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Secrets To Better Composing & Improvising

By

David Hicken
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!1
 Introduction
About Me 5
About This Book 6
Yes, You Can Compose! 6
A Few Words About Terminology 9
Now Is A Great Time To Compose Music 10
Composing Is Good For You 11

Setting Yourself Up As A Composer

Make A Commitment 12
Create Your Workspace 12
Your Instruments And Tools 13
The Three Essentials 15
Time 15
Patience 15
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Discipline 16
Work With A Clear Mind 16
Begin With The End In Mind 16
Support 17

Four Core Areas Of Study

Develop Your Piano Skills 18
Study Scales 19
Learn Music Notation 19
Master Your Software 21
Summary 24

Additional Studies
Music Theory 25
Scales 25
Harmony 26
Counterpoint 27
Orchestration 27
Form 28
Listen To Great Music 29
Read And Follow Scores 30
Read Composer Biographies 31
Summary 31

The Ingredients Of Good Music

Elements Of A Composition 32
Melody 32
Accompaniment 34

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 Bass 36
Harmony 36
Rhythm 37
Form 38
Pulse And Tempo 38
Time Signature (Meter) 39
Dynamics 40
Timbre 40
Summary 41

Getting Started
The History Of Improvisation 42
What Is Improvisation? 42
Taking The First Step 43
Composing vs. Editing 44
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Inspiration 45
Consonance And Dissonance 46
Intervals 47
Horizontal vs. Vertical 49
Summary 49

Conforming Your Music

Tonality 50
Choose A Key 53
Harmony 55
Summary 58

Packaging Your Music

Melody 59
Meter 61
Tempo 62
Rhythm 62
Form 63

Contrasting Elements
Movement vs. Stationary 65
Up vs. Down 65
Melody vs. Accompaniment 66
Loud vs. Soft 66
High vs. Low 67
Dark vs. Light 68
Sound vs. Silence 68
Smooth vs. Detached 69

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 Fast vs. Slow 69
Long vs. Short 70
Full vs. Thin 70
Major vs. Minor 70
Summary 71

The Composing Process

Melody & Chords 71
Movement 72
What To Play With A Chord 73
Placement Of Notes Within A Chord 74
Changing Chords 75
Developing Ideas 76
Structuring Ideas 78
An Introduction 79
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Repeating A Melody 79
Thirds, Sixths, Octaves & Tenths 80
Modulation 80
Damper Pedal 81
Avoid Comparisons 82
Titles 83
Length 83
Summary 83

General Tips
Enjoy The Journey 84
Trust Your Ears 84
Perform Your Music For People 85
Backup Your Work 85
Dealing With Writers Block 86
Protecting Your Work 87
Summary 88

Putting Things Into Practice

Mastering Triads And Their Inversions 89
Mastering Triads Of The Scale 95
Chord Symbols 96
Triads Of The Minor Scale 96
Mastering Quadrads 110
The Cycle Of Fifths 115
Cycle Of Fifths Using Quadrads 125
Conclusion 129

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 Introduction

About Me

My music training began with piano lessons at the age of three with my
mother who was a successful piano teacher. It wasn’t easy at first, but
because I was expected to practice every day, I soon became advanced for
my age.

In England, it was common for music students to prepare for examinations

twice per year, which I did from the age of seven onwards. These
examinations consisted of scales and arpeggios, sight reading, ear training
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as well as three pieces of music of contrasting styles and periods.

Additional theory examinations consisted of everything regarding music
notation.

I took exams in piano, clarinet and organ and soon became very serious
about my studies, knowing that I wanted to become a musician.

While still in my teens, I took teaching diplomas which involved intense

study of harmony, counterpoint and orchestration, but despite all of this
training, I had no desire to become a composer because my ambitions lay
in becoming a classical organist.

However, when I discovered synthesizers at the age of eighteen, I

composed my first piece of music and I was absolutely hooked. Within
just a few months of my first composition, I sent some tracks to record
companies in London and signed my first record contract when I was
nineteen.

My journey as a composer has changed a lot since those first few

compositions, and I’ve learned much along the way. I am very happy to
share what I have learned with you throughout this book.

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 About This Book

Countless people throughout the world would love to be able to write a

piece of music, but simply don’t know where to begin.

I decided to write this book to help remove some of the mystery about the
wonderful art of composing and improvising. People who have no prior
knowledge of music will find it useful, as well as those who already have
some musical ability.

However, I must be brutally honest with you upfront. Composition cannot

be taught, it must be learned. Just as you can’t learn to paint a beautiful
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painting by reading a book, this book alone will not transform you into a
great composer. It will however, point you in the right direction.

You should consider this a guidebook which will help you to understand
what you need to learn as a composer and where to find that information.
Music is a vast subject, and there are certain elements that a composer
must be very familiar with in order to get his or her ideas down. You will
learn all about them here.

Books on harmony, counterpoint, orchestration, form and analysis can be

very dull. I know because I’ve read so many of them. So throughout this
book, I will direct you towards topics that you absolutely should know and
help you to avoid wasting time studying subjects which will be of no value
to you. Yes, you will need to study as well as practice, but this book will
help you to do it effectively and in the shortest time possible. Hopefully
you will also have some fun along the way.

Yes, You Can Compose!

Almost anyone can learn a foreign language if they really put their mind to
it. Admittedly, languages are easier for some people than others, but just

!6
 about anyone can learn if they are taught properly, and if they practice
regularly.

This is also true of composing music, because almost anyone can do it if

they are shown how, but, just as in mastering a language, consistent and
regular practice is the key to success.

The problem is that so many people just don’t believe that they could ever
write music. They hold false assumptions such as “if I don’t hear melodies
in my head, how can I compose?” or “I need a music degree and lots of
teachers in order to compose.” Of course, these statements simply aren’t
true.
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Great composers of the past such as Bach, Mozart and Beethoven didn’t
have degrees in music, nor did they have many teachers. However, they
immersed themselves in the mysteries of music, studied far more than any
college course would ever require, and ultimately became masters of their
art.

Although there are cases of composers who heard melodies in their heads
and then wrote them down (Mozart), this is the exception to the rule.
Great pieces of music are worked on diligently for long periods of time
until the result is satisfying. Beethoven took years to complete some of his
symphonies.

Composing music is a matter of combining pitches, rhythms and sounds,

usually around a steady beat. In order to do this successfully, there are a
number of rules, which if applied, will generally yield satisfactory results.
You can learn to apply these rules yourself, and it’s not as difficult as you
might think.

Many dreams have been thwarted because people assumed that they
could never compose music, however almost as damaging is the belief
that they could never compose something great. Having high

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 expectations can be a good thing, but setting your sights on writing a
number one hit and then assuming that you will probably fail, is not a
good thing.

It is unfortunate that the words “fame” and “fortune” are inextricably

linked to the music world. If you were learning to paint, you would
probably be able to focus solely on the art of painting without worrying
about whether your next work will help you to “make it,” but musicians
often cannot remove the concept of stardom from their minds when
writing music, which can certainly be counter-productive.

There is indeed an “x-factor” in the art of music composition; an unseen

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element, difficult if not impossible to define, which some people possess

and yet others do not. However, we often don’t realize that the composers
who are currently experiencing tremendous success due to this “x-factor”
also wrote a lot of music that did not do well. Usually it took years for
them to see the success that they are now enjoying. The magic of this “x-
factor” can often be developed by consistently working on and improving
one’s skills.

Although it is valuable to study and learn from great work, it is also

important to not compare ourselves too much to others in the same
profession. One thing is for sure, there will always be people who are
better than you and there will always be people who are worse. Better to
ignore them and just concentrate on your own work.

Points to remember:

• Anyone can compose music

• Music composition is learned by doing
• Knowing that you can compose is of paramount importance
• Compose without any expectations and enjoy the process
• Avoid comparing yourself and your work to anyone else
• Compose music for yourself first and foremost

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 A Few Words About Terminology

The word “song” has in recent years, due to the proliferation of music
websites such as iTunes, come to mean any recorded track. Of course, this
isn’t always accurate because songs are sung, and usually include lyrics.

A music composition which does not have lyrics is generally called a piece
of music, musical work, composition or instrumental.

A songwriter is a composer who writes music to be sung, which often

includes a melody and accompaniment. Songwriters can also write lyrics.
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A lyricist is someone who writes lyrics (words) which can be used in a music
composition (song). Many people who only write lyrics often refer to
themselves as songwriters which isn’t completely accurate. They also
sometimes refer to lyrics as songs, but lyrics only become songs when they
have been married to a melody.

A composer writes any form of music whether it is a song or a piece of

music, and can usually write for different instruments. Some composers
also write lyrics.

The term “composer” used throughout this book also applies to the
songwriter because they are really the same thing. It does not however,
refer to the lyricist because writing lyrics is beyond the scope of this book.

Almost all of the information presented here is just as pertinent to those

who write songs as it is for those who write symphonies.

I sometimes use the words “serious composer” and “serious music” to

differentiate between contemporary genres such as rock, pop and jazz,
and classical, film and avant-garde genres. I am in no way implying that
composers of contemporary music are not serious or that their work is not
serious.

!9
 Composing is the art of creating a musical work that can be performed
and or recorded. This usually, but not always, involves writing the work
down in some way which can be read and understood by other musicians.

Improvising is the act of creating music spontaneously at an instrument

such as the piano, which is often a one-time event. Usually, the
performance is not written down, and is not intended to be repeated in
the same way again.

Now Is A Great Time To Compose Music

Despite the ever-changing music industry, there will always be a demand

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for new music. Contemporary music comes and goes, and several years
later tends to come back around again. Some genres stand the test of
time a little better than others, but despite the fluctuations, there will
always be a place for new compositions, and therefore new composers.

More music genres exist now than ever before, and more people
throughout the world are listening to music than at any point in history.
Opportunities exist for composers that just weren’t around twenty years
ago. For example, a number of composers are experiencing great success
by scoring for video games, some of which have very large budgets for full
orchestras.

More television programs and movies are being produced than ever
before, and newer companies such as Netflix and Amazon are creating
high-quality content which requires music.

Technology is making it easier and more fun to compose. Music notation

software, sequencers, digital tablets, apps, faster computers and digital
sound libraries all allow composers to do things in new and different ways.

!10
 Streaming music sites such as Spotify, Pandora, Apple Music and Google
Play are creating streams of revenue for composers which they could never
have imagined just a few years ago.

I could give many more examples, but it’s clear that this is a great time for
aspiring composers. People will always be very quick to point out to you
that music is a tough business and that you may end up poor and
destitute. But people who say these things usually have no first-hand
knowledge of the industry and base their comments on what they have
read or heard. I suggest that when you hear these comments (which you
will), that you either ignore them, or use the examples above to show why
composing music is a good choice for you.
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Composing Is Good For You

The act of creation has always been very rewarding for humans, but
perhaps nothing is quite as rewarding as creating a piece of music that can
be listened to and enjoyed by others.

The process of composing music is like embarking on a journey, and as

you might imagine, it is the journey itself that is important rather than the
destination.

When you are in the middle of a composition, it can often be like a

meditative state. Your brain and mind function differently and you forget
any concerns or worries that you have at the moment. Time takes on a
different meaning, and in fact becomes irrelevant. You'll often look at the
clock and wonder where the time has gone.

Composing music can have a calming and soothing effect (depending of

course upon the type of music that you are writing). Any time that you
transport yourself to another place, away from your normal day to day
activities, you have nourished your soul. Spending time with music will
always make you feel better, no matter your current state.

!11
 Setting Yourself Up As A Composer

Make A Commitment

Make a decision that you can and will compose your own music and have
a great time doing it. This may seem obvious enough, but some people
want to try it out and dabble with it. Either commit to being a composer
or don’t. A strong commitment will make a difference psychologically, and
will also make a difference in the type of music you create.

Create Your Workspace

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You are going to spend many hours working on your music as well as
studying your craft, so take some time to create the most comfortable
working environment that you can.

Depending upon where you live, try to find a space which will be free of all
distractions. When I close the door of my studio, I know that I won’t be
disturbed by anyone. I also get into the habit of silencing my phone as
well as ignoring emails while I’m working. Ask your family members not to
disturb you while you are working. This is most important, because a
knock on the door when you are in the middle of an idea can cause it to
be lost forever.

I enjoy being surrounded by music-related items such as statues and

pictures of the great composers, but anything that helps to inspire you will
be perfect for your special space.

I have a variety of lighting options in my studio because sometimes I

prefer bright light, and at other times, particularly in the evening, I enjoy
subdued, soft lighting. I often use a diffuser with essential oils because it
has a soothing effect which helps me to work better. I sometimes burn
candles too.

!12
 Your Instruments And Tools

The tools that you will use for composing will vary depending upon who
you are and what you are trying to achieve.

The few composers who hear music in their heads might only need a
pencil and manuscript paper, whereas a singer/songwriter might only need
a guitar and a recording device.

I recommend a piano for everyone who wishes to write music, because it

allows you to see exactly what you are doing due to the notes being laid
out in front of you. Almost all of the great composers had a keyboard of
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some description which they used constantly to try out ideas.

The most important aspect of any piano that you use for composing is that
you like it. It should feel good to you and sound good to you. For some
people, it may also be necessary to look good as well which is totally fine.

You can compose great music on a grand piano, an upright piano, a digital
piano, or even a keyboard connected to a computer or sound module. I
do suggest that if using an electronic device that you have a full 88 note
keyboard with weighted keys. For a discussion about selecting a piano or
electronic instrument, see my other book “Secrets To Better Piano
Playing.”

Your studio should include a computer with either sequencing software,

music notation software, or both. The quickest and easiest way to create a
permanent record of your musical ideas is to play them into a computer
and then save the file. Although it is possible to record to an iPhone or
iPad, these devices are currently limited in how they can edit the data
afterwards, so it is better to use a computer.

!13
 If you are using an electronic keyboard or digital piano, then it should be
hooked up to your computer using a USB cable. If you are using an older
MIDI keyboard, you may also need a USB-MIDI interface.

You will also need a good pair of reference monitors (speakers) to play
back your work. It is possible to spend thousands of dollars on a good
pair of monitors, but unless you are doing serious mixing and sound
editing, you won’t have to spend that much. However, purchase the best
quality speakers that you can afford, and avoid inexpensive computer
monitors.

There are three basic ways of recording your ideas into a computer:
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• Create an audio file

• Create a sequence file
• Create a music notation file

Recording an audio file can be very useful when you don’t want to forget
an idea, however the file is limited in how it can be edited later on.

Recording a sequence file is much better because the data can later be
manipulated. You have the ability to change notes and speed as well as
many other aspects of the performance.

Recording a notation file is a little bit like creating a sequence file, but
displays your performance as standard music notation that can be read by
other musicians.

Methods two and three are the best ways to work with your music, and I’ll
be talking about these a lot more throughout the book.

I use a Kawai VPC1 Piano Controller, which I feel is the very best keyboard
controller on the market, but there are many other makes and models
which work just as well.

!14
 I use Logic Pro as my sequencer, but Digital Performer, Cubase and Pro
Tools are also excellent.

I use Sibelius as my notation software, but Finale and Dorico work just as
well. Notion is also quite good and I use it sometimes on my iPad for
jotting down ideas.

The Three Essentials

To learn and master the art of composing, one needs three critical things;
time, patience and discipline.
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Time

Just as with anything else in life, you need to regularly spend time on your
composition in order to improve. It’s not about how much knowledge you
have right now, but rather how much knowledge you will gain during the
time you spend while composing. Also, it’s not just how much time you
spend composing, but rather how often you compose. Generally, a small
amount of time spent each day will yield far greater results than spending
one hour three days per week.

Make a point of scheduling your composing time. Once it is marked on a

calendar it become real, and you are more likely to follow through with it
consistently. Try to work at the same time each day so as to firmly
establish it as a habit.

Patience

We live in a world where we expect instant results, and it is understandable

that you will want to see your compositional skills soar in a short period of
time. However, it is important to be patient and take one step at a time.
Writing lots and lots of music, even if much of it is mediocre, will help to
develop skills that will enable you to compose even better music in the

!15
 future. Everything that you compose has value, even if you don’t feel
satisfied with the end result. By consistently writing music, you will
discover newer and better ways of accomplishing the results that you were
seeking. Be patient!

Discipline

There will be times when you feel frustrated about composing, but
compose anyway. There will be times when you just don’t feel in the
mood for it, but compose anyway. Although your best work will usually
occur when you are inspired, continue to work consistently, and realize that
you are honing your skills and developing your craft. Just as with great
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athletes, discipline is necessary to push through the tough times. Continue

to march forward confidently, and strive to become the best composer that
you can be.

Work With A Clear Mind

Get into the habit of leaving your troubles at the door as you begin your
composition work. You will be tapping into, and using a different part of
your brain than you normally use throughout the day, and your connection
will be much easier if you leave your worries behind. Take a moment to
focus on your breathing, and work to clear your mind as much as possible.
This will help to make your session much more productive, but if you do
find yourself angry or worried about something, either postpone
composing for later, or maybe put it off until the following day.

Begin With The End In Mind

As you begin composing, the sky is the limit because you are free to come
up with whichever ideas you like. But as you continue to improve, you will
want to use your musical ideas in a meaningful way, so take a moment to
develop a plan as to what sort of music you want to write. For example, if
you know that you will not be writing a song, then you can eliminate the

!16
 need for lyrics as well as the choice of appropriate voice type for your
song. If you know that you want to write a piano solo, your ideas
immediately become more focused specifically to that instrument.
Likewise, if you want to write chamber music, perhaps you can start
thinking about the instruments that are necessary for a string quartet.

Many aspiring composers spend hours working on ideas without any clear
plan as to what to do with them. Very often, their ideas amount to nothing
and simply remain as musical fragments.

It is also useful to have a rough idea as to when you expect to complete

your piece of music. You don’t have to be too rigid with this, but if you
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know in the back of your mind that you would like to have the piece
completed in two weeks, the chances are that you will be at least slightly
more productive than you would have been without thinking about a
deadline. When I give myself deadlines, I am able to be incredibly
productive, but when it doesn’t matter when the task is completed, I tend
to procrastinate.

On a final note, it’s not a bad idea to start considering the type of
composer you would like to be. Do you want to score for films, television
or video games? Maybe you want to write music for commercials (known
as jingles). Or perhaps you’d prefer to write contemporary songs, or even
delve into the world of contemporary classical music. You don't need to
make a decision early on, but at least kick around some ideas in the back
of your mind, because it could influence the type of music that you create
in the early stages.

Support

Take some time to explain to family members and loved ones about what
you are doing and why. It is most important to have their full support
when you disappear into your studio each day and ask not to be
disturbed. Let them know how important it is to you that you have quiet

!17
 time to work on your music, and they will be much more understanding
than if you said nothing at all. It is always important for composers to feel
that people support what they are doing.

Four Core Areas Of Study

Develop Your Piano Skills

Piano is essential for any composer, so you should strive to become the
best pianist that you can. You won’t be expected to take examinations,
participate in recitals or learn concertos, but nevertheless, the better your
skills, the better your compositions will be.
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The piano has a large compass, which means that it has a lot of notes.
Much can be done with its 88 notes compared to around 30 or so notes
for many other instruments. You can use the different ranges of the piano
to write for different groups of instruments. For example, I can play french
horn and trombone parts in the tenor range of my piano to make sure that
they are working correctly. A guitarist or clarinet player couldn’t do that in
quite the same way.

The piano has its keys laid out in front of you where they are clearly visible.
Although it is possible to compose music with other instruments, it is
easier on the piano because you can see what you are doing.

The piano has a large dynamic range from barely audible to very loud.
The overall sound is pleasing to most people. It lends itself well to
melody, harmony and rhythm. If it sounds good on the piano, it will
almost certainly sound good when the music is scored for different
combinations of instruments.

The piano is unique in that it has a damper pedal. Only the harp comes
close to the fantastic effect that this device helps to create. As you may

!18
 already know, when holding the damper pedal, notes continue to sustain
after you have released them. However, the magic lies in the fact that
while the pedal is depressed, any keys that are struck will also cause other
strings to vibrate in sympathy. This allows you to hear overtones or
harmonics (additional frequencies) which will help you in your composition.

“Secrets To Better Piano Playing” details how to improve your piano skills.

Study Scales

The most important skill that you need to develop at the piano is the
ability to play scales and arpeggios. Many people assume that piano
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scales are simply technical exercises, however, scales are the building
blocks of all music, and a thorough knowledge of them is essential for any
composer. If you are writing a piece of music in G major, you need to be
completely familiar with the notes that are used in that key as well as the
notes that are not used. In this case, a thorough knowledge of the scale of
G major is all that is needed.

Although there are many forms of scales, they basically break down into
twelve major scales and twelve minor scales. If you learn those along with
the related arpeggios, you will be in very good shape. If you don’t learn
your scales, you will be like an artist who is not familiar with all of the
colors that are available to him.

“The Ultimate Piano Workout” lists all of the scales that you will ever need,
including the twelve majors and minors.

Learn Music Notation

Although it is possible to compose music without any knowledge of music

notation, composers write better music when it is written down so that it
can be seen as well as heard.

!19
 A composer who cannot read or write music is like someone who has
learned a foreign language, but cannot read and write it. This person may
be able to converse fluently in the foreign language, but imagine how
much more they would be able to achieve if they could read and write it
also.

Contemporary musicians can get away with only playing by ear or by

reading chord charts, because rock, pop and jazz genres need little in the
way of traditional notation. Although some jazz music can be quite
complex, rock and pop songs are based upon simple structures that are
easy to remember and therefore may not require the reading of music.
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During the composition process, you will have many ideas which need to
be developed, and it is extremely difficult to develop these ideas in your
head, but much easier when they can be seen in the form of notation.
Later in the book you will learn about some compositional techniques such
as augmentation, diminution and inversion which will only make sense to
you when you can see written music examples.

One of the most important reasons to master music notation is so that you
can study the works of other composers. Many of today’s top film
composers studied the works of great composers to learn about their use
of melody, harmony, counterpoint, orchestration, structure and form, and
they couldn’t have learned as much simply by listening to the music.

