Your First Music Composition Lesson - For Beginners

In this lesson for beginners, I will teach you how to write your first song. Learning to write music also known as music composition is a good skill to have, even as a singer or instrumentalist.

I find that knowing how to play piano is the most useful since it is easy to visualize the chords and melody. After the lesson, you should check out these videos which will help you better understand chord progressions and key signatures.

Before we write our song, we will review some important topics such as melody, harmony, chords, chord progressions, and some of the basic rules of writing music. There is obviously a lot more to writing music than what is covered in the lesson, but this is a great first lesson for those who have limited experience with composition. Remember that a melody is read from left to right (the part of the song you recognize and hum to yourself), and harmony is the supporting chords and is read up and down. A scale tells you all of the notes that exist in a key. You can build chords on each note of the scale, so you have 7 unique chords just like you have 7 unique notes in a scale. The combination of chords you use is known as a chord progression. One of the most common chords progressions when making a song is I, IV , V, I.

Timestamp:
00:00 Intro
00:19 What You Need to Know
00:55 Melody
01:10 Harmony
01:25 Melody Steps
02:00 Melody Skips
02:35 Melody Leaps
03:25 Chords
04:06 Chord Progressions
05:48 Key Signatures
06:34 Writing Our First Song
14:00 Review: Writing a Song from Scratch
21:09 Get the Notes for This Lesson

[vronz]

"when you write songs, use few leaps"
Liszt: "hold my beer"

[hamzaashfaque]

Man, out of all the videos I watched on music theory, none of them help me understand how to apply all this into actually writing music. Your video made so much sense to me.

[kiendinh]

This is good teaching. I’m an advanced piano player but I need some basic info. I don’t know everything.

[jenniferjoy]

This video is outstanding. I also play the piano but writing the sheet music is different. You also explained it so well which shows what an outstanding teacher you are.

[TheNocturna]

This would’ve saved me a whole year of learning music theory. Thanks. You’re a good teacher!

[Wlp]

Thank you for explaining this in simplest possible terms. Some things are so obvious many teachers forget to mention them, but they are obvious only after you have realised them once. Like melodies consisting mostly progressing on major seconds and thirds, with very occasional larger intervals.

[Asignarbrothers]

wow amazing i am also a composer but im not popular im a visayan, but im happy to see this tutorial of composition its time for me to study for more knowledge sometimes in composing music its hard but i love making music, thank you for your sharing of ideas ...more power God bless

[JhaneTheLady]

Thank you this was extremely helpful as I’m moving into the next steps of learning how to write out my chord progressions and actually start composing! 💕

[johnhill]

This is a very good breakdown on songwriting for beginners. I’ve been writing music for years and have my own channel with my compositions. But this would’ve helped when I was learning. Will help teach others how to write music.

[alissa-mariesmith]

I plan on going to college for composition after classical guitar. I’m 6:42 minutes in and This definitely is giving me a better understanding of music.

[anthonyclark]

I've just started looking into this, just to help my overall understanding of music. This tutorial covers everything I need to know!.. thanks Tim 👍

[jensenraylight]

wow, best tutorial and explained clearly and simple,
i watch many different video but they all keep talking without explaining
the principle, and it generate a confusion

you do have a talent man, great job, keep the good work

[IGNACY-fpzo]

I’ve written an Okay piece before on crappy free software, and hopefully someday I’ll make an even better one

[KTSpeedruns]

I've been searching for video tutorials and lessons for better composing. Been writing for years, but still started here with the basics. This really helps. I may have to try this approach in the future.

[MissLittleangel]

I took music as an elective and now i am regretting my decision 😂

[TheMadisonHang]

as i am on this journey
i'm starting to realize
writing for me comes from capturing what
inspiration that comes though when i play on the piano
for me its more about capturing in the moment

and that can be done in many ways, but writing and composition
its a medium that exists on paper

[cjstarjones]

you know... I thought I wasn't going to understand.... but now I do

[justdalaughters]

I need a video with *”rules of transposition for music composition”*

Can u make one? please

[rievans]

Excellent tutorial. I wrote a lyric to the melody at the 12:25 mark:

all that you need
know about me
is, I love you

[anirudhpurohitt]

I'm a songwriter and was having trouble coming up with a melody so I figured I can compose a melody on my instrument and sing it so I'm here now