Where do musical ideas come from?

Today we talk about the start point.. creating those initial fragment ideas and capturing them so you have a good foundation of material to start working with.

__________
Join me on my journey to release my first studio album. Is there a way to release an album in 2024 and make it financially viable? This is the second part to my journey - the ideas. Each week I'll outline every step of the process from initial ideas all the way to manufacture and setting up your shop.

My album is now on preorder - with a free sound pack! - and the physical release and mailout date is 18th April.

Thank you to the incredible musicians who played on my music and the talented engineers who helped me get it over the finish line:

Track listing:

1 - A Home From Home
2 - Ecstatic Skies
3 - Golden Hour
4 - Summer Heat
5 - Ballet Of The Snow
6 - Dreaming Of The Lights
7 - City Of Angels
8 - Into The Void
9 - Cloudburst
10 - Moonrise Dew
11 - Melancholy
12 - Nocturne

All tracks written, produced and mixed by Paul Thomson

Recorded at The Bull Pen and The Lane

Strings recorded by Isabel Gracefield at RAK Studio 1

Strings contracted by Hilary Skewes

Transcriptions by Ben Foskett

Mastered by Cicely Balston at AIR Mastering

Musicians

Tina Guo: Cello (5) Ash Soan: Drums (9) Mike Georgiades: Guitar (9) Anthony Weeden: Conductor (2,3,8,9,11) Jonathan Morton: Leader (2,3,8,9) Violin solo (11) Anna Blackmur, Magdalena Filipczak, Raja Halder, Magnus Johnston, Antonia Kesel, Eloisa-Fleur Thom: Violin (2,3,8,9,11) Laurie Anderson, Meghan Cassidy, Gary Pomeroy: Viola (2,3,8,9,11) Richard Harwood, Brian O'Kane, Jessie Ann Richardson: Cello (2,3,8,9,11) Leon Bosch, Lucy Shaw: Contrabass (2,3,8,9,11)

JOURNEYS sound pack - to keep you busy while I finish the process of prepping for release heres a fun sound pack of some of my favourite sounds that I created to use while making the record. (And a few extra!) Includes some great playable Logic Pro Sampler and Kontakt (full version) instruments of sounds including Balalaika, Psaltery Pads, Cello FX, DFAM basses, fx and drums samples, Nylon Guitar, Wine Glasses, Studio Drumkit, Flute Air FX, Clarinet texture pad, Electric guitar FX and pads, Ride Cymbal taps. over 600 MB of content across 62 patches. REQUIRES either LOGIC PRO in 'Sampler' format *or* FULL VERSION OF KONTAKT 5.8.1 or later. Does NOT work in free Kontakt PLAYER. Both formats included in download. Also sample content is WAV format so you can just drag audio into your sessions if you prefer.

CD DELIVERY INFORMATION - please read before ordering: we ship using ROYAL MAIL TRACKED only. Tracked shipping will provide you with a tracking number. If lost during shipping we will provide a replacement free of charge.

Sound Pack content:

Journeys - Kit BD.nki
Journeys - Kit HH.nki
Journeys - Psaltery Cluster MW.nki

[chrisrodenmusic]

I don't think there's a truer phrase than, "..when you start filling in the notes, sometimes you veer a bit off course" !

[davidsinclair]

Thanks Paul for the insights. I think that one of John Steinbeck's tips for writing equally applies to composing. To paraphrase it: Forget the generalised audience. In the first place, the nameless, faceless audience will scare you to death and in the second place, unlike the theatre, it doesn’t exist. In composing, your audience is one single listener; it helps to pick out one person—a real person you know, or an imagined person and write to that one person. Most of the time that one person is yourself.

[spadogs]

Thanks for this. Very inspiring. Looking forward to getting my copy of your new album. I still love albums.

[hittjett]

Please, please, please more Spitfire libraries on StaffPad!

[JeanLoupRSmith]

That song has a very Scottish feel to it in my ears. It reminds me a lot of a traditional song about Loch Lomond. Then again there are a lot of old Scottish folk songs which are essentially people yearning for the land they left for other shores, which fits your home away from home idea

[MartinJG]

5:05. Oh yes. Very important :). 16:56. I remember Tom Stoppard describing his own creative process as a sort of reverse engineered assembly of bits and pieces. Seems to me the key to artistic endeavour is that it all hinges on the voyage of discovery. Interesting video, Paul.