Even if you are only interested in writing contemporary music, there is a

great deal to learn from the classical world because the great composers
were true masters of the art of music and they knew how to successfully
combine sounds. However, studying what they did by looking at the
notation rather than just listening is much more effective.

Learning and mastering music notation is not as difficult as you may think,
and it requires less effort than mastering a foreign language. It can be
learned with just a small amount of daily work over a period of time. The

!20
 reason why composers have used traditional music notation for more than
three hundred years is because it works. It will work for you too.

Music notation has actually been around since the eleventh century, but its
current form was perfected about three hundred years ago.

Master Your Software

Not many composers use a traditional pencil and paper anymore because
it is time-consuming, and although it can work nicely for jotting down song
ideas such as melody, chord symbols and lyrics, writing for several different
instruments, or even the piano, can take too long.
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The most common way in which composers work these days is by

inputting their ideas directly into a computer using either a sequencer or
music notation program.

The quickest and easiest way to input music into a computer is by playing
notes on a keyboard or digital piano which is connected to your computer.

It is possible to record directly into sequencers such as Logic Pro, Digital

Performer, Cubase or Pro Tools where the notes are then represented in a
digital format which can later be manipulated in many ways. These
sequencers (also known as DAWs or Digital Audio Workstations) allow you
to view notes either as a series of numbers or graphically in piano roll
notation, and even as traditional music notation.

Sequencers are wonderful and powerful tools, but I must point out that a
sequence is really a recording of a performance and the editing process
consists more of the manipulation of sound rather than music. Although
sequencers do include the ability to view notes in traditional music
notation, this part of the program is usually limited and requires a lot of
tweaking to make the music appear correctly. Most people do not use the

!21
 notation feature of a sequencer to manipulate notes because it is
somewhat awkward to use.

As previously mentioned, notes in a sequence can be changed in

countless ways such as pitch, duration, placement in time as well as
volume. All of these tasks are usually accomplished using a piano roll
feature which makes everything quite simple. Whole sections of music can
also be moved around, and notes can be quickly changed from one sound
to another.

Although a lot of great music is created only by using sequencers, this

method of composing is somewhat limited because more time and effort
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can be spent working on the sounds coming from the computer rather
than the creation of new musical ideas.

As an example, let’s say that you have improvised four measures of music
which you really like, the first thing would be to hit record and play those
four measures into the sequencer.

Upon playing it back you may notice that the timing was a little off and
perhaps there was a wrong note in the third measure and your first instinct
may be to correct those errors.

Next you may want to add some reverb to sweeten the sound, or perhaps
change the piano sound to something different. You may also consider
adding another instrument on another track, or perhaps using a loop for
some percussion.

All of this is great, but you are now in the realm of music production rather
than composition, and it can often be difficult to get back into composing
mode. Of course, not all users of sequencers work this way, but most do.

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 I suggest that you only use a sequencer once your composition is
complete and that you view sequencing software as a perfect tool for
creating a finished recorded performance.

Music notation software is the perfect vehicle to get your ideas into a
computer. I use Sibelius, but Finale and Dorico do the same thing. These
programs allow you to record directly from your keyboard into the
computer, just as you would with a sequencer, but the software’s chief aim
is to display your notes as proper traditional notation. It is easy to change
and move notes around, and sections of music can become more
meaningful compared to regions within a sequencer.
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When using notation software, indications about whether notes should be

played detached or smoothly, as well as their relative volumes can easily
be made. When working on a new section of music which may be based
on the first section, these reminders of how the notes were initially played
can be very helpful. Music notation helps to make your notes more “real”
compared to a sequencer where the duration of a note is often indicated
simply by a thin line, and its volume represented by a color.

Form and structure within a composition can be manipulated more easily

within a notation program owing to being able to see individual lines of
music. Sequencers allow easy manipulation of structure too, but usually in
blocks, and music shouldn’t necessarily be thought of as blocks of data.

Music that has been entered into a notation program will play back using
internal sounds just as with a sequencer, however there is less flexibility in
editing the raw data compared to a sequencer because the program is
focused more on how the music looks as opposed to how it sounds.

So to recap, the best way to compose music is by entering your ideas into
a computer using a notation program. Sequencers are designed to
capture performances and you should only concern yourself with the
performance once the composition is finished. Whichever notation

!23
 program you choose, make sure to learn it thoroughly. As you become
proficient at entering your ideas into it, you will have great flexibility as a
composer.

A page of printed music can carry more weight for you as a composer than
a well constructed sequence in a DAW. Your sequence may sound
fantastic, but what can anyone really do with it other than listen? Your
page of printed music however, can be performed by musicians
throughout the world using a variety of different instruments because it is
written in a universal language. Your sequence will probably sound dated
ten years from now, but your page of printed music almost certainly will
not.
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While in France, speak French, when writing music, use music notation.

Summary

So far, you have learned that anyone can compose music if they believe
they can, and that it takes time, patience and discipline.

You have learned that this is a wonderful time to write music because there
are more opportunities for composers than ever before. You also know
that composing music is a great thing to do, not only because it can it be
extremely rewarding, but also it can bring a sense of peace and tranquility.

You understand the importance of making a commitment to being a

composer rather than just trying it out.

You have created the best possible environment in which to create music,
and you have informed your family and loved ones about what you are
doing and asked for their support.

You have scheduled time to work at your art on a daily basis without being
disturbed by people, phone calls, texts or emails.

!24
 You have learned the importance of leaving your troubles at the door, and
having a clear mind when you work. You also know about having the end
result in mind, and giving thought to what you want to accomplish.

Your studio consists of a keyboard, computer with notation software and

speakers.

Although there will be much for you to study, you know that the four core
areas are developing your piano skills, studying scales, learning music
notation and mastering music software.

Before we delve into the topics for improving your composing skills, let us
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examine some additional areas of study.

Additional Studies

Music Theory

Music theory is the study of the language of music, and a music theory
course begins with a clear explanation of music notation which already ties
in with the third core area of study listed above. However, music theory
goes beyond explaining all of the dots, dashes, wavy lines and symbols,
and describes how music is actually constructed. Intervals, scales, chords,
cadences and key signatures are all important concepts which should be
digested and understood before moving onto more advanced lessons in
harmony and counterpoint.
Read The ABRSM Guide To Music Theory Parts I and II by ABRSM
Publishing

Scales

Although I have already mentioned the importance of scales, they are so

important that it is worth expanding upon here. If you have ever

!25
 wondered why some music sounds so wonderful, and yet when you try to
combine notes on the piano it does not sound good, the difference is
because music that sounds good is based around a key center, and your
piano musings probably do not.

Almost five hundred years ago, composers realized that certain “sets” of
notes sounded better than others. They analyzed these “sets” of notes
and wrote them down one after the other in order of pitch. The result was
a scale, or a set of notes that sounded good when used in any
combination.

You may have heard of a piece of music being in the key of D major, but
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you may not be aware that this means most of the notes in that piece of
music are contained in the scale of D major. If you are completely familiar
with the scale, then playing a piece, or composing a piece in D major will
be much easier because you are totally familiar with the notes.

Most people assume that scales are technical exercises which are used to
develop technique, speed and stamina. They actually do improve all of
these things, but the main reason to know scales is to understand keys and
tonality. A composer must understand keys and tonality in order to create
pleasing sounding music. Scales are the keys to everything, and are
amongst the most important things for you to master.

Read my book The Ultimate Piano Workout which gives a full description
as to why scales are so important.

Harmony

This is the study of combining individual notes to make chords as well as

the relationship and movement of those chords from one to the other. It
describes the positioning of chords to create good voice leading which
can result in a smoother and more pleasing sound. It also covers note
doubling, which notes are more important than others, open voicing and

!26
 closed voicing as well as much more. The exercises presented at the end
of this book will help you a lot with your knowledge of harmony.

Read Harmony by Walter Piston

Counterpoint

This is an older and more complex form of writing music whereby

individual lines of music are combined rather than chords and a melody.
Music written this way can be considered more horizontal than vertical
because numerous melodies can all be happening at the same time. It is a
form of writing that was used in the Renaissance and Baroque periods and
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came to its zenith with J.S. Bach, the greatest composer who ever lived.

Around the middle of the eighteenth century, polyphonic music (meaning

many sounds) was considered too complex and old fashioned. A shift
began to take place which favored homophonic music (meaning one
sound), whereby one tune was prominent along with an accompaniment, a
formula which has continued until this day.

Jazz musicians have used counterpoint, but in a different way from the old
masters. It’s not absolutely necessary that you learn about counterpoint,
but it will be of great benefit to you if you do. Many of our modern rules
of harmony stemmed from the rules of counterpoint which were
established centuries ago.

Read Counterpoint by Walter Piston

Orchestration

The study of orchestration is essential for any composer, and although the
word orchestration may suggest that you will be dealing with a full
orchestra, there is more to it than this.

!27
 You need to know about all of the common instruments as well as the
families to which they belong. You should be familiar with the ranges of
these instruments as well as any difficulties that the instruments may
encounter when playing in certain keys and registers. Fortunately,
software such as Sibelius tells you much of this automatically, but it is good
to learn about it anyway.

The more complex aspect of orchestration is learning about which

combinations of instruments work, as well as which don’t and why.

Imagine that you are writing a piece of music for flute, clarinet and harp.
You need to know that the clarinet is a transposing instrument and must be
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written in a key that is a whole step higher. The flute is not a transposing
instrument, however its lowest playable note is middle C. The harpist
relies on a series of seven pedals to change the key of her instrument.
These are all things to consider when scoring for these instruments, and
knowledge of orchestration will help you to avoid making embarrassing
mistakes when writing for performing musicians.

One of the greatest orchestrators was Rimsky Korsakov, so listen carefully

to his music (particularly “Scheherazade”) as well as music of Tchaikovsky
and John Williams. Pay attention to the tone colors they use in their music.

Read Orchestration by Walter Piston

Form

Form is extremely important in music, and without good structure, a piece

of music can bore an audience. Think about movies that you have seen, or
books that you have read when there were too many characters and
everything seemed confusing. Also consider the times when a plot was
weak and predictable and therefore dull. Just as with movies, music
should also have good balance to keep the interest of the listener.

!28
 One of the reasons that I stress the importance of seeing your music as
traditional notation is to help prevent repetitive and monotonous sections
from appearing over and over in your music.

A lot of modern piano music suffers from bad form, mainly because the
composer didn't write anything down. What began as an improvisation
continued as such, and the ideas were never developed. Use
improvisation to come up with ideas, but don’t confuse an improvisation
with a finished composition.

Rock and Pop musicians understand about form when it comes to songs.
They understand during the course of a four minute song when it is time to
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change something, and they use verses, choruses and bridges to create
interest and keep the listener engaged.

Read The Form Of Music by William Cole by ABRSM Publishing

Listen To Great Music

Listen actively to music. Don’t just put it on in the background and assume
it is doing you some good (although actually it is). You should pay
attention and focus on certain elements of what you are hearing. Can you
pick out the individual instruments? Can you hear where the melody
repeats? Why did it repeat there? How do the different sound colors
blend with each other? I’ve talked a lot about reading music, but now it is
time to really use your ear, and focus on every little detail. Pay attention to
what you are listening to and you will learn a lot.

Listen to orchestral music, even if you are only writing songs or solo piano
music. There is so much more to learn from orchestral music. If you want
to learn about effective use of dynamic changes, as well as shifts in mood
and timbre, then orchestral music is your greatest teacher.

!29
 Listen to any of the great composers, but particularly Bach. Brahms once
said, “Study Bach. All you need to know is there.” Schumann said,
“Music owes as much to Bach as religion does to its founder.” The famous
cellist Pablo Cassals said, “Bach is the God of music.” You could study
Bach’s music for a lifetime and never even begin to scratch the surface
regarding the magnitude of what he left us.

Of course, Bach, Mozart and Beethoven are essential listening, but I

suggest you really delve into the works of late-romantic composers such as
Mahler, Brückner, Elgar, Rachmaninov and Ravel to really understand what
can be done with an orchestra. Even if you never write for orchestra,
imagine what this knowledge can do for your compositions.
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Also listen to plenty of choral music if it’s a style that you’re interested in
writing. Anything by Tenebrae and King’s College Cambridge is
phenomenal, but of course there are many others. Modern choral
compositions by John Rutter are wonderful, and anything conducted by
John Eliot Gardiner is fantastic.

A subscription to Apple Music or Spotify is worth every penny. Every

composer without exception should spend the $10 per month to have all
the music that they could ever wish for, immediately at their fingertips.

Read And Follow Scores

All of the world’s greatest music teachers are dead. Not to say that there
aren’t many fine teachers alive and well, but I would suggest to you that by
studying the works of Bach, Beethoven and Brahms (just to name three),
you will learn more than you could from any single living teacher.

The great composers spent a lifetime studying the music of composers

who went before them. The music they left behind contains elements of
everything they learned. Not only can their music be listened to and
enjoyed, but it can be carefully dissected, studied and emulated.

!30
 If you love movie scores by John Williams such as Star Wars, look no
further than Anton Brückner to see how he makes the brass instruments
sound the way they do. If you enjoy the music of James Horner, check out
Sibelius and Mahler. If you like Hans Zimmer’s “Gladiator” soundtrack,
check out “The Planets” by Gustav Holst. I could go on, but you get the
point. Some of the greatest living composers write for film, and as
mentioned earlier, they have diligently studied music by the great masters.

Most of the great classical works belong to the public domain, which
means that copies can be downloaded and printed for free. Go to
IMSLP.ORG to download anything from Beethoven symphonies to Elgar
concertos.
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Read Composer Biographies

Take time to read about the lives of great composers. Biographies can
give great insight as to who these people were and why they did what
they did. I feel that it helps us to connect with their music on a deeper
level, and it can help you as a composer. I am always fascinated by the
trials and tribulations of these great artists and how they continued to write
such wonderful music even during the most difficult times. Don’t assume
that this is boring stuff! Reading how Berlioz boarded a train armed with
two pistols and a disguise, intent on murdering his girlfriend and her lover,
or Bach’s imprisonment for applying for another job are quite fascinating.

Summary

Although this list of areas to study may feel a little overwhelming, it’s not
so important that you completely master each element, but rather you
have an overview and understand where that topic fits in the grand
scheme of things for your work as a composer. As with learning anything,
a small amount completed on a daily basis yields great results. Set aside
30 minutes each day to work on these topics. Either focus on one topic

!31
 each day, or spend ten minutes each on three topics. Music is a vast
subject, so learn all you can about its many facets.

The Ingredients Of Good Music

Elements Of A Composition

Creating a piece of music is a little like baking a cake. There are many
ingredients that you can use, although it’s unlikely that you will use all of
them at once. Some ingredients are used often, and others hardly at all.
However, a knowledge and understanding of all of the ingredients that can
be used will certainly help you to create the best cake possible.
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No matter what kind of music you write, you should fully understand the
following ingredients and know how to use and combine them in your
music.

Although there is no magic formula that constitutes a great composition,

these time-tested elements are common to all good music.

Melody

Good melodies sell music which is why music publishers and record
companies have always looked for music with memorable tunes.

Most of the world’s most famous music has a good melody, and although
there are certainly examples of great music which doesn’t have much of a
melody, this is the exception to the rule.

Composers and musicologists have debated what constitutes a good

melody for centuries, but most would agree that it should be relatively
simple and easy to remember. It should also be repeated several times
throughout a composition to help make it more memorable.

!32
 A memorable melody is usually easy to sing or hum. A tune which is
relatively short and features notes which are close together is easier to sing
and remember than one that is long and has large intervals. A good and
memorable melody can include a larger interval, but it is usually followed
by much smaller ones, and there will be fewer large intervals throughout.

The length of a melody is more difficult to gauge, because there are

examples of short and long melodies which all work perfectly, but shorter
is usually better. This can be compared to the length of sentences in that
we often know when a sentence is too long or too short, although there
are no exact rules to follow.
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Shorter melodies generally work better because they are easier to

remember. As a rule of thumb, if you can’t sing a melody all in one breath,
then it’s almost certainly too long. This is an important consideration not
only for vocalists, but for performers of wind instruments because they all
need to breathe.

However, a longer melody can be broken into shorter phrases that do

allow for short breaths without breaking the continuity of the melody as a
whole.

Longer melodies can be more difficult for an audience to remember, but

many great compositions do have long melodies. Listen to the overture
from Tannhäuser by Wagner to hear an example of an outstanding melody
that is long and yet memorable too!

Melodies are usually played a little louder than the surrounding music.
They are also often played smoothly, but can certainly use detached notes,
as well as a combination of both smooth and detached notes.

The choice of instrument that is used for a melody is an important

consideration due to timbre (sound quality). A flute solo would be
obliterated by French horns. Likewise, the register in which the melody is

!33
 played is important, particularly in relation to other instruments. For
example, a melody played by Double Basses can sound very muddy and
may not work well, although it is certainly possible. Your study of
orchestration will help with these issues.

Good melodies often have a definite shape. It is common for notes to

work their way upwards at the beginning of a melody and then to work
their way back down again halfway through the tune. This is a general
guideline, but it works and you’ll see many examples of it. This technique
lends itself well to dynamic shading also, where the melody may rise in
volume towards the middle, and then decrease in volume towards the
end.
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Very short melodic fragments such as the opening four notes of

Beethoven’s 5th Symphony are not so much a melody, but rather a motif,
or melodic fragment. You may end up with a number of fragments that
you weave together to form proper melodies.

Melodies should also be developed or tweaked. When they are repeated,

some slight variation can add interest, so changing the odd note or rhythm
can be a good thing. Techniques such as augmentation, diminution and
inversion (discussed later) are all useful here.

To summarize, your music really should have a melody of some kind. It

should not be too long or complicated, and it should appear several times
throughout your composition and be featured prominently. Your job as a
composer is not only to come up with a great melody, but to package it
and carefully deliver it to your listeners by using appropriate instruments,
dynamics and articulation.

Accompaniment

A great melody can either be brought to life and made truly magnificent,
or die a slow lingering death depending on its accompaniment.

!34
 Although it is easier to describe what an accompaniment is compared to a
melody, it is much more difficult to describe the many ways that an
accompaniment can be constructed around a melody.

Basically, the accompaniment is any supporting material that is used

around or underneath a melody. It could be as simple as a single
sustained note or a bass line, or as complicated as several other melodic
lines woven in with the main melody such as in Bach’s music. It could also
be as common as a handful of repeated chords.

The accompaniment should generally support and work congruently with

the melody, and should not overpower or surpass the tune. A good
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accompaniment will use both consonance and dissonance (discussed

later), rhythmic variation and contrasting movement to the melody.

The style of an accompaniment can help to define the genre of your

music. You probably associate a certain ‘sound’ with country music, but is
it just the melody? Not really, because you can take the same melody
from a country song and make it into a rock song. Likewise, we could take
a melody from a symphony and make it into a pop song. Although certain
instruments and sounds are common to a particular genre, it is the
accompaniment style that dictates exactly what category the music may
fall into.

Left hand piano stride patterns and syncopated rhythms helped to define
the sound of ragtime music in the early 1900s. Three beats to a measure
oom-pah-pah accompaniments helped to define the Viennese waltz of the
mid 1800s, and chord progressions, compound time signatures and
repeated chords defined the sound of 1950s rock and roll ballads. The
accompaniments that you create will define the overall sound of your
music.

!35
 Bass

A good accompaniment probably consists of a series of notes that are

played together underneath a melody. If we were to analyze those notes,
we would soon discover that the lowest notes in the accompaniment are
the most important next to the melody. These lower notes are the bass
line.

A bass line provides a solid foundation or firm footing for your melody.
The combination of melody and bass notes will often dictate the
harmonies and chords to use.
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Bass doesn’t necessarily mean very low notes and certainly doesn’t have to
be played on a bass guitar or double bass. Although the notes usually are
low, more importantly they are the lowest notes of any passage of music.

Your choice of bass notes can dramatically alter the music you are writing.
The choice of a chord’s inversion can often dictate which note should be
used in the bass. Inner notes are not quite as important, yet they still play
a vital role.

When adding an accompaniment to your melody, consider the bass notes

first and then figure your chords from there. If you do, you may come up
with something far better than if you only worked out the chords with the
melody. Although it can be argued that chords and bass are worked out
simultaneously, I suggest you pay extra attention to the bass line for all of
your compositions.

Harmony

Harmony is all about how to combine music notes to create a desired

effect, and these combinations of notes form chords. I will discuss how to
choose chords and apply them successfully in the next section, although
you still need to read and study your harmony book.

!36
 Ideally, harmony should contain tension and release to add interest. This
is created through the use of consonant and dissonant chords which I’ll
explain more about later. Too many plain old vanilla chords soon get
rather dull, so it’s important to explore the full range of colors that you
have available in your sound palette.

Chords can be thick or thin which will change the overall effect of your
piece. Thick chords are created by doubling the notes with other
instruments as well as in various octaves. Depending on the effect you
want to create, you may prefer one technique over the other.

Harmonic rhythm refers to how often a chord changes. Sometimes chords

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can last several measures or they may change on every note.

Chords need to progress successfully from one to the other without

sounding disjointed. This can be referred to as harmonic progression, and
is the primary subject of most of the harmony books. You will also learn
about voice leading which ensures that the notes of each chord flow
smoothly from one to the other without awkward intervals.

Your use of harmony can make or break a composition, so study this topic
diligently.

Rhythm

Rhythm plays an important role in your music because it adds interest.

Rhythm is the combination of short and long notes into patterns. If all of
your note values were the same, you would end up with a steady beat
rather than a rhythm. Rhythms can be complex or simple, but generally
there should be continuity in your music. Rhythms are often repeated
throughout a piece which helps to create a type of groove. If you string a
bunch of different rhythms together, the result will sound confusing. When
listening to your compositions, always consider whether they have enough
rhythmic contrast.

!37
 Form

Your music should have good structure and form. Many listeners can
switch off before the end of a piece due to bad form, and meandering
music is the worst kind to listen to.

