Below is a task sheet for the first composition exercise: Creating a soundtrack for film. Please read carefully through this document, and let me know if you have any questions.

If you keep scrolling, you'll find a series of exercises designed to help you complete this task easily and create an effective piece of music.

COMPOSITION MADE EASY!

There are lots of ways to approach composition, and every composer tends to tackle their work differently; some start with lyrics, while others begin with a chord progression, a groove, a short melodic idea or a particular sound or texture. Whatever approach you take, composition can be daunting, as it usually takes quite a lot of hard work to realise your artistic vision. 

However, it can also be an incredibly fun and rewarding process. 

In this lesson I'm going to show you ONE of the many ways that you can write effective, emotive pieces of music quickly and easily, by taking you step by step through writing a soundtrack to a horror movie.

STEP ONE: LISTEN... no, really LISTEN!

This is by far the most important step in composition, and you should come back to this step over and over again throughout this exercise. Find a piece of music that you really like (one that you would like your piece to sound like) and really listen to it - over and over again. Once you've got it stuck in your head, try to work out how it's been put together, and identify the things about the song that really appeals to you. Why do you like it? What makes it an effective piece of music? What elements would you like to use in your own composition? I think of this process as having three phases:

PHASE ONE: The first couple of times you listen to the piece, try to answer the 'big picture' questions and identify essential elements that help to shape the music. 

What is the tempo? Is the piece in a major or a minor key? Is it mostly consonant or dissonant? What instruments has it been written for? What is the overall texture (how complex or rich is it)?  What is the time signature? How would you describe the rhythmic 'feel' of this piece? What style or genre is the piece? Is the melody angular (difficult to sing) or lyrical? What is the pitch range?

PHASE TWO: The next few times you listen to the piece, try to focus in on more specific details - these are often referred to as the stylistic features of the music. 

Can you identify a main theme or repeated motif? Are there any dramatic changes in dynamics? What is the form or structure of the music (are there clear sections to the music, and how have these sections been organised)? What is the harmonic rhythm (how often do the chords change)? Is there any 'call and answer' between the instruments? Does the instrumentation change through the piece? Can you identify repeated rhythmic patterns? Is there any syncopation? 

PHASE THREE: Now it is time to really nerd out! Get out your instrument (or sit at a piano) and try to work out the nuances of the music. What chord progressions can you identify? What specific chord voicings are particularly effective or striking? What scales have been used to create the melody? How does the melody relate to the underlying harmony? What devices (repetition, modulation, displacement etc) can you identify in the melody?  Are the performers using any interesting techniques on their instruments (double stops, sweep-picking, 'popping', pizzicato etc).

Don't worry if you can't answer all of these questions at once; you've switched on your ears to really hear music, and you'll pick up more and more every time you listen to anything.