How to start composing music?

Hey everyone! So today, I’m going to share with you all how to start composing music. Brace yourselves because this is a long process. 

Let’s get into it.

The process

So when you first start taking guitar lessons, they might try and get you to write a song or two on the guitar using simple chords.

The same is true for piano lessons

But what no one really ever told you is that there is actually a process on how to make great songs, you don’t just start making great songs out of nowhere.

and the process is broken down into 3 steps

1. You start by mastering an instrument and your voice (This can take several years)
2. You learn music theory and how to use it to your advantage when making chord progressions and melodies (This part can be the most difficult part in music learning where many students fail at this part)
3. Practice writing a lot of songs and lyrics and eventually write great songs and lyrics

All in all this is technically the proper way to learn how to write music. This is the way that is taught in schools and this is the way that I would teach it too. 

And there’s a few reasons as to why this is the case

There are a ton of skills and tricks that you really need to pick up before you can start composing great lyrics. 

Like do you know what a pick up note is? What is a chord progression, what is a chord? How do you play the guitar well? Can you sing? And how do you carry a melody? What is the difference between melody and lyrics? All of these things and a ton of other things will actually help you to create great songs. 

For beginners

In all honesty, composing great hit tracks is not an easy task and it’s not a beginner task. 

When you start making your own songs, it’s important to note that it’s difficult to create lines of melody that actually resonate with an audience. 

And there could be a few reasons why it’s hard to do so. 

Part of it is inexperience

Other part is that you want to make a complicated beast that will sell out shows and headlines concerts. 

But in all reality, you have to remember that simplicity is key. 

Long slow notes are often the notes that impact us the hardest compared to short and fast notes. 

Not saying that there isn’t space for short and fast notes because there certainly is space for that. 

But the key here is that you need to start by listening and proactively listening to a ton of songs. 

You have to pick up how people do things and how songs are shaped. 

You will notice a lot of similarities with the best hits that you will listen to. 

And there are. 

For the intermediate

If you’ve been playing the guitar for several years and know to sing or play the piano and know how to sing, then I would actually start recommending that you start writing songs. 

If you know music theory or not, just start writing songs. 

Doesn’t matter if they sound good or not, just take the basics that you’ve learned so far and just apply them to your songwriting methods. 

When you learn music theory, you will start to connect the dots about which parts actually belong where and how to make the song shine. 

At this point you’re not actually writing songs, you’re just getting the creative juices flowing. 

For the advanced

If you know music theory, and you have mastered your instrument, and you know very well how to do music, it’s about time to start writing real songs. 

There are a couple of theories regarding how to use the music theory knowledge you have so far in order to make great songs.

1. You need to use between 2-4 chord long progressions in your songs. Of course that’s not a hard or fast rule, but it’s a general rule of thumb
2. 4/4 time signature is the pop time signature
3. start the melody low and end high in the chorus go back low to the melody in the second verse and repeat the chorus for the chorus after the 2nd verse
4. two theories on rhythm verses fast and choruses long and slow or verses slow and long and choruses fast
5. Keep Tempo between 80 BPM and 120 BPM

and yeah that’s really how you’re supposed to write great songs.

Broadcast

I sure hope that I have been an inspiration and a hope to you all. Please remember to pray, read your bible, go to church, and love God above all else. Like, comment, share, subscribe, and I will see you all next time.

If you want to go to heaven, then believe in Jesus and you will go to heaven. (John 3:16)

Thank you all for listening in on this blog post. 

German Gonzalez, signing out!