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 learning a language. More accurately, learning to write in a language.
Listening First
When we first learn a language as a child, obviously we don’t start with writing a book. You start by listening to who’s around you. You pick up little things here are there. You start to say words and then sentences, and eventually you can speak the language. But then you go to school and they have you do this funny thing called writing.
Well, this is similar to the way people get into composing. You listen to music, you like it, you probably sing it back to yourself (it may not sound good when you sing, but we won’t get into that). You understand the music, not theoretically, but internally. We as humans are very good at this.
Writing Your First Composition – Hmm…
What happens next? Well, you get the urge to write some music yourself. Maybe you want to write a hit song, or maybe a Nocturne like Chopin.
You sit down at an instrument (hopefully you can already play a little) and then start to write, and you maybe come up with something that sounds okay, but more than likely, it just doesn’t sound like your favorite composer.
What’s wrong? Don’t you have the same passion? Haven’t you listened to all nine Beethoven symphonies?
What you are lacking is a good foundation in the understanding of what makes music work.
Learning the Musical Alphabet
Learning to compose has to be approached methodically, if you want to have a deep understanding. You have to start off with the basics. Just as when you learn to write, you start with the alphabet, you have to start with the equivalent of a musical alphabet.
These are things like the notes and symbols, keys, time signatures, clefs… all the basic building blocks.
Learning Your Musical Grammar
After learning the alphabet, you start to learn simple rules of grammar. Just like you learn how to construct a sentence, you also have to learn how to construct a scale and chords, simple phrases, the difference between melody and harmony, and so forth.
Learning Your Musical Logic
After you learn to create a sentence, you have to be able to create a coherent thought. This is the basics of logic, if a, then b, (Sorry, I am not a master of logic, but I think you get the point). Well the equivalent of music logic is understanding form, cadences, functional harmony. This is where things really start to come together, but probably, if you stopped here, it would seem a bit mechanical.
Learning Your Musical Rhetoric
The definition of rhetoric is basically speech geared towards a certain audience. It is understanding what to say, and how to say it to get a certain response or affect the audience in a certain way. This is the next step in your composing journey. Understanding musical rhetoric is like learning how to orchestrate, and learning to develop your ideas into larger more complex works, or to write more nuanced music.
Musical Poetry
Our goal at the end of this is the equivalent of musical poetry. Just as beautiful poetry is the pinnacle of understanding language and being able to convey your thoughts, musical poetry is like what you hear when you listen to the best of Beethoven, or Mahler, or even the Beatles. They took it to the next level. But they were just ordinary people. Their brains weren’t different.
Where Do You Stand?
Where are you on your path to musical poetry? Are you struggling with the alphabet? Have you bothered really learning the whole alphabet, or do you just know a few words here and there?
Let me know.
Jon
Hello Jon, very nice this website of yours, I also intent to listen to your tunes. I am working during the last three (!) months on a piece I left half 5 years before, restructuring all the middle part and found it very hard to keep the mood in uniform. I hadn’ t composed anything those 5 years, so I am actually learning now by revisiting the song. I feel that composing and experimenting at the same time doesn’t help, throwing in the cooker all the elements I am, psychedelic rock, techno, rap, pop, ambient… The piece became overwhelmed and then I was reluctant to remove tracks and ideas, because I like them all. But what about the actual song we have to serve? Isn’t it all noise in the brain that prevents us from feeling the piece and thus keeping it solid? Until yesterday that I was over the top, realised it, searched on music composition and I feel your writings had an exhilarating inspiration to me!
The best thing you can do after coming back from not composing for several years is moving on to other pieces. Often these unfinished pieces take on more importance in our own mind than they really deserve. You are “reluctant to remove tracks and ideas” which means the piece is probably getting in the way of you practicing and improving. It’s like a big stone in your mind which needs to just get pushed away. Don’t worry though, we’ve all had pieces like this. The key is composing a lot. As you do, you’ll start to find how all your interests – psychedelic rock, techno, rap, pop, ambient – come together in their own unique way for you.
Hello Jon,
Today I just found this great site. I agree that it’s a big luck that you offer this course.
I’ve been dreaming to compose music since I was a child, but I all this time I wasn’t arrogant enough of doing this. Because I’ve always had doubts if I am gifted at all…
I finished school of arts in piano class. So, I covered alphabet and grammar stages. This year I dig in music theory and took improvisation lessons. Thus, I consider it as contribution to logic stage (I’m sure I have to learn more about it). But when I tried to compose, it was very frustrating. I felt something and desired to express it, but every time I stuck on problem that all phrases in melody trended to finish too fast, and I wasn’t able to continue and develop it in order to compose a full piece. So, I make a conclusion that I stuck on rhetoric stage. I didn’t even think that this kind of stage exists and that there even more stages then that. I’m very thankful for clearing this up. Looking forward to see my progress with the help of your course!
