How to compose a musical masterpiece

Your score won't write itself... but here's some tips to get you started

Whether you are writing for a piano, full Orchestra or, and this has really been done, Vacuum cleaner, music has to start somewhere: The Idea. One of the worst things to happen when you are in the mood for composing is a total lack of ideas. However, if this does happen, and after a few minutes you draw a complete blank, some of these techniques might help.

1 - The 5 minute keyboard bash

In this technique, you must make a recording of yourself playing the piano or keyboard (even if you can't play well, like the person writing this article) And listen back to it. You'll be surrised what you can find, some of the best ideas can turn up completely by accident.

2 - Give yourself rules

If you don't know where to begin, a useful jumpstart to your creativity is to set yourself some kind of system to work by. Examples of this common in modern classical music include the twelve tone system where tunes or harmonies are created by using all of the twelve notes but only once, and use of whole tone scales which eliminate semitones in the melody to give a most interesting sound!

3 - Make new arrangements

If there is a melody, chord sequence or tiny fragment of music tucked away in an old composition you wrote, or even a new one you feel had potential for development, take the very basics of that music, and try to move as far away as possible from the original concept and make it work as a new variation. If you wrote a slow, grim march, try arranging it as a quick, light waltz. Or a fugue. Or a children's TV theme tune.

4 - Sing

Yes - Sing. In the shower, down the road, in the car, sing whatever comes to mind. If something very creative comes to mind, sing it again, and over again. Sing it at work, learn to play it on an instrument if you can get to one... but don't miss the chance to get a good idea through singing, humming, whistling. This is much like a portable version of the first method, only this time, you really have to be onn the ball, and know a good idea when you hear one.

5 - Don't submit to plaigarism.

There is nothing worse than running out of ideas and so forming a songwriting duo with your photocopier. You stand a good chance of getting away with it, there being lots of material to choose from. You could just lift a tune off an old abstract composer, and nobody important enough will notice. But... don't. It's not satisfying, and it wont make you any better at composing.

Now you're on the way

From now on, you're pretty much on your own. Don't panic: The initial idea is the hardest part, the rest tends to flow easily. But don't stop at one idea, keep your composition interesting and use a little composer's rule I came up with. If you can come back to a composition after a few hours break, not listening to/looking at/playing it and think to yourself 'This sounds good,' you're on the right track. If you think 'I don't remember it sounding this generic,' or 'why do the chords sound strange to me now?' then something, perhaps something minor, has gone wrong. This method works because when you are working on a new composition you are going through it slowly, and you are not taking it in so much as a piece of music as a whole. If you take a break and come back and play it, it feels as if you are listening to it for the first time, just like your audience will be. This is the only technique I can offer after your initial idea is thought up. Remember, composers are often very picky about the music they like, so it all boils down to this:

...If it sounds good to you, there must be something good in there!