Here's the link to my course with Mike Baggstrom, "Superspeed Your Music Composition": www.udemy.com/course/music-composition-workflow/

Dang Zach, this video is just what I needed. This situation has been killing me this last month and a half. I've been so harsh on myself for not cranking out music fast enough. It's disheartening and discouraging, and I've felt like an imposter even trying to write compositions. It's great to hear your perspective. I appreciate your content!! Thank you 👍

Thank you for this video! I’m actually relatively new to composing in a DAW and as part of my composition lessons as a music minor, I had to make and finish a piece in roughly 16 weeks. It definitely was a struggle as the entire process was new and I was up for many hours binging KZfaq and online articles and books on how to orchestrate and mix my tracks all while not having as much musical competency as my music major friends (it’s hard to write on pencil and paper for instance but it’s something I do want to achieve). But in the end, it was really worth all the fun, pain, and experience that came with the process. My piece was even played at my university’s studio recital and everyone loved it (which I was genuinely surprised)! Your videos among other composers were such a helpful resource when composing my first piece and I am forever grateful for the amount of work and dedication you put into your videos. I wish you well and the very best!

One trick that helps me to write orchestral music quickly (or any kind of music really) is to compose a piano version first. This helps you concentrate on the music itself and get the piece finished first before you start orchestrating or designing synth patches, or commencing endless parameter tweaking… Also, thinking in lines rather than chords helps me too. Writing lines is faster than writing chords, especially if you write on paper or in a notation program.

4:04, I used to do that (setting a timer to make a song) awesome advice. sometimes I compose fast, sometimes I spent a few hours on a single idea. Sometimes I even use music generators to find me cool motif that I can edit and make my own x)

Always having the feeling of being super-slow, these words felt really uplifting to me. Thanks a lot for this encouraging video, Zach! 🙂

I really wanted to use a colorful metaphor, but... I'll just limit it to Geeee-Wizzzz, Zach!!!! I love ya, man!!!! I don't know how you do it, but you always seem to answer questions and concerns that I am facing along this journey. Sometimes, I feel like I'm just not cut out for composing because it seems like it takes me so long to write something I feel is good enough to share with others... Then, you come along and encourage me with a video like this. Side note... I started from absolute scratch just over a year ago and have learned SO much.... Patience is the word for me. I'm getting there... just not as fast as I'd like it to be. Thank you... Again.... You are a true blessing 😊. K

Love your videos, man. You’ve opened a new chapter for me in this life long passion. I’m finally turning ideas in my head or on piano into real orchestral pieces and I’ve learned at least one new thing from every single one of your vids. Thanks for all you do and for sharing your knowledge!

This is such an important video mate! Some of my best work was slow, meticulous and overall painful. Something that wouldn’t be fun to watch nor I would feel comfortable sharing.

So true. I love that you actually care about your viewers and students, and their mental health when it comes to the creative process. Too many KZfaqrs stick with the gimmicks, some of which emphasizing areas that up and comers shouldn't even be focused on. Keep up the great work, sir! (On your own time, of course lol)

This is such a good video. I think I will keep coming back to this video for motivation. Thank you, Zach!

There are so much not so good/fake teacher on youtube but you sir are a treasure. I'm so happy to have found your youtube this year. It's clear that you know what you are talking about and your videos have so much good informations ! Thank you for all that !

Hi Zach! I just want to say that I found your channel about a month ago and I really really love your videos, I think you're videos are so helpful, intresting and also really fun to watch. You're my favorit youtuber and I really mean that. You inspire me so much ❤

The thumbnail game is on point Zach!! Also, thanks for the advice. I have found myself falling in this pit recently so this video is really appreciated.

Love this. THIS is how learning for long term applications works!! I feel like a lot of this applies to all kinds of creative craft growth. Thank you, Zach!

Amazingly transparent advice. I think that for composers who are just beginning the "full-time" composer journey, it can feel imperative to write faster in order to make their bills. And with so much of education coming from either KZfaq composers well into their careers, or else university faculty with 30 or 40 years of experience, I think many educators are out of touch with the early stages of learning composition, when technological barriers and troubleshooting can represent a large part of a composer's efforts.

