How to go about your composing? Do you hum and record... or do it on paper?

[AMELius Lum AYANA]

I am just wondering. How do you compose?

- Do you flinker with your instruments and write in on paper?
- Or do you record the process whilst you are doing it...
- Do you use any cool software to manage your songs...
-...??

[Glenn Simonelli]

I think about it for several days, get some themes in my head, then plink around on the piano and sketch in some melody lines and harmonies, then go upstairs to my computer and fill everything in with Sibelius.

[Jan Civil]

it depends. sometimes I sing something, sometimes it's worth trying to totally remember it, so I'll repeat it until I do.
Sometimes if there is a lyric, that can come attached to a tune. then I arrange it in my daw, decide on a sound for that, which is going to inform the whole attack and envelope of what happens, the 'time'.

more complex ideas, I started with a sound, palette of sound and decorated it, by improvising in my daw. and moving things around on the timeline, 'editing'.

I do not write on paper any more. the likelihood of hearing that has never been good, and it would be a total drawback for me to do it.

[Simon Godden]

I always have a notebook with me, so if a tune pops up whilst I am walking in the park, I'll write it down, otherwise I could never remember it.

[Chris Alpiar]

Initial ideas come in lots of ways, sometimes its just in my head, sometimes I stumble on it practicing my horns, or playing piano, trying to get comfortable with finding ideas on guitar, but i still suck on guitar. When I have the idea tho, I try and write it down on score paper, as quickly as possible, because the way my mind works, it will easily be transmuted into something totally different within 30 mins or so. So I try and write it down on paper - I have huge stacks of loose score paper with 2, 4, 8, 16 bar ideas (and odd-bar stuff of course). When I am in a less creative and more constructive mode, I will revisit ideas on those scraps and work out how to develop them. Unless I am under a deadline for a specific project and that has so many answers, all dependent upon what the project is. Some of my best jazz tunes I have written on paper only and often pretty quickly, other times painstakingly long times involved. But I used to always work with score paper only, and piano, sometimes checking a line on a horn

[Jan Civil]

as far as writing stuff down... melodically, I tend to think modally. I sometimes jot it down in saregama, which is like Indian solfeggio, with an indication as to, eg., is the third (ga) flat, is the fourth (ma) sharp, etc. I don't have an absolute ear, so I'm not worried about absolute pitch to transcribe my own tune here. And I have made up a system using what you have just on a qwerty board for rhythmic notation. So, if it's kind of a subtle enough tune, melody and rhythm to where I might forget part of it, I email something to myself real quick or archive it in some way online. I'll lose a piece of paper easy.

[Aryan Kermanchi]

I don't know. A theme usually comes to my mind, and I start playing notes like that until I get what I want. Then, I write it on a paper, check it for harmony errors, then if it's a Piano solo, I'm done, but if it's for other instruments as well, I play it on my Keyboard, and record it to my computer. Sometimes when I'm practicing Harmony, I find a good theme, then I'll start working on that.

It depends on how you feel actually. :)

[Janne Hanhisuanto]

Playing piano, and memorize harmonies,melody.
Then moving to DAW, with memories, and see what it comes.

Sometimes straight to DAW, and start putting notes together.

Sometimes I whistle/hum to mobile phone mic and record it

[Josh Minzner]

Sometimes I'll get a great musical idea in my head and just write it down, but usually I tinker around on the piano until I'm inspired. I use Sibelius to organize all my ideas once I have them figured out.

[Chuck Lucy Finale]

Mind is enough for the early stages. I recommend finale software. I have a keyboard and laptop next to my bed so I can test stuff at any hour. I play in two bands which have tons of collective improv, so I vomit up new stuff all the time, some keepers, some duds.

[Kristofer Emerig]

Simon, there are so many - countless- occasions on which I wish I would have taken your simple advice. At the time, I'd think "I won't forget that". I almost always loose the thought before I get the opportunity to sketch it. How does that big manila staff paper work at the beach though? Where do you put it? This could be particularly troublesome if you're still using the big, bulky quill pen.

[Deborah Young]

Sometimes I hear a tune in my head then go to the keyboard and pick it out. From there I edit and add to it using the "what if" process (e.g., what if I threw in a minor 3rd, etc.).

Sometimes I just noodle on the keyboard until I hear something compelling or different. Lately I've been playing around with the electronic percussion on my keyboard. I first lay down simple sustained chords and then play with percussion patterns and sounds until I come up with something I can work with.

[Steve Chandler]

Most often an idea pops into my head and I write it down (hopefully). Occasionally I'll flesh these ideas out a bit and sometimes a lot. The most important aspect of my methodology is the honing of ideas. Just because it popped into my head and I liked it at the time doesn't mean it's something I consider great. When I work on something later that can include a complete reworking of the melodic idea. If someone plays what I've written down and comments about some aspect I'll consider their thoughts. My most recent piece (Consolation) underwent every bit of that. It was an idea from a few years ago that I decided I liked enough to come back to. I reworked the rhythm, the key, aspects of the melody and then wrote the piece. Now I believe it to be some of my best work. My point is to be willing to take old ideas and revamp them until they meet your standards.