5 Tips For Young Composers Who Want To Make Music People Actually Enjoy Listening To
By Jane Hurst
There is a lot more to writing music than just jotting a few lyrics down on paper. You also need to know how to compose, and compose in a way that makes music that people are going to enjoy listening to. If you are a young composer, you still have a lot to learn in order to really hone your craft, and there are all kinds of tools online that you can use to get you to where you want to be with your music. For instance, you should have good music notation software, like Forte. Here are some tips that will help, and improve the quality of your compositions.
1. The melody must be supported
If you have a terrific melody that you want to really stand out in a song, it needs to be supported. One instrument alone can’t support a melody, nor can a group of a single instrument. You need to have a full sound that is going to fully bring out that melody and make it the main part of your song.
2. Write everyday
Even if you are not in the mood to write, it is a good idea to get into the habit of trying to write at least a little bit each day. This is going to keep you in practice, and you never know when you are going to be inspired to add something to these writings. You don’t need to write a whole new piece every day. But, you should try to at least write a couple of bars, a verse of lyrics, etc. Practice writing certain sections of music, or developing motifs. Every so often, think outside of the box and write something that is completely different from your normal style, so you can cater to all listeners and advance yourself further in the music industry.
3. Set the form
Before you can start composing, you need to have a goal for your composition. Otherwise, you will just be going off in any direction, and getting absolutely nowhere. Plan your composition from start to finish before you start writing. Once you have a plan, composing your song will be a lot easier, because you will know what is to go where, how long certain parts are to be, etc. You don’t necessarily have to rigidly stick to this plan, but it is a great guideline.
4. Don’t go nuts with new ideas
You’re probably excited to try new things, but there are certain things that just don’t sound right once you start working them. For instance, if you are new to the world of death metal, don’t dive right in and try to write death metal songs. Wait until you’re more comfortable with the genre, and have listened to enough of it to know what people want to hear. This doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t try new things, or add your own flavor to music. It just means that you are going to find that some ideas are just not going to go together, and the more you stick with it, the more you will know what works and what doesn’t.
5. Be Careful about space
You may have noticed that many rock guitarists play power chords and octaves, but do you know why they do this? It’s not just because it sounds so wicked. It is mainly because they have the best sound in the lower range, and you need the lower range in every song to give it a full sound, no matter what the musical style. Thirds can be played in the lower range, but they don’t sound nearly as good. The more you practice with this, the better your compositions are going to sound.