How to Write Music

Writing music is one of the most difficult forms of art.  While many people have successfully created music spontaneously, most musical pieces are still written in a complicated and committed manner.  Here are some ways to help you get started writing music.

Music Theory

Music theory deals with the various elements of music and sound.  Music theory is all about evoking the right emotion and meaning of a piece using parts of music.  It is a very complicated subject that is taught in many conservatories, universities, and music schools.  Some of the elements discussed in music theory include:

• Melody, or the notes of a musical piece played in succession.
• Pitch, or the depth of a particular note or melody.
• Harmony, or the use of varying pitches at the same time.
• Rhythm, or the arrangement of notes and gaps or silences in a musical piece.
• Scale, or the collection of notes and pitches in a piece.

Composition and Notation

Musical composers write music beforehand using staves, notes, and clefs, with the final output being sheet music.  Composers use various symbols for performers and groups to understand how to play a particular musical piece.  Some of these musical notations include the following:

• Staff. The staff is a series of ledger lines where the composer places the symbols of a musical piece.  The staff is usually composed of five long, horizontal lines, although additional short horizontal lines may be placed above or below the staff if the pitch of the note falls beyond the range.
• Clef. The clef is used to determine the pitch of the musical piece.  The G-clef (also known as the treble clef) is the most common clef used in musical notation, while F-clefs and alto clefs are used for bass lines and some string instruments.
• Key signature. There are two key signatures often used in notation: sharp, and flat.  The key signature defines the consistency of the pitch when music is played, and applies to all the notes in the staff.
• Time signature. The time signature (like 2/4, 3/4, 4/4) defines the speed of the melody.
• Lyrics. For songs that require lyrics, the words are usually written underneath the staff.  The syllables of the lyrics are usually broken up or extended with long dashes, so that the singer or musician can follow the melody of the musical piece.