HOW TO COMPOSE MUSIC: The Skills You Need to learn.

If you ever wondered what it would be like to be able to compose your own music, why not set out to learn some basic musical skills and do it? Believe it or not, learning how to compose music does not have to be a difficult task. In fact, you can learn the basics of music composition in just a few weeks and be well on your way toward composing some great pieces, no matter how or why you need them.

Many individuals begin their path toward composing great pieces by taking a course such as Basic Concepts of Music , available on Udemy. What’s special about taking a proper music theory course is that the skills you learn are translatable to many different types of instruments and musical styles. So whether you have a specific reason for learning music composition or it is just something that interests you, this is a great place to begin.

Why do You Want to Know How to Compose Music?

People are interested in composing music for different reasons. The reason that you have for composing music may play a big role in your next step in the process of learning to create great tunes. For many individuals, learning to compose music may be the next step in their music career. Many singers and musical artists – including musical groups and bands – want to learn how to compose music so they can begin putting some of their great song ideas to paper.

However, there are many other individuals that may be interested in using music as well. For example, app developers and video game designers on small budgets may be interested in learning how to compose electronic music for their programs.

An Important First Step: Learning to Read Sheet Music

Believe it or not, knowing how to read sheet music is not completely necessary, especially if you plan to compose music through electronic music programs. However, it can be of big help if you plan to use traditional musical instruments such as guitars and keyboards in your music, and is necessary if you plan to share your newly composed music with other people. (It also goes without saying that being able to write in musical notation is important for playing music live.)

This Udemy course is a great resource if you need to start learning to read music. And remember that you may need to expand your knowledge and understanding of sheet music beyond what you already know if you plan on incorporating other types of music into your new composition. Music for the piano can be very different than music for the guitar, and some instruments’ music is only written in the bass clef, so you will need to learn this type of musical notation if you are only skilled with music in the treble clef.

If you are a complete beginner when it comes to reading and writing sheet music, you will need to learn the overall basics of musical notation, including time signatures, what various types of notation mean, and the markers that composers use to indicate certain musical effects in their music (such as tremolo, staccato, and levels of sound such as pianissimo and forte). While all of that is not entirely necessary if you are composing music for a more informal music style, such as rock and roll, it can still be helpful in getting your point across – and again, will be necessary if you ever plan on incorporating other types of instruments into your musical compositions.

How to Compose Electronic Music

We’ve already touched on this a bit, but it’s important to expand on this subject, as the majority of modern day musicians are now using computer programs to compose and share electronic music online. Whether you are looking to recreate the sounds of traditional instruments or you are looking for a sound that is totally synthesized, there are plenty of programs available for you to choose from.

Composing electronic music is easier in some ways that composing music in the traditional manner. Those who already know how to play a keyboard can plug into their computers directly to create the sounds they want, and the computer will automatically record what is being played. (You can also learn to play the keyboard with Udemy. Check out The Piano Revolution! , and get started today.)

Each electronic program is different, though most will allow you to create several different tracks, which can be overlaid into one great composition. Logic Pro is recommended by many professional and amateur musicians alike, and you can learn the basics in this great Udemy course on creating electronic music with this program. However, if you are not sure what program you want to use, or you simply want to learn some of the basics, check out this course on music theory designed especially for the creation of electronic music. It can walk you through some of the basics, such as building up great bass beats, creating melodies, and can even walk you through the fundamentals of chords, triads, and much more.

Getting Started

If you’re interested in learning how to compose music, the best thing that you can do to start with is to use a free program such as Garage Band for the Mac to start creating awesome sounds. There are many downloadable, free electronic music creation programs as well, so do some research and check them out. Play around and see what you can come up with on your own. Not only will this give you a feel for your own abilities, it will help you assess which courses you need to take and where you may need to improve. Anyone who is interested in composition can benefit from this beginner’s music can email me on seyiakinyemi4@gmail.com and can help get you started on your musical journey. With a little research and a lot of practice – along with a few courses – you can be composing music like a pro in no time.