How I Compose Music vs.The Academic world of Composers/Musicians

God gives you a hand 🙏 and bless you, man! Thank you very much for your music!

You always have the best way of stating things, and cheers to you for speaking up and standing up for yourself.

This is a very significant video, and it applies to anything creative or inventive someone wants to do or achieve. Bless you!

I admire your bravery and courage to stand up and speak out on these elitists. It's as if they are all programmed to do the same thing. It's no wonder people like Beethoven come in once in a while to shatter the norms. It's the only way we will evolve as musicians.

There is a lot of truth to this. I think it is the job of future generations and music educators to fix these issues (If possible).

Hi Craig!! I cannot start thanking enough you for making this video. Since I wrote you the first time regarding the composing issue, I have been thinking in what to do....Now I know what to do lol. I will stop worrying about how I should compose. I still do not know to whom is my music for (just for me???) and have so many other questions but I will stop thinking on that kind of doubts. I always have had the necessity of understanding what I see but I see now that in music that is not so important. I have to say that I have formal education in piano playing but not in composing so I will definitely follow your advice and I will learn myself how to improve everyday. I also think that by playing works by the composers and having the sheet with you is like having a class from them so there is plenty of material to learn from. I really think that you are right and have choose the correct decisions as your music speak for yourself. :) I mean...I never heard of the many Music Drs there are but I have heard and learned a lot from you. I think that a musician that thinks like that of Rachmaninoff are just not real musicians lol or maybe they could not ever played it. Is like " I cannot make a great painting so I will say bad thinks about DaVinci or Monet.... There is no statue of a music critic anywhere I think but many people remind Horowitz or Leonard Bernstein with such an affect lol (even that they composed a little I think they could have composed a lot of incredible music right?). Thanks again for taking the time for speaking about something so intimate. I cannot believe you actually burned your degree..I think that as a great composer, you are advanced from our time.

Happy New Year my good man! Hope all is well... Sooooooo much truth in this video! I hear so many students coming out of school with nothing left to say musically.. It's sad! lol

I'm curious about two aspects of your composition process: 1. Are you able to write out the entire piece in one go (melody + harmony) or do you start with a melody and add the harmony later? 2. How do you select the key for each piece? If you're able to invent your melodies in absolute pitches, then I guess you'd choose the key which "fits best". Or do you invent your melodies in relative pitches and then "transpose" it into your key of choice? Perhaps the last question sounded a bit odd but hopefully you understand what I mean :)

There is an excellent video of Frank Zappa expressing similar thoughts. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HA9XrWpLalw . Isn't it amazing how many people seem to think they know how it "should" be done? Well done, Craig.