Try to think of form in music like a conversation. Sometimes it is

appropriate and very necessary to repeat a sentence, however, repeating a
sentence three or more times in a row would not be appropriate.
Sentences should not be too long or too short. They should not be
disjointed but should be meaningful and make sense. Most people
understand these rules when it comes to language, and many of the same
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rules apply to form in music.

As a general rule, look at your composition in groups of four or eight

measures. Make sure to repeat sections, but then move on to either a
different idea or something that is similar. After a while, an audience will
expect a return to the original idea, so you should decide when to bring it
back in.

Follow your intuition. If you feel that a section is starting to sound

monotonous, then it probably is. If you are questioning whether you have
repeated an idea too many times, then you probably have.

Pulse And Tempo

A steady beat or pulse is extremely important for the majority of music.

Most music has one, and if you are writing contemporary music, your
listeners have come to expect it.

Tempo is the speed of your music, and the tempo can speed up and slow
down during a piece of music. Rubato is a term that describes a slight
increase and decrease in speed throughout a piece of romantic period

!38
 music such as the piano works of Chopin. The word means robbed and
really means that the tempo is flexible.

Many pieces of music will slow down at the end to let the audience know
that the music is coming to a conclusion, but music can also slow down in
the middle at certain cadences. It is possible to gradually increase the
tempo, although this is less common than slowing down. Some modern
dance music deliberately increases the tempo when leading to high points
in the song.

Tempo is an important consideration when writing for performing

musicians, and you should consider the speed at which certain instruments
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can handle the passages you write. Find just the right speed and mark it
down in your music. Take time to try different speeds and experiment.
Also, don’t be afraid to vary the speed. Sudden as well as gradual
changes can be very pleasing, but composers are often too scared to use
speed changes for fear of how it will impact their music.

Time Signature (Meter)

You already know about the importance of a steady beat in music, but that
steady beat is usually grouped into two, three or four. The grouping of the
beats will dictate the time signature of the composition. As a general rule,
music with two beats per measure can have a march-like feel, music with
three beats per measure tends to have a waltz-like feel, and four beats per
measure is reserved for everything else.

Most modern music is written with four beats per measure because it
works well. If you want to be a little different, consider writing in 2, 3, 5 or
7 which give a very different feel. Time signatures of six, nine and twelve
are counted as two, three and four respectively. If this last sentence
completely confused you, it is time to brush up on your music theory.

!39
 Songwriters often determine the time signature of their song from where
the stresses fall in the lyrics. All well-written prose have an inherent meter
which dictates the time signature for a song. For example, “Mary Had A
Little Lamb” couldn’t possibly be sung in a time signature of three without
sounding very odd.

Dynamics

Music should have good contrast between loud and soft sections as well
as volume differences between individual instruments. Volume changes
can be sudden or gradual and they help to create interest and variety in a
composition.
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Most contemporary music lacks any dynamic change at all because it is

heavily compressed. Although the musicians may have originally
performed with some dynamic changes, they are mostly lost due to
compression. Use a wide variety of dynamic changes in your music where
appropriate to create interest, and always make sure that your
accompaniments are softer than the melody.

Timbre

The three elements of all sound are pitch, volume and timbre. Pitch can
be described by music notes, as well as scientifically in hertz which refers
to frequency, or cycles per second. The note A above middle C on your
piano vibrates at 440Hz, or 440 cycles per second.

Volume can be described in music terms, as well as scientifically by using

decibels.

However, timbre or tone cannot really be measured, and it is not possible

to discuss the subject without the use of many adjectives. Imagine
explaining the difference between the sound of a clarinet compared to a
violin. One person might say that the clarinet is more mellow and

!40
 sonorous and that the violin is harsh and squeaky, but someone else might
say that the violin is smooth and velvety and that the clarinet is sombre
and dull. It really is a matter of personal preference of course, but people
describe timbre in many different ways.

Synthesizers can help to give a better understanding of timbre through the

use of sound waves. A square wave has a “clarinet-like” sound, and a sine
wave has more of a “flute-like” sound, whereas a triangle wave is more
reminiscent of an oboe.

Although it is a subject that is difficult to put into words, it is not difficult to

understand. Make a point of using contrasting timbres (instruments) in
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your music. The four families of instruments in an orchestra, strings,

woodwinds, brass and percussion, correspond to how each instrument
produces its sound. The instruments of each family sound vastly different,
so even if you don’t write for orchestra, consider using combinations of
instruments that are varied in the way they create their sound, just like the
orchestral instruments.

The piano’s timbre changes considerably from low growly sounding notes
on the left to high bell-like notes on the right. When writing for piano,
consider using its contrasting timbres in your composition, rather than only
using the same area.

Summary

Music is a vast subject and it is no easy task to try to summarize all of its
magical qualities. I have attempted to give you a list of elements that I
feel are the most important for any piece of music to succeed, as well as
describe them in as simple a way as possible. There are of course many
other elements that could be added to this list depending upon one’s
perspective, but if you understand and apply these particular elements to
your own music, I feel confident that you will really create something of
worth.

!41
 Getting Started

The History Of Improvisation

Improvisation was an extremely important skill for composers and

performers of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Printed music
was not easily accessible, so keyboardists were expected to be able to
improvise around well-known melodies with proper form and structure.
Bach and Mozart, as well as countless other composers were experts at it,
and their improvisations sounded like complete and polished
compositions.
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This skill continued into the nineteenth century with organists such as Louis
Vierne and Charles Marie Widor, and even into the twentieth century with
Marcel Dupré, owing to the fact that improvisation was such a vital part of
an organist’s job. However, improvisation became somewhat of a lost art
for pianists during the nineteenth century owing to the high proliferation
of printed music, as well as the fact that improvisation was no longer
necessary in order to secure a job.

The early twentieth century saw a revival of improvisation in the world of

jazz, and even today, most jazz pianists improvise, but not in the same way
as musicians of the past, namely regarding form and structure.

Improvisation is important for a composer in order to discover and

develop musical ideas.

What is improvisation?

Improvisation can be described as making up music on the spot. It seems

almost impossible that someone can pull music from thin air, but there is a
secret to it.

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 Most people don’t realize that improvisations are often largely based upon
patterns which are already familiar to the performer. These patterns are
then tweaked a little here and there to create something different each
time.

Improvisations can take on a life of their own and move in directions in

which the performer has never ventured, but it’s important to remember
that improvisations usually begin based upon some form of template. A
good improviser might have around a dozen unique templates upon which
they can base a performance.

This book is not concerned with having you improvise in front of an

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audience, but rather to improvise at home so as to develop ideas for

compositions.

Improvisation and composition are different and yet related to each other.
Consider improvisation as stage one, or the equivalent of a painter mixing
paints. Your improvisation may yield only one small idea, or a whole slew
of ideas, but once you begin to write those ideas down, you have moved
from improvisation to composition.

Improvising gives you an opportunity to explore and search for ideas.

Sometimes you will make your greatest discoveries, which makes this skill
one of the most important in your work as a composer.

Taking The First Step

In the Tao Te Ching, the wise philosopher Lao Tzu said, “The journey of a
thousand miles begins with a single step.” Likewise, your journey into
composition begins with the first note.

Every composition must start with at least one note, and the next step is to
either follow that note with another, or combine it with another and move
on from there. It really does come down to these very simple steps, but

!43
 the beginning composer is usually dissatisfied with the results of such
simplicity and gives up too easily. The seasoned composer understands
the potential of such simplicity and continues to write.

Once you have played your first note and chosen whether to follow it with
a note, or combine it with a note, the next step is to evaluate and decide
whether you like the outcome or not. With only a couple of notes, there is
very little to go on, but you should realize that your use of notes will lead
to a series of choices, and you must decide quickly whether you like the
direction it’s going or not. Either way, tweak and change your composition
as necessary until you find something that pleases you. The most
important thing is to have the courage to keep searching and don’t give
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up.

It is important to make decisions quickly during the composition process,

and not dwell on a particular area of your piece for too long. The flow of
ideas during the composition process can easily be lost when your mind
switches over to analyze mode. During the composition process, it is
important not to think too much because the analytical mind interferes
with the creative mind. If you are unsure about a section of music, leave it
and revisit it later, because it is more important to keep the flow of new
ideas.

But what if you don’t have any ideas? Make decisions anyway. If you
reach a point where you’re not sure how to continue, then force yourself
choose a note or notes, and keep the composition moving forward. You
can always make changes later if you are not happy with the result.

Composing vs. Editing

Composing is the process of discovering musical ideas and notating them.

During this process, your brain is working creatively and you will want to
keep it up for as long as you feel comfortable. Much of what you write will

!44
 need to be altered in some way, which is perfectly normal. Only a handful
of composers such as Mozart wrote everything perfectly in the first draft.

It is important to realize that composing music and editing music are two
very different tasks, and your brain functions differently for each. During
the composition process, you will sometimes feel as if you are tapped into
a stream of ideas, and your job is to make a note of those ideas as quickly
and as efficiently as possible. During the editing process, you are
analyzing what is working and what is not, and you are making decisions
regarding what you like and what you don’t like. Editing also involves a lot
of problem solving.
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While you are composing, do not stop to fix and edit what you have
written. Keep writing and capture as many ideas as you can while you are
in a creative mode. Later, go back and edit as much as you like. This is
one of the most important lessons for any beginning composer.

Inspiration

Some of your best music will be composed when you are inspired. Being
inspired can feel as if you are connected to something other than yourself,
and while you are connected, great ideas begin to flow. Inspiration can
come from many of life’s experiences, but often, we just don’t know when
it will hit us.

If you have created a comfortable working environment as discussed

earlier, then hopefully you will have provided a vehicle whereby inspiration
can find you, rather than the other way around.

However, there will be many instances where you are not feeling inspired,
but you should compose anyway. Composing on a regular basis,
regardless of whether you are tapped in, is the key to developing your
skills. You may find that one day you are working on a piece and
everything flows beautifully, but the next day it is different and more of a

!45
 struggle. At this point, many composers may walk away and wait for
inspiration to strike again. Unfortunately, this often results in many
unfinished compositions. If the force is with you, then use it. If it is not
with you, continue to write anyway.

Consonance And Dissonance

Some combinations of notes clash and others do not. Consonance is the

result of notes that sound good together and dissonance is the result of
notes that don’t sound so good.

Whenever a beginning improviser stops and immediately takes their hands

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off the keys, it is always because they played a dissonance, which they
considered as sounding like a mistake. Remember that there are no
mistakes when improvising. You are the creator, and although you may
play notes that clash, who is to say that you made a mistake?

Dissonance is not bad, and in fact the careful use of dissonance in a piece
of music can create something exquisite. Some of the most romantic and
heartfelt music that has ever been written contains plenty of dissonance.

Dissonance sounds great when it resolves onto a consonance. It is the

musical equivalent of having a rubber band with tension and then
releasing it. Herein lies the secret of how to deal with dissonance.

When playing two notes that clash, move one of the notes up or down a
step and you will almost always have released the tension of the
dissonance onto a consonance. The inexperienced improviser stops or
hesitates when unintentionally playing a dissonance, and it is the stopping
or hesitation that actually sounds more like a mistake. The experienced
improviser who unintentionally plays a dissonance will simply alter one of
the notes without stopping, which will never sound like a mistake.

!46
 It’s interesting to note that if you randomly combine any two pitches, you
will find that it’s harder to find two that are dissonant versus two that are
consonant. In other words, most of what you come up with will sound
more pleasing that not.

Intervals

Intervals are the distances between notes, and a thorough knowledge of

them will help you to understand a lot about how music is constructed.
Intervals reveal the relationships between different notes, which in turn
also aids in the understanding of chords which are based upon intervals.
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An interval is the distance from one note to the next.

C to D is a second
C to E is a third
C to F is a fourth
C to G is a fifth
C to A is a sixth
C to B is a seventh
C to C is an octave

Seconds and sevenths are dissonant. Play the notes C & D together as
well as C & B together and you will hear a clash.

Thirds, sixths and octaves are consonant. Play C & E together, C & A
together as well as C & C together and you will hear a more pleasing
combination.

Fourths and fifths are not really consonant or dissonant, although some
rules apply to them depending upon the context that they are in. You will
learn more about this in a harmony book, but all you really need to know is
that they are neither consonant nor dissonant. Play C & F together as well

!47
 as C & G together, and you will notice that they don’t have quite the same
impact as the dissonant and consonant intervals.

Based on this knowledge, if you compose music that only consists of

thirds, sixths and octaves, it should sound pretty good. This is somewhat
limiting, but it does work. If you are feeling a little more adventurous, you
could add some fourths and fifths which may introduce dissonance.
Although a fourth is not dissonant, if you combine it with a third, it can
become so, depending upon your choice of notes.

Does this mean that you should avoid the dissonant intervals of seconds
and sevenths entirely? Not at all because they will add variety to your
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music. However, begin experimenting with consonant intervals, then add

fourths and fifths, and finally add the dissonant intervals.

Intervals can be altered so that they have qualities referred to as perfect,

major, minor, augmented and diminished. Although these alterations do
affect the sound of each interval, the guidelines that I have explained here
about their overall sound still applies. Your study of music theory will
explain how and why intervals are altered. Your study of music harmony
will usually assume that you already know about intervals.

So far, you have played the notes of each interval at the same time. These
are known as harmonic intervals. Playing the notes of each interval one
after the other can have a different effect, and these are known as melodic
intervals. The clash that you heard when playing the notes C & D at the
same time is no longer noticeable when you play the notes one after the
other.

You need to become familiar with the sound of each interval in both
harmonic and melodic forms, and although ear training courses can help
with this, there is nothing better than playing them regularly on the
keyboard and listening carefully to the sound of each one. You will
immediately be able to recognize the seconds and sevenths because they

!48
 are distinctive, and with a little practice, you will soon recognize the others.
The audible recognition of intervals helps greatly in playing by ear.

A piece of music can be analyzed in many ways, but in its simplest form,
any music can be broken down into a series of intervals that are played
either harmonically or melodically.

Contemporary musicians are almost always taught about chords without

ever having any knowledge about intervals. Intervals should always be
learned first so that there is a solid understanding as to why chords sound
the way they do.
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Horizontal vs. Vertical

As you move through your composition, your mind will tend to be drawn
towards the horizontal movement of notes (melody) or the vertical
placement of notes (harmony). This ties in with the previous discussion of
melodic and harmonic intervals.

Which direction should be the primary focus? There is no single answer to

this because great harmonies can help to reveal great melodies and vice
versa. Melody and harmony are both important, but melody is a little
more so. If you must choose a direction, then go with horizontal, but really
the best method is to work on both simultaneously. Although you may
find this difficult in the early stages, it will become easier with practice.

Summary

You have learned that composition begins with improvisation, and that
improvisation is usually based upon patterns with which you are already
familiar.

You know that a piece of music begins with one note and expands
outwards horizontally and vertically, and you understand that your job

!49
 while composing is to make quick decisions regarding the addition of
notes, and that you must leave any editing and correcting until later.

You have learned that inspiration comes and goes, but that you should
continue to write music with or without it so that you can continue to
improve your skills.

You now understand the difference between consonance and dissonance

as well as which intervals contribute to these effects. You know how to
avoid clashes in your music as well as how to resolve a clash if it occurs.

You now have the ability to combine notes both harmonically and
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melodically. Soon you will learn about packaging your combinations of

notes using melody, phrasing, tempo, rhythm, meter and tonality.

Conforming Your Music

Tonality

Music in the western world consists of just twelve notes, because there are
twelve notes within an octave. These twelve notes are repeated in the
higher and lower registers of every instrument, and although a high G will
sound a little different from a low G, it is still the same note.

If all twelve notes are used in a composition, the result will usually not be
pleasing. Twentieth century composers used a technique called serialism
which did use all twelve notes, but it created a sound that was not
appreciated by most people.

Using all twelve notes in a composition is too much, and can be likened to
using too many colors in a painting, or using too many ingredients in a
bowl of soup.

!50
 Hundreds of years ago, composers discovered that using fewer notes in
certain combinations worked very nicely, and they based their
compositions around those combinations. This method of writing music
has continued until the present day.

Here is an example of one set of notes that was found to work well:

It was originally called Ionian mode, but is now better known as the scale
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of C major. Although you can see eight notes, the first and the last are
both C, so there are actually only seven different pitches. These notes can
be used in any combination and still sound pleasing. For example, here is
the same set of notes in a different order:

A piece of music that uses this set of notes primarily, is referred to as

being in the key of C major. This set of notes hinges around the starting
and ending note C, which becomes its foundation, therefore the note C is
the most important note in a piece of music in the key of C major.

Spend a moment playing only these notes in random order and you will
find that although it may not sound great, it is difficult to play something
that sounds bad. This sequence of notes has helped us to eliminate all of
the notes that would not sound good.

I should point out that a piece of music in the key of C major can use notes
that are not included in the C major scale, however most of the notes in
the piece will be from the scale.

!51
 The distance from one note to the very next on a piano, regardless of
whether it is black or white, is known as a half step or semitone. A
distance of two half steps or semitones, is known as a whole step or tone.
From now on I will use the American terminology of half step and whole
step.

Half steps and whole steps are actually intervals, and in fact, they are both
intervals of a second. However, they are usually discussed separately from
regular intervals, and are useful for measuring distances between notes for
the purpose of analysis.

There is a little more to the scale of C major in the examples above than
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first meets the eye. If we look at the exact distance between each of the
notes, we discover a pattern.

This pattern of half steps and whole steps is very important because when
using the same pattern starting on a different note, it becomes necessary
to incorporate sharps and flats in order to keep the pattern exactly the
same.

This pattern of half and whole steps can be used to start on any of the
twelve notes available, which means that there are twelve possible major
scales. However, each scale requires a different combination of white and
black notes in order to retain the same pattern of half steps and whole
steps. All twelve major scales sound the same, and do indeed follow
exactly the same pattern, but each of the twelve scales look and feel quite
different on a piano keyboard.

!52
 When the pattern of half steps and whole steps is changed, a different
type of scale emerges. The two most popular scales are major and minor
which are often somewhat inaccurately referred to as sounding happy or
sad, however music written in a minor key will sound more serious than
that of a major key.

You can already see how the sequence of notes used in a scale is
important for the creation of melodies, and so all scales should be thought
of as a templates which always produce good results.

It would be unwise to write all of your music in the key of C major because
it will lack variety, so make sure that you are able to write music in any of
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the twelve major keys or twelve minor keys. Each key has a different
quality, so don’t shy away from keys which contain more sharps and flats
by assuming that they are more difficult.

The previous discussion regarding why scales are so important should now
be even more evident to you. Once again, study them diligently and
strive to master them all.

Choose A Key

Choosing a key means selecting the scale upon which to base your
composition. It is easier to begin a composition already knowing which
key it will be in, because it allows you to determine which notes and
chords to use.

However, you may have already developed some ideas and haven’t settled
on a key yet. The sooner you do so, the better, so spend a moment to
work out which key your ideas are currently in and then stay within that
key.

If your ideas contain a recurring F#, it would indicated to me that you are
probably writing in G major. If your music also contains a D#, I know that

!53
 you are probably in E minor. My knowledge of scales allows me to
determine keys quite easily by seeing which sharps and flats are involved.

Once you have determined your key, you can begin to conform to the
rules that apply to that key, thereby creating combinations of notes which
work. If you hear some combinations which don’t work, then it’s very likely
that you are using notes that are not included in the key which you have
chosen.

Beginning composers who have no knowledge of scales and keys tend to

unwittingly combine notes from different scales, which can sometimes
sound a little bizarre. Usually their ear helps them to make some
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corrections to offending notes, but a knowledge of keys would have made

everything easier from the beginning.

People who write music by ear, are always conforming to what they have
heard as well as what they know sounds good. So, without realizing it, the
songwriter with no knowledge of the rules of music is actually writing
music that conforms to a scale because their ear is naturally guided in the
direction of what is commonly used in music. The process of working by
ear can involve a lot of trial and error, and so a knowledge of scales not
only simplifies the process, but allows the music to be written more quickly
and easily.

As you become more advanced as a composer, your choice of key will

sometimes be determined by the instruments that you are writing for. For
example, some keys don’t work so well for someone with a lower singing
voice and vice versa. Certain orchestral instruments work better in some
keys than others, and passages of music can be easier or more difficult for
the performers to play depending upon which key they are written in.

!54
 Harmony

Hundreds of years ago, composers discovered that combining notes in

intervals of a third always sounded pleasing. As music continued to
develop in the western world, it was based upon what we call ternary
harmony (meaning based upon thirds). However, in the East, the interval
of a fourth was preferred, which can be clearly heard in traditional Chinese
music.

Adding notes a third above every note of the scale of C produces a

pleasing result:
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This can be taken a step further by adding another third on top to produce
three-note chords, also known as triads:

Now you can see that the major scale has dictated not only which notes to
use in a melody, but also which chords can be used to harmonize those
notes.

These chords are referred to by roman numerals:

!55
 Chord I sounds strong and bold, and yet chord ii sounds more serious.
This is because chord I is major and chord ii is minor. Lower case roman
numerals indicate the minor chords of ii, iii, vi and vii, and upper case
roman numerals indicate the major chords of I, IV and V.

Major chords are not better than minor chords, however the major sound
is considered stronger than the minor sound, so the three major chords of
I, IV and V have become the most commonly used chords in all music. The
three major chords can harmonize every note of the scale, and this is why
so many contemporary songs use only these three chords.
Chord vii is a diminished chord which although still a minor chord, requires
special care, so you should primarily focus your attention on the three
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major chords and three minor chords contained within the major scale.

If you have based your melody around the notes of the C major scale, you
will then use these six chords to harmonize that melody.

Generally, your choice of which chord to use will be based upon whether
the melody note is included in the chord or not. If the melody note is
included in the chord, everything sounds good. If the melody note is not
included in the chord, the result will be a dissonance.

In the early stages, you will want to choose chords which contain the
melody note, however as you progress, you will learn to use chords that
don’t contain the melody note and then use the resulting dissonance to
your advantage.

