so consider the mood/atmosphere that your first two pieces have, then think about what kind of mood/atmosphere would go well with them, either as a contrast or as a complement.
- Think about textures; what textures do you use in your first two pieces, and what texture(s) might make a nice contrast to them for your third piece?
- Feel free to drop by my office with your compositional sketches if you'd like suggestions that are more specific to your particular situation.
Want even more suggestions? Consider reading a couple of earlier and more detailed blogs I wrote on the subject:
Posts
21 comments:
This entry is exactly what I've been needing to read for the past hour or so. It's so easy, after doing two compositions and hearing so many more, to start putting pressure on yourself to make it as close to perfect as possible. The first one in a sense was easier because I didn't know what to expect so I just composed what I wanted. We tend to be our own worst critics, so I have to keep reminding myself that I just have to compose my music my way and let the class tell me how they feel about it when the time comes.
I found that the hardest part of composing these three character pieces was the very intros. Basically trying to get the beginning "right" so that the development can flow out of it. I'm always staring at the computer screen with one or two chords down, waiting for something to click. aha. I guess it can be compared to writing a paper or an essay. To try and organize your thoughts so one flows smoothly from the next.
That organizing your thoughts idea is something I have trouble with! I have lots of musical ideas floating around in my head, but acually writing them down and then making something out of them takes a lot of organization I find. If I don't have a plan then I get stuck really fast. I find that I can develop and idea if I'm just playing aroun with it on my instrument but then when it comes down to writing it out I have no idea what I want to do.
I find myself stuck A LOT of the time. My biggest problem is finding it hard to just write simple ideas. I always catch myself over thinking and putting things that are too complicated when I could have done something much simpler. These character pieces have been a real challenge to find non-familiar ways of thinking about music (at least for me) and present them in a short little character piece. They've been a great exercise for the ol' noggin.
Being human and all I also exepeirnced this during both of my compostions.
With the first, I think my problem was the sheer amount of choice. We had 16 chords. I feel like I could have written hundreds of pieces of music using these chords. In the end I only took around 5 that I thought worked well together, and had a logical flow of tension.
My problem with the second was the fact that I wrote all the guitar parts out first, without anything else. Only the text set to a rhythm. I had a flowing 16th note passage that did not want ot stop repeating. i had a hard time composing a smooth transition from that into a new section with a lighter texture.
When I am stuck, I will often run whatever material I already have obessively through my head until I hear new areas it could go. I do find it helpful to press play on the midi-playback and hear what you have from the beginning... to see if ideas are effective/appropriate length, things flowing, etc. But getting away from what is already pre-determined by what I've notated and letting it naturally flow through my head seems to be a useful step. I'll often find the material I already have could be improved upon, and after every last detail is in my memory, I seem to hear places where the music should go, how I should get there, and I have a start of ideas on how to get un-stuck.
I think this works for me because my writing tends to have very even and simple phrasing and lots of repetition.. i'm not sure how easy it is to memorize every detail of exceptionally complex music, or if running it through your head would be effective.
I found with the last project that I got stuck quite frequently. I think I struggled with writing what I wanted and what was expected of me. A lot of the time I would sit down, try to write, and get frustrated. Forcing it out never really helped. I found that I would randomly think of a new idea after listening to something, or even just thinking about it out of boredom, so I would often times write it down in words as best I could until I could sit down and write the music. There were numerous times I came up with great ideas while I was trying to fall asleep!
These all seem like good ways to become unstuck. I can relate to the sensation of having put too much pressure on myself. I find it most helpful to try thinking about my piece in a different way. I would even go as far as to say that one of the most common reasons for getting stuck in the first place is that I am unsure exactly what the character of the piece should be at that point.
I find going for walks, and in general changing my environment helps to think about the character, which will in turn generate more ideas for the piece.
This always happens in different sections for me. I'll start working on, say, the 3rd section. I'll get some momentum and then things just completely stop. My usual fix is just moving onto another section but then you just end up with a bunch of unfinished sections lol So trying these suggestions sounds like a great idea. I also like Andre's idea of going for a walk and trying to clear my head; it's fairly easy to just be stumped and stuck at the computer for too long.
