Tom Gurin is a music composer and an experienced composition teacher. He has taught hundreds of lessons ranging from beginners to the graduate level, with students of all ages. Contact him now to schedule an online lesson in music composition. Lessons are available in English or French.
Music composition means combining notes, chords, or elements of other sounds into a single, original "piece" of music that can be listened to. For many modern composers, this process can include brainstorming, writing musical ideas by hand, working with software, communicating with performers during rehearsals, and/or using structured improvisations.
1. Start writing music right away. You get to decide on the instruments, the length of the piece, and your musical style. We can discuss where to look for inspiration, how to structure your composition, and techniques for writing it all down (by hand or with a computer, such as in Sibelius) so that others can play your music, too. My goal is to help you develop and share your unique musical ideas.
2. Not all music has to be notes on a page. Instead of writing dots on lines, you have the opportunity to create an original digital music composition using software to build sounds from the ground up and/or to transform sounds that you record. I will teach you how the software works and how to use it to compose music.
3. Learn about music theory. Do you wonder how music works? Or, how a composer from the past decided which notes to write? Do you have a favorite song or piece of music, and want to fully understand what makes it so good? Together, we can analyze songs or pieces using music theory techniques. We will start with lessons on music theory to build an analytical toolset, and then apply those tools to music that you choose. From there, I can help you apply what you learn to develop your own compositional voice and style.
Each lesson is tailored to meet the goals of the individual student. Here are a few of the topics that we can discuss during lessons:
- How to compose a melody
- How to write harmonies
- How to structure the form of your composition
- Orchestration
- Writing for strings
- Writing for woodwinds
- Major and minor key functions
- AI and music
- Writing music with electronics
- Electroacoustic composition
- Using Max/MSP
- Chromaticism and modal mixture
- Writing counterpoint in two, three, or four voices in choral (SATB) or keyboard textures
- How to understand figured bass
- How to use Sibelius notation software for music composition
- Arranging music
- Digital music composition
- Musique concrète
- How to use Logic Pro X for music composition
- How to write minimalist music
- How to write spectralist music
- How to compose the musical score for a film
- How to compose the musical score for a video game
- Jazz composition
- Writing pop songs
- Working with performers
- Recording your music
- Multimedia Composition
- Where to find inspiration for your music
These lessons are for people of all ages and levels who have a strong interest in learning how to write music in any style.
1. Learn from a professional and experienced composer and music educator. Tom Gurin was educated in music theory and composition at Yale University, the Geneva Conservatory (HEM Genève), the École Normale de Musique de Paris, and the Belgian Royal Carillon School. Tom has taught hundreds of 1-on-1 lessons and is prepared to get you thinking in music.
2. Personalized support for your composition goals. This is not a one-size-fits all music course. There are no pre-recorded videos. Every 1-on-1 composition lesson is tailored to meet the goals of the individual student.
3. Open mindset for all styles of music. Learn to write the music that you want to hear. If you aren't interested in a certain topic, you don't have to learn about it. In the twenty-first century, there are hundreds of ways to compose music. There is room for everyone.
Step 1: Decide which musical instrument(s) to compose for. Every musical instrument, including the piano, has a unique sound (or “timbre”) and range of notes that it can play. Do you want to write music that is low and booming? Or maybe high and quiet? Will you use chords? For beginners to composing, it is best to start with just one instrument for your first piece. The piano is often a good choice because it has a wide range of notes and dynamics.
Step 2: Decide how long your piece will be. Time management is one of the most important skills for composers because all music happens in time. A common mistake that beginners make is not setting lengths for their pieces, and instead just to compose until they run out of ideas. This is not recommended for a couple of reasons. First, it is deceptively easy to write music that goes on for too long past where it should have finished. The audience will lose interest in this kind of music. Second, you shouldn’t be composing until you run out of ideas because each piece should only have a few ideas that you are working with. Generally, the length of the piece comes from expanding on or combining a small number of musical ideas (another word for this is “development”, which we will come back to later). Start by setting a time window that you are aiming for. For example, 2-3 minutes.
Step 3: Listen to existing music that fits your desired instrumentation and length. It may seem counterintuitive if you already have an idea for what to write, but it is highly recommended to listen to as much music as possible. This has two advantages:
- You might find that someone else has written something similar
- You might find a piece of music that inspires you to write something completely different from what you were originally intending.
