OT: Reading books, creativity, dreams, and composing...

[capt_hook]

First off, I should say that I have A LOTof extra time on my hands because I just graduated from college and I'm in that area between college completion and finding a job. Everyday consists of me waking up when I want and doing what I want and this has been going on for about 2 months now- I know what you're all thinking - get a job ya bum! :p I will soon enough I'm just waiting for a response from my applications. I plan going back to college, but I need to take a break,so...


That said, I've been reading a lot books lately and something that I never noticed before is a correlation between my book reading and my creativity level. It's not that I get inspired to write about the stories, but the more I read, the easier it is to compose without any kind of block or hesitation whatsoever and ideas fill my head more than usual 24/7. I always have ideas and themes and such running around, but never at this level of intensity or abundance. The other thing is that I wake up every morning at about 2:00 a.m. and go into my studio and complete a piece in a few hours. This happens every night! I've completed about 20 pieces in the span of a month with a supreme quality that I've never attained before!

The next thing is my dreams. Now this is weird, weird, weird. When I began reading the amount of material (mainly fiction) that I have been, my dreams become extremely vivid and as weird as they have ever been. I realize that there is an atypical dichotomy in comparison to our normal daily organization, actions and thoughts and our dreams, but I don't even want to mention what my dreams consist on this forum, hesitant because of embarrassment. Nothing scary or frightening, but exceedingly vivid, all-embracing, and just plain weird. This may also sound strange, but I can almost consciously control my actions in my dreams.

For example, in the middle of one of my dreams I spoke a "number four" to another person, but I was holding up three fingers when I had said the number- so I remember thinking "that's not right" and I then held up four fingers and smiled knowing that I corrected myself in my dream. I knew I was dreaming, but the dream still continued. The dreams never contain any of the subject matter of my readings either, which I find odd.

Now get this, I recently went to TMEA and I stopped reading for those few days due to time and I noticed my creativity/ inspiration level had diminished a tiny bit and so did the dreams. This may be painfully obvious to everyone, but I believe that my reading is a kind of exercising of the brain. I cannot think of any other reason that these things would happen just from reading books!

Of course in college I had to read an atrocious amount of material, but never experienced any of the aforementioned changes. I attribute the amount of academic stress placed on me to have prevented these changes from happening, I'm not sure though. So, here I sit at 2:52 a.m. about to begin on another piece!

Please excuse me for babbling on and being so off-topic, but I just wanted to know what you wonderful, intelligent people on the forums thought about these things.

I know one thing for sure- I shouldn't stop reading books... ever!

[PaulR]

Everyday consists of me waking up when I want and doing what I want and this has been going on for about 2 months now

What do your parents have to say about that?


That said, I've been reading a lot books lately and something that I never noticed before is a correlation between my book reading and my creativity level. ... but the more I read, the easier it is to compose without any kind of block or hesitation whatsoever and ideas fill my head more than usual 24/7.

Yes - that would be called education; thus causing the imagination to do what it's supposed to do: namely to be creative.



The next thing is my dreams. Now this is weird, weird, weird. When I began reading the amount of material (mainly fiction) that I have been, my dreams become extremely vivid and as weird as they have ever been.

As before - only.......you're not smoking opium as well are you?


...but I don't even want to mention what my dreams consist on this forum, hesitant because of embarrassment.

Oh go on!


For example, in the middle of one of my dreams I spoke a "number four" to another person, but I was holding up three fingers when I had said the number- so I remember thinking "that's not right" and I then held up four fingers and smiled knowing that I corrected myself in my dream. I knew I was dreaming, but the dream still continued. The dreams never contain any of the subject matter of my readings either, which I find odd.

Thanks - but if you carry on like this - I'm gonna start talking in an Austrian accent.


This may be painfully obvious to everyone, but I believe that my reading is a kind of exercising of the brain. I cannot think of any other reason that these things would happen just from reading books!

Good Lord! I think you may be onto something there!


Please excuse me for babbling on and being so off-topic, but I just wanted to know what you wonderful, intelligent people on the forums thought about these things.

Not at all. Any time. :D


I know one thing for sure- I shouldn't stop reading books... ever!

I'd be interested to know which books you've been reading. :wow:

[Raymond62]

Don't start with:

- Harry Potter books (by the way too childish for adults like you)
- Lord of the Rings
- Steven King
- Dean Koontz
- Ludlum
- Clancy

then your dreams will be really scary and they don't add anything to your intelligence :wow: after all. Maybe MacBeth(has nothing to do with mr Donalds, maybe his nephew, the old MacBeth loved raw, bloody meat), Julius Ceasar, Hamlet (Shakespeare). Though the dreams will be scary enough, but at least you added something to your education (I hope :D).
For a really better composing I demand you to read all sorts of biographies of famous composers, maybe you will dream about Bach, Mozart, Rachmaninoff or when you are in the mood for it.... that sad life of Chopin. Or... you may start reading scores........ that's the best way to better composing, they always told me. For me it didn't help, though. I'll stick to Edgar Allan Poe....... ~|

A hopeless answer, I know, but my dreams are that I am always on the go to somewhere and never arrive......... :mad: Maybe the title of your next composition: La Rêve. Just an idea.

[Skysaw]

For example, in the middle of one of my dreams I spoke a "number four" to another person, but I was holding up three fingers when I had said the number- so I remember thinking "that's not right" and I then held up four fingers and smiled knowing that I corrected myself in my dream. I knew I was dreaming, but the dream still continued. The dreams never contain any of the subject matter of my readings either, which I find odd.

