Starting basic composition

[moverly132]

Hey there pianists.

I'm a beginner of 1 month.

I have a question for people with composition experience.

Do you recommend attempting to notate basic compositions or melodies as a beginner. If so do you recommend I stick to a scale I know like C major and attempt to compose and notate without a keyboard in front of me. I figure even if my root c is off in my mental scale the intervals are more important than the actual notes. I can correctly identify a major scale and the perfect intervals. Can I use these basic building blocks to begin very rudimentary composition. Perhaps if i carry my tuning fork with me i can build the major scale off that.

Anyway it's probably a very silly question and I'm getting way ahead of myself but composing music in your head and notating it without an instrument seems so far away that I thought I would find a baby step approach which would satisfy my need to feel that I am progressing in all the areas I wish to, not just playing and sight reading.

I do not have perfect pitch nor do I have excellent relative pitch however I have an excellent musical memory and can almost always sit down and work out music from memory and 95% of the time it is in the right key.

I have a teacher and she is great but I just wanted to hear from the wealth of knowledge that is this forum and maybe hear some opinions on how other people began notating from their heads.

Or just tell me to forget it and come back when in a while when I have more of an idea of what's going on.

Thanks in advance for any of you who reply.

Dave.

[mad_max2024]

Not sure I understood the question but I'll leave my thoughts anyway.

I usually have a guitar next to me when songwriting. That helps me figure out the melodies. If I am at my piano I can do things a lot faster and easier, but I usually write at my computer which is not always near a piano.
I usually make up the basic music in my head, then I write it out and elaborate on it more carefully.

As for ideas... They pop into my head at the most unexpected of times, wether I am at work, in bed, at the toilet, etc. I use my cellphone to record myself humming whatever idea I had, melody, harmony or even just rythm. Then when I sit down to write I already have some things to work with.
I find the time when I go to bed and am looking to sleep to be particularly fruitful.

Of course, that's just me. I have the feeling if you ask 100 people what they do you will get 100 different answers.
I'm also not a classical composer, I'm just trying to write some songs for a band of friends.
Good luck

[goldentone]

My advice generale:  I would leave the composing from your head, which I think is quite an advanced ability, for later.  Composing is something I plan to become serious about in the near future, and my approach is to start out with a non-intimidating musical canvas, like a prelude, from which to gain confidence from.  If you were just starting to write poetry, you wouldn't begin with an epic.  Start small and go from there.  I also think it helps to write in the style of a certain composer at the beginning.  Later you can develop your own voice.  There is a piece of wisdom I came across some years ago that I think is relevant here which is true for certain things or at certain times, that freedom inhibits creativity.

[chozartmaninoff]

Firstly i would say spend more time learning the piano. One month isnt anywhere near enough to gain enough now-how to freely move around the piano.

However if you want to give it a go, i'd say go for it. Read my post. Its just a basic guide to how you can start to put a piece together.

hope it helps.

choz

[jabbz]

Repost of my suggestions:

I recommend approaching like this:

1) Learn Music Theory. There really is no way around this, I've never heard of a professional composer who hasn't had at least a bachelors level education in music.

2) Expose yourself to as many musics as you can. Seriously, listen to everything.

3) Develop your aural skills to a high level. Nothing is worse than hearing something in your head and not knowing what it is.

4) Write constantly, different forms, different tonalities, different instrumentation, go mad.

5) Once you've mastered music theory, forget all of it.

6) Go and be a composer.

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These are specific to those interested in becoming professional composers, but the general principles apply to any and all interested in learning how to compose.