How do you compose when you're not sitting down composing?

When you're commuting, for example. You're on the bus and there's nothing but noise, but you can immerse yourself in your inner cave and think about two or three notes to play with until some greater force takes over and suddenly you're hearing a full-fledged concert. Of course, as an exercise.

Or when you're in the loo, or eating. How do make music when you don't sit down to do it? Any cool habits?

In school, all the kids used to scream at me saying I tapped the desk and hummed WAY too much. :P I do it mostly with tapping or humming. anywhere... but the bathroom? maybe a joke, but not a grand sonata!

Interesting enough when I'm sitting down just thinking about music, I usually come up with much better ideas than when I sit down and actually try to compose. It's a psychological thing I guess, but I'm constantly thinking of music in my head :D!

When I'm working on a composition I'm constantly humming, singing, and tweaking ideas while away from my desk/keyboard. But aside from single-line improvisations or repetitions, I rarely hear original music in my head when I'm not working on a project. I often think about how my seemingly non-musical pursuits could relate to composition, and I often think about compositional procedures.

Interesting enough when I'm sitting down just thinking about music, I usually come up with much better ideas than when I sit down and actually try to compose. It's a psychological thing I guess, but I'm constantly thinking of music in my head :D!

I concur :)

If an idea comes into my head I keep going and then I can hear rthe song in my head. This usually happen when I don't have any paper or a computer nearby. Also I can't come up with anything when I try to. I usually improvise on tunes like Adagio for strings and Rhapsody In blue etc to come up with stuff as an exercise. Th downfall o hearing the music in your head is sometimes your mind takes other people's melodies (a piece I'm writing for my college prescreening stuff I recently discovered the main melody is very similar to the opening of mvmt one of Scherezade D:)

I compose when I'm bored. Sometimes I make a start at the computer and I hear the rest in my head. I simply can't write this down because I forget it a few seconds later :(!

Well, then you should have a notebook at the piano and write down each note as you write it.

You'll probably come up with a concerto when you're in the bathroom since the resonance is good for a soloist.

Bah! I wish I could compose away from the piano. If I'm ever on the go, I'll forget anything that pops into my head.

Standing is for weaving together new combinations and gaining perspective. Sitting is for creating new things and driving them home. I often do both at the same time. Both are passionate--the latter is more focused and purposeful, metaphorically speaking, the former more explorative.

Never 'composed' in your head before? It's just the assembling of parts... I don't believe there is a strict definition to composing, and as far as I'm concerned if anyone believes there is, they are wrong. There's a distinction between hearing music in your head and applying the music in your head, but I can't say I've ever written a melody I didn't hear in my head first.

there's no trick to it, you just need inspiration

Agreed :) Inspiration is the most important aspect of composition.