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When we play from sheet music, we’re playing someone else’s idea.
You may be at the very beginning of your studies, just learning how to find Middle C on the piano and play a short piece on one note; or you may be an advanced musician, tackling complex and wonderful music. Or anywhere in between.
Regardless, if you’re playing from sheet music, someone wrote it down for you.
The creation of written-down music is called composition.
How do composers do it? How does someone write a piece of music, or a song, or a tune?
There’s more than one answer to this question. Here are three “ways in” to composing music:
You might hear a tune in your head. Not a tune you already know from some song you’ve heard, but something unique and new. If you like it, you might want to write it down so you don’t forget it. How you write it down is up to you – there are many different ways to get music from your head onto paper. But if you want someone else to understand what you’ve written, and even sing or play it for themselves, you need to use the standard code that all musicians understand. It’s called notation, and it’s taught by all good music teachers.
Alternatively, you can start with the notation. There is good computer software which allows you to write the music down directly and then listen to what you’ve put down. If you want to change it, that’s easy. You can experiment, try different ideas, and finish up with something you like. It’s already notated, which means anyone else can play or sing the music you’ve just composed.
A third way in is to play or sing your idea to someone who has the skill to notate it for you. That way you bypass everything else! You don’t need to understand computer software, you don’t need knowledge of music theory or experience of writing music down. All you need is the right kind of friend! When they’ve notated the music for you, they can play it back to you and you can confirm that it’s correct. But if you want to add to it, or change it, or put in extra ideas, you have to keep returning to your friend to do it for you. You will be dependent on them forever, as far as your musical compositions are concerned.
I invite all my students to have a go at Method I or Method 2. Try to write something down. If you don’t have the computer software I mentioned, you can buy a pad of manuscript paper, or just rule the five lines of the stave onto ordinary paper. Manuscript paper is much easier to work with though, and it’s not that expensive. The image shows a useful pad of a hundred pages of manuscript paper, and the current cost from Amazon is £4.99. Here’s the link you need.
Computer software, as you’d expect, is a great deal more expensive, but really fun to use. I don’t recommend buying it unless you intend to do serious composition and have the time to spend on it.
The most popular notation software packages are Sibelius and MuseScore. Both have free trial offers, and both run on Windows or Mac computers.
Whether you choose to hand-write on manuscript paper or to use notation software, I would like everyone to try their hand at composing. I would set a minimum length of eight bars.
Here’s a structure. You’ll find it helpful if this is all completely new to you:
- Write a treble clef at the start of the stave (if you’re using Sibelius or MuseScore, you select the clef from the options presented to you).
- Now write a time signature of 4/4 (four beats in the bar).
- Now you have a choice!
- Option 1: Sit at the piano, play a few notes, experiment until you’re happy with your idea, then write it down. Try to use the write time values, so you may need to count aloud as you play. Crotchets for one beat, minims for notes that last two beats, etc.
- Option 2: Pick up your pencil or your computer mouse and begin writing. Then play it back. If you want to change something, you can. If using a pencil, always write softly and have a rubber at hand. Write neatly, too. Use a ruler for stems and beams. Software will take care of all of this for you, but it won’t have any ideas of its own!
When you have written eight bars, all separated by neatly ruled bar-lines, you have your first composition! Congratulations!
If you’ve done this before, you can expand into longer pieces, you can use key signatures, accidentals and interesting rhythms. You can add instructions for tempo, dynamics and articulation.
But if this is your first time ever, stop after eight bars.
All you have to do now is give your composition a title. This could be technical, such as “Study” or “Small Piece for Piano”. Or it could be emotive, like “A Walk in the Woods”, or “Playing with my Cat”. Or obscure, such as “Bent Twigs” or “Antediluvianism”. It’s entirely up to you!
I hope, if you are my pupil, you will show me your composition. I’d love to see it.
Don’t feel daunted by this – anyone who’s had at least half a term of lessons on piano or keyboard can do it. Give it a go!
I’d love to know what you think of this Humoresque. You can put a comment in the box below this post, or you can email me directly. I read and respond to everything.
Humoresque is available to anyone who might be interested. You don’t have to be one of my pupils, or even learning music. If you know anyone who might be interested in subscribing to Humoresque, please let me know. I will only need their name and their email address. Thanks.
Humoresque = a whimsical or fanciful piece of music. Be whimsical, be fanciful, but play in time!
This is Humoresque Number 32