Instinct, one of a composer's most valuable tools.

"Good instincts usually tell you what to do long before your head has figured it out"

- Michael Burke, author

Instinct might just be the most valuable tool in a composer's arsenal next to musical training and a dramatic sense.  Instinct is the invisible force that guides us through a scene or a game summoning all our knowledge and experience to lay out an invisible map for us to follow as we create music where no other guidelines exist.  Instinct is what lays down the proverbial creative bread crumbs that lead us where we have never been before and pushes into the unknown with a curious sense of confidence.  I don't mean to get all Obi Wan Kenobi on you here but instinct is certainly deserving of a little rumination as it may be a bigger part of who you are as a composer than you realize and how you got here in the first place (wherever "here" is for you).

Every composer that has ever endured the rite of passage of delivering the seemingly impossible score with a seemingly impossible deadline can probably relate to the analogy that creativity for hire can be like going into battle.  We, as composers bring to the table a unique skill set and an unrelenting desire to see the project through in the face of impossible odds that can only be compared to the most hardened of soldiers going off to war...or at least it feels that way sometimes.  It is not uncommon for us to literally feel the physical and psychological effects of a "do or die" mentality being the "last line" in the production.

Instinct guides the most experienced and well trained composers just as much as it does those who have never worked to picture or with interactive media.  Instinct can lead us in bold creative directions, often leaving us scratching our heads wondering how we got there but unable to see any other musical solution.  Sometimes collaboration takes us against our instinctual currents and into unfamiliar waters, leaving our training to keep us afloat, but it is our instincts that help us find our way back to the heart of the scene.  Then of course there are times when we second guess ourselves and keep digging even though we've already struck gold.  There is something unmistakeable that clicks when the music in a scene falls into place, affecting us emotionally like an outside force even though we created it.  This is the creative blueprint that our instinct follows and knowing how to open yourself up to it and to trust it is an essential skill of a good composer.

"I can't describe how I arrive at the decision to make a statement, I simple feel it and react to it."

- Jerry Goldsmith

Those of us who have decided to brave the competitive world of composing against all odds have probably already begun to follow their instinct and listen to their inner voice, perhaps without even knowing it.  Something inside told us that despite the increasingly competitive climate of the entertainment industry and the ever decreasing likelihood that we would be able to support ourselves and our families as musicians, no other path would quiet the yearning in our souls to create.  We believed instinctually that we had something to say as artists and were willing to make whatever sacrifices we needed to in our lives to find a place to be heard.  Your instincts are what brought you here in the first place and they will always be there to guide you when you are lost.

"For me personally, listening to that inner voice, the one that is balancing the constant battle of heart and brain, feeling and intellect, has been the largest accomplishment in growing as a composer. And in the end, it comes down to trusting your instincts, a pseudo "Catch Phrase" that I really think can get marginalized, when in fact should be payed greater attention to as a composers greatest asset.  I can't count the number of cues I have written where I went against my initial burst, ignored my initial "Blink" (if you're a Malcolm Gladwell reader), ignored my first instinct… and realized at the end how far off course I was, only to realize my first instinct would have been spot on. Its a valuable lesson I have come to lean on, especially as time frames grow tighter, minute counts rise, pressure mounts… Trusting your Instincts is, in a way, the most valuable thing a composer has to turn to.  Instinct isn't the only tool I have in my tool box, but its certainly one of the strongest.  And its once I have come to trust more and more as time goes by."

-Trevor Morris (The Borgias, Immortals)

So what does instinct mean from a practical standpoint?  It's easy to wax poetic and talk about composing from a philosophical standpoint but when you're starting out and still trying to wrap your head around what it means to be a composer, you're usually looking for some real world, specific answers.  This topic might not be one of those "nuts and bolts" kind of things but there are ways to learn to trust your instincts and at the very least avoid making a habit of tripping over them on your way to the finish line.

"It sounds really stupid, I hate making cosmic comments like this but I just let it do what it wants to do."

