Blog | Jesse Strickland

To be clear:, I’m incredible at setting goals; I’m terrible at setting realistic goals. Maybe you’re there too. We get all of these amazing ideas in our heads.

I’m starting a composition #100daysofpractice or a #100daysofwriting whatever you want to call it - I’d just like to be more consistent. Well, I need a plan of some sort for where I’d like to be at the end of the 100 days (sometime in June) - and that’s where the problem lies. So, I thought “what if a student had asked me that question?” And well, we will see how it goes but here are three things I’ve come up with for setting realistic composition/songwriting goals.

Figure Out Appropriate Pacing

Take a look at your recent writing output. How much have you written over a certain period of time? You can probably expect your output won't be significantly more than that. Perhaps you finished 1 piece/song last month. You're probably not going to suddenly write 10 this month. Set a goal of finishing one piece/song, and if you get to more than that - Great!

If one of your goals is to be able to write more/write faster - then start where you are and work your way up incrementally. You can do this by setting Input Goals: "I will write 30 minutes each day." And if you want to build up incrementally: "Each week, I will add 10 more minutes to my writing time." Of course, all of that depends on your schedule and how much time you can actually devote to writing.

2. Factor in things that are writing adjacent.

I'll often work all day editing a manuscript and then feel like I didn't write at all that day. Which isn't true. These things that are associated with writing are critical parts of the writing process. These are things like Freewriting and Experimentation - where you are just playing around but not actually making progress on a project. Or maybe it's studying the work of another composer for their use of techniques. Or, practicing new techniques on your instrument - or figuring out with players what is physically possible or comfortable. Or perhaps like I mentioned, editing and revisions. All of these things are crucial, but they take time, and we need to factor in those things for setting realistic goals.

3. Set goals that are consistent with your long-term goals.

I have had periods where I wrote what I felt like I was "supposed to" write. If there's no one commissioning you to write a piece, there's no reason to spend time writing a piece you don't want to write. Make sure the things you are doing on a daily basis actually line up with your desired trajectory as a composer and songwriter. What can you write today that will serve as a stepping stone to where you want to go? Don't chase after every opportunity just because it's available. Set goals based on what is going to fulfill you artistically, and what is going to help you in the long run.

So, that's where I am today. Day 1 of 100. I'll be documenting this journey so make sure to follow along from now until June, and we will see where I end up.

[Note: This is post #2 in a five part series on the composition process. If you have not read the introduction post, you can do so here. If you would like a free PDF of the material we’re covering, you can get your copy here.]

Now that we have an overview of the process, let’s zoom in and take a look at each of the phases - starting with the Planning Phase. Planning is a crucial part of the composition process, and it can set you up to have a much smoother writing experience. Maybe planning is something you do every time, or it may not be something you’ve ever thought about. I’ve got four steps, and they should help you stay organized in the writing process.

The Importance of Planning

First things first, let's talk about why planning is so important. By taking the time to plan your composition, you can:

Create a roadmap for your music
Stay organized and focused throughout the writing process
Create a cohesive and intentional piece of music
Avoid writer's block and other creative roadblocks
Improve your productivity and efficiency
Avoid creating problematic music, that you might have to go back and fix all of those mistakes later.

Without a plan, it's easy to get lost in the creative process and lose sight of your goals. I sometimes get caught up in just writing, and almost inevitably I end up having to go back and come up with a plan so the piece isn’t a complete mess.

Other times, you might hit a wall and have no clue where to go with the piece next. But, with a plan, you can always go back and check the map. Having that plan will usually improve your efficiency in writing the piece.

Collect Musical Materials

Before you start planning your piece, collect musical materials that will serve as the building blocks for your composition. Maybe you’ve had an idea in your notebook, and now you’re getting around to writing it. Maybe you’ve got sketches all over the place (on napkins and whatnot) and they need to be consolidated. By collecting these musical materials, you'll have a pool of resources to draw from when you start planning your piece.

I used to try starting from absolute zero with a plan, and then I realized that was a terrible idea - at least for me. It’s definitely better to have some materials that you can use to create a plan with.

If it’s a song with lyrics, I will at least have some of those lyrics on hand for this planning phase. You don’t have to have all of the lyrics completed, just enough for you to know the central ideas of the song.

