Anyone can compose music
The traditional conventional way of notating music on staff paper is not the only way of composing music. It can be unwritten, memorized, improvised, or different symbols strategies can be used to notate the music.
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Traditional Composition
Beginning steps
Composing in the traditional way takes some practice of learning music theory, such as learning about note names on the staff, major and minor chords, scales, and the general movement of a piece of music from tonic, to predominant, then dominant, then back to tonic. Below are videos describing the writing process.
Music Theory Basics
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It also involves knowing each notes value. This where rhythm is determined.
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Resources for Traditional Composing
There are several free resources to start writing music.
https://musescore.org/en
https://www.noteflight.com/
https://flat.io/
There are also two popular programs that cost an initial fee
https://www.finalemusic.com/
http://www.avid.com/sibelius-first
https://musescore.org/en
https://www.noteflight.com/
https://flat.io/
There are also two popular programs that cost an initial fee
https://www.finalemusic.com/
http://www.avid.com/sibelius-first
Ultimately. You can begin with any step that you have seen, from determining an order of notes, making a rhythm, making a chord progression, or doing a combination as you go along.
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But! Make sure you are writing notes correctly.
<<< This is how not to write notes. As a general rule: The second space of a staff and down have note heads on the left of the stem going upward, and notes above the third line have the note head on the right of the stem going downward. |
More advanced videos to guide your composing process
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Free Meter, Unwritten, and Improvised
Unwritten music can be either be free meter music, a memorized tune, or an improvisation.
A folk tune, a memorized lullaby, or even a simple whistle can be a composed yet, unwritten piece of music. There are numerous Ethnomusicologists (someone who studies music of different cultures), like Bela Bartok, that have traveled around the world to collect this unwritten music and notate it. This is one way you can begin your composing process. (below is one of Bartok's handwritten transcriptions) Here is an introduction to improvisation
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Free meter music is a type of free form musical time. Rhythm is free-flowing. In standard musical notation, there are several ways to indicate free meter, including: not having a time signature, "free" being written, or having pitches notated without stems.
Improvised music is a different story, it can be both written and unwritten. Improvisation is mainly used in jazz music, but can also be used in group music sessions, and is the basis of making your own music. Improvisations can also have guidelines, such as landing tones, chords to improvise over, or prewritten melodies/rhythms as a base for the improvisation. (the one below contains the all three)
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This is an example of improvising over chord changes. The saxophone player composes her music in her head to play with her professor. >>>>>>>>>>>>>
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However, there are also incorrect ways to improvise. Before improvising, the process needs to be thought out. Even if wrong notes are played, its important to keep playing.
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Symbols and Visual Maps
There is also the option of using symbols, visual/listening maps, and stick notation to compose.
Each symbol has a specific meaning, as a note value or pitch. The symbols can also be used to convey crescendos, decrescendos, repeats, tempo changes, and overall form of the piece. Pictures can also move the piece to a new area. When all of the symbols are put together, they can create a visual map of the music or a listening map for other students.
Each symbol has a specific meaning, as a note value or pitch. The symbols can also be used to convey crescendos, decrescendos, repeats, tempo changes, and overall form of the piece. Pictures can also move the piece to a new area. When all of the symbols are put together, they can create a visual map of the music or a listening map for other students.
There is another symbol strategy called stick notation that is a shortened version of traditional composition. It can be used for quick composition, percussion, or dictating a piece of music.
An overall rule for composition is to write music that you yourself can play, read, and understand. If you are limited to only writing rhythms or simple melodies, that where you can begin. From there you can expand your comfort zone to a new note, or adding a more complicated rhythm.
Also, when you are composing this is your music. It comes from you and what ever you compose you should be proud of, whether it is easy or complex.
Also, when you are composing this is your music. It comes from you and what ever you compose you should be proud of, whether it is easy or complex.