342 Answered Questions for the topic Composition

05/17/19

Is there any way to improve composing?
Beside playing drums I'm toying with software to create music. The problem is when I need to advance further. I may have some good, let's say "riffs" (or pieces, or melodies, or ideas), and I'm... more
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05/17/19

Why do modern popular songs composed on piano sound different than songs composed on guitar?
Songs that I hear that are piano based - ie. **composed and originally performed on piano**, seem to have a different feel than those composed on guitar. The flow, the movement, the chords used -... more
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05/17/19

If A minor doesn't have any accidentals, is it still minor?
As part of a music course, we have to compose a 3 minute long piece based on a river's journey. Having finished the composition, we now have to write a set of sleeve notes - basically an analysis... more
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05/17/19

Is there some trick for counterpoint beyond 2 voices?
I really suck at chord harmony, so whenever I compose, I tend to use counterpoint a lot. Counterpoint is somewhat easy when you just have two voices. Because I just compose for fun, I generally do... more
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05/16/19

When composing for oboe, how useful is it to think about recorder fingerings?
I'm always a bit anxious when writing for winds, because I don't really have much of a clue how passages will be executed on the specific instrument. (And I know how needlessly complicated some... more
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05/16/19

Ritardando, Rallentando, and Allargando?
Three common musical markings for gradual slowing down are ritardando, rallentando, and allargando. How do these differ from each other in interpretation and execution? For example, I was taught... more
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05/15/19

Want to learn composing and producing music with a DAW. Where do I start?
I am a computer engineer and a passionate music listener. I have been listening to movie scores and soundtracks for many years now and it has really inspired me to want to learn more about music... more
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05/14/19

Does it really make difference to play a song in a different key?
I hear sometimes players and composers say that this song won't sound good in F Major for example, and you should play it or write it in G Major (this was just an example). In other words, it seems... more
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05/14/19

Locrian Harmony?
I like utilizing modes in my the pieces I write, but there is one mode I've never been able to fully grasp and utilize and that is the Locrian mode.The chords that naturally occur in the Locrian... more
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Composition Piano Jazz Chords

05/14/19

How to turn any (pop) song into a jazz song?
Quite often there are pop songs wich get covered in a jazz style. These covers are seen from youtube to tv. Now I tried doing something like this, with for example Bad Day by Daniel Powter. It's... more
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Composition Songwriting

05/14/19

Musical cryptogram?
Shostakovich uses his monogram in his symphony no.10.... DSCH. This equates to the notes D Eflat C and Bnatural. The H I understand as Bach used B natural to spell his name, but how does S turn in... more
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05/14/19

Audiation, Mental hearing, Composing/Reading scores without sound reference?
Many composers in the past (as well as the present) were known to do that. So, are there any ways in order to achieve this? Any exercises and so on?
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Composition Songwriting

05/12/19

Expanding chord progression repertoire when composing?
I'm working on writing some sad sounding songs. Every time I'm jamming by myself on the guitar, I can play a few chords and sing or whistle what the leads could be. Leads come to me easily, and I... more
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05/12/19

What is the relationship between the melody line and the rhythm chords?
Let's say I've written a song with the chord progression I-IV-V in the key of A (just as an example). So, the chords I'm playing are A-D-E. When playing a lead over this rhythm, what notes do I... more
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Composition Songwriting

05/12/19

Compose with pencil and paper?
I see many composers argue that one of the best ways to compose is with pencil and paper, without using an instrument. What is the process for composing this way? Does one have to imagine a fairly... more
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05/11/19

How does one teach a subjective art form like music composition in an objective manner?
As someone who has never taken composition lessons, I've always wondered how one teaches composition without straying into the purely subjective. In other words, how does one teach composition in a... more
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05/10/19

(Post)-minimalist compositional techniques?
I was wondering if anyone out there knew of any techniques associated with the minimalist tradition. I've been really interested in the philosophical notion of minimalism over the last few months... more
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05/10/19

Why use the key of C#?
I was reading about Brahms, and it was mentioned that he had composed a piece in C# Major. AFAIK, we generally don't use C# Major in jazz or rock music because the key signature has 7 sharps, so... more
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05/09/19

Why am I always sticking to minor keys?
When I'm improvising on my keyboard, or trying to compose a melody, I always find myself playing in a minor key -- and never a major one. (For keyboard it's usually G minor or D minor, but that I... more
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05/09/19

Can any melody / motif be turned into a good sounding melody? (Theoretical and practical question.)?
I've read and experienced and I noticed that rhythm, rest placing and even very minor (no pun inteded) changes to the melody, for example some flat or sharp can change it drastically. My question... more
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05/09/19

What gives a piece of music its personality and feeling?
What makes a piece of music sound angry, dark, sad, happy, or otherwise?"La Chute" by Yann Tiersen sounds so angry to me and "A Dark Knight" from "The Dark Knight" movie sounds so dark and... more
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Composition Composition (music)

05/09/19

Any advice for a novice composer?
I have been learning the acoustic guitar for about 3 years, but just recently started writing my own songs. I am currently learning music theory.Given that starting point what advice would you give... more
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05/09/19

Is it possible to create a completely new genre of music?
This question might appear really weird, but still I ended up asking me this.Every genre of music as we know today comes from some previous genre (as an evolution, a combination of two different... more
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05/08/19

Guidelines for piano composition and transcription?
I'm a classical guitar student but I always loved the piano. Though I never owned one, most of my musical ideas come to me as harmonies on the keyboard so I often have to translate that into... more
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05/08/19

Freestyle Advice for Beatboxing?
So I have been beatboxing for a couple of months now, got inspired by GBBB battles. I can do the basic sounds (kick drum, hi hats, (inward and outward) K snares, pf Snare, throat bass, lip... more
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