How do you guys get inspired to compose?

I find melodies in my head while excersizing--the more intense and longer I work, the more intense it becomes. The shower is also a good place for it.

My problem is usually putting my inspiration to music. That's precisely why I want a keyboard, so I can put down melodies and see what rythem I used rather than splash down a few patterns and see if its right. Then there's the problem of not having the right instruments.

i find that looking into the composers history a bit helps... the reason being:

you find that theyve gone through tha same hurdles you have.. so if they managed it so can you.. and useually you find theyve dedicated themselves to getting that good ... and that for anyone is inspirational

.... the last time i felt that inspiration rush.... (technical term an "afalatus")

was while reading the profile of freeform producer Arkitech on the nec site.

Sometimes I think inspiration just hits you... like at work, your just whistling along and all of a sudden, whack! But the only thing about that is that if your busy, you really can't do the typical 'write it down and continue' routine, when that happens to me, I try to whistle it all day, and then when it's cemented in my head, I finally write it down.

A very useful tip I picked up from a wonderful composer last weekend was to enjoy the compositional process above all else. It is easy to get distracted and start thinking about corollary concerns like perfomances and other people's responses to your music, but the most important thing is you. Since realising and accepting that composition is a purely selfish activity in itself (although other people can enjoy the fruits of it) I have found my mind a lot freer to do whatever it does.

If nothing else, it's made me say to myself "Why should I care if people complain my music sounds like Tchaikovsky! I wrote it purely for my own pleasure."

It's a philosophy I'm adopting now anyway - you might find it useful.

Yup, the process not the product.

Well, ok...as long as money doesn't come into the equation then you have to meet others' expectations, deadlines and that.

:blush:

True... but if you're a professional composer why are you taking advice from me?

That said, I have deadlines to meet, but it makes sense for me to enjoy producing about 5 semi compositions I've enjoyed doing and developing one than labouring over a composition to try to make it original or fulfil some expectation, with the result that my heart isn't in the music so it's crap anyway.

Good luck.

:)

Incidentally, are you from Montpelier, Bristol or is the name of other relevance? I live in Fishponds, so I'm curious.