9 Crucial Skills Every Composer Needs
Anyone that is looking to become a professional composer needs to take the time to evaluate their skills. This is essential for anyone that seeks to be a competitive force in this industry. One of the most essential things to keep in mind is that composing is not an easy profession. There will be times when having a wide set of skills going to set you apart from other composers looking to land great gigs.
Today, we are going to give you nine crucial skills that every composer needs in the modern world. Some of them are going to be more relevant than others, but they all play an important role in the professional success of a composer.
1. Technical production skills
There are many skills that modern composers need, but the skill of technical productions is by far the most essential. This means being able to perform, record, mix and even master the tracks that they create. This is more important now with smaller projects due to budget issues that require composers to be a jack-of-all-trades in the industry.
A good place to start with this is to learn the basics of audio recording with modern software. A skilled composer can make amazing productions with a laptop and a decent soundcard. It is a matter of making the most out of the resources available if you want to succeed.
Some people learn the very basics of audio production and this might be enough if they are not required to engage in the process of producing. With that said, working on smaller projects means that you are going to need to be able to handle the production process. If you are unable to do this, it is likely that another composer will be chosen for the job.
2. Become a Media Buff
Most composers that want to make a good living out of their skills need to get immersed in the entertainment industry. This is going to be a great way for anyone to be able to achieve optimal results. If you want to do this, you need to immerse yourself in the industry. There are many nuances when it comes to composing music for TV and film.
One of the biggest challenges is to know how to set the mood for a scene. If you look at music in movies, the musical score triggers many of the emotions that we feel when we watch them. This is why it is of paramount importance to be able to make use of sound to get the desired result.
It is recommended that people who are composing music for TV and film are always watching new content. They should be looking into the kind of music scores that seem to be most appealing and expected in the industry.
The video game industry has also become an extremely profitable place for music composers to offer their services. Many industry giants in the music business are turning their sights on video games due to their massive popularity. This is why we also advise that composers get more involved in this particular industry.
3. Know yourself
Understanding everything about yourself in terms of your strengths, your physical endurance, and your health. These are all factors to consider within the industry. Your job is going to be demanding in many ways and this means you have to be ready for anything. Long hours editing and arranging tracks for projects are going to be experienced commonly. You need to be prepared to deal with this, but you also need to set boundaries in order to stay healthy and productive.
A producer is not going to get much work done if they only sleep two hours a day and they are sleeping on the studio couch out of exhaustion when they should be working on a project.
Once you understand yourself a little better, you will be able to handle the process of making professional decisions much better. For example, you will be engaging in the work that you consider to be most skilled at doing. In contrast, you will be delegating the work that you either find to be weakest at or that you do not have time to do yourself.
Understanding your health limitations is also going to be relevant because it will help you determine how far you can go with work. Some composers can spend 10 to 14 hours in a studio just trying to polish a track and to ensure that it comes out perfectly. This can take a serious toll on the mental and physical health of an individual.
4. Networking abilities
Networking abilities are all about learning people skills and making use of them when you interact with others. One of the biggest problems that some composers have is their lack of ability to interact with others building their business. You need to keep in mind that socializing with people from the industries related to your profession is crucial for success.
Being able to work with other people in a collaborative environment is not easy. All parties involved need to have the emotional intelligence to avoid personal grudges due to negotiations, arguments, disagreements, etc. This is going to be very important if you want people to perceive you as someone who is emotionally stable and professional.
The days when people would put up with the intolerable genius artist are quickly fading away. Now there are certain behavior boundaries that are expected of people even if they have genius minds. This is going to prove to be crucial for success in many ways.
5. Time management skills
This is a huge thing to keep in mind because the most demanding aspect of the modern world is time itself. We are living in a world where a minute has become extremely valuable. Everyone is trying to fit a very hectic schedule into their daily activities and eventually, we will be counting the seconds of each day just to get things done.
Once you realize that time management skills are going to be very useful, you will start to find more time to get things done each day. It’s always good practice to start with your professional priorities and then work your way through the day based on that process.
Time management in itself is quite an art form and it will be a determining factor in your ability to produce quality as fast as possible. Rushed work is never good, but the best composers are going to be taking the least amount of time to get the most done.
It’s important to remember that many projects are charged by the hour. This means that studio time can become very costly if the work is extended and delayed too many times.
6. Negotiation skills
Knowing how to negotiate your fees for the work you do is essential too. Sometimes you will be asked to work on small projects. This does not mean you should be working pro bono in hopes that the project will become popular.
There are some composers who have taken the risk of working without a paycheck and the film or TV show they worked on ended up being a huge success. The problem is that you can’t do that with every project you engage in because it would be impossible for you to generate income this way.
Negotiating the price that you are going to put on your work is never easy. Learning about the rates that are commonly charged in your industry in a specific area is going to be very helpful. You have to take the time to do your own research and charge your fees based on your findings.
Some composers manage to get an upper hand with their ability to land jobs because they know how to negotiate. The more you learn to do this, the easier it becomes for you to be called back for projects.
You need to be aware of the massive competition that is out there and talent is not difficult to find in the world of composers. Sometimes the only way to separate from your competition is to be able to convince people with your negotiation skills and of course talent.
7. Creativity
This is a huge deal when it comes to a career in musical compositions and it will determine your value as a professional. A creative mind is one that has a constant stream of ideas for all kinds of purposes. Some of those ideas will be useful and some won’t but the main thing to remember is that a creative mind requires that the clutter of life is removed.
What this means is that you can be stressed out and anxious all day due to the many issues that happen around you. There is a lot of noise out there and this is accurate in a figurative and literal sense. If you want to maintain a creative flow of thought, you need to be able to look past all that clutter that can ruin your day.
8. Music theory
We know that many accomplished musicians are not theory buffs and this is not an issue at all. The big issue with some composers is that they will be working in an environment that requires music theory to be understood in order to communicate with other musicians. This is something that is going to be extremely important in this industry.
For example, if a group of musicians is asked to create a score for a movie, but one of them does not understand music theory. The other musicians are going to be speaking a language that this individual is not going to understand.
You need to speak the musical language, not just be able to create music and perform it. You will find that this is going to be crucial for your success in this business. Music theory may not be the most fun or engaging skill to learn, but it will be of superior importance when you are working with other musicians.
9. Consistency
Creating a great music score is not going to be an easy process in most situations. You need to be able to create something that is memorable. The key element is to be consistent with your work and to ensure that everything you release is going to be a home run.
This is easier said than done, but it is very important that you are able to maintain that consistency with your work. Your reputation has to be as impressive as possible in order to catch the attention of industry giants.
Other relevant skills to have
The skills we mentioned earlier are all extremely important for success, but there are others that we also consider worth mentioning. The first one is that you need to be able to understand how to promote yourself as a professional by using the internet.
Digital marketing has turned into a huge deal when it comes to creating a strong presence in any profession. This means that you should have a website with your bio, some samples of your work, and your contact information.
It is also advised that you become an active user of social media and that you start working on growing your follower base. There are many ways for composers to start promoting who they are and what they can do.
A composer that relies solely on their ability to create music is not going to fare very well in the modern world. More skills are required in order to be able to stand out and become a popular choice for anyone looking to create music for their movies, TV shows, commercials, Video games, etc.
Final thoughts
The work and business of a composer are not easy if they are looking to break into the entertainment industry. The more skills you can showcase to potential employers, the easier it will be for you to see results. It is very important to keep this in mind at all times if you want to be successful.