- Danny Elfman (The Nightmare Before Christmas, Edward Scissorhands)

For me personally, the first viewing of a film, game, script or even artwork can start the gears in my creative brain turning.  While this may be "inspiration" (the topic of my next blog) and not specifically "instinct" (though the two concepts are often associated), it is the initial direction that I am subconsciously taken in that is the one I pay careful attention to.  At this time I usually find myself jotting down numerous seemingly random ideas as fast as I can keep up with them.  Everything from themes to motifs to sounds get laid out in one big sequence in Logic.  I'll flesh them all out as much as possible before a new idea takes me elsewhere but I'll save everything.  The real trick is, if time permits, giving yourself a few days at the very least to step away from these ideas and come back to them once the initial creative tides have subsided and are on their way back in.  Creating some space between the creative brain and the "editor" brain can be helpful in letting those ideas be recorded in the heat of inspiration but get cultivated with the focus that only that other side can bring.  These two often try to step on each other's turf but in this initial phase it is essential to give them their space.

Instinct is one of the most important tools a composer has when he or she is working under a deadline. At the beginning of a project, I always try to set aside time to revise and rewrite thematic material, instrumental ideas and other compositional building blocks. But, as the deadline looms ever closer, the time I have to second guess myself gets ever smaller. By the end of a project, I have to trust my instincts above all else. The first sketch of any cue must be in the right neighborhood, because there's no time to go back and write it a second time. Honing my "gut reaction" to scenes has proven essential to writing music on a deadline that I can still be happy with and excited about.

- Bear McCreary (The Walking Dead, Battlestar Galactica)

Deeper into a project, instinct becomes an essential tool.  You rarely have time to second guess yourself or try out multiple ideas.  More often than not I've found that my first ideas are the strongest.  That's not to say that there haven't been times it's taken me numerous attempts to arrive at the final version but it's always important to give that initial instinct it's chance to shine.  Even if the people you're working for have different ideas about the project than you do, if you believe in yourself and find that you have something inside you that speaks to the project, it's important that they at least get to hear it as a starting point.  It's up to you to decide how much you are willing to compromise when collaborating.  Ultimately a composer's job is to help realize the director's creative vision but that can be done in many ways and the more you can bring your own voice to a project, the stronger that voice will become in the long run.

If you're lucky as I have been to find great collaborators in your career who truly understand music and who know how to bring out the best in you, then there are times when following someone else's instincts can lead you in some pretty cool directions.  A good collaborator can lead you to conclusions you never would have thought of on your own and can push you when you are discouraged or just plain being lazy.  When your instinct is running in sync with your collaborator, some pretty amazing things can happen.  Just look at the fruits of collaborations like that of Spielberg and Williams, Hitchcock and Hermann just to name a few.  Always keep your eyes on your vision and do your best to communicate it but be open to trying new things.  The best collaborations develop and grow more and more fruitful over time.  The better you understand your collaborator and the more you trust each other, the less inhibited you both will be creatively. 

"Instinct is that feeling of damn-it-I-knew-I-should-have, before I've actually done it. Ironically, sometimes I hate being right... Even if I want to argue with myself, instinct usually has the annoying upper hand. Instinct is a feeling of truth. It sustains sanity if you can learn to live with it, and the consequences that come with following it. If hindsight is 20/20, instinct is a telescope into the future and a great manager of expectations--especially in matters of the heart and music."

- Jeremy Soule (Skyrim, Guild Wars)

In closing, I hope I've at the very least given you a gentle reminder that instinct is what got you here in the first place and you will always do right to be in tune with that inner voice.  Always be open to the possibility that you had it right the first time and know when it's time to humbly go back to the drawing board.  Those of us who have braved the odds to find a place for their voice to be heard (and God willing an ear or two to listen) must protect and nurture that voice with the same determination.  Regardless of what people say about composing for hire, you ARE and artist and always will be one as long as you have something to say musically. Being an artist doesn't mean you can't be easy to work with and be able to help others realize their creative vision.  Serve the project, satisfy your clients, stay true to yourself and always follow your instincts.

Special thanks to Trevor Morris, Bear McCreary and Jeremy Soule for taking time out of their busy schedules and lending me their thoughts on the subject.  You guys are inspirations!

See you next time!

N

www.nealacree.com