AOC 003: So You Want to Become a Composer?

Episode 3 of the Art of Composing Podcast. In this episode, I talk about what it takes to start composing immediately.
What is in this episode:

* The mindset you need to learn to compose music.
* How to approach the act of learning to compose.
* Why you need 20 hours to become good at composing, and 10,000 hours to become a master.
* How to setup your studio for zero-friction composing.
* A little more on why you need to learn your musical grammar and logic.
* How you can take the free beginner's composing course at www.artofcomposing.com/free.

Resources and Links Mentioned in this Episode:

* Art of Composing Podcast on Stitcher
* Alex Heffes
* musictheory.net
* M-Audio Keystation
* Musical Form Hub
* A Geometry of Music
* Sibelius
* Musescore
* Digital Performer
* Reaper

Episode 3 Take Aways

* Becoming a composer first starts with calling yourself a composer. Fake it till you make it, thats what I always say.
* You need to approach composing with a beginner's mind, this will give you the freedom to accept what you are learning and to grow as a composer.
* Be prepared to put in at least 20 hours of deliberate practice to get comfortable with composing, and another 9,980 hours to become a master. Don't worry, even if you only do your 20 hours, you'll be a pretty decent composer.
* Setup your studio so that it is comfortable for you, with all of the basics for composing at an arms reach. At a minimum, have your staff paper, a pencil, an eraser, and some kind of instrument to help orient you on pitch.
* Learn the grammar of music, and learn it well. It will make your life so much easier.
* If you are worried about how to start with the first note... then just start with C, that always seems to work out... but seriously, try to think of the shape of your melody, and mixing up scale lines and chord lines.
* You can also take one of your favorite pieces, and then write a variation on it. Remember, you are practicing, so you can do whatever you want, as long as it helps you progress in your goal of becoming a composer.
* Finally, learn some basic musical form, basic diatonic harmony, and go through my free beginner's course. It is available at artofcomposing.com/free.

The Diatonic Harmony Charts
Major Harmony


 
Minor Harmony


Transcript - AOC 003