As always amazinnng! 😅🙏

Great perspective! I think people often perform at their worst when they are being extra hard on themselves, and the push to be faster and more efficient often feels that way. Allow yourself the time. Give yourself permission to explore ideas, to take as long as you need.

Man, this video is necessary for this days! Thank you!!!

Love the slow turn

I just finished a course where the instructor said to practice the craft, which I understood. What didn't make sense to me was that he also wanted us to write music that was according to the specific scene we were writing for that week. I thought, ' What are the chords that say, suspenseful, or magical, or an ethnic/superhero vibe??'. He was real proficient at playing piano but grouped all of us into the same class. I believe that i am still in the beginning levels. He said that i should stay committed and, at the same time, I think I was left with some holes that still need to be filled.

Once again Zach you hit it clean out the park !

I actually want to compose slower, I am learning when i make just one part and ponder on it for a few days i can come up with so much more creative parts. Esepcially for when I am writing guitar parts for metal. I make a riff and just think about how many different ways i could use variations. I find playing in the moment a bit too much I get less ideas. I like to sleep on it, it really helps me. Sometimes I lay there and almost asleep and i get the idea i need and have to wake up and run and play it out on guitar before i forget haha. Its strange. I might keep a guitar near my bed soon.

Some people are just naturally better at writing fast, too. they tend to be the sort of people who need a lot of help getting it to sound good afterward, though. I worked as composers assistant for someone like that for a while. It was kind of discouraging because I thought, "I'll never be able to sit down and watch a video one time and then immediately write the thematic material for it in a few minutes.” But his output did need a lot of cleaning up afterward. that's what I was good at doing fast.

Bro... You just said the quiet parts out loud 😤 💪🏻

wow! this is such a great insight. I would like it 10 times if that would be possible. It is the exact answer to give to someone who is wondering if he/she should pursue its dream of composing music.

Thank you! This is a great video!

I've always written music really slow, like my newest EP took months to do and there were only 4 tracks. It's really frustrating sometimes and is what made me take a break from music for around 2 months. I'm still really slow but I think I'm getting better while keeping the quality.

Been loving all your content (I just discovered you) and I also just bought your course!

i felt the opposite actually, might just be me, but all of my best compositions happened when i sat down for like 2-3 hours and boom 10 minute composition sounds pretty great. i tend to obsess over unnecessary stuff when i take too long. you can't force yourself to compose, but when you music comes to you and enters your mind, that's when it's go time.

Awesome video!

i agree, confirm, and support. Has to do with what i said on my video about perfection

My issue is I'm using the free version of FL Studio, which means you can't save projects, only export them once you're finished, so I have to put together my pieces on the day I start, or keep the laptop shut, and hope that it doesn't turn off or else I lose all my progress lol.

Frank making loops in 3,256 seconds :

Hi Zach, Where can I find your course on super speeding your music composition that you mention at the end of this video? Thanks!

As a musician, I totally agree with you here and love your videos. However, speaking as an instructional designer, research has shown (see Bandura and “social learning theory”) that people learn a ton from observing their role models, and that absolutely includes watching them make mistakes and struggling. Obviously, it be odd to release a video like that here, but perhaps making one that focuses on the mistakes and how you overcome them would be interesting. And you can save the long form versions for a paywall.

The worst is when you worked on a piece of music for a week and the director doesnt like it 😂 But, yes, I agree. In my 20 years of composing, I have learned that music needs time and patience *Insert everything you said*

Can I ask people: when you're composing using sample libraries of acoustic instruments, are you composing ideally for or in the hope of a live orchestra recording your music (possibly augmented by synth sounds and effects) or is it that what you're producing digitally is the actually the finished product?

I try very hard to compose faster. I think the better I get the faster I can write. Why do I want to compose fast? I have a child and only some minutes per day for me and composing 😅

Anyone else catch the Zachbook pro 😅

In your 20 s and worrying about time!? Imagine being 55!!😂😂😂 Another great vid!

Ive found there is no fast tracking dialing in the tugs of emotions in composition, you have to work hard to find those important places of expression that grips you to the core, nevermind someone else finding the same boat you sailed in the journey... But sure... Love the struggle...

I blame hip hop and trap producers 😂you see a lot of content like Drake producer makes 10 beats in 10 minutes. I think we need to make a distinction between entertainment and education.