Imagine asking a beginning writer to write a short story from scratch. Our writer does not yet have much experience in writing but accepts the challenge and begins to plunge ahead.
He has to start somewhere so he begins to examine how to construct a short story. He learns all about plot, character, and structure and now believes he is ready to begin writing.
As soon as he begins to write, he discovers something. He can’t move forward. He is blocked. What’s the problem? He knows how to construct a short story and should be able to forge ahead right?
The problem is he has not allowed his “voice” to unfold naturally. His internal critic is blocking the natural voice inside his head and the pen stops cold. What to do? Read more »
Edward Weiss
Some people think composing is this miraculous thing that only genius’s do. What a myth! It’s a skill that can be learned. What can’t be learned is the intuition that guides the creative force. What can be learned is the technique. And the most important part of composing technique has to do with THINKING IN PHRASES.
A musical phrase can be 2-bars long. It can be from 4 to 8-bars long as well. It is a unit of music that composers use, along with repetition and contrast to create ENTIRE SECTIONS OF MUSIC.
There is no secret here people. It’s like building up a structure. That’s why music is often referred to as frozen architecture. It is built up. The building up creates FORM. A structure such as ABA form can be composed of the A section (8-measures) B section (4 or more measures) then back to the A section.
Now you may be thinking, it looks logical, but how does it transfer into actual music? Ah, this is where you get your feet wet and actually try composing a piece. We start from simple means and learn the principles of repetition and contrast first. We start with an 8-bar phrase for the A section. Read more »
By Chris Carlin
Composing
Every pianist has heard the word and knows what it means, but few can do it well. Some try their whole lives to be able to compose one piece of music, and others seem to be able to crank out beautiful compositions all the time. And, while it seems to come naturally to some, how do they constantly produce beautiful melodies, instrumentals, and wondrous music that can take us far away.
These gifted musicians have a certain way that they create their piano compositions and they use this method for every composition that they create. No one can tell you your specific formula for creating a great musical composition
, since there are many different steps and areas to think about when you are ready to compose. To help you find your method, here are the main components of composition and a bit about each one to show you exactly what is involved with each area of composition.
Theme Read more »
Composition, Improvising Music, Playing By Ear | TipsForTheBand.com December 30, 2008 | 
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