These are some useful tips for composing music I’ve learned along the way throughout my years of writing music. I hope you find them useful.
– Try to decide before you start composing what kind of piece you want to write, which instruments, what type of sound, style, etc. Though it’s alright if you want to start with a random sound and explore and “go with the flow”, having a clear idea beforehand can save you a lot of time on aimless wandering.
– I have always thought that the best way to learn how to compose music is to listen and listen and listen to other people’s music. Make a mental analysis of the songs while you listen to them. Try to understand the parts and the sounds, and how it all functions all together. Learn how the songs are composed, their chord structure, what kind of instruments were used to record them, etc.
– Listen over and over to your own work. Change it until you are happy. Don’t be afraid to rework it or discarding it and starting from scratch. As they say: “it is 10% inspiration and 90% perspiration”.
– You can start with a piece of melody, or lyrics, or whatever you want, but I think it’s easier to start with a nice chord progression and build you melody and the rest of your arrangement from there. If you understand the place and function of tonic chords, subdominants, and dominants, then it won’t be that hard to come up with a nice and functional chord progression. You can then add melodies and other instruments and parts to your arrangement.
– Tonics? Subdominants? Dominants? Learn some music theory! Even a basic thing like knowing the major scale, scale degrees, and how major and minor chords are constructed, can make a world of difference to you music understanding and writing abilities.
– Also, even if music theory can get very cerebral and technical, remember that in the end music is about feelings. It’s alright to express your feelings in any way you want to through your music. It’s way better and more effective, really, if you are sincere with what you are writing and express your own truth. People react to that.
