Want to learn to compose my own music!

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Experiment with different structures and different part lengths. It is how I troubleshoot the tabs I write for solo material.

Also, polyrhythms can be fun. Just do them well and have everything sync up with a consistent rhythm section (often playing the same time) and you get a more interesting piece overall.

Tempo changes also make a composition more exciting.

Hmmm...

I really don't have many instrument playing skills (though I did play trombone in high school). I'd love to learn how to compose music that computer can play. The problem is I don't know how you can really put strong passion or emotion into music without playing the instruments yourself. I imagine it would be hard to get a computer to reproduce exactly what I hear in my head without having extremely fine-tuned methods of controlling the shapes of the sound waves. Of course my interest would be in creating really experimental stuff where I don't simply invent the notes and rhythms but try to create the sounds themselves. Also fear software to make something really good might be expensive.

Hey J-P,

As a musician I can tell you you can choose one of these options: either buy an arranger keyboard, which can get ideas down faster, or use a computer which might be more tedious for you but is more professional and IMHO what you should be aiming for.

If you compose classically you would prolly want to take a look at Sibelius, it's good for people who want to arrange scores for orchestras. However from my experience and style (rock/pop) I'd rather work with Cubase, it's easier to get into. I used to compose some stuff and although I wasn't BY ANY MEANS a professional (to be one you have to take a course in music production) I managed to squeeze out a few good tracks! (in my soundcloud page). I've stopped making tracks though because I invest my current time in playing live (my synth, melodica, uke and sometimes harmonica).

If you want to compose at your computer, you should be thinking of getting a midi keyboard - ESPECIALLY since you're a piano player already. That would help a bunch. Just open up Cubase (or your chosen DAW) and start experimenting with it. The key here is to not give up or get bored because you might just start a track and never end it.

As for WHAT to compose and HOW in the sense of theory, that's something you should feel (like parking/stopping a car near the sidewalk - you should "feel" the sidewalk so you don't "step" on it). I have absolute hearing and a great sense of composing but it is obviously something you need to cultivate. By reading a lot of books, you will improve upon your story writing skills. same with music. There are different patterns and chords... it's same as math... for example in some songs no matter what you will have to go back to the "starting chord" so you finish the segment. It's this and that and all those small things that you need to watch out for when you compose. Good luck my friend

Edit (P.S)

For you to know, there are different types of designations for instruments, for example:

Lead- leads are typically what leads the melody, mostly vocals in verbal songs, and can be synth/guitar/sax or something else in instrumental tracks. For example - the lead synthesizer in the song "the final countdown" the one we all know and love, or the saxophone of George Michael's Careless Whisper.

Pad (for piano)- is basically the "rhytm guitar" for piano players, can be a choir,organ, synth pad or just piano/electric piano.

Bass- Either electric bass, acoustic bass and synth/keyboard bass (mainly in dance and electrofunk) in modern western music. Bass = the Base of the chord (the first note for example C chord is CEG, C is the bass)

There are also different types of sound effects you can add to making your composition more intresting. When you download more plugins you will unlock more effects. Like wind, Computer, laser gun, etc just giving you the general idea.

I just heared you first composition and it's quite good. You seem to know how to match the right bass to the right chord. It's a really good start. You practically on your right way. I'd advise you to use syncopations in your later scores.

Sorry for long post.

get paul hindemith's the "craft of musical composition"

get the berlioz orchestration book

what music do you play on your piano,lean bach's well tempered klavier.the fugues will help you learn to develop counterpoint and polyphony.

you must study with someone,even if you cant get into a consevatory for composition which you wont because you just started.even private piano lessons can help with theory

Here's a free course on Coursera

Write Like Mozart: An Introduction to Classical Music Composition