Welcome to the world of Lucid Dreaming (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucid_dreaming)!

Lucid dreaming is being fully aware and conscious while you are dreaming, and remembering fully the real world. Often the dreamer is in complete or near complete control of everything in the dream. Believe it or not, this practice can be learned and cultivated to a high degree, and used in many beneficial ways, including creative inspiration.

I have been lucid dreaming for about 15 years, ever since I heard of the research done by Stephen LaBerge on the subject. About a year ago, I started to really practice the techniques he described to incubate more frequent lucidity, and have found much success. Now it's typical for me to have one or more lucid dreams about three or four times per week.

It's the most satisfying hobby I've ever had, and I believe it helps me a great deal with my composition. I have written many great pieces in my dreams, and conducted dream orchestras. I usually remember very few notes upon waking, but often retain the flavor of the works.

[Pingu]

My most frequent dream is that I'm in a concert, playing a piano concerto (sometimes several in one concert), and it's not until I play the first note that I become aware that I'm sight-reading. Up until then I'm absolutely calm - in fact I have the sensation of being thoroughly prepared. Then I sit down, the orchestra starts to play, and I realise I haven't learned the piece. It quite often takes me half the next day to shake off the terror.

[PaulR]

I think Capt Hook needs to watch this. This was the year I started at music college. :D

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0fqgq6ZMZY&feature=related

[Raymond62]

I think Capt Hook needs to watch this. This was the year I started at music college. :D

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0fqgq6ZMZY&feature=related

and how did it turn out? Good gracious, what a noise.... Led Zeppeling*()

[Thomas J]

Are you sure you haven't been reading Carlos Casteneda? (Teachings of Don Juan)

[SeanHannifin]

Hey Captain Hook,

Mostly all I can do is be jealous of your free time! :D

You mentioned academic stress... I've noticed its effect on dreams as well. I seem to have very strange and vivid semi-lucid and perhaps even musical dreams when I finish some tough project or a semester ends and I'm "free".

Music creativity wise, though, I'll sometimes write my favorite pieces when I'm academically stressed out, when exams are coming up and I'm supposed to be studying for them, or something. I write melodies everyday automatically, but actually fleshing out a piece just seems to happen randomly.

Oh well, I could autobiographically blather on and on, but I don't want to think too much about how my subconscious works, it might break. ~|

[rwayland]

My most frequent dream is that I'm in a concert, playing a piano concerto (sometimes several in one concert), and it's not until I play the first note that I become aware that I'm sight-reading. Up until then I'm absolutely calm - in fact I have the sensation of being thoroughly prepared. Then I sit down, the orchestra starts to play, and I realise I haven't learned the piece. It quite often takes me half the next day to shake off the terror.

Well, that is a good description of one of my recurring dreams! Fortunately, I usually wake up before disaster strikes.

Richard

[klassical]

[Hmm, odd. It says there's a second page to this post, but clicking on 2 or > just takes me back to the first page.]

Raymond62 says: For a really better composing I demand you to read all sorts of biographies of famous composers..."

Raymond, that's terrible advice. If young people learn about what the lives of composers are really like, they'll all become plumbers.

- k

[rwayland]

[Hmm, odd. It says there's a second page to this post, but clicking on 2 or > just takes me back to the first page.]



Yep. It happened when I posted my reply to Pingu. But now it is once again working right.

Richard

[Raymond62]

Raymond62 says: For a really better composing I demand you to read all sorts of biographies of famous composers..."

Raymond, that's terrible advice. If young people learn about what the lives of composers are really like, they'll all become plumbers.

What's wrong with plumbers. If they won't become composers they still have the skill to weld a hornpipe ;).

[PaulR]

and how did it turn out? Good gracious, what a noise.... Led Zeppeling*()


I beg your pardon!!!!! :D

This is music we take into battle!!! :samurai:

Play very loud!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9i2fqxSjTI

[capt_hook]

Wow! I'm happy with all the comments! This is the reason I love all of you here at the forum!! Well, I made it through one night without getting up,er, well I woke up three times, but forced myself back to sleep in attempts at a "normal" schedule, you know: wake during the day, sleep at night. Opposed to the vampire schedule. I have to say though, I've always been partial to the vampire schedule since nobody really bothers me while I compose!


I will have to look into lucid dreaming and the literature suggested. I have heard about it and I am interested. To answer the question of literature I am reading/ recently read:

"Contemporary Composers on Contemporary Music"- Various Composers (read)
"The Lives of The Great Composers"- Harold C. Schonberg(read)
"Mister B. Gone"- Clive Barker(read)
"20th Century Ghosts"- Joe Hill(read)
"Fear and Trembling"- Søren Kierkegaard
"Heart-Shaped Box" - Joe Hill(read)
"Zen Mind Beginner's Mind"- Shunryu Suzuki(reading)
"Books of Blood"- Clive Barker(reading)
"I Am America (And So Can You!)"- Stephen Colbert(reading)
Edgar Allen Poe(read, over and over and over and over)
"Food Politics"- Marion Nestle(reading)
"The Historian"- Elizabeth Kostova(reading, my main book right now, good stuff)

and a continuous diet of theory books (Kostka, Laitz, etc.) and orchestration literature (Grantham and Kennan, Adler, Rimsky-Korsokov, etc.) along with piano practice and music sight reading EVERYDAY.


I have to say, listing out my recent and current books is a bit of a surprise.

I am out for now, I actually am assigned a mission for today- get the cat groomed at the local pet grooming store. Thank you all for yuor responses and I will definitely be back to write more!