When to Start Composing?

[Bassbeater]

Piano roll, midi score.
The FL midi editing system is very user and synth friendly. I find myself going back to it because of this. I usually play my synths into FL via midi or USB, then nudge and drag and copy paste in the piano roll.

 

[Bassbeater]

From my personal memory.
My first choice of "DAW" was a tape recorder and the piano while dabbling in songwriting.

For me the first step is almost always cell phone voice recorder and singing along to an unplugged electric guitar. Then I record guitar and vocal as a scratch track to a click on the DAW and start arranging, programming and composing around that.

 

[CATFISHMcC0Y]

Start now

 

[Matthew_84]

When I was in highschool, I wrote a bunch of my own music. Sometimes I would start with the lyrics, and other times I would start with the melody, bassline, or drums, but it always started with the initial inspiration.

That was actually before I picked up an instrument though. This was all done on the computer and I had no idea what I was doing theory-wise. A lot of my melodies used chromatic notes, infact, I don't think I would have went too far outside of 3 whole steps in any melody I did. I also didn't know anything about chords, so there were no progressions and my basslines strictly followed the melody (while maybe omitting a few notes here of there). Because I had no theory knowledge, it was also very hard to add a counter melody ontop of the existing one, or even transition into another melody and have sound right within the piece. This basically made every song as a single melody and choruses were differentiated by adding 8th note hi-hats, lol...

Those were aome crummy songs, and maybe part of the reason why I was hesitant to get going until I knew more theory and had a better ear, but after typing out the above, it's clear to me how much more I know today and should already have the potential to compose stuff leap soon am doing bounds ahead of that crap I did in high school... I'm not expecting my next song to be a masterpiece by any means, but I have a good enough foundation to get started.

When I first typed this thread, it was drastically different. It was actually supposed to be a guide of tips and tricks to composing, and I was going to start posting tips I had come across. However, I realized that since I don't actually know what I'm talking about, I should probably just jump straight to my main question... Anyway, as I was typing it, I came up with this quote, and I like it. I'm going to try and keep it in my mind as I compose:

"Your next piece doesn't have to be your best or most complex. You will make hundreds of pieces in your life and your masterpiece is yet to come."

 

[Matthew_84]

Just take a harmony course!
Make sure it's not some YouTube subscription but a teacher who works with you personally.

Unfortunately I can't afford that at the moment, but I did buy a college level harmony textbook a few months back that I still need to dig into... I realize it's not as good as a teacher, but I can't swing much else right now.

 

[gjohnson441496]

Should I wait until I get a better understanding of theory (such as knowing the theory behind writing melodies, harmonies, and counterpoint voicings) and I have a decent ear; or should I start composing right away and improve my theory knowledge and ear as I go?

The Beatles didn't wait. Green Day didn't wait. Why wait? Just do it and improve your theory knowledge and ear as you take the journey...

 

[40Hz]

Like most artistic endeavors, there's as much or more "craft" to it as there is art and inspiration.

The way you acquire the craft of songwriting is to write a lot of songs. Virtually every successful songwriter will tell you they wrote dozens (sometimes hundreds) of lousy songs before it started coming together. Many who stuck with it developed the necessary craft, and the artistic part just naturally followed.

One of the best and most prolific rock songwriters I ever knew barely knew basic guitar chords and couldn't read music. But he had a photographic memory for his music and could sing (quite beautifully) every thing he "wrote." He even developed his own personal notation system for some things he wanted to do. Fortunately, our band had four other well-trained musicians in it who could read, knew theory, yada-yadda. So we'd just take what he came up with and translate it into standard notation for copyright purposes while we were working on the band arrangement of his songs. A little unorthodox a workflow maybe. But it worked.

So when is the best time to start? Easy. Start now.

 

[Ulf Buck]

You have to have a recorder like a zoom nearby at all times. When you come up with something record the bones of it immediately or it will be gone forever. Think about the melody if you come up with a chord structure and vice versa.

Just record anything musical that comes to you and the fruit will come.

 

[JRA]

composing = the right time is always now, IMO. don't wait for something else to happen. it takes a lot of time (and maybe some talent) to parlay your creation(s) into a usable piece/format.

i composed my first piece at age 14. haven't ever stopped* --- even though most of my "theory" understanding has taken place in my adulthood. if a kid can do it = so can you, OP! good luck!

* i have movie/TV credits, albums --- as a performer and/or writer, national and international sporting events, yada yada. i doubt that i could have survived being a full-time musician without the creative/composing endeavor...there are always better players out there.

 

[BassChuck]

Music theory won't teach as much as making mistakes. Get to work. Self evaluation is the answer.

