Writing Music on Paper

[Raddons]

From getting out staff paper to write out melodic ideas, or even getting regular paper out to jot some chord progressions down. Anything. Does anyone still do that, or is it a lost art?

I've been meaning to get into it for a number of reasons, one of them being that I would have different ideas with my guitar, pen, and paper than I would at the computer. Another reason being I really want to take my songwriting process away from the computer (mainly due to my first reason).

Any thoughts on this? Are you all hard pressed to your computers for composing?

[Versilaryan]

I find I usually put a lot more thought into my compositions when I do them by hand. It's definitely time consuming, but I like doing it.

[Raddons]

Yeah, it's totally different. There are things like certain arpeggio patterns I will do when in front of a computer that I wouldn't even think of doing when writing with a guitar in my hand on paper. It's funny how that works.

[LunchBagMusic]

It's my first and foremost method of composition. Wouldn't do without it.

[Dr_Dissonance]

I, as a classical musician, rarely uses paper anymore...I tend to use Sibelius for pretty much any kind of notational thing...
Have an idea in the night? Fire up Sibelius!

So no, I don't really use paper anymore...

[LunchBagMusic]

I, as a classical musician, rarely uses paper anymore...I tend to use Sibelius for pretty much any kind of notational thing...
Have an idea in the night? Fire up Sibelius!

So no, I don't really use paper anymore...

Sibelius is fantastic, but sometimes I just need to get on paper at the piano or otherwise I have no hope of transcribing it. (Piano's not in the same room as the computer, see)

[Raddons]

I use a freeware Guitar Pro-esque program for all my composing/transcribing that is on the computer (regarding I don't go straight for it in FL). It's... it's something...

[LunchBagMusic]

I like your thinking, Kyoga.

[LunchBagMusic]

>Something not so
>MAKE IT SO
>Profit
>Repeat

[Raddons]

I should try that one day just for shiggles. Get real pretentious looking. People whispering "I bet he knows what he is doing", but in reality I am only playing tic-tac-toe with myself

[Cherax]

Does writing hundreds of memos-to-self in Notepad/TextEdit count? :3 (I have a new TextEdit file called "hello cherax" that lists every change I think I need to make to every project I'm working on right now. It hasn't been closed since I got my new laptop a week and a half ago, and will probably never be closed.)

[Jimmy]

I just doodle weird lines as though writing on a piano roll, occasionally adding the letters of the notes as I go along.

Occasionally I'll write down a chord sequence to go along with it (such as "Cm F G# G" or suchlike) but only rarely does planning in advance really play a part in my creative process, unless I have an ingenious idea in the night and simply have to get it down in some form.

[WavesOfParadox]

I have a little notebook for if I have an idea on the go or at school. Otherwise I have my keyboard and MuseScore, my nifty free notation program.

[Trillionage]

I try, but i mostly tab it out when on guitar or just Sibelius it. I have a horrible mental metronome and no tempo.

[Rainbow_Rage]

I'll sometimes jot an idea out on paper while I'm playing or if I need sheet music quick, but I've switched to using musescore for composition. I'll sometimes just do it all in FLs piano roll, but traditional sheet music allows me to really see what the song looks like so I prefer that although the process takes a little more work.

[MasterOfRegret]

I use a freeware Guitar Pro-esque program for all my composing/transcribing that is on the computer (regarding I don't go straight for it in FL). It's... it's something...

I use TuxGuitar too. Sometimes. I don't like how its set up with changing note values. >assumptions

I don't have staff paper so I never do that anymore. I have some lined paper with seemingly random notes on it based on what number of line its on.
Sometimes I write down chord progressions, but only after I've figured them out on my guitar.

I do melodies like that; figure it out on guitar, and say "This is this note, this is this" and just put it into FL. I figured out Loyalty(acoustiMando) that way.

[soultensionbenjamin]

I hum in a recorder And then transcribe it into a musical note.

[Raddons]

I use a freeware Guitar Pro-esque program for all my composing/transcribing that is on the computer (regarding I don't go straight for it in FL). It's... it's something...

I use TuxGuitar too. Sometimes. I don't like how its set up with changing note values. >assumptions

I don't have staff paper so I never do that anymore. I have some lined paper with seemingly random notes on it based on what number of line its on.
Sometimes I write down chord progressions, but only after I've figured them out on my guitar.

I do melodies like that; figure it out on guitar, and say "This is this note, this is this" and just put it into FL. I figured out Loyalty(acoustiMando) that way.

What do you mean changing note values? I'm not following

Yeah, I typically will take an idea from the guitar right into FL and build a chord prog and just let the song flow without ever really writing it down. I'm working on a project that I plan to write all out on paper due to the nature of it. I'll see how that goes.

[Icky]

I use paper to write down some ideas I have for a song when I don't have any time to work on it.

[Raddons]

I would probably do it far more often if my ear was better. I am probably as far from perfect pitch as one can get It's embarrassing at times.

[Raddons]

It's really bad with me:

"It's a a perfect fourth!"
"No dumbass, it's a major 7th"

No, that's exaggerating a great deal. I just can't sing a melody and write it down note for note unless I have a guitar infront of me. Luckily I am taking Ear Training in the Fall.

[EverfreeLuna]

For me I like to use the piano roll in FL studio and use my computer keyboard (typing keyboard) to experiment with progressions and ideas. This would also explain why the only original piece i've written is in C major

I plan on investing in a midi controller as my current keyboard is too big to fit on my desk. I do enjoy this way of working.

[Trillionage]

It's really bad with me:

"It's a a perfect fourth!"
"No dumbass, it's a major 7th"
.

That's my problem more or less. I'm quite tone deaf.I can't recognize intervals by ear but i can more or less know if treble or bass.

[LunchBagMusic]

No-one is tone deaf. Not one bit.

You pick up the phone and the person on the other end says "hello". Not only do you now that it's your mother, but you can tell what mood she's in from the cadence of "hell-o". Ear training and practise is where it's at.

[Raddons]

I've actually been working on it the past week or so. Last year I really got into it for like a month but just dropped it. I'm trying to rectify that as of now... I'll get those major and minor 6ths one day.

And also: