How to Compose MusicComposing Music For Beginners Composing From Rhythms Composing from Chords

Edited by Cerdg, Tarryn Wallace, Sondra C, Zack and 77 others

There are many composers in the world today. A composer is commonly known for also being

the conductor, but this isn't usually the case. A composer creates and writes music, may it be for

performances, or just for listening to. Composers have outstanding knowledge in music, for most

composers make a living off of creating music. All composers, however, always had to start out

with the basics.

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Enroll in a class and take lessons for a beginners instrument if you are not

already playing an instrument. You will need to be able to play something at least

at a basic level. Please do not assume piano is the only way to go. Yes it is conventional,

but many composers have begun their compositional careers on instruments such as the

guitar, oboe and clarinet.

Method 1 of 3: Composing Music For Beginners

2 Learn to actually listen to the musical devices and their sound.

3 Learn the musical scales. the most powerful scale tool musicians have is the

diatonic modes, which are just scales, starting on different root notes.

You will need to know all about music theory. Take a class in high school or college,

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or even teach yourself via the internet. You will need the knowledge regardless of

how you learn it.

You may want to take easy and well-known pieces and try to switch them

around, make your own version of them, change the key, and alternate the

chords. Be creative!

6 Listen to other composers' music to learn techniques through instrument

combination or rhythms that get the most out of each emotion.

Understand that after creating the melody, knowledge of harmony and

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accompaniment is essential. Some helpful things to look up for an

accompaniment would be chord progressions and scale knowledge. Remember

that music theory was made so each musician wouldn't have to experiment as much when

making music.

Know the sounds of each instrument used in your composition. Know which

instruments fit into the category of music (e.g. String Quartet ~ 2 violins, viola, cello;

Brass Quintet: 2 trumpets, horn, trombone, tuba).

9 Sit at the piano or pick up a guitar and have fun. Play by ear. Play things and

see if they sound good together. If you want to be able to play the same thing again

later, try using a MIDI keyboard. It can be hooked up to a computer, and will print your

notes onto sheet music for you.

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If you have good ear training try to make a melody in your head, then

hum it, and pass it to the guitar or piano. This takes a lot of practice and

dedication, but is a great composing tool.

Have a notebook with the musical staff and pencil handy, if you don't use

a MIDI keyboard. Write the note combinations that sound good to your ear. With

guitar, write down the chords and guitar lines you play. It will help you to be familiar with

music so you can name the chords and know the notes/scales that should be played along

with the chord.

12 Create a rough draft. Just like a written composition in English class, music

requires multiple revisions before the final piece is ready. Build off your melody.

The best thing here is imagination. Don't forget about dynamics, expressions, or

articulation.

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Utilize contrary motion. Contrary motion is the technique of having one line go

down while the others go up. This is an extremely useful technique that will rapidly

improve the sound of your piece.

Consider carefully the structure of the piece; if it has sections make them

clear, and keep the listener interested. Try to think where the listener will

become bored, and be brutal with your judgments. Also, read up on musical forms.

15 If you are a student, go to your music teacher and ask him/her for

help.Often you will find they are more willing than you assume.

Use counterpoint. It is a defining feature of common practice era music, and will make

16your piece sound really amazing. (http://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Counterpoint)

1 Start from the rhythmic foundation (percussion and bass), the chord

progression (guitar and/or keys), or the melody (lead guitar/keys). Songs

have a definite structure to them. You want to get to the foundation as soon as you can, to

create a strong base for your piece.

Method 2 of 3: Composing From Rhythms

2 Create a groovy bass line that complements the melody but doesn't copy it

note for note (use counterpoint for example).

Make a drum beat starting with just the kick and snare that complements and

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supports the bass line. Note: just lay down a basic beat to act as a template.

Once you go to the other sections you can return to change things up a little based

on the progressive sound of the song. Quite often I find I have a vision of what I'm trying to

write and it will morph into something new. You have to be able to make adjustments along

the way.

Create a rhythm that complements the core/ foundation of the song. Start

with a basic chord progression and build/ change from there. For example a chord

progression may use I, III, and V (ex C, E, G) and fall into a: I, III, pattern for example (where

I is the root of the chord and III and V are the next two higher notes in the chord).

5 Play individual notes randomly, then see which ones sound good playing at

the same time and use that to build chords from scratch.

While you write the music, write lyrics to the song. You may have lyrics, then tailor a

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song to match them, or do the lyrics after the rhythm. The thing to keep in mind to to

ensure you tell a good story. Don't be afraid to change lyrics or the music to achieve

the best mutual fit.

Make sure you put in all the essential elements: Intro, verse, hook,

bridge(optional), and outro/CODA. Let the lyrics help guide you if you have lyrics.