Purpose of the Piece

What kind of music are you creating, and what's the goal of the piece? Is it a pop song that you want to pitch to a record label, or a cinematic score that you want to use in a film? Defining the purpose of your piece can help you stay focused and ensure that your composition aligns with your goals. Of course, not all music has to have some greater “purpose”, it can just be music. Also, if you’re writing for a performer or ensemble, they might have some purpose for the piece (like an anniversary, or the dedication of a new auditorium…something like that)

You might also consider what sort of meaning the piece has. Is it a love song? Is it a piece about the grandeur of nature? Is it a piece that represents some scientific or mathematical principal? Again, music doesn’t have to have a “meaning”, but if it does, the planning phase is a good place to figure that out.

Scope/Instrumentation

Next up, it's time to consider the scope and instrumentation of your composition. What instruments do you want to use, and how will they work together to create a cohesive sound? How long will the piece be? Is it multi-movement? Is it a single song, or an idea for a full album?

Sometimes this is really easy. You’ve been asked to write for a particular ensemble, and that ensemble has given you some parameters. Like this piece I wrote for a percussion ensemble. It was for 4 performers, and I was told to keep it under 15 minutes long. Furthermore, because of the nature of this ensemble, I was asked to only use metallic percussion instruments. So, those decisions were made for me; which means in the planning phase, I wasn’t deciding which instruments to use, so much as how I would use them.

Other things to consider here (and it’s okay if you don’t know them just yet): What key will you be in, and what tempo will you set? Consider the genre and style of music you're working with, as well as the emotional journey you want to take your listeners on.

Emotional Journey

Speaking of emotional journeys, it's important to think about the emotional arc of your composition. What kind of mood or atmosphere do you want to create, and how will you achieve that through your musical elements? Consider how the melody, harmony, and rhythm can work together to evoke different emotions and feelings in your listeners. You might even want to create a musical map that outlines the emotional journey of your piece, from the opening notes to the final resolution.

Timeline on an 11x17 paper

I like to start all of my pieces with a timeline, that I put on a single 11x17 sheet of paper. You basically start on the left with the beginning of the work with the end of the piece on the right. I like to start by marking time (in minutes and seconds). Then I’ll place the materials that I know I have where I want them (major themes, melodies, etc). You can also mark down emotion words, and colors, and energy levels - all the stuff you just figured out in that emotional journey section.

The Resources I Use

So what do I like to have on hand to plan a piece of music? Honestly, all you really need is a piece of paper and a pen to do what I have suggested above. But. Here are some items that I have found very handy in this process.

1) Like I just mentioned, I like to work on 11x17” pieces of paper. It just gives me more room for ideas. 8x11” is totally fine too, if that’s what you’ve got on hand.

2) This is my sheet music book of choice. It’s got 18 staves, so it’s great for working with a lot of instruments at once. If you want something more notebook sized, this is a good choice.

3) This is a pen that has 5-points so you can draw a music staff on a blank paper. Very handy.

4) I like to have a ruler on hand for marking straight lines and edges.

5) You might also find it helpful to have an instrument nearby - but honestly, I like to do this stage of the process without an instrument so that I focus on the planning, and not on the writing.

Final Thoughts

Planning is an essential part of the music composition process. By taking the time to collect musical materials, define the purpose of your piece, consider the scope and instrumentation, and create an emotional journey, you can create a cohesive and intentional piece of music that aligns with your creative goals. Plus, by creating a timeline to guide your composition process, you can stay organized and productive from start to finish.

But. Here’s the other extreme - that I’m also guilty of: you can spend so much time planning the piece that you never actually get around to writing it. At a certain point, you’ve got a good enough plan, and you’ve just got to start writing. The piece will become something you never intended - but that’s okay, you’ve also got to be willing to listen to what the piece wants and where it wants to go…but that’s a completely different blog post.

So - if you’ve never done it before - the next time you sit down to write a new piece of music, take the time to plan it out. It may seem like an extra step, but in the long run, I have found that it will save you time, energy, and headaches.

Next time, we will talk about the actual writing phase of the composition process. I hope you’ll join me. Make sure you’ve got your copy of the Beginner’s Guide to the Composition + Songwriting Process.