Let's learn to compose together.
Join over 17,000 composers that have taken the free course. It's time to start making real progress in your ability to compose. If you're having trouble putting the pieces of the puzzle together, this is the place to start. "I am so glad I found this course. - Benjamin W. - ★★★★★"
Start Your Journey TodayHave you ever experienced that you wanted to express in music, because it could not be explained adequately with words? Music is an incredible thing, that can often express the ineffable, but how …
Continue Reading about The Process of Composing a Symphony →
Have you ever found yourself stuck in a rut, creating chord progressions that seem to wander aimlessly without a clear sense of direction or purpose? The secret to crafting compelling, meaningful …
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 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 …
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 …
Continue Reading about Composing with Small Binary Form: An Introduction for Composers →
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 …
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 …
Continue Reading about Warning: The Composing Secret Mozart Didn’t Want You To Know →
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 …
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. …
Continue Reading about A Symphony of Enlightenment and Musical Inspiration →
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 …
Continue Reading about Mastering the Art of Composing a Symphony →
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 …
Continue Reading about Composing Music by Hand vs. Software →
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 …
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 …
Continue Reading about How to Compose Music, Part 3: Melody or Harmony First? →
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 …
Continue Reading about How to Compose Music, Part 2: The Setup →
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 …
Continue Reading about How To Compose Music, Part 1: The Composing Mindset →
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 …
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 …
Continue Reading about The Different Sides of Musical Form →
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 …
Continue Reading about 30 Minute Composition #1 in E Minor →
