146 Answered Questions for the topic songwriting

Songwriting Composition Harmony Melody

05/07/19

How to make the dominant preparation less boring?
This is one thing that I have always noticed when I compose a sonata. Even if I can get through most of the development section in sonata form, the dominant preparation sort of grinds my gears. I'm... more
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05/07/19

Can I have two different instruments play the same melody at the same octave?
I am writing an orchestral track and so far I have written the melody of strings (violins and such) and I want to add trumpets and here are 3 things I consider. 1) Have the trumpets play the same... more
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05/06/19

What ukulele chords would go well in a song with a C-F-G7-C progression?
I am a beginner ukulele/guitar player and although I'm not a great musician I enjoy making up my own songs. I've started improvising a bouncy, twee little tune with a C-F-G7-C progression but not... more
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05/06/19

Off beat chord change in progression?
I'm self learning to compose something using a daw. I'm a self tough on theory and quite poor so please but hope the question make some sense. I followed a tutorial that suggest the possibility to... more
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Songwriting Composition

05/05/19

How to avoid a rut when listening to the same composition hundreds of times?
Often I find myself re-listening to certain parts of a piece repeatedly when composing it, generally hundreds of times in a short time. This creates a pattern of behaviour that becomes dull and... more
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05/02/19

Do Most Pop Songs Have An Instrument Play Chords While The Singer Sings The Melody?
I'm very curious if most instruments play a melody at the same time, and work in counterpoint, or it's just a singer playing a melody while some instruments play chords.
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Songwriting Composition Learning

04/30/19

Do composers often compose one instrument 'section' at a time?
Whilst learning more about the art of composition for traditional classical music, I have come across a question that I always wish I *knew* the answer to. Multilayered classical 'songs' are so... more
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04/30/19

Writing a Strange Ukulele Tune - Need Chord Help :)?
I'm writing a strange little ukulele tune that goes G-G7-C-Cm and then repeats, basically. But I'd like it to repeat to a different last chord/last two chords but I'm having an issue finding a... more
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04/29/19

Beginning composer wanting to know where to start?
I'm a seventeen-year-old aspiring film composer. I have twelve years of piano and theory experience, but beyond that, I have no experience with anything else musicwise. I am homeschooled with no... more
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04/29/19

Why are most string quartets in a key with few accidentals?
The most accidentals I have seen in a string quartet is 4 flats or sharps. Now I have been told that this is because C major, G major, D major and A major are the easiest keys on a string... more
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Songwriting Composition

04/29/19

When composing parts for different instruments, how do I find out if the part is playable?
I'm thinking of composing pieces for small ensembles with varied instrumentation. Typically I compose on a keyboard. How do I determine if the musician can easily play the parts I write for them?... more
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Songwriting Composition Chords Melody

04/28/19

How do you actually learn how to compose music?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2dYUmLwnZ6Y&t=629s How do you compose a rock song like the person in the video? I've gone through all the books and video tutorials and I still don't know how... more
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04/27/19

What contributes to an artist's melodic "signature?"?
Studying the vocal melodies in recorded pop music, from a theoretical perspective, I have the impression that there are certain musical characteristics that make up the melodic"fingerprint" of an... more
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04/27/19

How to make melodies/chords more interesting?
I’m a noob when it comes to making music but I have a little problem when creating melodies/chords. I made a nice loop in fl studio but I feel it’s to repetitive. I’ve tried adding more chords and... more
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04/27/19

How to turn a "tune" into a "symphonic melody"?
I'm a hobbyist composer and I just started reading Piston's Harmony handbook to recover the basics I never learned. One of the limits I'm trying to overcome is my inability to conceive melodies... more
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Songwriting Composition Beginner

04/26/19

Can't compose past a motif?
I'm a beginner to composing, and I don't know how to play any instruments. I asked my parents to put me in lessons for years but they never did. I just decided to start trying to compose. I've... more
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04/24/19

Why is writing in free counterpoint so hard?
I have had this overwhelming feeling for weeks. 1 day I even had to listen to Mozart just to go to sleep because I was feeling so overwhelmed. I have tried everything I did in the past for... more
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Songwriting Composition

04/24/19

Who do I write music for?
I've been playing keyboard for eight years now. As much as I adore music I can't find the real answer to who am doing it for? Who am I writing music for? I'm very much interested in art rock and... more
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Songwriting Composition

04/22/19

developing rhythmical phrasing?
Recently i've become more and more interested in phrasing for melodic instruments, and how one could develop a strong sense for making interesting arrangements, particularly when you work with... more
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Songwriting Composition Beginner

04/22/19

Can learning music theory from "Music Theory for Guitarists Volume 1" by Bruce Arnold teach me enough to start composing?
I am a guitar and bass player who has played pop/rock/blues for 15 years. Like a lot of other users I am music illiterate. I am a fan of Frank Zappa, Grateful Dead and am interested in composing... more
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Songwriting Composition Jazz

04/22/19

How much of a jazz composition is defined by the composer, and how much by the musicians?
Do jazz music composers need to write all notes for the every instrument, do the players write themselves a new suitable extravaganza or do they completely improvise the song?
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04/21/19

What is the effect of "Conglomerising" your percussion?
When writing music, I use a program called Fruity Loops. Of the music that I write that has percussion, some of them are written with all the percussion instruments being grouped into one pattern.... more
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Songwriting Composition

04/21/19

Finding musicians to play new compositions?
I've been composing for most of my life. Lately, I've started to accumulate a rather large number of completed pieces. I recently realized that it may be time for me to start looking for musicians... more
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04/20/19

Composition for Clarinet?
I would like to write a song for a Bb clarinet. What is the easiest key for a clarinet player to play it in? Do I use the Treble clef register?
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04/19/19

How do I get out of my song writing rut and compose something new and fresh for a change?
I have been writing melodies for my original lyrics since 2008 and have written quite a few songs in that time. But the more songs I write, the more difficult it becomes to write melodies that... more
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