Deciding which melody notes require a chord and which don’t can be a
little more complicated. It is common to have chords occur on strong
beats such as beat one and beat three, but it is also possible to have
chords occur for every melody note such as in a hymn.

Music which has lots of chord changes is referred to as having a fast

harmonic rhythm, and conversely, music with fewer chord changes is

!56
 referred to as having a slow harmonic rhythm. One technique is not better
than the other, but the result is different. You will need to decide which
you prefer for your music.

The chords mentioned so far are the basic chords which form the
foundation for all others. However, continuing with the idea of stacking
notes in thirds, we can apply additional notes on top of what has already
been discussed.

These are all known as seventh chords because the distance between the
upper and lower notes is the interval of a seventh:
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These are known as ninth chords owing to the interval of a ninth between
upper and lower notes:

However, when we venture into the realm of seventh and ninth chords,
some of the notes are usually omitted to prevent a thickening of the
sound. The most common note to omit from any chord is the one that is a
fifth above the root. The fifth of a chord is the least important and
therefore often omitted in chords containing more notes.

Eleventh and thirteenth chords also exist, although they are less common.
Just as intervals can be altered, so can chords by raising or lowering

!57
 certain notes to add color and variety. It is easier to understand how and
why alterations are used once the fundamentals have been established.

Summary

You have learned that by utilizing the notes of a particular scale, your
composition will conform to the rules of tonality that have been
established for hundreds of years. You also know that the best way to
understand how this tonality works is by learning all twelve major and
minor scales.
You understand the importance of selecting a key for your piece of music
early on, and making sure to remain within the confines of that particular
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scale throughout.

You have learned that a scale not only dictates which notes can be used,
but also which chords can be used in a composition. You know that chords
are built upon each degree of a scale which results in a combination of
both major and minor chords.

You also know how to choose an appropriate chord to harmonize a melody

by making sure that the melody note is included in the chord, and that as
you gain more experience, you will be able to choose chords which do not
contain the melody note.

The single biggest contributory factor for any composer giving up the art
of composition is because they wrote something that they think sounds
bad. Although there are a number of elements that might make a
composition sound bad, nothing stands out more than not conforming to
the rules of tonality that have been used for hundreds of years.

!58
 Packaging Your Music

Your musical ideas need to be formatted and packaged so that they have
meaning. The following topics discuss how to do this.

Melody

Modern pop songs often have eight-measure verses and choruses, and in
some cases twelve. I suggest that you use eight measures as a framework
for your compositions, and aim to create eight-measure melodies.

Your melody should neither be too long nor too short, and ideally it should
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have a definite beginning, middle and end. An eight-measure melody

often begins as a two-measure fragment which is then developed into four
measures. Those four measures can then be repeated with a small
variation in either pitch or rhythm to create the complete eight-measure
phrase.

A melody whose middle notes are slightly higher in pitch than the
beginning and the end is considered to have good structure because it
moves in one direction and then returns back to where it began. In other
words, go up and then back down, or go down and then back up.

Good melodies often use question and answer phrases, which can easily
be related to speech. As the notes go up and away from the key note, a
melody leaves us hanging, which is a little like raising one’s voice at the
end of a question. As the second part of the melody moves back down
towards the key note, there is a sense of resolution or finality, that would
be expected from an answer.

Melodies should stand out and be the most prominent part of a piece of
music. Often, a melody is the highest part, but melodies can also be at

!59
 the bottom or in the middle of other notes. Surrounding notes should
always be softer than the melody itself so that it has room to breathe.
Although it is possible to create a melody first and then harmonize it later,
strive to work on the melody and the accompaniment at the same time if
you can. This may seem difficult at first, but it will become easier with
practice.

If you are writing songs and wonder whether to write the melody or the
lyrics first, I would suggest lyrics first because they will then dictate the
meter (time signature) of your piece, as well as certain elements of rhythm.

Avoid using many large intervals in your melodies, because not only can it
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sound disjointed, but it will be more difficult to sing or remember. Use

plenty of stepwise motion, meaning intervals of a second, but then break it
up by using one larger interval followed by smaller intervals. It is perfectly
acceptable to use an interval as large as an octave in your melody, but it is
almost always followed by stepwise motion in the opposite direction.

Consider the shape of your melodies. You already know that the
technique of going up and then down works well, but on the way up, it is
possible to have a series of smaller ups and downs. If the notes of your
melody look like the contour of a mountain range, it will probably work
well.

Melodies are often performed smoothly, although detached notes are also
acceptable. Consider using a combination of smooth and detached in
your melodies.

Consider the instrument that will be playing the melody, and make sure to
write in a range which works well for that instrument. Notes just above
middle C on the piano are playable on a flute, but generally don’t sound
as good as notes in the flute’s higher range. Although a soprano can sing
notes below middle C, not only is it more uncomfortable, but a soprano

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 voice doesn’t sound as good in that range. Your study of orchestration will
help you with these considerations.

Think about where a wind player might take a breath in your eight
measure melody. In some cases, they may be able to play the entire
phrase on one breath, but if the music is slow, they will probably need to
breath somewhere. Depending upon where they take a breath, the effect
of your melody might be lost, so small tweaks such as adding a rest may
be necessary.

Don’t forget the importance of rests and make sure to use them in your
melodies.
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Make sure that your melodies contain rhythmic variety. Although melodies
which contain most of the same note values can work, a variety of different
note values is generally preferable.

Get into the habit of singing or humming your melodies, even if they are
written for instruments. If it is easy to sing or hum, then you’re doing well.
If you find that it is stuck in your head and you are still hearing the tune
while you’re in the shower, then you’re doing even better.

Meter

Meter is the packaging of beats into groups that occur again and again.
Most music has either two, three or four beats per measure, with four
being the most common. Music in six, nine and twelve is subdivided into
larger note values which result in them still being counted in two, three
and four. Music in five is usually counted as three followed by two, and
music in seven is usually counted as four followed by three, so for the most
part, all music boils down to two, three or four.

Because most music is written in four, strive to be different and experiment

with other time signatures. Time signatures can and do change in the

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 middle of compositions, so don’t be afraid to experiment with changes
without making your music too complicated.

It is possible to have different instruments play in different time signatures

which can create interesting effects, but this is very complex and may not
be accepted by some audiences.

It is possible to combine two beats against three with the use of either
duplets or triplets and this can create a nice effect which is not quite so
abrupt as having two different time signatures.

Tempo
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Decide upon the speed of your composition and make a note of it at the
beginning. Avoid extremes when writing for other instruments and
consider what the instruments are capable of as well as the musicians who
will be playing them. A high school band will be less capable than a
professional symphony orchestra.

Tempo can change in the middle of a composition, but care should be

taken to make sure that it is meaningful. If the mood of the piece
changes, for example from major to minor, or smooth sections moving into
detached sections, then tempo changes can make a lot of sense.
However, changing the tempo while the music remains the same can
sound abrupt and random.

Rhythm

Your compositions should contain rhythmic variety, which means a

combination of long and short notes that are grouped together. Too many
of the same note values can soon sound boring, but likewise, too many
variations or combinations of long and short notes can be so complicated
that they can sound boring also. A rhythm which is one or two measures
long and then repeats, will often work well. This is not to say that much

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 longer rhythms cannot be used, but care should be taken to make sure
that there is shape and symmetry in the rhythm.

Rhythms are woven around the steady beat of a piece of music, but
decisions need to be made as to where and how the rhythms occur. For
example, as a pianist you may discover a left hand rhythm that you like,
but if you use exactly the same rhythm in the right hand as well, it may be
less effective. Likewise, the rhythm that a bass guitar plays should not
necessarily be duplicated by other instruments at the same time. Often,
they will have their own rhythms which tie in, or are related to the bass
guitar rhythm.
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Different musical parts such as left hand and right hand on the piano, or
clarinet and flute can sometimes play the same melody at the same time,
but often, the parts are independent and have their own story. Similarly,
different parts can sometimes share the same rhythm, but more often they
have their own rhythms that tie in with the composition as a whole.

During the editing process, listen to individual parts and ask yourself if
they have melodic and rhythmic variety. This is not necessary for all parts,
because some lines such as altos in a choral piece should be more static
and less melodic. Bass parts can often have a steady pulse of notes rather
than a rhythm, but keeping your mind focused on variety and interest is
important.

Form

Your music must have good form. Good form involves presenting an idea,
expanding upon the idea, moving to a different idea and then returning
back to the first idea. In the classical world this is known as exposition,
development and recapitulation.

Each section should be balanced with the others, and very often, each will
have the same amount of measures. For example, the first eight measures

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 can be repeated an octave higher. This is powerful because it repeats the
melody, and yet the difference in octave is enough of a change to make
sure that the repeat doesn’t sound boring. Now that we have heard eight
measures performed twice, our brains actually expect to hear another
eight measures to balance everything out, but this will usually be different
material.

Although the material can be completely different, it is a good idea to

have something that ties in with the original eight measures. The most
common way to tie it together is by using the same rhythm or at least a
similar rhythm while using different pitches. Although it would also be
possible to keep the notes the same and change the rhythm, this is not as
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effective, because the listener needs to hear a variation in the pitches.

The new idea could be repeated again, and possibly even move onto
something else, but at some point, a return to the original idea will be
necessary.

Repetition in music is important, but too much repetition is dangerous. A

phrase can be played twice in a row without a problem, and possibly even
three times, but four times may not be a good idea. However, this
depends upon the type of music that you are writing. Dance music can be
very repetitious, and it is common to hear a phrase repeated over and
over, yet interest and variety is often generated by changing the sounds
dramatically.

Sections of music can be labelled with letters to help with form. Section A
followed by section B is known as binary form, and section A followed by
section B followed by section A again is called ternary form.

The most important thing regarding form is to listen carefully and always
be alert to the times when an idea has exhausted itself. Composers often
know instinctively where changes should take place in the form of their

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 music, because they have listened to so much music that they have
subconsciously learned what to do.

Contrasting Elements

Your goal as a composer should be to include enough variety and contrast

in your music that you are able to keep your audience engaged
throughout its performance. The following topics discuss opposites, which
will help you to easily add contrast to any composition.

Movement vs. Stationary

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A combination of sustained notes and moving notes always works well.

When writing for piano, if your left hand plays a series of repeated notes,
right hand sustained notes help to even out the sound. If violins of an
orchestra play rapid scale passages, woodwinds can perform slower
moving notes to support them.

Music needs movement, whether it is fast or slow, yet movement should

be balanced with something that either does not move at all, such as long
bowed singled notes on a cello, or notes that move at a slower pace than
the primary movement.

Certain parts of a composition may include instruments all moving

together and playing the same thing in unison, but a return to sections
where the movement is contrasted with the stationary is almost always
necessary.

Up vs. Down

Two musical parts moving in the same direction is called parallel or similar
motion. Depending on the context, this type of writing can be considered
as sounding weak. However, if the two parts move in the opposite

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 direction, called contrary motion, the result usually sounds stronger. If one
part moves up while the other remains static, it is called oblique motion
and also sounds stronger than moving in the same direction.

Always look for opportunities to have parts in your music move in different
directions, and you will create passages that sound less predictable as well
as stronger.

Melody vs. Accompaniment

Although this topic has already been mentioned, it ties in here with
contrasting elements. Always make sure that the accompaniment is softer
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than the melody by adding the necessary dynamic markings to your music.

It may not be clear to a french horn player that they have the melody, and
they won’t know to play it louder unless it is marked in their music.

The ear is more naturally drawn to melodies, and the greater the contrast
between the melody and the accompaniment, the more dynamic and
interesting the overall sound becomes.

Loud vs. Soft

Dynamics (loud and soft) are one of the biggest and most important ways
in which expression is added to a performance. They also add great
variety and interest depending upon how they are used.

Sudden changes in volume are called terraced dynamics and can be

dramatic and powerful. Gradual changes such as crescendos and
diminuendos can be subtle or dramatic depending upon their use.

It is important to remember that the timbre of an instrument changes as

the volume changes, and generally, an instrument will become brighter
when it is played louder and vice versa.

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 A section of music which is played loud and then repeated much quieter
can create enough contrast whereby the music did not have to be
changed at all for the repeat. This means that dynamics can also help with
form and structure.

Instrumental music, choral music and film music often uses a generous
amount of dynamic changes and your music should too.

High vs. Low

Pitch plays a very important role in your compositions and the more
contrast you can create, the better. Generally, you should strive to cover
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the frequency spectrum by having instrument and notes cover the low end
(bass) the middle area (tenor and alto) as well as the high end (soprano).

The fullness that results from covering all of these areas at the same time
will always sound good, but after a while, a break is necessary where the
music shifts into just one or two of those areas. But just as we discussed in
the section about form, the listener will expect the music to go back to
where it came from.

Octave changes are simple and effective and you should make use of
them. A cello can play a melody which is then repeated by the viola an
octave higher. Your piano melodies can always be played an octave
higher or lower to great effect.

Just as dynamics can help with form, octave shifts also help you to use
exactly the same music and yet have enough contrast with the octave
change for it to work successfully.

When writing for piano, try to cover more areas of the instrument, either at
one time, or one section after another. When writing for orchestral
instruments work on balancing your music between higher instruments
such as oboes and violins with lower ones such as bassoons and cellos.

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 Dark vs. Light

Timbre or tone color plays a huge role in how interesting your music is.
When writing for orchestral instruments, think about how the lower
sounding instruments generally sound darker than the higher and brighter
instruments. Use this to your advantage, not only in combining the
different sounds when appropriate, but also switching from one sound
quality to the other. Remember also that dynamics have an impact on the
timbre of an instrument. A french horn sounds very mellow when played
quietly, and yet at very loud volumes it almost sounds like a different
instrument entirely.
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When writing for piano, experiment with the little-used soft pedal. Not
only does it make the piano quieter, but on a grand piano, it affects the
tone and the overall sound becomes more mellow. The middle or
sostenuto pedal allows a low note to be sustained while upper notes are
not, which also creates a contrast in timbre.

Octave changes that were mentioned in high vs. low, will automatically
create a slight change in timbre as well, for just about any instrument.

Sound vs. Silence

Beginning composers often overlook the important of silence in their

music. Notes or chords followed by rests can sometimes be more effective
than following them with more notes and chords.

Sounds which are preceded by silence give the impression of being louder
than they actually are, and notes may appear to be accented simply
because they follow silence. This can be a useful effect depending upon
the type of music that you are writing.

Music needs space to breathe, and rests provide this space. Musical
phrases which include carefully placed rests can sound more pleasing than

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 phrases where notes are played relentlessly one after the other. Rests can
give the listener’s ear a much needed break, even when they are very
short.

Smooth vs. Detached

A combination of smooth and detached notes can create wonderful

contrast in your compositions. Notes can be detached in varying degrees
from staccatissimo, staccato, detaché, marcato to portato as well as
anything in between.

Likewise, there are varying degrees as to how smoothly a passage can be

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played. Consider using a staccato accompaniment against a legato

melody or vice versa. Also try sudden shifts from passages that are played
all staccato to all legato. Plucked strings (pizzicato) are a wonderful effect
that you should use in your orchestral writing wherever appropriate.

Fast vs. Slow

Usually, the tempo of your music will remain the same throughout a piece,
but changes in speed can be very effective when used carefully. Slowing
down gradually (ritardando) can give the impression that the music is
coming to a conclusion, or perhaps the end of a section. Ritardandos
allow the music to relax somewhat. Gradually increasing the speed
(accelerando) is less common, but can give the impression of an increase
in energy and or excitement.

Sudden shifts in tempo from fast to slower or slow to faster can be

appropriate when the music changes in some way. Time signature
changes, or changes in accompaniment style can often be aided by the
use of a change in tempo.

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 Long vs. Short

Contrast between short and long passages can be interesting. Often,

passages are of the same or similar length to create balance, but there are
times when breaking from this rule can be effective.

Full vs. Thin

Large chords with doubled notes can produce a full and rich sound, and by
following these larger chords with one or two individual melodic lines a
dramatic effect can be accomplished. Many of the great composers used
this technique to great effect in their symphonies, whereby a melody with
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thick, lush orchestration was then repeated with a solo instrument such as
a clarinet.

Of course, it can also work well the other way around. Your study of
harmony will teach you about closed voicing vs. open voicing which refers
to how closely the notes are spaced vertically. Closed voicing can sound
richer than open voicing, but sometimes the opposite is true depending
upon the instruments that you are writing for.

Major vs. Minor

Major and minor modes are related to each other and yet produce very
different results. As previously mentioned, minor tonality tends to sound
more serious than major, and if your aim is to write a sad piece of music, it
almost certainly should be in a minor key.

Key changes can be very important in composition so as to keep the

interest of the listener. Often, keys will change to other closely related
keys, but sometimes abrupt shifts to non-related keys can be very
effective. A shift from a major key to its relative minor, can work really well,
but some shifts to minor or major tonalities are indeed big changes, which

!70
 can work well in movie and television scores where the scene changes
between serious and happy moods.

Use major and minor tonality to your advantage to create specific moods
in your music. Careful changes between them can be very effective.

Summary

You must create variety in your music, and one of the best ways is to think
of the opposite of what you have just written. By selecting just a few of
the opposites described here, it will not be difficult for you to create a
number of changes in your material that will always work well.
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The Composing Process

Music which sounds good on the piano will usually sound good when
played by other instruments, so many composers write piano sketches first
before scoring their work for the orchestra. The following guidelines can
help with any form of composition, but are discussed with the intention of
being worked out on the piano first.

Melody & Chords

Composers often play a melody in the right hand and chords in the left.
Higher notes on the piano have a penetrating quality which work well for
melodies. Notes above middle C are also easier to sing or hum for most
people because they are more suited to their vocal range.

Melodies often have more movement than the chords that accompany
them, so most people prefer to play melodies with the right hand if that is
their dominant hand. Chords are often static and held, and for most
people it’s easy to do this with the left hand.

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 Bear in mind that melodies do indeed sound good with the left hand and
that chords work very nicely with the right hand too, so if you want to be a
bit different, consider doing the latter a little more often.

A right hand melody playing over left hand chords also covers a larger part
of the harmonic spectrum, which translates well when adapting the music
for other instruments.

Movement

Decide whether the left hand chords use movement or whether the right
hand does. You could have both hands moving, but avoid that for now.
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A common approach is to use broken chords in the left hand. In its

simplest form, this means that if your left hand plays a C major chord, you
would play the notes C E and G individually and then repeat the pattern.
They could be repeated over and over such as C E G C E G, or they could
go up and down such as C E G E C E G E. There are other combinations,
but as long as the left hand plays individual notes one at a time, there is
movement.

Right hand melodic notes can be held to contrast this movement. If your
piano skills are still in the early stages, you will often find that both hands
want to do the same thing, and it will be a little challenging to hold one
note in the right hand while the other hand plays individual notes, but
you’ll soon get used to it. It’s a little like patting your head and rubbing
your stomach at the same time.

The left hand can also play all of the notes of the chord at the same time,
and then repeat the chord over and over in order to create movement.
This technique is used often in rock and pop music and can be effective as
long as there is interest in other parts of the composition.

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 This pattern of left hand movement against right hand sustained notes is
used effectively by many pianists and you should certainly experiment with
it yourself.

What To Play With A Chord

Composers sometimes discover chord progressions that they like, and

then add melody lines later. There are some rules that can help you to
understand how to choose melody notes which will work with the chords.

If your left hand plays a C major chord, the notes C, E and G work well in
the right hand because they are already included in the chord. This is true
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of all chords, and whichever notes are used in the chord work perfectly as
melody notes.

However, your music will sound better if you use different notes in each
hand. Using the same note will not sound bad, but the use of different
notes results in a more polished sound. If your left hand plays C, E and G
of the C major chord, and you like the sound of the note E in your right
hand along with it, consider omitting the E from the left hand. The result
will be C and G in the left hand and E in the right hand.

A basic chord such as C major consists of notes that are referred to as the
root (C), the third (E) and the fifth (G). When doubling notes, it is always
better to double either the root or the fifth, but not the third. This is
explained in harmony books.

Contemporary musicians are usually not aware of this rule, and often
double the third. Again, it doesn’t sound bad, but the third of a chord
dictates whether the chord is major or minor, and doubling its sound
causes an imbalance.

The fifth note of a chord is often omitted, particularly when adding

additional notes such as the seventh or the ninth. The fifth does not play

!73
 an important role in any chord, so this is why it is omitted. Jazz musicians
will sometimes sharpen or flatten the fifth note instead of omitting it, which
makes the chord sound very different.

It is possible to use a melody note which is not contained in the chord,

which will sometimes create dissonance, however when these melody
notes move up or down in stepwise motion, the dissonance resolves and
often creates a pleasing effect. A note used in this way is called an
appoggiatura which means leaning. Melody notes can be used between
chords as connectors and these are referred to as passing notes.

Use melody notes that belong to the chords in the early stages, and as you
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become more comfortable, use notes that are not included in the chords.
In cases where strong dissonance occurs, simply move the melody note up
or down one step and it will resolve onto consonance.

Placement Of Notes Within A Chord

Many beginning composers play and write most of their chords in root
position where the root is always at the bottom of the chord. It is easy to
play chords this way, and it is also easier to identify each chord by looking
at the bottom note. However, using all root position chords can make your
music sound dull, and quite frankly, it can make you sound like an amateur.

By flipping notes around, these three-note chords can also be played in

first inversion and second inversion and you should consider using these
other two positions in addition to root position. Changing the inversion of
a chord changes the lower note, which may or may not impact the bass
line. Also, as chords move from one to the other, the use of inversions
help to make the chords move more smoothly from one to the other.

Due to the inherent nature of sound waves, the lower the notes are, the
more they should be spaced out. If you play a C major chord in the
middle of the piano it sounds fine, and it also sounds fine an octave lower,

!74
 but play an octave lower than that and it all sounds rather muddy and
indistinct. It will continue to sound worse the lower you go and it is
because the notes are too close to each other and their frequencies are
bumping into one another.