A huge amount of music is available for listening on Spotify, YouTube, Amazon Music, and more. Take advantage of these resources. If you aren’t finding music that you like, then feel free to send me a message and I will surely have some recommendations. If you still don’t like what you’re hearing, then it’s up to you to compose what you want to hear!
Step 4: Think about the music that you would want to hear. Although it can be a useful exercise to practice composing music in the style of someone else (such as a past composer) even if you don’t like it, when it’s time to actually compose your own music, you should always try to compose music that you would enjoy listening to. There are two reasons for this:
- You’re the one who has to listen to it over and over again, either in your head or some other way.
- If you like the music that you compose, chances are that other people will like it, too.
Step 5: Write down (or otherwise record) all of your ideas. This includes melodies, motifs, rhythms, chords, dynamics, articulations, etc. Don’t worry yet about putting everything in the right place—just make a list of all of the musical elements that you want to work with. For this step, you can use a paper and pencil, a notation software, or simply record yourself playing them. If you have access to a piano, or a guitar, set your phone to record and then start playing. If you want, make a separate recording for each idea.
For this step, it is very helpful to have an understanding of music theory. This will allow you to better identify what you are hearing, why you like it or don’t like it, and to go from there. For example, are you playing with a tonal key center? Are you using a lot of triplets? Do you like the sound of the octatonic scale? An experienced composition teacher can also help you with music theory, if you are interested.
Step 6: Edit your ideas. Make note of which ideas go well together. Are there some melodies that share similar characteristics? Did you find chords that have some overlapping notes? Choose a handful of musical elements that seem to work well together, and separate them from the rest. It is important not to make your music more complicated than it needs to be by including every single idea that you come up with. Music composition is not about having lots of ideas; it is about combining a small number of ideas in interesting ways. You will be surprised how much music you can get out of just a handful of motifs or rhythms or other elements. That way, the final product will be cohesive and work together as a singular piece of music, rather than sounding like a bunch of ideas strung together in a stream-of-consciousness kind of fashion.
Step 7: Consider structure. 99% of the time, an underlying structure is at the heart of a great musical composition. The listeners may not always be aware of it, but musical structure (also called “form”) is extremely important. For example, one of the most used structures of all time is ABA, or “ternary form”. In this structure, the composer starts with one idea (A), and then uses a second, often related idea (B), and finally returns to the initial idea (A). Another, very different example for a freer formal structure might to gradually transition from A to B while also transitioning from very soft to very loud. There are infinite ways to think about form, but keep these things in mind:
- All music happens through time, so have an idea of how long you would like each section to last, or how far along you would like to place certain points of articulation.
- Do you want there to be a climax? If so, when?
- Keep it relatively simple. The whole point of a formal structure is to give your music a backbone so that it is cohesive. If your piece of music is only a few minutes long, you might not have time to introduce more than three or four distinct sections.
Step 8: Work from macro to micro. Now that you have decided on a large-scale structure, start to zoom in on certain sections and pencil in the ideas that you think would work best for each section. For instance, if you want to have an introduction that lasts for thirty seconds, which one of the ideas would work best? Gradually start adding more and more detail.
Step 9: If you get stuck, take a break. Composing music doesn’t always mean sitting at a table with a pencil and paper. Your brain will be thinking and listening on its own while you do other things, like take a walk or read a book. Many composers get inspired from listening to other peoples’ music, or by exploring other media like visual art. Try going to a museum and looking for parallels between the forms that you see and the form that you want to compose.
Step 10: If you can play it, then play it. The best way to edit your music is to play it (or have it played) out loud. This is true throughout the entire process of composing music. When listening, you will almost certainly notice things that you like or don’t like about what you composed. Close your eyes if you can and focus on the sounds and how they make you feel. As you play, notice if there is a passage that feels unusually difficult or technically challenging. For example, if you are writing for the piano, you probably don’t want to ask the performer to stretch their fingers too far apart, as this can cause strain in the hands. (Also, if there is a section that is particularly un-pianistic, the performer may have less control over phrasing and dynamics).
Step 11: Edit. Once you have a first draft, be prepared to go through at least two more rounds of revision.
Step 12: Meet with a teacher. Music composition is difficult. A great music composition teacher will help you to develop your own voice and writing style. One-on-one composition lessons are extremely helpful when you have just started on a brand new piece. There is no template for a typical composition lesson (it all depends on what the student wants to get out of it). The topics can include the nitty gritty of music theory, practical techniques for writing for the piano in natural ways that fit well under the fingers, and even philosophy of art. Composition lessons should always be individual sessions that focus on your goals.
Contact Tom Gurin now.