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Have you ever wanted to start composing music? If you’re asking yourself that question then there’s a good chance that you already know the answer. After all, why else would someone be reading this article? We like to think of ourselves as pretty capable people around here and we want everyone else to feel the same way. So let’s get started!
Being a successful composer is all about knowing the most important things. That means knowing how to write music, how to play music, and also how to create music in the most efficient and effective way. But if you know all of that then why bother reading this article? Because we have 5 very important skills that you need to become a successful composer. If you want to achieve greatness, you have to master these 5 skills. They’ll set you up for long-term success as a musician. No more half-arsed attempts at creativity It can be tempting to write a few weird compositions and leave them out there for the world to find. I mean, what’s the worst that can happen? No one hears it and your friends laugh at it? I mean, they probably will. That’s fine.
And maybe even some chords to go along with them! You also need to learn how to arrange and compose music. What’s up with these boring old notes anyway? Can’t we get some live instruments or something? You’re about to learn some very important skills that will prepare you for what lies ahead. 1. Learn to sing Singing, in the context of music, is about the process of creating a sound by changing one note at a time in one direction. Different people will have different experiences when it comes to composing melodies in the same way and they will still be highly valid and useful for you as you make your way towards better understanding your craft. But here’s the bottom line: getting that feeling. There’s one thing in common with all these: an innate talent for melodies and that’s OK.
One of the most important things to remember is to practice. You can practice almost anything. But composers have probably spent their entire lives (well, most of their lives) doing just that. The question is: how do you start? Music composition is so difficult and there are so many different things to learn that, even with the most dedicated of minds, the road to professional success will be very, very difficult. The more you practice the better you’ll get. But not just any old type of practice will get you anywhere. You need a process. Consequently, we recommend that you create a practice schedule, based on the time and energy you’re able to allocate to the game. We usually recommend 2 hours per day, but it really depends on your personal situation and your skill set.
Okay, we just said that we were going to talk about how to write music, but first we have to get one of the most essential skills down, conducting an orchestra. Why are we stressing this out? Well, for one, it helps you learn how to set and focus the pace of your own writing, while also helping you learn how to deal with the chore of actually performing it. With this skill you’ll learn to capture the ears of an audience, and keep them glued to your music while it’s playing, no matter how loud it gets. Conducting is a bit more challenging than it looks, though, so it’s best to go for it when you have a small orchestra (think 12 people or less) and you’re confident with your skills.
Everyone knows that to be a successful composer you have to have a sound, a structure, and a voice. The theory behind that can take many different shapes and forms. Some may describe this as a set of rules. Others may look at it as a set of guidelines. Still others will call it a metaphysical system that guides you through the creative process. Whatever you choose to call it, it needs to be sound. It needs to be composed. You might be thinking to yourself, “Well what can I sound like?” While that may seem like an easy question to answer, the idea behind it can be a bit intimidating. Think about what your favorite composers and artists have to say about the theory of music.
Even if you’re already making music, there’s always more to learn. Whether you want to start composing a new piece of music for your own or someone else’s band, or you want to write a new tune for a friend’s band, you need to spend some time exploring different styles and techniques to expand your compositional knowledge. There are lots of great books available, including The Standard Composer’s Primer, and it would take up half your reading time to go through them all! So I suggest you just buy a couple of the books and decide which ones you’re most interested in. It would take up half your reading time to go through them all! So I suggest you just buy a couple of the books and decide which ones you’re most interested in.
This is actually not a hard choice at all. The overwhelming majority of people want to make popular music that moves people. But there’s a more specific type of music that will allow you to reach that goal faster. For example, people who want to compose songs for profit won’t care about your taste in music. They don’t want to hear music by the most well-known artists out there, and neither should you. That’s exactly why we’re going to be talking about pop music. While there’s a lot of great pop music out there, it’s getting harder and harder to find “hit” material that can be worth listening to. The reason for this is because there’s a very clear delineation between “serious” music and the pop music that most people listen to.
There you have it, five essential skills you should learn in order to become a successful composer. Of course, they’re not the only skills a composer needs to have, but they’re certainly some of the most important. It’s time to get to work!
