Small ternary form is a great way for you to create a three part piece. It follows a simple structure, A-B-A', but built into it is a set of very useful techniques that you can use to add logic and …
Musical Periods Unleashed!
Musical Periods Like me, you have probably been frustrated composing phrases that sound "off". Maybe they feel like they ended too soon, or don't sound complete. If this has happened to you, keep …
Composing with Small Binary Form: An Introduction for Composers
Small Binary Form, or often just called Binary Form, is a musical form consisting of two main sections, labeled A and B, each of which is typically repeated. This fundamental form has been used for …
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What is a Phrase in Music?
Categorizing music by form, is hierarchical in nature. At the smallest usable scale is the motive or motif. The motive is usually a few beats, and gives you small characteristic atoms of music to …
Warning: The Composing Secret Mozart Didn’t Want You To Know
Musical Sketches - Mozart's Dirty Little Secret Mahler did it. Beethoven did it. Even... gasp... Mozart did it. What am I talking about? Sketches. I think we can all agree that these three …
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30 Minute Composition #4 – B Minor
30 Minute Composition #4 - B Minor These are turning out to be very valuable exercises. I feel like I am learning a lot about the connection of melody, harmony and form. It is easy to get yourself …
A Symphony of Enlightenment and Musical Inspiration
I have titled the Symphony that I will be writing, The Symphony of Enlightenment. I have done this for several reasons. First, I just like the name, I think it sounds pretty cool, maybe I am a nerd. …
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Mastering the Art of Composing a Symphony
The Universe in a Grain of Sand The art of composing music is at once, a mysterious and yet simple thing. In twelve notes (and a few quarter tones), repeated over a few octaves, we have all tonal …
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Composing Music by Hand vs. Software
To Compose Music by Hand, or Compose by Computer? That is the Question Recently I have been writing a lot more music by hand and I have noticed something drastic. The music is better. Now, this is …
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30 Minute Composition #3 – D Major
30 Minute Composition #3 - D Major This one proved to be a little more difficult in the D minor section. I was attempting to make it sound a little "medieval." It usually comes down to the wire …
How to Compose Music, Part 3: Melody or Harmony First?
Should I Start With the Melody or the Harmony? This is a common question when learning to compose music. The answer is a simple one. You need to start with both. How Do I Start with Both Melody …
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How to Compose Music, Part 2: The Setup
Your Home Music Composing Studio Yes, your home composing studio. The space where all the magic happens. There are several things that you need to consider in setting up the idea environment …
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How To Compose Music, Part 1: The Composing Mindset
The Art of Composing Music This post is going to be the first in a series of post that will cover how to compose music. Having a personal process of composing music can be just as important to …
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30 Minute Composition #2 – G Major
30 Minute Composition #2 - G Major. Another one bites the dust. Just barely made it this time. Let me know what you guys think of these. I plan on breaking these down in the future for short …
The Different Sides of Musical Form
Musical Form In All Its Glory Musical Form is very important in music and is often neglected. People want to go straight into writing a piece of music, without a plan, and just let the music take …
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30 Minute Composition #1 in E Minor
Here is my first 30 minute composition in E minor. I plan on doing a lot of these. 30 Minute Composition #1 in E Minor …
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5 Reasons to Learn Music Theory
Why should you learn music theory? You may have many of your own reasons, but here are just a few to get you motivated. Reason 1: Being Able To Write Down What You Hear In Your Head First, and …
The Stages of Learning to Compose Music
I am trying to come up with a structure for how I approach learning to compose, or really, re-learning to compose. While driving to work, it dawned on me that learning to compose is similar to …
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