 

[lfmn16]

Unless you want to compose a symphony, start now. Less less complex your music, the less critical ear training and theory are. I'm not saying they aren't important, you are ALWAYS better off with more knowledge than with less, but if you have some musical ideas, no need to wait.

Ignore anyone that says training will stifle your creativity. First of all, only people that don't know anything say that, so they don't really know. Second, it's not the knowledge that stifles you, it's the inability to know how to apply that knowledge. Music theory is an explanation of music, it's not a rule book. If you are creating your own music, and not trying to mimic an established form, your ear should always be your guide.

When I was taking theory in college, we were taught that if you wanted to write a four part harmony in the style of Bach, you couldn't use parallel 5ths. Well, the rules were based on Bach, but Bach did occasionally use parallel 5ths. Theory is what usually happens, not necessarily what ALWAYS happens.

Have fun.

 

[Londo Molari]

If I were you I'd wait until tomorrow.

 

[DavC]

simply record any and all smaller ideas ... !! you'll then have a bank of stuff to work with when you learn how to better put things together .. !!

one thing to get out of your head ... there really are NO rules .. !

 

[Bassique]

How many instruments beside bass guitar can you play. I dont say its neccesary to learn to play other instruments but it never hurts to be able to play them. Bass is good for composing riff and groove oriented material but when you pick up guitar or keyboard you really open up for more versatile songwriting.

Second thing I would advice to focus on is drum patterns. FL studio or Guitar Pro are good tools for that because you can put your ideas up and try different drum patterns over them.

It takes awhile to train ear and learn the basics about composing, I think one of the most challenging thing about it is to put full songs together so that everything fits and it doesnt sound forced. But like with most things, learning from mistakes and having patience will make you go forward.

 

[StatesideRambler]

If you want to write music then turn off the television and turn off the computer and write music.

You get good by doing it, not by waiting "until you're ready" to do it. You'll write a lot of crap. That's fine; keep it. One day, while looking for something else, you'll pick up something that was crap way back when but turns out to be the perfect phrase for your current project.

Get a handle on some notation software but don't sweat all the recording stuff. Recording is distraction if composing is your goal. Notation programs of all sorts are worth putting a little time into.

Write music!

 

[Manticore]

Yesterday.

 

[Matthew_84]

How many instruments beside bass guitar can you play. I dont say its neccesary to learn to play other instruments but it never hurts to be able to play them. Bass is good for composing riff and groove oriented material but when you pick up guitar or keyboard you really open up for more versatile songwriting.

Second thing I would advice to focus on is drum patterns. FL studio or Guitar Pro are good tools for that because you can put your ideas up and try different drum patterns over them.

It takes awhile to train ear and learn the basics about composing, I think one of the most challenging thing about it is to put full songs together so that everything fits and it doesnt sound forced. But like with most things, learning from mistakes and having patience will make you go forward.

Thanks, I do intend to pickup a cheap, used keyboard, to at least help me compose with.

 

[pbass2]

I want to start composing some solo instrumental songs. I am aware that it could take me a while (maybe years) to make anything halfway decent and that this is a life-long journey. I'm planning on starting with simple stuff and working up to more complex stuff as I get more knowledgeable and experienced.

I will be honest, I do not have a strong ear and I only have a basic understanding of music theory. I have a bunch of music theory resources and ear training exercises lined up, as I know how important these skills are for a composer to have. However, this leaves me questioning when I should start composing...

Should I wait until I get a better understanding of theory (such as knowing the theory behind writing melodies, harmonies, and counterpoint voicings) and I have a decent ear; or should I start composing right away and improve my theory knowledge and ear as I go?

Holy cow, why would you wait? If you're inspired to write, go for it! I started writing songs for the bands I was in back in high school with no training in theory, etc. Since then I've written music all my life, many different genres, and am completely self-taught--no "formal" training. You're ear and everything else will develop, just start! I'm a full-time composer now, making a good living with it.

 

[noahw1]

Play. Just play. Play what sounds good to you. Play what sounds bad to you and maybe some day it will sound good to you or not. You don't need theory to compose

 

[BooDoggie]

I want to start composing some solo instrumental songs. I am aware that it could take me a while (maybe years) to make anything halfway decent and that this is a life-long journey. I'm planning on starting with simple stuff and working up to more complex stuff as I get more knowledgeable and experienced.

I started "composing" acoustic guitar stuff as soon as I learned how to make a lot of the major chords and patterns. I'm still doing it 50 years later, but I don't think all the experience and knowledge that I have learned in all of those years has helped at all... If I take all of my "musician" friend's reactions to heart, I still suck at it...