How Do You Compose Music? A Step-by-Step Guide

This is a huge subject and it is interesting that there isn’t just one answer. I’m going to give you a lot of pointers today. While there are exceptions, there are those who find a certain formula. I hate to say that Mozart found a formula, but when you consider the massive quantity of music he wrote, you’ll notice that a great deal falls into Sonata Allegro form. He wrote works other than those based upon the Sonata Allegro form. There are some notable exceptions such as his operas and his Great Mass in C minor. However, there are a lot of commonalities in the structure of many of Mozart's compositions.

[adrianapartida]

Who else thought he was going to play Nocture 9. 02

[stefan]

Please show us some of your compositions I think I can speak for more than just me that I am really interested in these

[francampbell]

I love the way you play, talk and express yourself

[beaumuse]

Please, please, please publish one of your compositions!!! Your fans and friends would love this!

[AccordionandViolinlife]

This was very informative. You somehow clarified a lot for me

[DrBlort]

I'm a novice learner, and so far I've been only trying to learn to play. Now I want to experiment with compositions of my own. Thank you very much for the inspiring video!

[espressonoob]

I wish I had you as my piano tutor lol

[Kapomafioso]

You come up with beautiful musical ideas :)

[mrcet]

Great general thoughts on composition! I’ve been reviving my composition skills after 15-20ish years of “work work work, ” so very welcome video.

A great composition is compelling at the level of tiny rhythmic motifs, through melodies capped off by cadences, through to melodic developments, through to movements (potentially), through to entire symphonies, operas, etc. _Composers have to compose compellingly at all of those levels_ and that’s tough, but rewarding!

The advantage we have as composers, as opposed to improvisational performers, is that we can spend, say, 10 minutes of innovative thinking for each minute of performed music. Your music can sound 10 times as clever as real-time improvisation, if you compose skillfully.

A really great composition simultaneously both is emotionally exciting, and yet just plain _makes sense_ too. Obviously, it has to be emotionally powerful, but emotionality alone is just a scream, not music!

Start by training the heck out of your ears: Rhythmic, melodic, and harmonic dictation skills are critical to be able to “lay down” your thoughts.

[James_Bowie]

Excellent summation of the process. I think the key difficulty today -- with the huge canon of recorded music readily at hand -- is to arrive at something original. It is so easy to be derivative, which of itself is not a bad thing (all composers do it to an extent), but only in moderation.


I'm also always fascinated to hear or read composers talking about the process. Richard Rodgers preferred to compose melodies to words but with Lorenz Hart he had to write the tunes to get Hart to concentrate on coming up with the lyrics, which he often did very quickly. Oscar Hammerstein needed to compose the lyrics first -- which suited Rodgers perfectly.

[Surralll]

Thank you so much sir, this has helped me incredibly in my composing "career." Im just starting out and ive been following the way ive been told to compose, but in fact that was wrong to do and i have to develop my own ways. So kind of you to share your knowledge for free!

[Ciaran]

Good video! What I'm intrigued to know is, how to compose away from a piano. This would make life so much easier, haha.

[EmEnz]

What an informative clip, delivered with your usual brio. I wish you were around when I was learning theory!

[Mukundanghri]

Thank you Robert. This is spot on for me.

[MRorPA]

For me it starts with the vague idea. I mostly write song for a specific album, so when I try to come up with a new piece I start with thinking about a space in this album that needs filling. I then write down the atmospheric characteristics that I want to express in order to progress the flow of the album. Say, I feel like the next song needs to be a longer, slower piece that ends with a big climax. I try to come up with a WIP structure and then usually I go step by step, trying to react to what is happening. A lot of the time, the initial structure gets massively changed as I progress, because I feel like "that's what the music needs". And as for composing individual sections, there really isn't a "one size fits all". Sometimes I start with a drum groove, sometimes a chord progression or an ambient soundscape... There's definitely some "cliches" that I exercise, which are a consequence of having some "musical vocabulary" or whatnot, but I try (emphasis on "try") to incorporate new things with every composition.

[Mukundanghri]

Sometimes as a composer you hit a wall. I find that walking away from it for some time and allow it to brew works best for me.

[primeirrational]

Holy shit, you made these melodies up completely spontaneously? That’s awesome

[axelcanu]

Thank you so much for this very useful video!

[jim]

When playing classical music do you incorporate chord inversions? Or is that a no-no and you are supposed to play exactly what is written?

[kelloginc]

Amazing video, very well said, cheers!