Compose Music Yourself
Posted: Tuesday, September 28, 2010
by Dennis St Germain
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Composing music is an art that has many benefits to one's musicianship.
- It will help you become a better improviser.
- It will add a new dimension to your musicianship.
- Your technique will improve.
- Everyone wants to hear a new recording of original music.
- Composing music will also improve your listening abilities and learn to appreciate all music.
Another thing I hear musicians fearing is the fact that your music is not original. Let me tell you that the most unique music written will sound like something else that's been done before. The reason is perhaps you've been influenced by a certain band or artist and have listened to that type of music a hundred times over. Your sensibilities are filtering this and what comes out are things you heard before. This is the type of music you like most.
There's no right or wrong way to begin composing music. You might begin with a groove on a drum machine or a chord progression that sounds cool or simply launch into a melody. Some ideas come out of improvising over chords. I've heard of some musicians putting sounds together to create a mood.
Some musicians compose at their respective instruments or away from their instruments and just jot down notes on a piece of staff paper Another great tool to have is some way of recording yourself. Recording yourself will help you keep a log of the best ideas and then sometime later listening back to them can jog the creative mind into adding more to it and gradually a tune emerges. Some composers can have three or four tunes "under construction". Getting stuck in the middle of writing happens to everyone. Having a log of ideas can also help get unstuck. Don't force the issue, if you get stuck, let go and come back to it at a later time, after all forcing the issue will only make you write something that doesn't quite work.
One thing that worked for me was to start describing the tunes I wanted to write.
- I want to write something that has a Pat Metheny vibe.
- How about I write a tune that is kind of like a Chick Corea.
- A funk blues with lots of 16th note rhythms.
- Perhaps something in 6/8 time.
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Top-level comments on this article: (3 total)Thank you. Am sharing article with my 15 year old who has just finished composing his first canon. Is positie it will inspire him as he continues on his composing journey.So glad to see your son pursuing music. I wish him my best. Keep up the great work. Tell your son to visit my blog at musiclessons4youonline dot com here he will find many articles I wrote about music. Some of them apply to most instruments while others apply to the guitar (my instrument of choice).
I like your suggestions. It definitely helps me to identify with somebody's style, even if it's just to start with.Thank You for the positive feedback! Please visit my blog at musiclessons4youonline dot com here he will find many articles I wrote about music. peace
I like music but I never got into writing music or even playing a musical instrument.
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