[chas]

* I listened with keen interest to this video as you described the process that takes place as musical ideas come to me and how to capture those ideas. I thought I was a lone wolf in this experience. Now, I imagine, that might just be how most composers experience it. I just wish my results were anywhere near what you produce... not even in the ballpark. Oh well. I'll keep working on it. If you will join me in the DEEP end for a few moments,
* I'd like to share my thoughts on where musical ideas come from (I'll keep it as short as I can)...
* Virtually all of us are used to having thoughts, but very few of us stop to ask "Where was the thought before I thought it?". Since thoughts come into existence, and anything that comes into existence has a source, there must be a source of thought. It is from this source that all the myriad of thoughts that we have spring forth. Depending on many factors (natural ability/inclination, upbringing, education, experience, etc.) we can take these thoughts and expand upon them to varying degrees leading to great (or not so great) books, machines, buildings, ways to solve problems, etc..
* A musical idea is just another form of thought, a nonverbal one. These thoughts rise from the same source as other thoughts. They just, generally, bypass the intellect. Since we, and most everyone else, experience and have experienced verbal thoughts on a regular basis since childhood, we take them for granted. We don't wonder much about them. Not so with musical thoughts/ideas. Many people can recall a musical idea they've heard before. Not as many people can have a "new" musical idea and bring it to fruition using/for various instruments. These people have a strong connection to the source of thought from which spring forth musical ideas. The MAGIC in this process is that music affects us directly on the level of feeling, bypassing, for the most part, any intellectual involvement. Yes, music can be intellectually analyzed and often is, but that is, for the most part, not its appeal. Its appeal is how it makes us feel. The feeling level can be affected during composition (and often is) as well as on listening to a completed piece. Again, depending on many factors, different composers (both great and small) can take these musical thoughts/ideas to great (or not so great) places.
Thanks for your wonderful post! Loved it. It generated many new thoughts for me 🙂

[vinnieRice]

Fascinating and inspirational stuff. Letting go of the 'perceived expectations' of others (director, music supervisor, competition judges, your peers, the public etc.) in your head is so hard but so necessary. Thank you for sharing the journey. I look forward to following this.

[morayonkeys]

Another great video! Following an idea until you can't follow it any more is SUCH good advice. Take advantage of that state of creation and go for it, you can always edit later! I love the idea of thinking of an album as an art gallery too - you can show people round, but ultimately they'll gravitate towards different pieces that resonate with them, and find their own meaning. Thanks again!

[justryanreally]

Really grateful of the sharing of this process. I wish more writers of music would talk about this side.

I've been writing every day on average for about four years just to see if it works. I can definitely say it does.

Ive learned that having an environment for the energy to come is a huge part, even if its a mental space. I think i could take my piano anywhere. But when I sit, its time to reach out and pluck something down.

Where Id originally have 15 seconds of an idea per month, if i was lucky, now theres not a day that goes by with less than 10-20 minutes improvising on the spark, feeling the idea out until it dries up. The focus on that flow state can definitely be grown.

Now im left wondering if itll take another four years developing the ability to finish this catalogue of ideas... I certainly hope not!

[marcomarrone]

Inspiring Paul Thanks!! Loved the piano tune !!

[desoconnor]

Hi this a very democratising video Paul. The information is so helpful to those just starting out in composition and for those further down the line, you describe some very useful practices with regard to capturing creative output in the absence of fully formed ideas and also for those finding themselves in the “moment “. If I had a tip for folks it would be always have you daw recoding the midi you play when you are exploring . 😀👏👏🎶

[rolandwehlend]

Great thoughts and I really liked the piano idea. One thing I do quite often: When I have music ideas, I record them as quickly as possible. They tend to be just short "snippets". I store that in my "snippets folder". Sometimes this stuff collects dust for years 🙂. But every now and then when I am looking for ideas, I browse through my snippets folder - and often that opens up a solution for something I am looking for or it creates a new idea. I'm having more success with this than playing the lottery 🤣🤣. Good stuff Paul as always. Cheers, Roland

[audios]

Thanks Paul. You have inspired me to not rely on muscle memory in Dm. And, I use Cubase Pro 11 for all my work. In the DAW is a tool I often use to inspire new changes and chord progressions. I use the "Chord" track and the rule of 5ths. Since I don't write or read music, this is a great way of getting "Started.

[pedrosoaresporfolio]

Very inspiring! its funny - i had moments people waching me singing to a fone! its also the way i register ideas to!

[cornerliston]

I still almost exclusively listen to ‘albums’ even when streaming.

[Alchemetica]

Interesting, your process from using the phone to capture melodies to note taking in a book and just playing is close to my process. Ideas captured on the mobile I transfer into studio one and use a pitch detection plugin to enter notes into the score. I rarely notate on to score paper, but I do write lyric lines down and put above the words and syllables notes to indicate length. The process of the music just coming and flowing at the keyboard I experience as well, and I cannot explain it. Other than to say my undergraduate major was in Visual Arts and the same "cosmic flow" can take place making marks to create an image, it seems to come from nowhere and results in a "finished" work.

[FLHofficial]

Global Warming Alert: Paul doesn't wear a scarf! Or he can heat his studio now. Chose one.
Joking aside, thank you for this video, Paul, you pointed out many of our ways to try to catch those ideas which sneak away in the ether of our minds.
Actualy, are we ideas hunters?

[ktreier]

Paul, what’s the red MIDI controller to the left of your keyboard.

[stevesutube]

Where do ideas come from? It’s all witchcraft Paul. We’re just modern day witches hoping not to get dunked in the water.