"How do you compose so fast??"
The surprising secret to my superpower of speed...
If which VSTs I use is the top question I get asked, the second most-asked question is invariably about my composing speed.
I’ll admit: I’m a fast composer.
On a crunch, I tend to knock out anywhere from 2-6 minutes of produced orchestral music in a day.
This is a skill I learned through trial-by-fire, working on fast-paced projects like TV shows (Kung Fu Panda: The Dragon Knight) and videogames (Honor of Kings).
However…
It’s also the icing on the cake after dedicating two decades to the craft of composing.
Since then, I’ve made a lot of free and paid resources to help composers improve their writing speeds, including my mockup course.
But I also want to acknowledge a deeper pain that I think is being expressed.
Because often when I’m asked that question—how do I compose faster—what I really hear is the frustration that composers are experiencing while trying to make music.
The desire to compose faster is often masking a dissatisfaction with the process of making music.
And I get it.
Writing music on a computer with a mouse and keyboard is a pretty non-intuitive way to express ourselves when compared to performing on an instrument.
But…
If we can’t fundamentally find an entry point to making music that feels enjoyable while we’re doing it, no amount of speed will solve that problem.
So the next time you find yourself wishing you could compose faster, I’d invite you to ask yourself:
How can I make composing feel more fun?
Do you have an instrument collecting dust in your basement?
When’s the last time you’ve written with paper and pencil?
How about bringing your laptop to a coffeeshop and playing your computer keyboard?
What’s a weird sound you’ve noticed that you could turn into a sample instrument?
Because ultimately, speed comes from practice, and practice comes from a mix of discipline and motivation.
Our culture loves to celebrate discipline, but it’s a limited fuel.
If you want motivation that lasts a lifetime, you need a deeper point of access within yourself.
You need passion.
So…
Explore the aspects of making music that you feel truly passionate about, and I can guarantee you you’ll write music a heck of a lot faster.
—Zach
(P.S. I made this video a few years back on the subject if you’d like to think on it more.)
Absolutely love this post, it is so insightful. Finding the joy in art once it's become a job is so important, but easy to lose when you're worried about efficiency. Will try to remember this the next time I feel like I'm going too slowly at anything.