Want to write music but don’t know where to begin? Start with small, clear goals: a short melody, a chord progression, or a one-minute sketch. Composition isn’t magic — it’s a set of choices you can learn and practice. This page gives tight, useful steps so you can make real music quickly.
Melody is the tune people hum. Pick a short motif of 3–8 notes and repeat it with small changes. Harmony is the supporting chords. Try a simple progression like I–V–vi–IV (C–G–Am–F) and hum your motif over it. Rhythm is how notes move in time. Change the rhythm of your motif to make it feel fresh without changing the notes.
Work one thing at a time. If your melody feels weak, keep the harmony basic. If the chords feel boring, tweak voicings or add a passing chord. Small adjustments stack up fast.
Exercise 1: Five-minute motif. Set a timer for five minutes. Play a two-bar idea and repeat it; try three variations. Stop when the timer rings. You’ll surprise yourself with usable hooks.
Exercise 2: Swap the chords. Take a favorite song and change one chord. Notice how the mood shifts. That single swap teaches more about chord function than hours of theory reading.
Exercise 3: Limit your palette. Use only piano or one synth patch and three chords. Limitations force creativity and help you focus on strong melodies and arrangement choices.
Use templates. For a pop song: verse (8 bars), pre-chorus (4 bars), chorus (8 bars). For a film cue: intro, build, hit, sustain. Templates stop you from asking what to do next.
Tools that actually help: a simple DAW (BandLab, Reaper), a piano or keyboard, and an audio recorder (your phone works). MIDI lets you try chord voicings quickly. Libraries like Spitfire or free piano VSTs give instant sounds without expensive gear.
Common traps to avoid: overproducing before the song exists, copying blindly, and avoiding feedback. Play your sketch for one friend and ask what stuck. If they hum a part later, you nailed it.
If you want to score for film, start by composing short cues to picture — 30 seconds to a minute — and practice matching tempo and emotion to cuts. For songwriting, focus first on a memorable chorus and grow the rest around it.
Write daily, even 10 minutes. Keep a folder of ideas — a motif that didn’t work today might fit a later piece. Composition is a muscle; use it regularly and it gets stronger fast.
Ready to write? Pick one exercise, open your DAW or grab your phone, and make one short piece. That small win builds momentum and real skill.
