Music Composer, the one who has full control of melody, structures/forms, instrumentation. Have you ever wondered how one becomes a composer? What are the skills they need to have to become a composer?
Table of Contents
Music Theory
– You have to understand the form and structure of “Music Theory”. We do have several forms of music in the classical period. The common forms are
a) Strophic form
– The melody from the Strophic form is basically repeated for each of the verses. It’s simple and repetitive making it an ideal song for everyone to remember easily. Examples of Strophic form mainly can be found from the Traditional/Children Song, such as “Mary Had a Little Lamb”, “Old MacDonald”, Baa baa Black Sheep”, etc.
b) Binary form (AABB)
– The binary form simply means dividing the musical piece into two sections (A and B). These two sections can be easily identified differently. An example of Binary form will be Greensleeves.
c) Ternary form
– It’s a three-part musical form consisting of an opening section (A), following section (B), and back to the first section (A). An example of ternary form will be “Prelude in Db Major, by Chopin.” The first section is from Db major, the second section is in C# minor then back to Db major (first section).
d) Rondo form (ABACABA)
– It may be asymmetrical (ABACADAEA) or symmetrical (ABACABA). A famous example of rondo form is “Beethoven’s Fur Elise”, it’s an ABACA rondo.
Scales
– Understanding different scales is also one of the aspects that composers need to have. Different scales provide different moods, for example, major scales will sound happier, whereas minor natural scales sound a little bit sad. There are still lots of scales out there. Picking up the correct scales will be efficient for your compositions.Â
HarmonyÂ
– Harmony is something that underlines the melody, it gives the weight and mood of the melody. Harmony functions similarly to the melody, giving a major-sounding chord that will sound happier, and a minor chord will have a little sad vibe.
Musical Styles
– Understanding different styles/genres of music are also important, we have to analyze the characteristics of the music, such as instrumentation, forms, scales, harmonies, etc. Applying different characteristics will produce a different vibe, for example, if you plan to compose something happy, you will not use minor scales, etc.Â
Instrumentations
– As a composer, you need to know different instruments as well. Nowadays, it is common to have orchestrators do the job for you, but it is definitely a bonus if you know different instruments, because you can have full control of the music.Â
Creativity
– Composers need to always create new ideas all the time. How? By listening to lots of different genres of music, getting some inspiration, and learning from great artists. After doing so, then combine all of these ideas and make them into yours. And of course, you have to understand the music theory stated above before this.
– Not only that, but you can also learn a lot by analyzing composers’ works. Analyze their decision making such as scales, harmonies, forms, etc.
– As a sensitive, attentive, and caring person, he/she will be able to compose music that easily touches others’ hearts.
– Lastly, you need to have the courage to think out of the box, always challenge yourself, and have some breakthrough every time. This is where and how you can push your creative ladies!
These are my tips and opinions on how to become a music composer, hope this helps you to kickstart as a composer. Feel free to send me messages if you have any questions.Â