Music composing tips

Melody writing melodies tips 1 to 3 composing melody tips 4 to 6 more melody tips tips 7 to 9 Song Structures basic song structure repeated verse and AABA chorus song structures verse/chorus & bridge pre chorus song structures verse/prechorus/chorus bridge & coda structures Music Arranging music arranging tips part 1 tips 1 - 3 music arranging tips part 2 tips 4 - 6 music arranging tips part 3 tips 7 - 10 Becoming a composer how to become a composer tips one to five how to become a composer tips six through to ten how to make a demo CD tips on making and marketing your showreel Music composing tips In many ways composing is a mystery - there is no one formula that can be followed which will then produce a great piece of music. However, I do believe that there are certain principles and patterns which are worth noting and learning, and these can lead to writing music which works, and maybe even along the way creates something truly great. Melody Tips The first pages in this section are about writing melody. If you look to the left you'll see that I've divided this up into three pages - with tips 4 to 6 and tips 7 through to 9 underneath. The tips explore patterns within great melodies (such as the use of the pentatonic scale, and repeating devices) as well as ideas on "finding" and developing tunes, and cataloging and recording them. Song Structures So you have a fantastic idea for a song. It might be a memorable hook, or a great chord sequence, or an interesting melody. But how do you develop this idea into a full work? This section seeks to help composers and songwriters overcome those creative "blocks" that can happen after the first thirty seconds of inspiration. reflective piano keyboard The section analyses successful songs in terms of their structure and their harmonic progressions, and draws out patterns that might be useful for helping a song "flow" from chorus to bridge, or pre-chorus to chorus. Again, there is three sections. The first section deals with basic song structure (repeated verse and AABA), the second explores songs with verse/chorus and bridge structures, and the final page deals with the addition of the pre chorus and coda elements. Arranging Tips Music arranging takes a number of forms. We can arrange music synthetically on the computer, we can take piano works and transform them into ensemble works, or arrange for a live band or even a full orchestra. In this section I offer ten top tips for music arranging in these scenerios. Here you'll find out how I use other works as templates to guide my creations, tips on good orchestration, how I layer musical parts to create a fuller sound in the recording, and how I consider the energy level of the music. How to become a music composer old guitar I'm often asked how I came to be a music composer. Maybe you have aspirations to be the next big thing in the world of music! Here I've made notes of things that I found useful as a composer - from good professional organisations worth joining, to how to work effectively with co-creators such as directors and writers, from how to get a "break" in the media world, to tips on remaining true to yourself and your musical voice. Also, if you require some advice about how to put together and send out a demo CD, then there's information here about how to present it, and the best people to send the work to. Music composition lessons Finally, if you live on the south east coast of England, you might be interested to know that I teach music composition on a one on one basis. Over the years I've coached and assessed students on degree programmes, and also taught music composition and arranging privately. If this is something that you're interested in, please do feel free to contact me.