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No one else is answering… so I guess it falls to me to make sure this topic does not fall into oblivion. Oh what a noble quest.
I’m not really a composer, but I do enjoy music a great deal. I also play the piano, the harp, the violin (kind of) and sing. I would love to be able to write music, and though frankly I don’t know how I’m ever going to find time to do it, I would appreciate any general tips you have on the subject. It doesn’t have to be anything complicated about theory or anything it would take half an hour to explain, but just anything important you have learned as you have written music.
Wisdom… I guess that’s what I’m looking for. Good old fashioned, blunt, straightforward wisdom, more commonly known as common sense. Applied in this case to music. 🙂 Thanks!Hey Kate! Sorry the late reply!
I wouldn’t be able to give you any complicated tips about music theory if I wanted to, because I don’t know music theory myself. 🙁
I just got started by messing around on my keyboard, and I just kept what I thought sounded good. Since then, I’ve learned a little more about chords and scales. If you have a decent understanding of chords and scales you can write music pretty easily because any notes you play in that scale are going to sound good together.
Other than that, just like with writing novels, there is a structure to songs that people have come to accept, which involves a combination of verses, pre-choruses, choruses, bridge(s), but there is still a lot of creative freedom here to arrange these parts.
And one final thing that I’m learning and still struggling with is LESS is MORE. It’s so tempting to just keep laying cool part after cool part on top of each other, but it creates a mess and then you can’t really hear anything. You have to pick the best cool parts and go with those, cutting out the excess. Haha!
Does this answer your question?
My Music:
AndromedaCoastMusic.comLearn Music Production:
OrpheusAudioAcademy.comYes! Thank you.
Wow! A composer who doesn’t understand music theory! That makes me feel a whole lot better about where I am right now…
Thank you for those tips. I really appreciate that. And… thanks for keeping them simple. Some ‘quick tips’ you almost need a dictionary to understand. 😛
I know. I really need to learn music theory one of these days! Glad I could help!
My Music:
AndromedaCoastMusic.comLearn Music Production:
OrpheusAudioAcademy.comThose are neat, Reagan! I am a musician…I play piano, fiddle, cello, guitar, ukulele, mandolin, bass, and I sing (or try to 😉 ). Right now, my family band is recording a CD. It’s a lot of work, but I’m enjoying it. 🙂
That is so cool, Ivy!!! I’d love to hear some of your music!!!
My Music:
AndromedaCoastMusic.comLearn Music Production:
OrpheusAudioAcademy.comI know this topic hasn’t been posted about for a while, but I saw it and thought I’d take a look… I am a music artist though not a published one yet. What type of music do you like to write, @reaganramm and @kate-flournoy ? I usually write music with lyrics– worship music, though not in the sense of Hillsong or Elevation worship music. Unfortunately I can’t seem to write anything that would be good for a worship band at church. 🙂 I also love writing instrumental music, though, especially for strings, and my dream is to write the score for a film. I play piano, violin (kind of) and sing, but have always wanted to try the harp. How long have you been playing, Kate?
The only composing tip I can give is listen to lots of music. Soundtrack music is amazing (like Lord of the Rings, Narnia, or even Disney). Analyze the different parts. Listen to what the strings are doing, then listen again to what the flute is doing, etc. Observe how they work together. Hope this is somewhat helpful.YA Fantasy Writer
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Find me at hisinstrumentblog.wordpress.comWell @his-instrument, I guess just simple tunes. Mostly along the lines of traditional Celtic/Irish/Scottish music— something I can just improvise on my harp, and never remember afterward. 😉 I’ve been playing the harp for… uh… maybe three years now? Possibly?
I’ve been taking a break from it lately due to hearing complications, but once we get that straightened out I want to pick it up again. It’s a beautiful instrument, and really pretty easy once your hands learn the feel of it.
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