As apianist by training, and someone who has come to composition only much later, one thing has become clear: Nobody composes the same way. By contrast, pianists tend to work in similar ways: we start by reading the score, writing in fingerings, forming ideas about the piece – followed by endless slow practice, using the metronome, and finally up to tempo, then resulting in some form of performance. But composers’ processes are much more varied: some use computer software, some useHowever, there are some general struggles we tend to face when composing – many of which I’ve had my share of – so I will highlight several below as well as offer a few solutions that have worked for me.