When you play in the lower register of the piano, you should spread your
notes out to give them space. Instead of playing a root position C major
chord as C E G, consider playing C G E. This involves an interval of a 10th
between the lowest note C and the highest note E, which some people
may not be able to stretch, but it is possible to play one note after the
other with good results.
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Notes which are spaced this way sound pleasing and you should use this
technique often. New Age pianists play left hand notes like this all the
time. The root of the chord is played with the fifth finger, the fifth of the
chord is played with the second and the third of the chord with the thumb.

Changing Chords

The interval of a fifth is strong and very powerful, therefore any chord
which is followed by another chord either a fifth below or a fifth above will
create a strong bond. A chord of C major followed by either a chord of G
major chord (fifth above) or F major chord (fifth below) will always sound
strong. You could continue this pattern by moving again to a chord that is
a fifth above or a fifth below the previous one, but this needs to be done
carefully so that you don’t venture too far from the original key.

Chords which move up or down by the interval of a third sound strong

because two of the notes will remain common to both. For example,
moving a chord of C major down to A minor always sounds strong.
Moving down by an interval of a third sounds stronger than moving up by
a third.

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 The idea of keeping notes in common during a chord progression is very
important, because changes from one chord to another while keeping at
least one note in common, acts like glue in tying the chords together.
Chord progressions which use this technique sound smooth and less
jarring. Certainly chords can change which have no notes in common, but
they are often followed by a change that does have notes in common.
The weakest progression is to move a chord up or down a step too often.
An F major chord moving up a step to a G major chord sounds just fine,
but it’s not a good idea to follow it with another stepwise motion in the
same direction. Stepwise motion is excellent for melodies and should be
used a lot, but with chord progressions it should be used carefully.
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Remember that Chord I (the chord which begins on the first note of the
key that you are in) is considered as home base and it is a good idea to
come back to it quite often, to strongly establish the identity of the key.

Chords I, IV and V are the most common chords in a key, and many pop
songs use only these chords. Chord ii is also very powerful and used a lot
in modern music. It works as a good substitute for chord IV because it
contains two notes that are the same. Chord iii is not used as often, but it
can be used as a substitute for chord I. Likewise, chord VI can be used as
a substitute of chord IV because it has two notes in common. Chord vii is
not used much because it is a diminished chord which is dissonant and
could be considered as weak sounding. However, when chord vii is
inverted, it can function as a dominant seventh chord which will help to
transition into other keys.

The exercises at the end of the book will help you to learn many common
chords as well as the relationships between them.

Developing Ideas

Beginning composers make the mistake of connecting one idea after

another in order to fill time. These ideas may be great, but adding too

!76
 many to your composition can make it complicated. There are ways to
manipulate your core ideas and turn them into something different.

Augmentation is a technique whereby all of the notes in a melody are

doubled in length. Quarter notes become half notes and eighth notes
become quarter notes etc. This can result in your melody being no longer
recognizable, but will allow you to use the same harmony and expand your
piece without having to use a new idea.

Diminution is the opposite of augmentation where the notes are halved.

This will result in a shorter segment which may still be recognizable as your
original melody. These shorter phrases can then be used by other
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instruments as counter-melodies, so diminution gives you a lot of flexibility

as to how to use the resulting material.

Inversion is a technique where the intervals of a melody are flipped. For

example, if your melody begins with middle C and then moves up a fifth to
G followed by down a second to F, then an inversion will result in C
moving down a fifth to F followed by up a second to G. Just as with
augmentation, this will lead to material which may not sound anything like
the original, but it does give you new material which is very much related
to the original and which can possibly connect in a better way than a
brand new idea.

Retrograde is a technique where everything is notated in reverse. The

notes C D E would become E D C. It is possible to reverse the pitches of a
phrase, or the rhythm of a phrase, or both. Again, it will produce
something very different and yet the result is still linked to the original
idea.

Octave changes have already been discussed, but their importance should
not be overlooked. Moving a passage of notes up or down an octave can
create something quite different.

!77
 Instrument changes have also been mentioned previously, but remember
their importance too when looking to create a different section of music.

Paying close attention to any of the great symphonies will reveal the use of
these techniques. One of the best examples is Beethoven’s fifth
symphony. Pay attention to the opening four notes and how he uses that
idea rhythmically and melodically throughout the entire work.

Structuring Ideas

Once you have a section of music which you like, the most common thing
to do would be to repeat it. This simple and common technique is often
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either ignored or abused. Beginning composers make the mistake of not

repeating enough, resulting in overly complex phrases, or conversely, they
repeat too often which can create monotony.

Repeat an idea once note for note, and if you want to repeat it again after
that, perhaps incorporate small changes to the melody or rhythm. Simply
making a few notes go up instead of down, or changing two eighth notes
into dotted eighth followed by a sixteenth can sometimes be enough to
add variety.

Repeating an idea a fourth time is generally not a good idea, but you will
often encounter this in pop music. Repeating something four times can
work if you are making variations to other elements in the music, and in
the case of electronic and dance music, enough contrast can be made in
drum patterns alone to warrant keeping the melodic and harmonic
material the same for four passes or more. However, if you are writing for
piano or a small chamber ensemble, it is less likely that you can get away
with it.

Small repetitions help to build larger segments in the overall structure of

your piece. The larger segment should be repeated later in the
composition just like verses and choruses in a song. Remember that an

!78
 eight measure verse or chorus often includes plenty of repetition within
itself. As mentioned previously, an eight measure section might only
consist of two measures of unique material.

Trust your ear. If the music sounds like it is meandering then it most likely
is.

An Introduction

Beginning composers tend to work sequentially, and so the first ideas for a
piece often become the introduction. A piece of music does not have to
have an introduction, but they are very common in order to set the pace
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and general tone for what is about to come.

Consider adding an introduction once you have completed your

composition, because good introductions often incorporate aspects of the
main melody or at least the harmonies that are used with it.

Strive to get to your main ideas quickly and efficiently, and avoid long
introductions containing many repeated, arpeggiated chords which can
soon bore the listener.

Repeating A Melody

Experience will tell you when and where a melody should be repeated.
There is a reason why the common verse/chorus structure of pop and rock
music works so well. It is simple and easy for an audience to listen to.
Composers of classical and jazz music can often learn much about this
simplicity, because the form and structure of symphonies and concertos
are often too complex for the average listener.

Remember to compare the structure of musical ideas to that of speech.

We often know when we have stressed a point too often as well as when
we haven’t. We often know when we are being too random by changing

!79
 ideas abruptly during a conversation. We also tend know when we are
rambling or meandering. The timing of changes in speech patterns can
apply directly to your music as well.

Think of your composition as a dialog, and consider whether someone is

saying too much or not enough. Also consider how the dialog transitions
from one person to the other.

Thirds, Sixths, Octaves & Tenths

Remember that all of these intervals sound good and you should use them
a lot. A melody that needs thickening can benefit from being duplicated a
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third or a sixth below. Sixths and thirds are related to each other, because
if either interval is flipped, you end up with the other. For example, C to E
is a third, but if we move the C above the E, or the E below the C, we end
up with a sixth.

Tenths are really the same as thirds, but the upper note is one octave
higher than it would be as a third. Tenths sound great, especially in the
left hand because the interval between bass and tenor sounds rich.
Courses in traditional harmony will teach you the importance of this
interval between bass and tenor voices when writing choral music.
Remember that if your hands cannot stretch a tenth, you can still use them
by playing the notes one at a time. When this is done quickly in the left
hand, it is referred to as rolling the chord.

Octaves don’t have the richness of the other intervals because the notes
are the same, but they do help to fatten or pad the overall sound.
Octaves sound particularly good in the lower range of the piano.

Modulation

Changing key during the course of a composition can be very effective.

Key changes can occur anywhere, but they work better after all of your

!80
 initial ideas have been established, and I would suggest about 75% of the
way through your piece or later.

It is common to transpose or modulate a piece up either a half step or a

whole step towards the end. An upward transposition can give the
impression that the energy of the piece has increased.

It is common to modulate to closely related keys such as the fifth of the

current key. C major has no sharps or flats, and by modulating to G major
(the fifth degree of C major) the only requirement is the addition of one
sharp. Likewise, modulating from C major to F major (down a fifth)
requires adding only one flat. The addition or subtraction of just one
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accidental (sharp or flat) is not too jarring, and the keys resemble one
another. A dramatic shift from C major to A flat major can be effective
when used correctly.

Modulation is a complex subject and often takes up a large portion of

harmony books. Make sure to learn all you can about this important
technique.

Damper Pedal

The damper pedal of an acoustic piano raises the dampers (small felt pads)
away from the strings and allows them all to vibrate freely. This tool is
unique and allows a pianist to create sound colors in ways that no other
instrument can. The combination of freely vibrating strings on a piano
create complex frequencies that can sometimes help to guide your ear
towards musical ideas that you may not have previously considered.

I suggest that you use the pedal often when you are composing at the
piano, but I should caution you that misuse of the damper pedal can
create an audio mess. Listen carefully to what you are doing and avoid
blurring many chords together. However, use the pedal as a compositional

!81
 tool and listen to the result. You may find yourself being drawn in different
directions which can add great variety and interest to your composition.

Damper pedals on digital pianos usually just sustain the notes, but modern
digitals incorporate something called “sympathetic resonance” which
emulates what is happening acoustically on a real piano. Nevertheless, if
you have a real piano or a digital, use the pedal to help with ideas.

Avoid Comparisons

In the early stages of a composition, you may have created something with
which you are quite impressed, only to later feel dismayed after listening
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to works by another composer.

Avoid comparing yourself to other composers and strive to create music

that is different. Another problem for beginning composers is to compare
the overall sound of what they have created to that of recordings that they
own.

It is not fair to compare your early work with polished recordings that may
have cost many thousands of dollars to produce. Don’t blur the lines
between the composing process and the recording and mastering process,
as they are all quite different and should be kept separate from one
another.

It is common for all composers to doubt what they are doing at some
point and wonder if their music is good enough. However, what exactly
does good enough mean? Music is music, and in a way there is no such
thing as good or bad, but simply that which pleases and that which does
not. Strive to create music that pleases you first, rather than music to
please others. If it does please you, then there will almost certainly be
others who will find it pleasing also. However, do not compare yourself to
other composers, particularly in the early stages of composition.

!82
 Titles

Your finished composition is probably very precious to you, so take time to

find the best possible title. You are creating an important package to
deliver to as many people as possible, and the title of that package is
extremely important. Be creative and find the best title that fits with what
you have created.

Length

Your composition can be any length you desire, but I would suggest to you
that shorter is better. Traditional classical music forms such as symphonies
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and concertos are generally long (too long in my opinion), but any form of
music that you would like to appeal to a modern audience should
generally be short and to the point. Once again, the success of the pop
and rock world can be pointed out here. Modern songs are usually
between three and a half and four minutes or so. This is only a ballpark,
but it does work.

Summary

The concepts that you have read about here are based on a traditional
approach to writing music, and I have attempted to simplify, explain as
well as give a general overview of topics and their importance so that the
reader can then investigate further.

No single book or music course can train someone to be a composer,

because composition consists of so many different elements. Even the
greatest composers would admit to knowing only a fraction of the art of
music as a whole. Beethoven was a genius, but he would be lost in the
jazz world. Mozart was phenomenal, but probably couldn’t write a top 40
hit song.

!83
 There are however, certain laws and principles that apply to all aspects of
music and I have covered most of them here. There is a lot of material
here to digest and I suggest you read it several times, but also bear in
mind that it is the tip of the iceberg as far as what you could learn.

You don’t need to learn everything to be a composer, but it is important to

know as much as you can about a lot of things. As you have been reading
this book, certain topics may have jumped out at you, and you know that
you need to pursue that area more. Follow your instinct, and if you feel
you need more harmony then study it. Perhaps you need to study scores
or improve your reading ability etc. There is much to learn, but don’t feel
overwhelmed. Take a step at a time and realize that a little work
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performed on a consistent basis can yield tremendous results.

General Tips

Enjoy The Journey

The act of composing music is a journey which should be enjoyed, and the
time you spend working out combinations of sounds and rhythms is a
process of discovery that can give countless hours of enjoyment. Over
time, you will learn what works and what does not work, and your skills will
always improve. If you enjoy working on a composition then you have
already succeeded.

Trust Your Ears

The ears are a composer’s best friends, so make sure to trust what you
hear. You have listened to enough music throughout your life that you
know what sounds good and what doesn’t.

If you find that there’s something about your composition that is not
working, then pay attention to that section and either change it or replace

!84
 it accordingly. Your ears receive the same information as those of your
audience, so make sure that both your ears and those of your audience
enjoy the result.

Perform Your Music For People

Make sure to perform your finished compositions for people rather than
simply playing them a recording. If playing for friends and relatives, ask
them what they like about the piece, but do be prepared for criticism and
don’t take it too seriously if you receive negative feedback, because
nobody wants to deliberately hurt your feelings
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It’s wonderful for people to hear a composer performing their own works,
because most of the time, audiences only hear a composer’s works
performed by someone other than the composer.

Get used to playing your compositions regularly and become comfortable

performing. You may need to practice your compositions (I certainly do),
but it is very rewarding to practice your own work rather than the work of
other people.

Backup Your Work

I make sure to back up my Sibelius and Logic Pro files to several different
sources, and you should too. Both programs have features which
automatically backup data, but once I have completed a piece, I do not
trust keeping it only on one device.

Today’s cloud computing has made this process much easier, and I use
Apple’s iCloud as well as DropBox to save my files in addition to saving
them to external hard drives and USB drives. The raw files are usually very
small in size and can be backed up in a second or two.

!85
 There is nothing more frustrating than spending countless hours on a
piece of music, only to lose it due to some technical glitch. Recently, I
updated the system software on one of my computers, and a “stray” file
that had not been backed up properly was erased. Fortunately, I had
printed out the music, so it was simply a matter of having to re-input the
notes. However, this shouldn’t have happened and it took time away from
other projects.

Dealing With Writers Block

There will be times when you are not satisfied with anything that you have
written, but you should realize that it is all a matter of perspective. I have
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had people rave about pieces that I thought were weak, and yet
sometimes I’ve had people not like pieces that I thought were my best.

It is important to continue writing and certainly try not to judge your work
while you are creating it. Later, you can step back and look at what you
have produced and you will clearly feel more strongly about some things
than others. Sometimes your opinion will change, and it is possible to
revisit a piece a few years later and realize that it holds great promise
which you hadn’t noticed before.

Keep all of your work and don’t be too quick to discard things that you
don’t like. You never know if it will be useful down the road.

Everything that you write has value, and all of your work is helping to make
you a better composer. Avoid judging yourself too harshly, and perhaps
simply put the pieces that you don’t like so much into a separate folder
which you can visit at a later date.

If you are really having difficulty coming up with ideas, consider writing for
the trash can. In other words, deliberately write sections of music that you
know you will throw away. This can be very liberating, and sometimes will
remove obstacles that you had no idea existed.

!86
 Occasionally try working in a different way. If you use a notation program,
try pencil and paper for a day or two. If you use a sequencer, use the
notation feature to input notes manually rather than playing into the
software. Also consider that software, as wonderful as it is, can sometimes
hinder rather than help creativity.

Be careful of using looped sounds, because as wonderful and as

convenient as they are, they will constrain and inhibit your creativity if you
are not careful. Your choice of a particular loop already locks you in to a
certain tempo and time signature. Although tempo can be changed with
loops, audio files sound better when they are close to the original tempo.
Sometimes, a loop will lock you in with particular harmonies that you might
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otherwise not have chosen. I suggest that you compose first and add
loops later.

If you find yourself with a number of unfinished works, you need to spend
some time going through them and deciding which should be kept to
work on, and which should be archived for down the road. It is also a
good idea to force yourself to complete an unfinished piece. Sometimes
after an hour or so, the previous blocks that you were experiencing simply
disappear. Often, the difficulty can be getting started in the first place.

Protecting Your Work

When you write a piece of music, you are automatically the owner of the
copyright. If your music is used without your consent by someone
claiming that they wrote it, then it becomes necessary for you to prove
when you wrote it.

By registering your work with the copyright office, you receive an official
receipt stating when it was received. This receipt can serve as proof
should a dispute arise. Many beginning composers confuse this process of
registering a copyright with copyrighting. There really is no such thing as

!87
 copyrighting your music because it is already copyrighted, but registering
it is what you need to do in order to protect it.

The fee to register a work is the same for one piece of music as for a
collection, so you will save money if you send in a set of pieces.
www.copyright.gov explains how everything works in the United States,
but other countries have similar organizations.

Summary

The most highly trained musicians can sometimes benefit from a little help
in looking at things differently. As I’ve pointed out in this book, there’s a
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lot that you should know, however, the way in which you use this
knowledge is more important than anything.

Some people have advanced degrees in composition, and know more

rules about harmony and counterpoint than you can shake a stick at, but
sometimes, these people simply can’t compose anything of any worth.
Contrast this with the singer/songwriter who doesn’t know anything about
the rules of music, but creates a top ten hit. It’s all about how you use
what you do know.

Putting Things Into Practice

Reading about topics regarding composition is one thing, but putting the
ideas into practice is far more valuable. This section presents you with a
series of exercises to help you to understand scales, keys, chords,
inversions and harmonic progressions more easily. Study them diligently
and master each of the exercises completely, because there is no better
way to improve your improvisation and composition skills.

!88
 Mastering Triads And Their Inversions

A triad is a three-note chord. Triads are the building blocks of all chords,
and there are five different types:

Major
Augmented
Minor
Diminished
Suspended Fourth (Sus 4)

Here they are beginning on C

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Memorize the following rules:

• Major chords consist of the first, third and fifth notes of a major scale
• Augmented chords are major chords with a raised fifth
• Minor chords consist of the first, third and fifth notes of a minor scale, or
become minor by lowering third the third note of a major chord
• Diminished chords are minor chords with a lowered fifth
• Suspended fourth chords replace the third of the scale with the fourth

Use these rules to practice forming any of the triads using any starting
note on the piano. You will soon discover that a knowledge of scales is
crucial to being able to easily find these chords.

It can be helpful to count the half steps between notes of a chord. For
example, a major chord consists of four half steps between the root and

!89
 the third, and three half steps between the third and the fifth. Conversely,
a diminished triad features three half steps between the root and third and
another three half steps between third and fifth. This method is slow and
is cheating a little bit, but can be helpful in certain situations where you are
unsure and need to check your notes.

Suspended fourth chords are common in contemporary music, but they do

not occur naturally within a scale, so we will be primarily concerned with
major, minor, augmented and diminished triads from now on.

Triads can be flipped by moving the bottom note an octave higher, so it is

very important that you are familiar with all of the positions, root, first
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inversion and second inversion.

The following pages list major, augmented, minor and diminished triads in
all possible positions. Master them with your right hand first, followed by
the left hand one octave lower, and then finally, play them with both hands
at the same time. Remember that all chords are based upon these triads,
so study them well.

!90
 Major Triads - All Inversions

C Major G Major
w w
w w w
& w w
w w
w w w
w w
w w w w
w w
w w
w w
w
w w w w
w w
w w
w w w w
w w
w
w w

D Major A Major
w #w
w #w
w
w #w
w w #w #w
w
& #w
w #w
w w w #w
w #w
w w w
w w
w w #w
w
w w
w
w w #w
w # w # w #w
w
w
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E Major B Major
w #w
w #w
w
w #w
w w #w ##w
w
w
& #w #w
w w w #w
w #w
w #w #w
w # w
w w ##w
w
w #w
w
w w #w
w # w # w ##w
w
w

F# Major Db Major bbw

b w b w
w w
w bbw
w bw
& # w # #w # #w
w ###w
w
w ###w
w #w b
bww
w b w
w b w w b w
w bbw
w
w
## w # w
w # w w ## w
w ### w
w
w w

Ab Major Eb Major bbw

bw b w b w
w w
w bbw
w bw
& bw b w b w
w b w
w bbw
w bw b w
w b w
w b w w b w
w bbw
w
w
bw b w
w b w w b w
w bbw
w
w bw w

Bb Major
w
F Major
w w
w w
w
w w
w w
b w b w
w b w
w bw
w bw w
w w
w w w w
w w
w
& w
w w
w w w w
w bw
w w w
bw w
91
 Augmented Triads - All Inversions

C Augmented G Augmented
w #w
w
& #w #w
w #w
w w #w
w
w #w
w w #w
w
w #w
w
w w w #w
w
w #w
w # w
w
w #w
w w
w # w
w
w #w
w
w w

D Augmented
##w A Augmented
w #w
w w
w ##w
w w #w ##w
w
& ##w
w ##w
w # w w ##w
w ##w
w # w w
w w
w w #w
w
w w
w
w w #ww # w # w #w
w
w
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E Augmented B Augmented
w #w
w ## w
w
w ##w
w w #w #‹w
w
#w
&#w ##w
w # w w ##w
w ##w
w ‹w ‹w
w ‹w
w w ‹#w
w
w ‹w
w
w w #w
w # w # w #‹w
w
w

F# Augmented Db Augmentedw
b w b w
w b w
w bw
w bw
& ‹ w ‹ #w # #w
w ##‹w
w
w #‹#w
w #w w
w
bw w
w w w w
w bw
w
w
## w # w
w ‹ w w ‹# w
w ##‹ w
w
w w

Ab Augmented Eb Augmentedw
w b w b w
w b w
w bw
w bw
& w bw b w
w b w
w bw
w bw w
w w
w w w w
w bw
w
w
bw w
w w w w
w bw
w
w bw w

Bb Augmented
#w w w #w
F Augmented
w w
w #w
w w
b w b w
w b w
w #bw
w bw #w
w #w
w #w w #w
w #w
w
& #w
w # w
w # w w # w
w b#w
w w w
bw w
92
 Minor Triads - All Inversions

C Minor G Minor
w bw
w bw
w
w bw
w w bw bw
w
& bw
w b w
w w w b w
w bw
w w w
w w
w w bw
w
w w
w
w w bw
w b w b w bw
w
w

D Minor w A Minor
w w
w w
w w
w w w w
w w
& w
w
w w
w w w w
w w
w
w w
w
w
w
w
w
w w w
w w
w
w w
w
w w
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E Minor w B Minor
w w
w w
w w
w w w #w
w
& w
w w
w w w w
w w
w #w #w
w #w
w w #w
w
w #w
w
w w w
w w w #w
w
w

F# Minor C# Minor
w #w
w
& # w ##w w #w
w
w ##w #w ##w
w ##w
w # w ##w
w
w ##w
w
w ##w
w # w
w ##w
w w w w ##w
w
#w w w w ## w
w
w #w w

G# Minor Eb Minor bbbw

#w b w b bw
w w
w bbbw
w bw
& # w ##w #w
w # w
w ##w
w #w b
bb ww bb w
w b w w bb w
w bbbw
w
w w
w # w w # w
w ## w
w w w
#w w

Bb Minor
w
F Minor
w bw
w bw
w
w bw
w w
b w bb w
w bb w
w bbw
w bw w
bw b w
w w w b w
w bw
w
& bw
w b w
w w w b w
w bb w
w w w
bw w
93
 Diminished Triads - All Inversions

C Diminished G Diminished
w bw
w bbw
w
w bbw
w w bw bbw
w
& bbw
w bb w
w b w w bb w
w bbw
w b w b w
w b w
w w bbw
w
w b w
w
w w bww b w b w bb w
w
w

D Diminished
bw A Diminished
w w
w w
w w
w w w bw
w
b
& ww b w
w b w b w b w
w bw
w bw b w
w b w
w w bw
w
w b w
w
w w w
w w w bw
w
w
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E Diminished
bw B Diminished
w w
w w
w bw
w w w w
w w
b
& ww
w b w
w b w w b w
w bw
w
w w w
w w
w w w
w w
w w
w
w w w w
w

F# Diminished C# Diminished
w w
w
w w
w #w #w #w #w
w #w
& w #w
w #w
w #w #w
w
w #w
w w
w w
w w w w
w #w
w
w
#w w w #w
w
w
#w w

G# Diminished Eb Diminished ∫bbw

w b w b bw
w w
w b∫bw
w bw
& w #w #w
w #w
w #w
w #w ∫
bb ww ∫b w
w ∫ w w ∫b w
w bb∫w
w
w w
w w w w
w #w
w w w
#w w

Bb Diminished
bw
F Diminished
w bww bb w
w
w bbw
w w
b w b b w
w bb w
w bbbw
w bw b
bww bb w
w b w w bb w
w bbw
w
& b bw
w bb w
w b w w bb w
w bbbw
w w w
bw w
94
 Mastering Triads Of The Scale

It is much easier to understand chords in the context of the scales from

which they are derived. In so doing, we can see which chords are related
and why, which in turn allows us to understand the ingredients which can
be used in a composition.

