146 Answered Questions for the topic songwriting

Songwriting Composition Cello Cadenza

04/19/19

Creating a cadenca (Boccherini Concerto No 3 in G Maj)?
I need to create a cadenza (A virtuoso passage inserted near the end of a concerto movement) for cello for the first part of Boccherini Concerto No 3 in G Maj (Allegro, starting at measure 98 in my... more
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Songwriting Composition Drum Kits

04/18/19

How does one compose fills and solos for the drumkit?
I keep hearing that rudiments are the building blocks of drumming. How do you create drum fills and solos out of rudiments? They say that solos and fills are made from rudiments. Are they ALL made... more
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Songwriting Composition Midi Daw

04/16/19

How to correctly deal with abrupt sound cuts when working with sound samples in a DAW?
I am new at DAW's and sound editing and have trouble dealing with abrupt end of sounds. What I mean is that, with the orchestra samples I use (from VSCO-2 CE), there are different options... more
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04/14/19

How do video game music composers make so many songs for one game? Are all of them some sort of musical talent / genius?
I love video game soundtracks from to 8-bit ones to the very orchestral pieces but it's not clear to me how they can make so many songs for one game. Even if there are motifs which can help make... more
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Songwriting Composition Production Daw

04/13/19

Most practical way to compose classical music on PC?
I write in Sibelius but I do not like the its sounds. I like Reaper's sounds but its notation editor is not practical. Thus, I export a midi file from sibelius which I import in reaper. However, I... more
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Songwriting Composition Chords

04/13/19

What are some examples of seminal chords?
I consider the James Bond chord to be a seminal chord. What are some other examples of seminal chords, if we come to define a seminal chord as a chord that defined an artist or band, made famous by... more
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04/13/19

The Chords in this progression sound great but don't belong together - so why do they work?
I am a songwriter and compose my own music to go with my lyrics. Most of my chord progressions follow common patterns like using a I V IV or I IV V with an occasional ii or iii or vi chord thrown... more
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04/12/19

Is it acceptable to change tempo in the middle of a song or is this a bad idea?
I wrote a song that could be classified as Pop or Country that starts out at a medium slow tempo in the first two verses and bridge.Then there is a section after the bridge that can best be... more
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04/12/19

Harmonics in composition?
As a composer, I never took under consideration the harmonics and natural overtones of note frequencies and never had trouble, as long as it all sounded well and was not very dissonant (unless I... more
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04/12/19

Is there any significance of key change of 3 semitones in pop songs?
I was listening to Nightwish's Nemo and noticed they have a key change of 3 semitones from Dm to Fm out of the blue that just sounds pretty good/unnoticeable: https://youtu.be/rNg2Dh6gPkw?t=83 And... more
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Songwriting Composition

04/11/19

Examples in "Fundamentals of Musical Composition" by Schoenberg?
I am working with Schoenberg's Fundamentals of Musical Composition, amd would like to know if anyone is aware of a website that has the examples in audio format, or if some saint here has sequenced... more
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Songwriting Composition

04/11/19

Method to develop a key change?
I know this question may seem broad, but I am a very mathematical person, I've never had much "ear" for these things. I have a slow tempo song, about 90bpm with a VI - I - IV chord progression for... more
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Songwriting Composition

04/10/19

How best to coordinate parts spacing when composing by hand?
Forgive my enactment, but it seems like the easiest way to explain: Let's say, hypothetically, it's a piano piece. I'm on a train, composing on paper, no piano in sight. I have a strong idea for a... more
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Songwriting Composition Dance Melody

04/10/19

How am I supposed to go about writing a waltz?
This and other dances in general I have kind of been avoiding for the first 10 years that I composed. But I figured that if I am going to start composing dance music as well as sonatas, symphonies,... more
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Songwriting Composition Jazz Harmony

04/09/19

Audiation: dealing with key changes when you hear in terms of solfege?
So, I'm a musician who believes very much in the value of audiation: that is, not only hearing pitches in my head, but also hearing them in terms of both the current harmony and the current tonal... more
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Songwriting Composition

04/09/19

Help in composing music for spa or relaxation?
What are the important elements of harmony, rhythm and orchestration in composing relaxation or spa music?
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Songwriting Composition

04/07/19

How to synchronize sustain strings with the rest of the orchestra?
I am trying to write a track that has sustain strings and when I listen to it, it seems to me that the strings are delayed with respect to the rest of the orchestra. Strings have a slower attack... more
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04/06/19

I find composing for transposing instruments hard?
So I have gotten into writing orchestral works and I have a bit of a problem. You see, I can transpose, but I am not used to adjusting the notation of the transposition. So if I transpose from C... more
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04/04/19

How do I find suitable chords for a melody or a song? Or How do I come up with chord progression?
I have spent some time reading a book that taught me different types of chords and different scales and I understand them very well. But the book didn't really expand on how to actually use these... more
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Songwriting Composition Arranging Midi

04/04/19

Converting midi composition into orcherstral arrangement?
I have re-discovered several of my old compositions from several years ago, and would now like to work on/finish them. Unfortunately, they are in MIDI format written in a very "un-arranged" manner,... more
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04/04/19

Is it acceptable to change tempo in the middle of a song or is this a bad idea?
I wrote a song that could be classified as Pop or Country that starts out at a medium slow tempo in the first two verses and bridge. Then there is a section after the bridge that can best be... more
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04/04/19

Can someone explain the rhythm of a Mazurka?
While perusing some Chopin and Liszt sheets, I tried to play a Mazurka or two. But, I simply don't understand how the rhythm works. It feels awkward and unbalanced when I try and I just don't *get... more
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04/04/19

Significance of pop songs with progressions that alternate one chord with one that's three semitones below it?
I've noticed a couple of pop songs that use one chord progression that alternates between swapping one chord (either fifth or fourth) with one that's three semitones below it (to third or... more
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Songwriting Composition Cadence

04/04/19

What types of cadences work well in natural minor mode?
I am currently interested in writing a piece in the natural minor mode, and it seems like "v - i" cadence does not quite work as well as compared to the harmonic / melodic minor modes, which use "V... more
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Songwriting Composition

04/04/19

Will there come a day when there is no more available music to write?
For music, there is 12 notes, so I suppose one day every combination of notes will be used, and so there will be one day with no more music to create, because they will be all already created, am I... more
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