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How to start composing

Chicken and the egg

Clearly there is no one way to start composing. Different composers will be inspired by different things and will have their own way.  But is worthwhile starting to compose music in different ways to find out which one you are best suited. It is also worthwhile trying out different types of music and using the ideas from other composers. The composing section of this site sets out to do this. Try some of the composing projects from this site. Send me a MIDI file of your work.

However a worthwhile composition is usually about 10% inspiration and about 90% perspiration. (Where have I heard this before?)

Remember that the worst composers steal ideas form other composers. The best composers also steal ideas from other composers but no one notices.

Scribbling

This is a term I have heard in connection with Jazz improvising but is equally useful when applied to developing ideas in any kind of musical idiom. It is a way of releasing your musical thinking and ideas. It's worth a try!

• Just play any old notes on your keyboard. This is justt like scribbling on a sheet of paper.
• Then do it again without any particular thought. In fact try try to avoid thinking. Let your fingers wander along the keys (or fingerboard).
• Keep this up but listen to the sound. eventually you will be playing organised sounds as the brain's natural tendency is to organise the sounds made.
• When you try this again try to remember what you played. If you cannot then it was not memorable (by definition). So start again.
• Eventually you will have a nice musical idea tune or rhythm that you can then develop.

 

Improvising

Improvising is composing at the point of performance. Check out the improvising section of this site

Stages in composing

1. Ideas: This is the inspiration part of the composing. 

• The 'idea' could be a musical idea such as a rhythm on a keyboard, a CD track, bass riff, the work of a particular composer.
• The 'idea' could be a non musical idea such as a picture, a dance, a story or poem.
• You could develop your musical idea with the musical scribbling or through improvisation.

2. Hardening

This is the stage where more and more of the ideas are kept and organised. This is the stage where a knowledge of music computer software, harmony, arranging for instruments etc comes in handy.

3. Repeatability

This is the practicing stage of the work where performing skills are used

4. Recording

• Writing the work down. See the vocabulary section for help with this
•  recording on MD, CD or tape, stereo or multi track. See the composing help section for further information.
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• Copyright © 2002 David Hayes

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