Here is the scale of C major with a triad built upon each scale degree. Play
this with your right hand using only fingers 1, 3, 5 going up and down.
When you are comfortable with the right hand, try it with the left hand an
octave lower using fingers 5, 3, 1.
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You need to be able to play this same sequence of chords for each of the
twelve major scales, using both left hand and right hand. Fingering for
chords can vary depending upon the context, but for this exercise, you can
always use fingers 1, 3, 5 for the right hand and 5, 3, 1 for the left when
the triads are in root position.

You know that triads can also be in first inversion or second inversion, so
you must also practice the scales using these inversions.

Here is what C major looks like in both first inversion and second inversion:

!95
 Fingerings for first inversion are 1, 2, 5 for the right hand and 5, 3, 1 for left
hand.

Fingers for second inversion are 1, 3, 5 for the right hand and 5, 2, 1 for
left hand.

Chord Symbols

Chords can be labelled with chord symbols or roman numerals. Roman

numerals are often used for music analysis, and are useful in that they can
be universally applied to any key. Upper case indicates a major chord
while lower case indicates minor. A small circle that looks like a degree
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sign indicates diminished, while a plus sign indicates augmented.

Chord symbols are letters, which can also use the circle and plus signs
when referring to diminished and augmented chords. A small letter m
following a chord symbol, indicates minor, whereas a capital letter alone
indicates major. In the exercises which follow, roman numerals have been
used for the first example, as well as chord symbols throughout for
reference purposes.

Triads Of The Minor Scale

There are three forms of the minor scale, and depending upon which
version is used, the qualities of the triads will change slightly. This means
that when writing in a minor key, there are more chord choices than exist in
a major key. Here is the scale of C minor in natural, harmonic and melodic
forms. You can see from the roman numerals and chords symbols which
chords change depending upon the version used.

!96
This file sold to Charles Morris, Jr., order #018124-757677. Reproduction or distribution is prohibited.

The following pages contain every triad in all possible positions, which are
built upon the four scale types of major, natural minor, harmonic minor and
melodic minor.

Learn one scale type at a time with the right hand alone going up and
down one octave. Speed is not important, but fluency is. Once you have
mastered the right hand, do the same thing with the left hand an octave
lower, and later put both hands together.

Some of these exercises will be challenging, but I can assure you that
every moment spent with them will help you tremendously as a composer.

!97
 Major Scale Triads - Root Position

C Major G Major
C D‹ E‹ F G A‹ Bº C G A‹ B‹ C D E‹ F©º G
w w w
& w
w w
w w
w
w
w w
w w
w w w
w w w
w w
w #w w
w #w
w w
w
w #w
w
w
w
w
w
w w w
w
w w w
w w w w
I ii iii IV V vi vii° I

D Major A Major
D E‹ F©‹
B‹ C©º D G A A B‹ C©‹ D E F©‹ G©º A
w #w w
w #w
w
w
& #w w
w ##w
w
w
w
w
w #w
w w
w #w w
#w #w #w
w #w
w ##w
w
w #w
w
w #w
w
w
w w w
#w
w ww # w
w w w
This file sold to Charles Morris, Jr., order #018124-757677. Reproduction or distribution is prohibited.

E Major B Major
E F©‹ G©‹
B C©‹ D©º A
E
w B C©‹ D©‹ E F© G©‹ A©º B
#w w #w
#w #w
w #w
w # w
w w ##w
& #w
w #w
w # w
w #w
w w #w #w #w #w #w
w # #w
w #
#w
w
w ##w
w w
w
w # w #w
#w w
w #w ## w
w w # w

F# Major Db Major
F© G©‹ A©‹ B C© D©‹ E©º
Cº D¨ F© D¨ E¨‹ F‹ G¨ A¨ B¨‹
b w w bb w
w bbw
w
& #w #w # #w #w #w #w
w # #w
w b w b b w
w b w
w bbb w
w
w b w
w bb w
w w w
#w # w # w # w # w w b w w
w #w
w# w
## w w #w
w #w #w bw

Ab Major Eb Major
A¨ B¨‹ C‹ D¨ E¨ F‹ Gº A¨ E¨ F‹
A¨ G‹
B¨ C‹ Dº b E¨
w
bw bw w b w w
w b w
w b w
w
w b w
w
& bw w b w b w
w b w
w b w
w b w
w b w
w b w
w b w
w b w
w b w w
w b w
w b w
w b w
w b w w bw w
bw b w

Bb Major F Major
B¨ C‹ D‹ E¨ F G‹ Aº B¨ F G‹ A‹ B¨ C D‹ Eº F
w w bw
w w
w w
& w w w
w b w
w w
w b w
w w b w w w w
w bw
w w
w
w bw
bw w w b w w w
w bw
w w
w
w w
w bw
w
w w w
98
 Major Scale Triads - First Inversion

C Major G Major
C D‹ E‹ F G A‹ Bº C
w G A‹ B‹ C D E‹ F©º G
w w w w
w w
w w
w w #w w
& w w w w w
w w w w w w w w w
w
w w
w w w w w
w
w
w
w #
w ww w
w #w
w w w
I ii iii IV V vi vii° I

D Major A Major
D E‹ F©‹ G A B‹ C©º D A B‹ C©‹ D E F©‹ G©º A
w w w #w
w w
w #w w
w w
w ##w
w w
w #w
w #w
w w #w w #w w w
w ##w
w w
w #w
w
& #w
w w w w
w #w # w
w #w
w #w w
#w w
This file sold to Charles Morris, Jr., order #018124-757677. Reproduction or distribution is prohibited.

E Major B Major
E F©‹ G©‹ AB C©‹ B
D©‹ E C©‹ D©º
F© G©‹ A©º B
w E
w w #w #w # w
w #w
& w ##w #w w w ##w
w #w
w #w
w w ##w
w # #w
w #w
w ## w
w # w
w #w # w
#w # w #w # w
w w
#w w #w
w #w w#w w #w w

F# Major Db Major
F© G©‹ A©‹ B C© D©‹ E©º
G¨ A¨ B¨‹ Cº bD¨ w F© D¨ E¨‹ F‹
b w b w b w b w
w b w
w #w #w #w
w # #w
w b w b b w
w w
w bb w
w b w
w b w
w b w w
& # #w #w
#w ## w # w # w b w b w
#ww#ww w ##ww ## w
w #w #w w bw

Ab Major Eb Major
A¨ B¨‹ C‹ D¨
Gº A¨ E¨ F‹ E¨ F‹ G‹ A¨ B¨ C‹ Dº E¨
b w w w bb w
w bw
b w w b w b w w bb w
w w b w w w b w
& bbw
w w b w
w b w
w w b w b w w w bb w
w w b w
w b w
w w
w bw bww b w
w b w
w w w

Bb Major F Major
B¨ C‹ D‹ FE¨
G‹ Aº bB¨
w F G‹ A‹ B¨ C D‹ Eº F
b w w w b w
w w w w
w w w w w w w w w
& bw
w w
w b w w b
w w w w b w w w w
w
b w
w w
w w
w b w
w w
w w
w b w w w
99
 Major Scale Triads - Second Inversion

C Major G Major
C D‹ E‹ F G A‹ Bº C G A‹
D E‹ F©º B‹ C G
w
w w #w w
w #w
w w
w w w w w
& w
w w
w w
w
w
w
w w
w w
w w w w w
w w w
w
w
w
w
w #w
w w
w w w w
w w
I ii iii IV V vi vii° I

D Major A Major
D E‹ F©‹ G A B‹ C©º D A B‹ E C©‹ D
F©‹ G©º # A
w
w #w w #w #w
w #w
w # w
w w
w
& #w w w w
w #w
w w
w #w
w w
w #w
w w
w ##w
w w
w w # w w
w w ##w
w w w #w w #w
w w
This file sold to Charles Morris, Jr., order #018124-757677. Reproduction or distribution is prohibited.

E Major B Major
E F©‹ G©‹ A B C©‹ D©º E B C©‹ D©‹ E F© G©‹ A©º B
#w #w #w
w ##w
w #w
w #w #w
& #w #w
w #w
w w # w
w # w w w #w #w # #w
w #w
w # w # w
w
w
w #w # w w # w
w # w
w ## w
w w
w # w # w w
#w#w

F# Major Db Major
F© G©‹ A©‹ D©‹ E©ºB F© C©
D¨ E¨‹ F‹ G¨ A¨ B¨‹ Cº D¨
#w #w #
#ww # #w
w bw w
#w
& ## w #w
w # #w
w #w
w ## w
w ## w
w w # w b w b w b b w
w b w
w bb w
w b w
w bb w
w
w#w #w # w b w
w b w w
w b w b w w
b w bw

Ab Major Eb Major
A¨ B¨‹ C‹
E¨ F‹ D¨Gº A¨
w E¨ F‹ G‹ A¨ B¨ C‹ Dº E¨
w b w b w
w b w
w bb w
w b w
w b w
w bb w
w
w
w b w b w b w w b w
w bw
w w
w bbw
w
w
& bbw
w w w b w b w
w b w
w w
w bb w
w w w b w
bw w

Bb Major F Major
B¨ C‹ D‹ E¨ F G‹ Aº B¨ F G‹ A‹ B¨ Eº C
F D‹
w w w
w w
w
& w bw w w bw
w w
w bw
w w bw w
w b w
w w w
w b w w
w w
w
w b w w w b w w w w w w w
w w
bw w w bw w
100
 Natural Minor Scale Triads - Root Position

C Minor G Minor
C‹ Dº E¨ F‹ G‹ A¨ B¨ C‹ G‹ Aº B¨ C‹ D‹ E¨ F G‹

b w b w b w
w b w
w bbw
w
w b w
w
w bw
w
w w bw w
w bw
w
& bw
w
w w w b w
w w w w b w
w w
w b w
w
w w
w b w
w w w
bw
w w b w
i ii° III iv v VI VII i

D Minor A Minor
D‹ Eº F G‹ A‹ B¨ C D‹ A‹ Bº C D‹ E‹ F G A‹
w w w
w w
w w
& w
w bw
w
w
w
w
w bw
w
w w w
w bw w w
w w w
w w
w w w
w w
w w
w w
w w
w
w w
w w
w w w
This file sold to Charles Morris, Jr., order #018124-757677. Reproduction or distribution is prohibited.

E Minor B Minor
E‹ F©º
B‹ C D G
E‹
w A‹ B‹ C©º D E‹ F©‹ G A B‹
w #w w
w #w
w w
w w #w
w
& w w
w w
w
w w
w w
w w w w w w
w #w
w w
w
w #w
w w
w
w #w #w
w w
w #w
#w
w w # w

F# Minor C# Minor
F©‹ G©º A B‹ C©‹ D E F©‹ C©‹ D©º E B C©‹F©‹ G©‹ A
#w w ##w
w #w
w
& #w w #w #w #w #w
w #w
w ##w
w
w #w #w
w #w
w ##w
w
w # w
w #w
w w # w
w w w
w # w
w w w w
#w # w w
w
# w #w w

G# Minor Eb Minor
G©‹ A©º B C©‹ D©‹ E F© G©‹ E¨‹
C¨ D¨ b E¨‹
w Fº G¨ A¨‹ B¨‹
b w w b b w
w bbw
w bb w
w
#w nw # #w
w #w
w b w bb w
w b b w
w bb w
w bb w
w b w w
& #w #w #w #w # w # w # w # w b w w b w
#w w#w
w #w
w #w w #w w bw

Bb Minor F Minor
B¨‹ Cº D¨ E¨‹ F‹ G¨ A¨ B¨‹ F‹ Gº A¨ B¨‹ C‹ D¨ E¨ F‹
w b w bw
w b w
w w
& bw b w b w
w b b w
w b w
w bb w
w b w b w w w b w
w bw
w b w
w
w
bw b w
w b w b w w bb w
w b w
w bb w
w b w
w b w b w
bw
w w b w
101
 Natural Minor Scale Triads - First Inversion

C Minor G Minor

C‹ Dº E¨ F‹
A¨ B¨G‹
C‹w G‹ Aº B¨ C‹ D‹ E¨ F G‹
w w b w b w
w w w w
w b w
w bb w
w b w
w b w
w b w
w w b w w b w w w
w bb w
w w
w b w
w
& bw
w w w w
w b w w
w b w
w w w
bw w
i ii° III iv v VI VII i

D Minor A Minor
D‹ Eº F G‹ A‹ B¨ C D‹
w A‹ Bº C D‹ E‹ F G A‹
w w w b w w
w w w w
w w w w w w
w w w w w w w w
w w w
w
w w w w
& w b w b w
w
w
w
w w w
w w w w
w w w
This file sold to Charles Morris, Jr., order #018124-757677. Reproduction or distribution is prohibited.

E Minor B Minor
E‹ F©º G A‹ B‹ C D E‹
w B‹ C©º D E‹ F©‹ G A B‹
w w w
w #w w
#w w w #w w w w #w w w #w
w
w
w w
w w
w w
w w w #w w
w w
w # w
w w
w #w
w w
& w #w
w ww #w w

F# Minor C# Minor
F©‹ G©º A B‹ C©‹ D E F©‹ C©‹ D©º E F©‹
B G©‹
C©‹ A
#w #w #w w #w
w ## w
w
w #w w w
w # w #w #w w
w # w # w
w #w
w # w w
& ##w #w
w w
w #w
w # w
w #w
w #w w #w
w # w
w #w w
w
w w # w

G# Minor Eb Minor
E¨‹
G©‹ A©º B C©‹ D©‹ E F© G©‹ E¨‹ bFº
D¨
w G¨
b w A¨‹ B¨‹ C¨
#w #w w b w b w b w
w bb ww b w
w bb w
w
w #w #w nw
w # w # w
w b b w
w b w bb w
w bb w
w b w b w
& ##w #w # w # w b w
w# w
w ##w
w #w
w w # w #w bw

Bb Minor F Minor

B¨‹ Cº D¨ E¨‹
G¨ F‹
A¨ bB¨‹
w F‹ Gº A¨ B¨‹ C‹ D¨ E¨ F‹
bw w b w b w
bw w bw w
b w w bb w
w b w b w
w bb w
w w b w b w b w w bb w
w b w b w
w
&bww bb w
w w b w w b w
w b w b w
w b w
w w w
w
bw b w w
102
 Natural Minor Scale Triads - Second Inversion

C Minor G Minor
C‹ Dº E¨ F‹ G‹ A¨ B¨ C‹ G‹ Aº B¨E¨ C‹
F bG‹
w D‹
bw b w w b w
w w
w w
& bw w b w b w
w b w
w b w
w w
w bw
w w
w b w
w w
w w
w b w w w
w w
w bb w
w w
w w b w w w bw w
w b w
i ii° III iv v VI VII i

D Minor A Minor
D‹ Eº F G‹ A‹ B¨ C D‹ A‹ Bº C D‹ E‹ F G A‹
w
w w w w w
w w
w w
w w
w
w bw w
w b w
w w w
w w
w w
w w w w w w
& w w w w
w w w w w w
w bw
w w w w w
This file sold to Charles Morris, Jr., order #018124-757677. Reproduction or distribution is prohibited.

E Minor B Minor
E‹ F©º G A‹ B‹ C D E‹ B‹ C©º D E‹ F©‹ G A B‹
w w w
w #w
w w
w #w w
& w #w
w w
w w #w
w w w w #w w #w
w w
w w #w
w
w
w w w w w
w # w
w w
w w
w # w w w
#w w

F# Minor C# Minor
F©‹ G©º A B‹ C©‹ D E F©‹ C©‹ D©º E F©‹ G©‹ A B C©‹
w #w #w
w #w
w w
w
& ##w #w
w #w
w w
w ##w
w w
w w # w #w w #w
w #w
w #w
w ##w
w
w w w #w # w
w ##w
w w ##w
w # w w # w
#w w w

G# Minor Eb Minor
G©‹ A©º B E C©‹
F© G©‹
wD©‹E¨‹ Fº G¨ A¨‹ B¨‹ C¨ D¨ E¨‹
w #w #w
w # #w
w # w bw w bb w
b w
w ##w
w #w
w #w ## w
w n w # w #w b w b w b b w
w bb w
w b w bb w
w w
& ##w
w w #w # w b
bb ww b w
w bb w
w b w w b w
w

Bb Minor F Minor
B¨‹ Cº D¨ E¨‹ F‹ G¨ A¨ B¨‹ F‹ Gº A¨ B¨‹E¨ C‹
F‹ D¨
b w w b w
w b w
w
& b w bw w b w b w
w b bw
w b w
w bbw
w
w bw
w b w
w b w
w bb w
w
w
w
w bb w
w b w w
bw w b w bb w
w w b w b w w bw b w
w b w b w
103
 Harmonic Minor Scale Triads - Root Position

C Minor G Minor
C‹ Dº E¨& F‹ G A¨ Bº C‹ G‹ Aº B¨& C‹ D E¨ F©º G‹
w b w w
w b w
w
& bw
w b w
w b w
w
w b w
w
w w
w b w
w w w
b w #w b w
w #w
w bbw
w
w #w
w
w bw
w
w
w w w
bw
w w w b w
w w w
i ii° III= iv V VI vii° i

D Minor A Minor
D‹ Eº F& G‹ A B¨ C©º D‹ A‹ Bº C& D‹ E F G©º A‹
w w w
w w
w w
w
w w w
& w
w b w
w #w
w b w
w #w
w b w #w #w w #w
w w
w #w
w w
w
w w w w
w
w
w
w
w ww w
w w w
This file sold to Charles Morris, Jr., order #018124-757677. Reproduction or distribution is prohibited.

E Minor B Minor
E‹ F©º B C G&
D©º E‹
w A‹ B‹ C©º D& E‹ F© G A©º B‹
w #w w
w # w
w w
w w #w
w
& w w
w #w
w
w w
w # w
w w # w w #w w
w # #w
w w
w
w ##w
w w
w
w #w #w
w w # w
w w # w
w #w

F# Minor C# Minor
F©‹ G©º A& B‹ C© D E©º B©º C©‹ F©‹ C©‹ D©º E& F©‹ G© A
#w w # # w
w #w
w
& # w w ## w #w #w #w
w #w
w ##w
w
w #w #w
w ##w
w ##w
w
w ## w
w #w
w # w # w
# w # w w w
#w w w
w #w w ww #w w #w #w

G# Minor Eb Minor

G©‹ A©º B& C©‹ D© E Gº G©‹

C¨ Dº b E¨‹
w E¨‹ Fº G¨& A¨‹ B¨
b w w b b w
w bw
w bb w
w
#w nw # #w
w #w
w b w bb w
w b w
w bb w
w b w
w b w w
& #w #w ‹w #w ‹ w # w ‹ w # w b w w b w
#w w#w
w #w
w #w w #w w bw

Bb Minor F Minor
B¨‹ Cº D¨& E¨‹ F G¨ Aº B¨‹ F‹ Gº A¨& B¨‹ C D¨ Eº F‹
w b w bw
w b w
w w
& bw b w w
w b b w
w w
w bb w
w w b w w w b w
w bw
w b w
w
w
bw b w
w b w b w w bb w
w w
w bb w
w w
w b w w
bw
w w b w
104
 Harmonic Minor Scale Triads - First Inversion

C Minor G Minor
C‹ Dº E¨&A¨ F‹
Bº C‹w G G‹ Aº B¨& C‹ D E¨ F©º G‹
b w w w bb w
w w
w b w
w b w #w w
w
& bw b w
w w
w b w
w w
w w w w w b w w
w w
w b w
w w
w b w
w
w w w b
bw w w # w
w b w #w
i ii° III= iv V VI vii° i

D Minor A Minor
D‹ Eº F&B¨ G‹
C©º D‹ A A‹ Bº C& D‹ E F G©º A‹
w b w # w w
w w
w w #w
w w
w #w
w w
w w
w w w w w w
w #w
w w
w
w b
& w w w w b w w
w w
w #w w
w #w
w w w
w w w
This file sold to Charles Morris, Jr., order #018124-757677. Reproduction or distribution is prohibited.