8 Pick a key idea of the song or a catchy phrase and a cool guitar/ keyboard

lick to create a melody. Choose the mood or style of the song. You'll know you're

there when you can't get the phrase/ lick out of your head! Quite often a 2-8 word phrase

will do it ("shoulder lean", "love shack, baby love shack", etc).

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Once you have it to this point add a pad, sound effects, lead parts, etc.

If your song "tastes right" then you've done a good job

11 Record and listen back to your song as a music critic (would you listen to

this on the radio or change the station?). Let others listen to it and make

suggestions.

12Go back and make any adjustments you need to, but be warned! too many

adjustments will make your song sound/ "taste" terrible, Do not over correct.

1 Keep in mind that some of these steps are - clearly - for songs with

guitars.You don't have to follow all of them exactly - in fact, some of them can just be

omitted if you don't need them for the kind of music you play. It's not recommended that

you do, but follow the general outline.

Method 3 of 3: Composing from Chords

2 Pick a scale/mode for a note. Any one works. If you're writing a progressive song,

then you have the option of picking more than one, just make sure the two aren't the

same thing (check out the notes in each scale and make sure that they are significantly

different). The chromatic scale is usually sonically pleasing.

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Find out the chord configuration for that scale/mode (the major scale,

starting from the first degree, is as follows: major, minor, minor, major, major,

minor, diminished, seventh, ninth). Add chords of two to four notes to some melody notes

to produce harmony.

Come up with a drum beat. Don't overdo and try to "display all your talent,"

especially if the tempo of the song doesn't call for it. Try different beats and speeds

(tempo) of the beats form an electronic drum source. Start with a slow tempo and insert

the melody into the rhythm.

5 Write the rhythm and lead guitar riffs. If you're writing an upbeat song, you can

use full/barre chords, power chords or both. If you're writing a slow, calm song, only

use full/barre chords, or there will be nothing in the song worth listening to. If you're going

for the heavy metal song, then you can use the higher note/bass note patterns that At the

Gates popularized for flavor or groove (although it's not recommended that you do it a

whole lot, or else you'll seem like you're hopping on the mallcore train), power chords can

provide the chord progression, and full/barre chords can add something different.

6 Add the other instruments. Bass can follow the chord progression, but also has

the option of doing whatever as long as it stays in the key everyone else is playing in.

Keyboards/pianos generally follow the chord progression, although some bands have

keyboardists that follow the lead guitar part.

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Write the lyrics if you have them. Come up with the chorus, bridge, etc.

Progressive songs don't necessarily need the song structure.

Add the extras such as solos, etc.

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Add your own methodName your method

If you are using a guitar to compose, learn tab chords function in major and minor keys.

You can apply your knowledge to any piece of music.

It is a good idea to learn to play more than two musical instruments, such as piano,

guitar, and drums - as well as voice - to help composing. This will help you write treble,

bass and percussion notes on music sheet paper.

A song generally needs at least three musical instruments and voice such as

percussion, bass and rhythm guitar. Five or more instruments is better.

Try using some music notation programs: Finale, LilyPond, Sibelius, Magic Score,

Rosegarden and GuitarPro are all good programs. They allow you to create

professional-looking copies of your music. Some are even free.

For much easier composing, the musical instrument must be accurately tuned to the

chromatic musical pitches. It is easier to compose melodies on keyboards like an

organ that stays in tune, provided it was tuned accurately in the factory. Use an

electronic drum or rhythm source to help composing or to practice composing with

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Tips

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rhythm.

Read Aaron Copland's "What To Listen For In Music." It will greatly influence your

methods, especially if you are just a beginner.

Have a tape recorder or electronic sound recorder ready just in case you get a tune in

your head. You might forget the short tune overnight.

After you learn to really 'hear' the music in your head, you can also play on a table if you

are not near a piano. Many very well-known composers have written entire songs on a

napkin while having dinner out, just by hearing the music in their heads. Once you

develop this ability, you can amaze your less musically-inclined friends!

A cooking analogy can help you remember to add some things to make your song

better. Start with boiling water and some hearty stock to nail down the main flavor and

add your meat (drums and bass). Next add in all the different main ingredients (rhythm).

Finally, add the spices and flavorings, just enough to kick it up a notch, but not enough

to drown out the main flavor (leads, pads, effects).

If you are interested in investing in it, you can buy software that listens through a

microphone and detects notes, then turns it into sheet music where you can add proper

rests and other musical notations.

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If your music doesn't come out the way you may want it to, don't give up! Remember, it's

your piece and you can do what ever you want with it!

Do not make your song more complicated than it needs to be! The biggest mistake

composers can make is to show off their theory knowledge and create a piece that is

Warnings

nearly impossible to play, and looks complicated when written out.