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Q&A for How to Compose Music on Piano

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Do you have any tips on improvising jazz music on a piano?

Melissa McDermott
Music Instructor
Melissa McDermott is a Musician and accomplished Social Media Manager at coBranding Studio based in New York City. She has over seven years of experience teaching piano and music theory, she currently works as a Piano Instructor at O DiBella Music Inc. Additionally, she specializes in creating meaningful, informative, and quality social media content for health and wellness brands and musicians. Melissa received her B.A. in popular music studies from William Paterson University.

Melissa McDermott

Music Instructor

Expert Answer

Typically, when you're playing a piece of jazz music, there'll be sections for improvising and then sections to play the melody, kind of like when everyone comes back together. So, typically, in a jazz ensemble, everybody will take turns. You'll take turns doing your improvisation. It will be based on the same scale as everything else. And then everyone kind of returns to the main melody.

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Question

Where can I get musical experience?

Community Answer

If you're in school, join band, orchestra, or chorus. Otherwise, check with your local music shop, many have lessons onsite, and if they don't, they'll probably know where to direct you. From there, gaining experience is as simple as practicing your instrument.

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Question

How do I write a classical song?

Community Answer

Listen to classical music for inspiration, study the trends in classical music, and eventually start to write your own pieces. I would pick one or two classical pianists that you admire to study in depth.

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Question

How do I write my music or my composition?

Community Answer

Use the most common chords and add lyrics. Use different variations of the chords and maybe even use broken chords (for pop).

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Question

How can I come up with good rhythms? I need some inspiration!

Community Answer

Listen to some songs in the genre you would like to compose in and then think about what feel you would like. Jazzy? Classical? Syncopation? Basic chords? 9th chords? Dotted rhythms? Straight quavers? Swung?

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Question

How do i make nice music using minims only?

Community Answer

Naturally, music is not necessarily about the value of the notes being used (take for example, Beethoven's Sonata 14 in C# Minor "Moonlight" Movement 1, made almost entirely out of triplets in the right hand along with an upper melody on the same hand and octaves in the right hand). Mostly what matters is how you are making use of the notes on the staff, harmonics, progressions and so on, so the composing rules don't really change because of the note values.

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Question

How do I compose my own music? I listen to music and don’t get any inspiration

Community Answer

When composing your own music on piano, try playing a few chords (or notes) to get inspiration. Once you've picked the chords/notes that you want to use, play them in a pattern to create your song.

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Question

Can I use the same process for other instruments?

Community Answer

Yes! This process can work for any instrument. If you play a couple notes in a pattern, you can compose a song.

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Question

Can a piano do 32nd or 64th notes? Is it that precise?s.

Community Answer

32nd notes yes, although they're difficult to play. I've never seen 64th notes, but it's probably possible, depending on the tempo.

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Question

How can I play in the piano what I heard in my mind?

Heiday

Community Answer

It is hard to do, but just take it slowly and do your best to play what you hear in your mind. Keep in mind that your end results may not sound like what you initially had in mind, but if you keep at it you will get better as transposing the head music into real notes that can replicate your tune.

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