One of the biggest challenges I find in composing is getting stuck on an idea and not knowing where to go next. Usually my solution is to go and listen to a bunch of music to get some ideas. I usually try to listen to something I haven't heard before, or either that listen to some of my favorite music that I know to see how or why I love it. Getting unstuck is usually less of a challenge than we often think. And we often get stuck by over thinking or over analyzing music that we are writing, and we sometimes have to step away from the piece and sleep on it, have a break and return with a new outlook and inspiration.
When I feel I'm stuck, I give myself ten more minutes, and in those ten minutes, I keep trying new ideas. Good ideas, bad ideas, strange ideas, anything. Usually those ten minutes don't provide me with anything usable, but they often lead me to material I can work with. I find that the important thing is to avoid simply staring at your screen or manuscript paper and trying to think of something; if you could just think of something, you wouldn't be stuck! I prefer to put some sort of material on my compositional anvil and to try to hammer it out. This keeps up the creative momentum, helps to prevent the feeling of spinning one's wheels, and often results in the eventual creation of satisfactory content. By taking these ten minutes of unrestricted brainstorming, I prevent myself from giving up too soon, even when it feels like trudging through mud. Almost invariably, I'm able to get "un-stuck" in those ten minutes; if not, I do something else to allow the piece to percolate in my mind for a bit. Otherwise, I just end up frustrated.
This post was exactly what I needed. I am currently feeling very stuck and frustrated in my percussion piece as it is far outside of my normal writing and there are a lot of elements to explore. It is comforting to hear that this is a normal feeling and that I am not alone in this. I know this post was not for this assignment but I came to the blog looking for inspiration after being stuck for a few days and this helped tremendously! Textures was a great key word that helped me break my writing block. I now have a few simpler rhythms in my piece and combined by using textures over top of one another, which is creating the cool effect that I was looking for. I read both the other links (blogs) you wrote on the topic and found your blue box (recycling bin) suggestion very helpful. I have started keeping track of the ideas that I rejected previously and have found that they are coming back as helpful in other places and helpful in breaking my other writing blocks.
This was helpful and validating blog post. I’ve definitely had many moments while composing where I feel stuck, and like nothing I’m writing sounds very good. I completely agree that acknowledging the fact that you feel stuck can be a great first step. I find sometimes when I’m stuck I just want to power through and keep writing, but I think its important to take time away from your compositions, and the first step in doing that is acknowledging you're stuck. In moments like that continuing to write will often only cause frustration, so it’s definitely important to be aware of the feeling.
I also really like the idea of looking at previous textures you’ve used when feeling stuck. Not only can this be a source of inspiration, but it can help keep continuity within your piece. When I’m stuck I have the tendency to get a little off track and after spending so much time at it it’s almost as though I’m writing another piece. So, I think revisiting the textures you’ve already used is a great idea.
It is reassuring to see that I'm not alone in feeling stuck. I have felt this way when starting every piece that I've worked on over the last two years. However, once I finally come up with an idea that I like, I find it much easier to make progress and develop the idea. The tips you give in your post would be of great use to anyone else who has felt this way. I agree that having an awareness of the fact that you are stuck is an important part of the process, and I often find that taking a short break or even letting it sit for a day or two is the best way to deal with it. When I return to it, I usually have had time to come up with ideas that I like, or I will have had a sudden spark of creativity. Thinking about textures is also a great piece of advice. This can be very helpful if you have already started a piece and find yourself not knowing how to develop your idea. If you are stuck at the initial stages of a new piece, thinking back to an idea that you have used in the past and changing its texture may be a solution.
I have definitely experienced the stuck feeling, as every artist does. So many things are good solutions to being stuck. I often begin by taking a break. If I get to a point where nothing is working, I usually take it as a sign that what creative juices were flowing at the time have run out and I need to recharge. So, just taking a walk somewhere, perhaps get a coffee, listening to some music on the way, but not something that is related to what I'm writing. Something that's quite contrasting in style is usually what I go for, because just that on it's own can generate inspiration from other genres that could perhaps be incorporated in whatever it is I'm working on. Sometimes I'll watch an episode of a series I'm currently watching. Often times the score will inspire some ideas, or watch a movie I haven't seen before. It's also important to monitor whether or not you are hungry. I know that I've sometimes been so caught up in work I will forget to eat, and then I realize that the reason I'm beginning to get stuck is because I need food to fuel my brain. Essential things we learned as kids, but sometimes we let them fall by the wayside when focusing some much on our work.