Jon, I’m pursuing a bachelors in music production currently and have an understanding of the fundamentals. I’m starting to grow from electronic based production to trying to write for game/films. My issue is not knowing where to focus my efforts/time in my learning habits. What set of principles do you think would give me the most “bang for my buck”, (that being my time) as far as studying?
All the best!
Tony,
Focus is always difficult, and I suffer from some of the same issues. I would say, making sure you have a solid foundation of diatonic harmony, and basic understanding of form, should be your early focus. Form in particular, helps you to develop longer pieces in a logical way, and hence, you can practice composing pieces that stretch your abilities.
Very good!
Thank You, again.
Do you think, Age is a constraint in learning music from a scratch level, i am 33 yrs, Can i start from the alphabets to reach master level over a period of 5 – 8 yrs.
Can you clarify.
Regards
Arun.
Arun,
Age does not have to be a constraint. The main issue is that with your age, you will have higher expectations for yourself than a young child would have for himself. The key is to focus on making progress towards each successive step. So for instance, if you do not have the ability to read music, don’t worry about being able to compose a piano sonata, focus on reading music first. Once you are proficient with that, learn the basic grammar of composition, scales, keys, chords, rhythm, etc. With those basics, you will find, as long as you don’t expect more than you should be able to accomplish, then you won’t be disappointed with your progress.
You can sign up for my free beginner’s composing course at https://www.artofcomposing.com/free. It is a good place to start, assuming you can read music.
I am serious about to enter in to music and start to make a living through it.
Any suggestion to me.
Thank you for your previous reply!
I think you’re on the right track. At each step in your journey, learn each technique so well, that you don’t have to consciously think about using them.
Making a living from it, is a mixture of skill, and also connecting with the right people. If you want to score films, make friends with film makers. Games – make friends with game makers. Whatever it is, you have to find the people that will need a composer.
But first, is to get your technique down, and then worry about making money with it.
Hello! I just had to write that I’m so happy and glad I found your page.
I am also quite a beginner in music although I play piano a bit and sing. And I also wish to “make a living” out of it. But I know it takes time and work. I’m just so happy to get such a direct tips! Sometimes it really feels too tangled, and difficult and seems that it’s already “too late” to think about it seriously(I’m22). But with people like you I get the strength to try.
Thank you!
I don’t believe it is ever too late, however, you need to be honest to yourself about your current abilities. I would say, if you are a beginner, making a living is still quite a ways off. But that doesn’t stop you from practicing your craft, and getting the occasional job. Depending on how you want to make a living (film composer, concert composer, songwriter) will dictate what you focus on. It is not an easy profession, but it can be very fulfilling, and… it’s better than digging ditches (I did construction for two years so I know this for a fact).
Hey Jon, I want to thank you for creating this website. I’m a practicing composer myself, and I must say that I find this website to be quite informative to the aspiring student. The information on here, regarding musical form, is the equivalent of what you would find at a course in a music school. I’m going to have to come back here in my spare time and go over a few of the other sections to browse the rest of your content.
Keep up the great work!
~Danny
My pleasure. And be sure to checkout the academy as well, because I go into far more detail on all of these subjects.
Join the Academy
Thank you for providing so many good resources. I am now trying to compose one theme song for a charity project, it is so nice to discover your website. Can you help me appraise it once i finish?
Sincerely
Celestine
Celestine, I am glad you are enjoying the articles. Unfortunately I can’t offer individual feedback on pieces for time reasons.
Uh, you rock. Totally devouring your site right now.
Thanks.
Jon,
I’ve been playing clarinet for 9 years now and I’m a sophomore in high school. I’m taking music composition classes, but your courses have really helped me excel in the class.
Sincerely,
Noah Caldon
P.S. For class, I had to write a full 2 page sonata, so your sonata classes really helped me!!!
Noah, I am glad they helped. I am right now on a full video course that will take you through composing an entire sonata, not just one piece in sonata form. Stay tuned for more.
Definitely somewhere overlapping between “logic” and “rhetoric.” I think my music is beginning to get over that mechanical feeling you’re talking about, but I’m only just beginning to familiarize myself with the orchestra and much more advanced harmony and compositional techniques. I’ve also been retracing my steps to develop my ear to the point where my sense of alphabet/grammar is equally fluid and automatic in EVERY key and EVERY mode. Yikes! Long process but learning piano over the last year has helped a lot.
Jon,
Thanks for providing these great resources and well constructed lessons. I have been writing music for several years now but it wasn’t quite ever “there” until I started to read and learn about theory. I know the alphabet but I want to learn every word in the dictionary and how to write poetry. I may have a long way to go but thanks to your website I know where to look for some help. Keep it up!
~B
Ben, thanks for the encouragement.
Hello! I’ve recently decided that I’ve wanted to become a composer. I wanted to thank you for helping me getting on track : )!
I wish you good luck on your journey.