E Minor B Minor
E‹
F©º G& A‹ B C # D©º w E‹ B‹ C©º F©D&
G E‹
A©º B‹
w w w w
w w
w w
w w # w w
w #w
w #w w
w ##w
w w # w #w w w # #w
w w # w
w #w
w
w
& w w w w
#w w
w ##w
w w
w # w w
w

F# Minor C# Minor
F©‹ G©º A& B‹ C© D E©º B©º #C©‹
F©‹ w C©‹ D©º E& F©‹ G© A
#w #w #w w # # w
w # w
w w #w w
w #w
w # w
w #w #w
w #w
w # w
w ## w
w #w
w # w w
& ##w #w # w # w # w # w
w w
w w #w
w ## w w # w #w w #w

G# Minor Eb Minor
E¨‹
G©‹ A©º B& C©‹ D© E Gº G©‹ w E¨‹
b w Fº G¨& A¨‹ B¨ C¨ Dº
#w b w b w b w bb ww b w bb w
w
w #w #w nw
w #‹w
w # w
w b b w
w b w
w b w
w bb w
w w
w b w w
& ##w #w # w #w b w
w #w
w #‹w
w #w
w w ‹w # w bw

Bb Minor F Minor

B¨‹ Cº D¨&
F E¨‹
G¨ Aº bB¨‹
w F‹ Gº A¨& B¨‹ C D¨ Eº F‹
b w w b w b w
w w w w
b w w b w
w b w w
w bb w
w w b w b w b w w bb w
w b w b w
w
&bww bb w
w w b w w b w
w w b w
w w
w w w
w
bw b w w
105
 Harmonic Minor Scale Triads - Second Inversion

C Minor G Minor
C‹ Dº E¨& F‹ G A¨ Bº C‹ G‹ Aº B¨&
D E¨ C‹
F©º bG‹
w
w bw w b w #w
w b w
w #w
w w
w
& bw w w b w
w w
w b w
w w
w w
w bw
w w
w #b w
w w
w w b w w
w w b w
w w w b w w b w
w bw
i ii° III= iv V VI vii° i

D Minor A Minor
D‹ Eº F& G‹ A B¨ C©º D‹ A‹ Bº E F C&
G©º A‹
w D‹
w w #w w
w # w
w w
& w w w
w b w
w #w
w b w
w
w #w
w
w
w
w w
w w
w
w #
w
w
w
w
w w
w w w w
w w
w bw #w w w w
This file sold to Charles Morris, Jr., order #018124-757677. Reproduction or distribution is prohibited.

E Minor B Minor
E‹ F©º G& A‹ B C D©º E‹ B‹ C©º D& E‹ F© G A©º B‹
w #w w
w ##w
w w
w #w w
& w #w
w w
w w # w
w w w w #w w # #w
w w
w # w #w
w
w
w w #w w w
w # w
w # w
w w
w # w w w
#w w

F# Minor C# Minor
F©‹ G©º A& D B‹
E©º F©‹C©C©‹ D©º E& F©‹ G© A B©º C©‹
#w # w #w
w
& ##w
w #w
w #w
w #
w
w
w ###w
w
w w
w #ww #w #w #w #w
w # #w
w #w
w ##
#ww
w ##w
w
w
w w # w # w
w # w # w
w # w # w w
#w w

G# Minor Eb Minor
G©‹ A©º B&
D© EC©‹ Gº G©‹
w E¨‹ Fº G¨& A¨‹ B¨ C¨ Dº E¨‹
w ‹w #w
w # ‹w
w # w b w w b b w
w
w ##w
w #w
w #w ##w
w n w # w #w b w b w b b w
w b w
w b w b w
w b w
& ##w
w w ‹w # w b
bb ww w b w
w b w w b w
w bw

Bb Minor F Minor
B¨‹ Cº D¨& E¨‹ F G¨ Aº B¨‹ F‹ Gº A¨& B¨‹
Eº F‹C D¨
w w w
w b w
w
& b w bw w b w w
w b bw
w w
w bbw
w
w bw
w b w
w b w
w bb w
w
w
w
w bb w
w b w w
bw w b w bb w
w w b w b w w bw w
w b w w
106
 Melodic Minor Scale Triads - Root Position

C Minor G Minor
C‹ D‹ E¨& F G Aº Bº C‹ G‹ A‹ B¨& C D Eº F©º G‹

w w w
w bw
w w
w
w bw
w
w bw w bw
w
& bw
w w
w
w b w
w w
w w w w #w w
w #w
w w
w #w
w w
w bw
w
w w bw
w w w w
i ii III= V V vi° vii° i

D Minor A Minor
D‹ E‹ F& G A Bº C©º D‹ A‹ B‹ C& D E F©º G©º A‹
w w w
w w
w w
w
w w w
& w
w w
w #w
w
w w
w #w
w w #w #w #w #w
w #w
w #w
w
w #w
w w
w
w w w
w w
w w w w w w
This file sold to Charles Morris, Jr., order #018124-757677. Reproduction or distribution is prohibited.

E Minor B Minor
E‹ F©‹ B C©º G&D©º E‹
w A B‹ C©‹ D& E F© G©º A©º B‹
#w w ##w
w w
w ## w
w
w w
w w w #w
w
w
& w #w
w w
w #w
w w #w #w #w #w
w # #w
w #w
w ##w
w w
w #w #w
w w
w #w # w
w w # w

F# Minor C# Minor
F©‹ G©‹ A& B C© D©º E©º
B©º C©‹ F©‹ C©‹ D©‹ E& F© G© A©º
#w w # # w
w #w
w
& # w # w ## w #w #w #w
w #w
w ##w
w
w #w # #w
w ##w
w ###w
w
w ## w
w ##w
w # w # w
# w # w w w
#w w #ww w w#ww #w#w #w #w

G# Minor Eb Minor

G©‹ A©‹ B& C© D©

A¨ B¨ E©º Gº
Cº Dº b E¨‹
w G©‹ E¨‹ F‹ G¨&
b w w bb w
w bw
w bb w
w
#w nw # #w
w #w
w b w b w
w b w
w b w
w b w
w w w
& #w # #w #‹w
w #w
## w ‹# w
w # w
#w ‹ w # w b w
bw w b w
#ww # w
w w w

Bb Minor F Minor
B¨‹ C‹ D¨& E¨ F Gº Aº B¨‹ F‹ G‹ A¨& B¨ C Dº Eº F‹
w b w bw
w b w
w w
& bw w w
w b w
w w
w b w
w w b w w w b w
w bw
w b w
w
w
bw b w
w b w b w w b w
w w
w b w
w w
w w w
bw
w w b w
107
 Melodic Minor Scale Triads - First Inversion

C Minor G Minor
C‹ D‹ F G E¨&
Aº Bº C‹w G‹ A‹ B¨& C D Eº F©º G‹
b w w w b w
w w
w b w
w w #w w
& bw
w w
w w
w w
w w
w w w w w b w w
w w
w b w
w w
w b w
w
w w bw
w w #
w w w w #w
i ii III= V V vi° vii° i

D Minor A Minor
D‹ E‹ A F&
Bº C©º D‹ G A‹ B‹ C& D E F©º G©º A‹
w w w # w
w w
w #w w
w w
w #w
w w
w #w
w w
w w w w w w w
w #w
w w
w w
w
& w
w w w w
w
w #w
w #w
w #w
w #w w
This file sold to Charles Morris, Jr., order #018124-757677. Reproduction or distribution is prohibited.

E Minor B Minor
E‹ F©‹A B G& C©º E‹
w w # w # D©º
w
w
w
w B‹ C©‹ D&
G©º
# w
E
A©º B‹
w F©
w ##w
w #w
w #w
w ##w
w w
w # w w #w w w # #w
w #w
w # w
w #w
w
w
& w w w w
#w # w ##w
w #w
w # w w
w w

F# Minor C# Minor
F©‹ G©‹ A& B C© D©º E©º
A©º B©º #C©‹
F©‹
w C©‹ D©‹ E& F© G©
#w #w #w # w # # w
w # w
w w #w #w
w #w
w # w
w #w # #w
w #w
w ## w
w ## w
w # w
w # w w
& ##w #w #w # w # w # w # w # w # w
w ## w
w #w
w w#w #w w

G# Minor Eb Minor
E¨‹
G©‹ A©‹ B& C© D© E©º Dº
w Gº
b w G©‹ E¨‹ F‹ G¨& A¨ B¨ Cº
#w b w b w b w b w
w b w bb w
w
#w #w #w #‹w
w # w b w w
w w b w
w w
w b w w
w
#w #‹w n w w b w b w
& ##w w #‹w
w w ## w
w ## w
w w # w #w b w bw

Bb Minor F Minor

B¨‹ C‹ FD¨&Gº Aº bB¨‹

w E¨ F‹ G‹ A¨& B¨ C Dº Eº F‹
b w w w b w
w w w w
b w w b w
w b w w
w bb w
w w b w b w b w w b w
w b w b w
w
&bww b w
w w w w w
w w w
w w
w w w
w
bw bw w
108
 Melodic Minor Scale Triads - Second Inversion

C Minor G Minor
C‹ D‹ E¨& F G Aº Bº C‹ G‹ A‹ B¨&
D Eº C
F©º bG‹
w
bw w #w w
w #w
w w
w w w
w w
w w bw w
w b w
w w w b w w w
& bw
w w
w w
w b w
w w w
w w b w w w w
w w #w w w
w
i ii III= V V vi° vii° i

D Minor A Minor
D‹ E‹ F& G A Bº C©º D‹ A‹ B‹
D E C&
F©º G©º A‹
w
w #w #w #w
w # w
w w
& w w w
w w
w #w
w w
w
w #w
w
w w
w w
w #
w
w
w #
w
w
w w
w w
w w w w
w
w w
w #w w w w
This file sold to Charles Morris, Jr., order #018124-757677. Reproduction or distribution is prohibited.

E Minor B Minor
E‹ F©‹ G& A B C©º D©º E‹ B‹ C©‹ D& E F© G©º A©º B‹
#w #w #w
w ##w
w w
w #w w
& w #w
w w
w w # w
w w w w #w #w # #w
w #w
w # w #w
w
w
w #w #w w w
w # w
w # w
w w
w # w w w
#w # w

F# Minor C# Minor
F©‹ G©‹ A& B C© D©º E©º F©‹ C©‹ D©‹ E& F© G© A©º B©º C©‹
#w #w ##w
w #w
w
w
& ##w #w
w #w
w #w
w ## w
w
# w
w w # w #w #w # #w
w ##w
w # #w
w ##w
w
w
w #w # w # w # w
w # #w
w # w
w ## w
w # w w # w
#w # w

G# Minor Eb Minor
G©‹ A©‹ C© B&
D© E©º Gº G©‹
w E¨‹ F‹ G¨& A¨ B¨ Cº Dº E¨‹
#w ‹w # # w
w # ‹w
w # w b w w b b w
w
w # #w
w #w
w # w ##w
w n w # w #w b w b w b w
w b w
w w b w
w b w
& ##w
w # w ‹w # w b
bb ww w b w
w b w w b w
w w

Bb Minor F Minor
B¨‹ C‹ D¨& E¨ F Gº Aº B¨‹ F‹ G‹ A¨& Eº B¨
F‹ C Dº
w w w
w b w
w
& b w bw w w w
w bw
w w
w bbw
w
w bw
w b w
w b w
w b w
w
w
w
w b w
w b w w
bw w b w bb w
w w b w b w w w w
w w w
109
 Mastering Quadrads

A quadrad is a four-note chord. Quadrads are simply an extension of a

triad.

There are five different types:

Major seventh
Minor seventh
Dominant seventh
Diminished seventh
Minor major seventh
This file sold to Charles Morris, Jr., order #018124-757677. Reproduction or distribution is prohibited.

Here they are beginning on C

Master the major and minor seventh chords in all of their inversions with
each hand separately, followed by both hands at the same time. The
addition of a fourth note in a chord results in and additional third inversion.

Dominant seventh chords are important, but only one note different from
minor seventh chords, so major and minor will suffice. Diminished seventh
and minor major seventh chords are not as common.

Practice the major and minor seventh chords for every scale, just as you
did for the triads, and also use every possible inversion.

!110
 Major Seventh - All Inversions

C Major 7 w G Major 7
w w #w
& w
w w
ww ww
w
w ww
w w
w w #w
ww
#w
w
w
w
w w #w
w
w
w
#w
w
w ww
w w w

D Major 7 #w A Major 7
w #ww
w #ww
w
w #w
w
w #ww ##w
w
& ##w
w #w
w # w # w #ww w
w w
w
##w
w
w #w w #w
w # w
w #
w
w #w
This file sold to Charles Morris, Jr., order #018124-757677. Reproduction or distribution is prohibited.

E Major 7
#w#w #ww
w #ww
w
w ## w
w
w
w
B Major 7
#w ###w
w
& ##w
w w # w # #w #ww # #w
ww ## ww
w w
w
w
w w ## w
w ## w
w # w
w

F# Major 7 Db Major 7 bbw

bwbw
w
#w ###w
w ####w
w
w w bbww bbww
w w
w w
w
bbw
& # #w #ww # ww ww w w w
w w
w
## w ## w
w # w w
w

Ab Major 7
bw w Eb Major 7
bww bwbw
w bbw
w
w
bw
w w b w w bbww w w w
bw
& bw b ww b ww b ww w b w w
w b w
bw
w bww b w w
w

Bb Major 7 w F Major 7
w
& w bww bw
ww b ww
w bw
w
w w w
w
w
w
w
bw
w w
w w w
w w
ww ww
w ww w
w w
w w
111
 Minor Seventh - All Inversions

C Minor 7 bbw G Minor 7

w w
& bbw
w bw
ww bwbw
w
w bwbw
w w
w w bw bw
w bw
w
w
w
w bw bw
w
w
w bw
w
w ww
w ww w

D Minor 7 w w
w A Minor 7
w
& w
w w
ww ww
w
w ww
w w
w w w w
ww
w
w
w
w w w
w
w
w
w
w
w ww
w w w
This file sold to Charles Morris, Jr., order #018124-757677. Reproduction or distribution is prohibited.

E Minor 7 w w
w B Minor 7
ww ww
w ww
w w
w #w #w
w
& w
w w w w ww ww
w w
w
w
w w #w
w
w #w
w
w #w
w
w

F# Minor 7 C# Minor 7
#w #w
w w ##ww #w#w
w ##w
w
w
& #w #ww #w
ww # w
ww # w
w w
#w
#w ##w
w
w
w
w w w
#ww #w
w # w w
w

G# Minor 7 Eb Minor 7
b w bbw
w bbbbw
w
w
###w b w b w b w w
###w
w bbbbw b w b w b w
& # #w
w ###w
ww ###w
w
ww w
ww w
w w
w
w
bb w w b w
#ww w

Bb Minor 7 bbw F Minor 7

bbbww b bww b bw
w
w bww
w w bw
w
& b bw b w b w b w b w b w
bw
w w w w w w
bbw
w
w w w b w
w b w
w b w
w
w bw
112
 Major Scale Quadrads - Root Position

C Major G Major
CŒ„Š7 D‹7 E‹7 FŒ„Š7 G7 A‹7 BØ7 CŒ„Š7
w GŒ„Š7 A‹7 B‹7 CŒ„Š7 D7 E‹7 F©Ø7 GŒ„Š7
w w w
w w
w w
w
w w
w w w #w
w
& w w
w w w
w w w
w w w w w w w w
w
w
w w
w w
w w w #w
w
w
w
w
w #w
w
w
w
w
w w
w #w
w w
w #w
w w
w w

D Major A Major
DŒ„Š7 E‹7 F©‹7 GŒ„Š7 A7 B‹7 C©Ø7 DŒ„Š7 AŒ„Š7 B‹7 C©‹7 DŒ„Š7 E7 F©‹7 G©Ø7 AŒ„Š7
#w w #w
w w
w ##w
w #w
& ##w
w w
w
w #w
w
w w
w
w #w
w
w w
w #w w
w w
#w w #w
w w
w #w
w
w
#w
w
#w w
w # w
w
w
w w #w ##w
w
w w
w w
w
#w
w
#w # w
w #w
w # w
This file sold to Charles Morris, Jr., order #018124-757677. Reproduction or distribution is prohibited.

E Major B Major
EŒ„Š7 F©‹7 G©‹7 AŒ„Š7 B7 C©‹7 D©Ø7 EŒ„Š7
BŒ„Š7 C©‹7 D©‹7 EŒ„Š7 F©7 G©‹7 A©Ø7 BŒ„Š7
w w # w
w # w
w ###w
#w #w
w ##w
w ##w
w
w ##w
w ##w
w
w ##w
w #ww #w #w # w
w ##w
w ##w
w
w w
w
w
&#w w #w
w w w #w #w
w # w # w
w # w #w
w #w w
w #w ## w
w
w #w w ##w
w w # w

F# Major Db Major

F©Œ„Š7 G©‹7 A©‹7 BŒ„Š7 C©7 D©‹7 E©Ø7 F©Œ„Š7 D¨Œ„Š7 E¨‹7 F‹7 F©Œ„Š7 A¨7 B¨‹7 CØ7 D¨Œ„Š7
w b w b w
w bb w
w bbw
w
w
#w w # #w
w ###w
w ####w
w w bbbbw
w b w
w b b w
w b w
w bb w
w b w
w w
& # #ww # #w
w
w ## #w
w
w ## w
w
w ###w
w
w ##w
w w w
w w b w
bw w
w w bww bw b w
## w
w #w # w

Ab Major Eb Major
A¨Œ„Š7 B¨‹7 C‹7 D¨Œ„Š7 E¨7 F‹7 GØ7 A¨Œ„Š7 E¨Œ„Š7
F‹7 G‹7 A¨Œ„Š7 B¨7 C‹7 DØ7 E¨Œ„Š7
w w bw bbw
w bw
w bbw
w
w
b w w bbww bbw
w bw
w b w
w w b w
w w
w b w
w w
w w
w w
w w
& bw
w
w bb
b w
w
w
w b w
w
w b
b w
w
w b w
w w w
w b w b
bw bw w b
w w w b w
w b w b w
bw

Bb Major F Major
B¨Œ„Š7 C‹7 D‹7 E¨Œ„Š7 F7 G‹7 AØ7 B¨Œ„Š7 FŒ„Š7 G‹7 A‹7 B¨Œ„Š7 C7 D‹7 EØ7 FŒ„Š7
bw w
bw
bw w w w
& w bw
w w
w bw
w w
w w
w w bw
w w w bw w
w bw
w w
w
w
bw w
w b w w w
w b w w w w
w w
w w
w
w w
w w
w
w w
w w
w w
w w
w b w w bw
113
 Natural Minor Scale Quadrads - Root Position

C Minor G Minor
C‹7 DØ7 E¨Œ„Š7 F‹7 G‹7 A¨Œ„Š7
B¨7 bC‹7
w G‹7 AØ7 B¨Œ„Š7 C‹7 D‹7 E¨Œ„Š7 F7 G‹7
w b w w
& bbw
w
w b w
w
w bb w
w
w
w b
bw
w
w
w bw
w
w
w
bw
w
bw b w
w
w b w
w w bw
w w
w bbw
w
w
w
w
w b
bw
w
w
w
bw
w
w
w b w
w
w
w
w w bw
w w
w w w
bw w w

D Minor A Minor

D‹7 EØ7 FŒ„Š7 G‹7 A‹7 B¨Œ„Š7

C7 D‹7
w A‹7 BØ7 CŒ„Š7 D‹7 E‹7 FŒ„Š7 G7 A‹7
w w w
w w
w b w
w w
w w w
& w
w bw
w w
w w
w b w w
w bw w
w w w w w w
w w
w w
w
w w
w w
w
w
w w
w w w w
w
w
w
w
w
w
w
w
w w
w w
w w w
This file sold to Charles Morris, Jr., order #018124-757677. Reproduction or distribution is prohibited.

E Minor B Minor

E‹7 F©Ø7 GŒ„Š7 A‹7 B‹7 CŒ„Š7D7 E‹7

w B‹7 C©Ø7 DŒ„Š7 E‹7 F©‹7 GŒ„Š7 A7 B‹7
w w w
w w
w #w
w w
w
w #w
w
w w
w w
w #w
w w
w w w #w
w w
w #w
w
w
##w #w
w # #w
w #w w
& w w w w w #w
w w
w w
w w
w w
w w
w w w
w w
w # w w w

F# Minor C# Minor

F©‹7 G©Ø7 AŒ„Š7 B‹7 C©‹7 DŒ„Š7 E7 F©‹7 C©‹7 D©Ø7 EŒ„Š7 F©‹7 G©‹7 AŒ„Š7 B7 C©‹7
w
#w #w #w
w # w
w #w ##w
w #w
w #w
w
w ##w #w ##w
w #w
w ##w w #
w w w w
w # w w #w
& #w
w #ww
w #
#w
w
w #w
w
w #
w
w
w w
w w w
w # w
w #w
w # w
w w w
w # w
#ww # w w

G# Minor Eb Minor
A¨‹7 A©Ø7 BŒ„Š7 C©‹7 D©‹7 EŒ„Š7 F©7 G©‹7 E¨‹7 FØ7 G¨Œ„Š7 A¨7 B¨‹7 CØ7 D¨Œ„Š7 E¨‹7
bw bbw bbbw
w b w
w bbbbw
w
w
w #w #w
w #w
w ###w
w
w b b w
w b b w
w b b w
w
w bn w
w w
w
bw w w b w
w w
& # #w
w # #w
w
w ###w
w
w #w
w
#w
###w
w
w # w
w## w
w w bbw w wb w b w b w
#ww # w w

Bb Minor F Minor
B¨‹7 CØ7 D¨Œ„Š7 E¨‹7 F‹7 G¨Œ„Š7 A¨7 B¨‹7 F‹7 GØ7 A¨Œ„Š7 B¨‹7 C‹7 D¨Œ„Š7 E¨7 F‹7
b w w bbww bbw
w
& b bw
w b bw
w b w
w
w bbbbw
w
w bww b
w bw
b w
w b w
w b w
w w b w bw
w b w
w bbbw
w
w bbw
w
w
bww b w
w b w w
bbw
w bw
w b w
w b w
w b w
w b w
w w w
w w
w b w b w bw
114
 The Cycle Of Fifths

Connecting chords which are a fifth away from each other creates a strong
sound which is often used in compositions. Starting with a C chord and
moving down a fifth to an F chord begins a cycle which allows all twelve
major or minor chords to be played before ending up back at C again.