I think this is one of the most important things to think of as a composer I have found so far. I fairly often have moments where I hear someone else's piece or someone mentions really liking an older piece of mine and makes me think the piece that I am currently working on is just bad, nothing constructive or even just like a section, just this whole piece is bad and there is nothing I can do to fix that. This is the prime factor in what makes me usually get stuck and I find it important to remember everyone does get stuck and doesn't like their music from time to time. Also, I find it's important to remember that if you're still working on it, it's not done yet and comparing it to a finished piece is inherently unfair. One of the main things that has gotten me through being stuck so far has been really focusing on textures or just cleaning up the score. I have found getting out of just thinking about how to expand the themes or anything like that and to just change to just working on just general texture changes for like 45 minutes very often leads to realizes a small idea to fix a section and snowballs into more.
In an ideal world, I believe all composers would love to write pieces without having to deal with getting stuck along the way. Unfortunately, I am pretty sure we all encounter problems at some point. I can recall only few instances in which I was able to compose a work without hitting a rough patch. In those rare times, it felt as if the creativity was bursting out of me and the musical ideas seemed to be never ending. The sad part is that this is not the norm. I have had multiple experiences where I am working on a composition and all of a sudden I get to a passage that inevitably ceases any more progression in my piece. In these cases, I like to listen carefully to how the piece progresses to said point. I attempt to garner an understanding as to how I should approach the section I am stuck at. Other times I might put the piece down for a bit and do various activities outside of composing until I feel like my mind is clear. I have found that even sitting down at the piano and practicing my repertoire for a good portion of time eventually leads to some inspiration for my piece. I think getting stuck is a very normal process and the best way to counter this is to have a solution/plan when you get stuck. Sometimes you might just have to play with an idea until you get it to work. Other times composing in small, separate intervals of time will help generate ideas. In any event, it is something I believe every composer deals with in one form or another.
I am going to preface this post by saying that I am not a composer. I never had any interest in writing music before my studies at mun, and I never had much interest during. I took this course as a final elective of my degree, and while we are only a couple of weeks in I can say that I am enjoying the course and composing a whole lot more than I thought I would. With that being said, stuck doesn't even begin to describe how I feel. For me the biggest difficulty I have is coming up with ideas. For the last assignment I must have come up with a dozen or so different motifs before settling on one that I liked. For me I think the biggest thing is to stop obsessing over these things and realize that some of the "bad ideas" that I have could be sound perfectly fine if I took the time to expand them a little more. Plus, I should really have a little more faith in my own abilities as a musician and composer, which is something I am sure we all struggle with. I get stuck mostly because of my lack of confidence, and this is something I will likely need to work on for as long as I am composing, or even just playing music.
I am feeling a little bit like this lately. I think part of it might be the strike, I really miss getting to hear my peers present their ideas every week. In a way, that's a method for getting unstuck that I’ve been unconsciously relying on: finding inspiration and ideas from listening to different compositions. There’s also something valuable about knowing that there are other people stuck with you. It can be comforting to know that you’re not the only one struggling with a creative block, or uncertainty about developing an idea. I think that this kind of support makes it easier to overcome a feeling of “stuckness”.
The advice in this blog post also helped me to rethink some of my stuckness at the moment. I particularly liked the advice of trying to write something with a contrasting mood to what you have already written, as well as the advice about trying different textures. Thinking about these techniques has already given me some ideas as to what I want to do with my piece today!
I have to agree that finding a mood for your piece before you start can really help. I've found when I don't have a set idea at the start of a composition I tend to write many ideas that don't totally work together. One of my main focuses when writing these days is to properly develop ideas throughout my pieces instead of abandoning them after 8 bars. Sometimes instead of a mood or an atmosphere, using one or two motives works just as well.
The very topic of being stuck reminds me of a bit of wisdom which Dr. Staniland once shared in his seminar class, to which I hold fast.
In music composition, there is no steadily proportionate relationship between time spent composing and meaningful creative output. There are occasions whereupon one can toil for hours without a great deal of salvageable material to show for it. Likewise, ideas will sometimes flow out unimpeded within a much shorter span of time. I suppose the solace is that with more experience and fluency, one will gradually accumulate different strategies whereby they can circumnavigate the stickiness which is inevitable in any creative pursuit.
Post a Comment