My Two Cents on Composing Music (Show me your compositions!)

[Inactive01 5,299]

Well this is my thread on how to compose music. It's not much, but it's just my two cents on making catchy, music in general. I'll focus on musicals and just the basic melody, but I'll try expanding to music in general. I'm a music minor, a budding composer, and have extensive experience playing on the piano and violin if you want to know my credentials. I also have friends who gave me great advice on composing music.

 

One of the first things you want in making a successful song/piece is to have a melody that sticks. Any melody needs to have two things: memorability and expressiveness. Every melody needs to be memorable. The best melodies in the world are memorable. "Do-Re-Mi", "Symphony no. 5" by Beethoven, and "You'll Never Walk Alone" are some great examples. Most of these melodies are simple, can be hummed easily, and can be remembered. When you think of a melody, see if you can remember it long enough for it to be stuck in your head. If that doesn't happen, then the melody probably won't work out. Also try not to have too many jumps and leaps in a single bar of music as it will make it hard for listeners to follow.

 

As for expressiveness, the melody you composed must convey a particular theme. Why are you composing the song? What's your aim of the song? How will you accomplish that expression? These are just some of the few questions you should be asking as you compose. For example, if I wanted to compose a passionate, but reflective song, I'd have a melody that builds up gradually to a climax before falling back to convey a conflict of self. I'd also add more dissonant and filled chords to highlight that tension. For any melody, if it doesn't match what you want it to do, then it doesn't fit that context. Doesn't mean it isn't memorable, but maybe that melody could fit better within a different context.

 

There's so much I could discuss pertaining to chord progressions and music theory, but that would make composing music too technical. Composing music has to come from your heart. You want to show the world your feelings about something or express said feelings through another character. Sometimes, the melody just pops out of nowhere as you hum. When that happens, GO STRAIGHT TO AN INSTRUMENT, preferably the piano. Play it and if you think it fits the above criterion, DOCUMENT IT. I can't stress how important that is. Even if the melody's awesome, you want to make sure it's still written. You can then add chords, instrumentation, and even edit the melody if you feel it needs tinkering.

 

So yeah. That's my two cents on composing music. I've already begun composing music, including this musical number. It's a work in progress but I have a more completed version of the number in my drive. It's supposed to feel tropical and lively at the same time. If you want to show off your melodies to me, I'll be more than happy to hear them! I'll tell you ways you can improve constructively!

 

http://www.mediafire.com/listen/m37834tnydstw7d/The_Cruise_of_Your_Life_(Almost_Complete).wav