Composing a track from scratch in one day is quite a challenge. WMP’s team is frequently presented with this task when working within tight timeframes and experience has taught us a few things. Some of these are shared below. You can see it as some ‘Top Tips’ or reflections from a few creative folk in a music studio. Either way hopefully some of them will ring true with fellow composers or give you an insight into the brains behind WMP.
1. Be Organised
• Try a methodical approach. Write down a list and systematically tick it off; hopefully this will stop
you feeling overwhelmed and losing focus.
• Have a framework that will allow you to hit the ground running. Setting up a template that works
for your process will reduce setup time, help you work efficiently and allow you to stay focused on
the creative process.
2. Get Others’ Input
• Ask other people to listen to the track and feed back their thoughts. It helps with identifying when
or where you’ve gone off track.
• Use the feedback to identify the strongest parts and build on those.
3. Take Breaks
• It’s really important to take breaks regularly. This is for health reasons as well as taking a few
minutes to get a fresh perspective.
• Go outside - fresh air can bring back enthusiasm and focus.
4. Be Decisive
• Don’t be scared to be critical and cut out parts that aren’t working.
• Don’t overthink it. The time pressure can cause you to try to cover everything before going with
one idea. Decide quickly and push forward with it.
5. Set Limitations
• Be deliberate about your direction and place limitations on yourself.
• Find ways of forcing yourself to make creative decisions. For example, choose five main
instruments and focus on writing the composition with those to start off with.
6. Trust Yourself
• This is a trust exercise. Go with your instinct.
• Use the experience you have and make decisions based on this.
• Trust your own skill set. If you’re not happy with the direction it’s going in, then reduce it to the
strongest parts and push forward with that – don’t scrap everything.
• Don’t expect too much of yourself. Enjoy it and aim for a realistic goal.
7. Just Be Fast
• Procrastinate later!