Chords should move from one to the other as smoothly and as easily as
possible, so inversions should be used. The following example shows the
best way to connect the chords of C major, F major and Bb major, which
are all a fifth away from each other.
This file sold to Charles Morris, Jr., order #018124-757677. Reproduction or distribution is prohibited.

The pattern can continue on from the Bb chord and be followed with:

You will now learn to play all twelve major triads in sequence, always
moving a fifth away from the previous chord. The exercise will work its way
up the keyboard and then play the chords in reverse and work its way back
down to where you started.

The first exercise will feature the left hand playing the root of the chord,
but as you move onto the next variation, the left hand will start on the note

!115
 D which therefore displaces the left hand. This will create chords of a
different quality each time you play through the cycle. There are seven
variations of the cycle which correspond to the left hand beginning on one
of seven notes.

As always, the inversions of each triad must be considered, so you will also
learn the cycle with the right hand beginning in first inversion, followed by
second inversion.

All of the exercises have been written out for major triads, but only the
foundation chords have been written out in minor form. In minor form,
you will discover that starting on a D in the left hand creates an unpleasant
This file sold to Charles Morris, Jr., order #018124-757677. Reproduction or distribution is prohibited.

and not very useful combination. In the minor form, you can start on the
left hand notes of Eb, G, Ab and Bb if you wish, but the foundation form
(starting on C in the left hand) are the most important.

Be patient and work diligently through these exercises. They will improve
your skills as a composer in ways that you cannot yet possibly imagine.

!116
 Major Chords Root Position

w bw #w #w w #w
w #w
w w
w w
w
w
& w w
w bw
w bw
w b w b w
w ## w
w # w
w #w
w w w w
w
w w w b w b w
? w
{ w bw
bw bw
bw #w w w w w w w
w
w w
w #w
w #w w
& w w w w
w w ##w
#w w ###w
w w bw bw
w bw w bbw
w bw w
w bw
w
w w
w w
w
w w
? w
{ w w w w
w w
#w bw
bw bw bw w
This file sold to Charles Morris, Jr., order #018124-757677. Reproduction or distribution is prohibited.

Minor Eleventh
w #w w w
& w w
w bw
w bw
w b w
w bbw
w
w ###w
w
w #
#w
w
w #w
w #w
w
w w
w w
w w
w
w
w w w b w b w
? w w
{ w w bw
bw #w
#w #w
w w w w
w
w w #w
& w w
w w #w
w w #w
#w w ###w
w #w bw bw
w bbw
w w w
w bw
w bw w bw
w w
w w
w w w w
w
? w w
{ w w w w #w #w #w bw
bw w w

Major Chords First Inversion

w #w w w
& w w bw bw
w b w
w bbw
w # #w
w #w
w #w
w #w
w
w w
w w
w w
w
w
w w
w w
w b w b w w # w # w
? w w w
{ w w w #w #w #w
#w #w
w w
w
w w #w
& w
w w #w
w w #w bw bw
w w w #w w ###w
w #w w
w bw w bbw
w bw w
w
bw
w
w
w
w
w
w
w
w
? w w w
{ w w
#w #w
#w #w
#w
117
w w w
 Major Seventh

w bw #w #w w #w
w #w
w w
w w
w
w
& w w
w bw
w bw
w b w b w
w ## w
w # w
w #w
w w w w
w
w w w b w b w
? w bw bw
{ bw bw bw w
w w
w w w w
w
w w
w #w
w #w w #w bw bw
& w w w w
w #w w ###w
w #w w
w bw w bbw
w bw w
w bw
w
w w
w
w w
w
w
? bw bw w
{ w w w w w w w bw bw bw
This file sold to Charles Morris, Jr., order #018124-757677. Reproduction or distribution is prohibited.

Major Chords Second Inversion

w #w w w
& w w
w bw
w b w
w b w
w bbw
w
w ###w
w
w #
#w
w
w #w
w #w
w
w w
w w
w w
w
w
w w w bw bw
? w w w bw bw
{ bw #w #w w
w w w
w
w
w w
w #w
w #w w #w bw bw
& w w w w
w #w w ###w
w #w w
w bw w bbw
w bw w
w
bw
w
w
w
w w
w
w w
? bw w w
{ w w w #w bw bw w
w w #w

Minor Seventh
w #w w w
& w w bw bw
w b w
w bbw
w # #w
w #w
w #w
w #w
w
w w
w w
w w
w
w
w w
w w
w b w b w w # w # w
? w w w w w
{ bw #w #w #w
#w w w
w
w
w w #w
& w
w w #w
w w #w bw bw
w w w #w w ###w
w #w w
w bw w bbw
w bw w
w
bw
w
w
w
w
w
w
w
w
? w w w
{ w w #w #w bw w w
w #w #w
118
 Dominant Seventh Third Inversion

w bw #w #w w #w
w #w
w w
w w
w
w
& w w
w bw
w bw
w b w b w
w ## w
w # w
w #w
w w w w
w
w w w b w b w
? bw bw bw bw bw
w w w w w
{ w w bw

w
w w
w #w
w #w w #w bw bw
& w w w w
w #w w ###w
w #w w
w bw w bbw
w bw w
w bw
w
w
w
w
w w
w
w
bw bw
? bw
{ w w w w w bw bw bw
w w
This file sold to Charles Morris, Jr., order #018124-757677. Reproduction or distribution is prohibited.

Right Hand Chords First Inversion

Major Chords Root Position w
bw bw w #w #w #w
w w #w
w w
w w
& w
w w
w
w bw
w b
w w w b w
w bb w
w ## w
w # w
w w #w
w w w w
w
? w
{ w
w bw
bw bw
bw #w
w w w w w w
w w
w #w
w w #w
&
w w w #w
w w ##w
w w ###w
w w w bw
w bbw w bbw
w bw w bw
w w
w
w
w
w
w
w
w
? w
{ w w
w w
w w
#w bw bw bw bw w

Minor Eleventh w
#w w #w w
w w
bw bw bw bw
w #w ##w
w w #w w
w w w
& w
w
w
w
w
w w
w b w
w b w
w b w ## w
w w w w

? w w
{ w
w w bw
bw #w
#w #w
w w
w w
w w
w #w
w w #w
w ##w
w ###w
w #w w w bw
&
w w w w w bbw
w w bbw
w bw w
w bw
w
w
w
w
w
w
w
w
? w w
{ w w
w w
#w #w
#w
119
bw
bw w w
 Major Chords First Inversion w
bw b w w #w #w #w
w w #w
w w
w w
& w
w w
w
w bw
w b w w b w
w w bw bw #w w# w # w w #w
w w w w
w
? w w w
{ w
w w w #w
#w #w #w #w w w
w w
w #w
w w #w
&
w w w #w
w w ##w
w w ###w
w w w bw
w bbw w bbw
w bw w
w bw
w
w w
w
w w
w
w
? w w w
{ w w #w #w #w #w #w w w w
This file sold to Charles Morris, Jr., order #018124-757677. Reproduction or distribution is prohibited.

Major Seventh w
#w w #w w
w w
bw bw bw bw
w #w ##w
w w #w w
w w w
& w
w
w
w
w
w w
w b w
w b w
w b w ## w
w w w w

? w bw bw
{ w
bw bw bw w
w w
w w
w w
w w
w #w
w w #w
w ##w
w ###w
w #w w w bw
&
w w w w w bbw
w w bbw
w bw w
w bw
w
w
w
w
w
w
w
w
? bw bw w
{ w w
w w
w w w bw bw bw

Major Chords Second Inversion w

#w w #w w
w w
bw bw bw bw
w #w ##w
w w #w w
w w w
& w
w
w
w
w
w w
w b w
w b w
w b w ## w
w w w w

? w w w bw #w
{ w
bw bw #w w
w w
w w
w w
w #w
w w #w
w ##w
w ###w
w #w w w bw
&
w w w w w bbw
w w bbw
w bw w
w bw
w
w
w
w
w
w
w
w
? bw w w
{ w w w #w bw bw w
w w #w
120
 Minor Seventh w
bw b w w #w #w #w
w w #w
w w
w w
& w
w w
w
w bw
w b w w b w
w w bw bw #w w# w # w w #w
w w w w
w
? w w w w w #w #w
{ w
bw #w #w w
w w

w w
w #w
w w #w
&
w w w #w
w w ##w
w w ###w
w w w bw
w bbw w bbw
w bw w
w bw
w
w w
w
w w
w
w
? #w w w w w
{ w w #w #w #w bw w
w
This file sold to Charles Morris, Jr., order #018124-757677. Reproduction or distribution is prohibited.

Dominant Seventh Third Inversion w

w #w #w #w w #w
w w
w w
bw bw bw b w # w w #w w w w
& ww
w
w
w
w w b
w w w b w
w b w ## w
w w w w

? bw bw bw bw bw
{ w w w w
w w
w bw
w w
w
w w #w
w w
#w #w
w ##w
w w ###w w bw
& w w w w w bbw
w w bbw
w bw w
w bw
w
w
w
w
w
w
w
w
? bw w bw bw bw bw
{ w w w w bw
w w

Right Hand Chords Second Inversion

Major Chords Root Position
w #w w w w
w
w w w
w b w
w bbw
w bbw
w
w
# #w
w ##w
w #w
w
w w
w #w
w w
w w
& w
w w
w bw b w w # w

? w
{ w
w
w
w
bw
w
b w bw b w #w w w w w
#w
w w
w #w w #w
w w ##w
w ###w
bw
w w w w w w w bbw
w bw w bbw
w w bw
w w
w
w
w
w
w
w
& w
? w
{ w w w w
w w
#w
121
bw
bw bw
bw w
 Minor Eleventh
w #w w w w
w
w w w
w b w
w bbw
w bbw
w
w # #w
w ##w
w #w
w
w w
w #w
w w
w w
& w
w w
w bw b w w # w

? w w
{ w
w
w
w w
w bw b w #w # w #w w w
#w
w w
w #w w #w
w w ##w
&
w w w w w ###w
w w bw
w bbw
w bw w w w
w bbw
w bw
w w
w
w w
w
w
? w w
{ w w w w #w #w #w bw bw w w
This file sold to Charles Morris, Jr., order #018124-757677. Reproduction or distribution is prohibited.

Major Chords First Inversion

w #w w w w
w
w w w
w b w
w bbw
w bbw
w
w # #w
w ##w
w #w
w
w w
w #w
w w
w w
& w
w w
w bw b w w # w

? w w w
{ w
w
w
w w #w
w w #w# w #w # w #w w w
w #w
w w #w
w w
w w ##w
w w ###w
w w bw
w bbw
w bw w bbw
w w bw
w w
w w
w
w w
w
& w
? w w w
{ w w #w #w #w #w #w w w w

Major Seventh
w #w w w w
w
w w w
w b w
w bbw
w bbw
w
w
# #w
w ##w
w #w
w
w w
w #w
w w
w w
& w
w w
w bw b w w # w

? w bw bw
{ w
w
bw
w w
bw
#w
bw w
w w
w w
w w
w #w w #w
w ##w
w ###w
bw
w w w w w w w w bbw
w bw w bbw
w w
w bw
w
w
w
w
w
w
w
& w
? bw bw w
{ w w
w w
w w
w
122
bw bw bw
 Major Chords Second Inversion
w #w w w w
w
w w w
w b w
w bbw
w bbw
w
w # #w
w ##w
w #w
w
w w
w #w
w w
w w
& w
w w
w bw b w w # w

? w w w bw #w
{ w
w w w
bw
#w
bw #w w
w w
w w
w #w w #w
w ##w
&
w w w w w w ###w
w w bw
w bbw
w bw w bbw
w w
w bw
w
w w
w
w w
w
w
? #w bw w w w
{ w w w w w #w bw bw
This file sold to Charles Morris, Jr., order #018124-757677. Reproduction or distribution is prohibited.

Minor Seventh
w #w w w w
w
w w w
w b w
w bbw
w bbw
w
w # #w
w ##w
w #w
w
w w
w #w
w w
w w
& w
w w
w bw b w w # w

? w w w
w w #w #w
{ w
w w w #w
bw #w #w w w w
w #w
w w #w
w w
w w ##w
w w ###w
w w bw
w bbw
w bw w bbw
w w
w bw
w
w
w
w
w w
w
& w
? #w w w w w
{ w w #w #w bw w
w #w

Dominant Seventh Third Inversion

w #w w w w
w
w w w
w b w
w bbw
w bbw
w
w # #w
#w w
w ##w #w
w
w w
w #w
w w
w w
& ww w
w bw b w w

? bw bw bw
bw bw w w w
{ w
w w w #w
w w w w bw
w #w w #w
w ##w
w ###w
bw
w w w w w w w w bbw
w bw w bbw
w w
w bw
w
w
w
w
w
w
w
& w
? bw bw bw bw
w w w bw bw
{ w w w
123
w
 Minor Chords Root Position
w w w w
w w bw
w
& bw bw
w bw
w b bw
w #w
w ##w
w ##w
w
w #w
w w
w w
w w bw
w w
w
w w bw b w #w w
? w
{ w bw
bw #w #w #w w w w w w w
bw
w
w w
bw
w
w w
w w w #w
& w w w w
w #w w ##w
w #w w ##w
w w bw
w bbw
w bb w w
w bw
w
w bw
w
w
? w
{ w w w w w w #w #w
#w bw
bw w
This file sold to Charles Morris, Jr., order #018124-757677. Reproduction or distribution is prohibited.

Right Hand First Inversion w

bw w #w #w w
w w
w w
w bw
w bw
w
bw #w w w w
& bw
w
w bw
w b
w w w bb w
w # w
w ##w
w # w
w w w w

? w
{ w
w bw bw #w
#w #w
w w
w w
w w
bw w w
bw
w w
w w
w w w
w #w
w ##w
w w ##w bw bbw
& w w w w ##w
w w
w bb w
w w w bw
w
w
w
bw
w
? w
{ w w
w w w w #w #w #w bw
bw w

Right Hand Second Inversion

w w bw bw
w
bw w b w
w b bw
w ##w
w #w
w #w
w #w
w
w
w
w
w w
w w
w w
w w
& w
w w
bw b w b w w # w # w

? w
{ bw
w bw bw #w # w #w w w w w w w
w bw
w w
w w
w w #w
w w w w w
w w ##w
w w ##w
w w ##w
w bw bw
w bb w
w w bw
w bw w bw
w w
& w
? w
{ w w w w
w w
#w
124
#w
#w bw
bw w
 Cycle Of Fifths Using Quadrads

Everything that you have learned regarding playing triads throughout the
cycle, and using a different left hand note each time applies to quadrads
as well.

Playing quadrads around the cycle will look, feel and sound considerably
different, but the idea is exactly the same. Moving from a C chord down a
fifth to an F chord, but using the closest possible chord voicing will result
in something a little more complex that the plain old triads, but the result
is pleasing.
This file sold to Charles Morris, Jr., order #018124-757677. Reproduction or distribution is prohibited.

Practice working your way through the cycle using major seventh chords as
well as minor seventh chords in all possible inversions, as well as using all
seven possible starting notes in the left hand.

!125
 Major Seventh Root Position
w
w ww
w w w bw
w
w w bw
w bbww
w w bw
w b w
w b ww
w ####w
w
w #ww #w
w #w
w ## w #ww ##w #w w
& w w w
w #w w
w ww
w w
w
w
w w bw
? bw bw bw #w w w w w w
{ w

w w w w w w
w
& w
w #w #w
w #ww #w
w # #w
ww ###w
w
w bb ww
w bb w
w
w bb ww
w bw w
w
w ww w
w
w
w ww
w #w # w # w
w w w # w #w
bw w
? w
{ w w w w w #w bw bw bw w

Major Seventh First Inversion

This file sold to Charles Morris, Jr., order #018124-757677. Reproduction or distribution is prohibited.

ww w
w bww
w ww
w w
w bww
w bbww
w w
w b bw
ww
w ###w#w #w
w #w#w
w ##ww
w w w ww w
& w ##ww
w w ##w
w
w #w
w ww
w

? w w bw bw bw bw #w w w
{ w w w w

b w b w w bww bww w
w ww
w
w #w #ww # w
w # ww # #w
w ### ww
w b w w
w b w
w b w w w
w ww w
& w
w w
w ww w
#w # ww #w
w # ww #w

? w #w b w bw w w
w w bw b w
{ w w w

Major Seventh Second Inversion

w w bw w
& ww
w w
w
w ww bbw
w w ww bw
w bbw
w bww ####w
w #w #ww ##w
ww ## w
w w w w
w #w w #ww
w #w
w
#w
w
w
w
w
ww
w
? w w bw bw bw
bw #w w w w w w
{ w

w bw w w
& ww #w #w #w
w #ww # #w
w ## #w
ww bww
w bbw
w
ww bw
b w
w ww
w w
w ww
w w
w w
w # ww # w # w # w # w b w
w w w w w w
? w w w #w b w
bw bw
bw w w
{ w w w
126
 Major Seventh Third Inversion
w
w ww w
& ww w ww
w b w bbww bw
w bbw
w bww
w w w #ww w
w ####w
w w ww #w
w ##w
ww ## w ww ##w
w ##w
w w ww
w w
w
ww
w w bw
? bw bw bw #w w w w w w
{ w

b w b w b ww w
w ww w
w
& w w w #ww #w
w #ww####w
w bww b w w
w b w
w b ww w
w ww
ww #w
w w
w #w w w #
# ww # w # w # w w ww w
bw w w
? w
{ w w w w w #w bw bw bw

Minor Seventh Root Position

This file sold to Charles Morris, Jr., order #018124-757677. Reproduction or distribution is prohibited.

bbw
w
w
w bwb w
w
w
bbw
w
w bbbwbw
w bbw
b ww
w ##ww
w w ww w
& b w w w ##w
w
w #w
w w
w
w
w
ww
w w
w
w
w
bw bw
ww b w
w w
w
? w w bw bw bw #w #w w w w
{ w w w

b w b w bbw
w bw
w bbw
w
w w w w #w
w # w
w bb w
w bb w w w b ww w
w
& bbw
w
w bw
ww
w w
w
w w w
ww w
w ww w
#w # w # ww b w b w b w
w
? w w #w bw bw bw w w
{ w w w w #w
Minor Seventh First Inversion
bbww w
w bbww
w bwbw
w w
w bbbwbw
w bbww
w w #
#w
w
w ##ww
w #w
w ww
w w w ww bw
& w w w w w ww
w w w
w bw
w w bww
w

? w w bw bw bw #w #w w w w w
{ w w

w w #w # ww #w
wbb bwww bbbw w
w n bww
w b bw
ww
w bbww
w
w
b ww b w
w w
ww w
w ww ww
w # w
w # ww b w b w b w
&bw w ww w w w
? w #w b w bw w w
w b w
{ w w w w #w
127
 Minor Seventh Second Inversion
bw bbw bww b bw
& bww
w w w w bbw
w bw w ww #w
w bbw
w #w ww
w ##w #w
w w w w
w w w
w ww
w w
w
w ww
w bw
w
w bww
w bw
w
? w w bw bw bw #w #w w w
{ w w w w

bbw
bw bw bw w bw
w b w b w w w
b w
This file sold to Charles Morris, Jr., order #018124-757677. Reproduction or distribution is prohibited.

& bww w w #w w #w bb ww b w w w w
bw
w w # w w
w w ww
bw w
w ww w w w w
w #w #ww b w b w
w w w
? w w w w #w #w
bw bw bw w w
{ w w

Minor Seventh Third Inversion

bw
w bww w
wbbbbww bw #ww
& w b w
b w w bwbw w
w bww
w #w ##w
w
ww #w
ww w
w
ww ww w
w w ww
w w w
w ww b w
w bbw
w w
? w w bw bw bw #w #w w w w w w w
{
b w b b ww b w
w b ww b w
w
& bw ww w
w ww w
w #w
ww ##w
w #w
#ww bbbw w
wb b w
w b w w b w
w b w w
ww w
b w bw ww w
w ww w ww w
? w w w #w bw bw bw w w
{ w w w #w
128
 Conclusion

Music is a vast subject, and attempting to sum it all up and describe how
to combine sounds, pitches and rhythms in a pleasing way is no easy task.

My goal with this book has been to give you an overview of the bigger
picture as well as give you a better idea as to what is involved in
composing music. It is my hope that while reading it, you had a few “aha”
moments where things fell into place for you and made sense.

If your compositions can benefit from a few of the ideas presented here,
then I have succeeded. If I have helped to demystify the art of
This file sold to Charles Morris, Jr., order #018124-757677. Reproduction or distribution is prohibited.

composition, and persuaded you that yes, indeed you can compose, then I
have really succeeded.

Composing music is a marvelous journey which has changed my life for

the better. I hope that it will for you as well, and I wish you much success
on your wonderful road of discovery.

David Hicken

!129