A Clear Method to Compose Your Own Piece

If you've ever tried to compose, you might find out that it's hard to get started.

And if you do get started, it's can be hard to finish! 

This is what Julie had trouble with, but after taking my online course 'A Piece to Call Your Own,' she composed this gorgeous piece in just 1 month.

Before you start composing something, questions will probably start flooding your mind. Things like:

- What key should the music be in?
- How will the music develop? 
- What chords should I use?
- How long should the melodies be?
- How do I transition from one section to the next?

Yes, it can be overwhelming. But it doesn't have to be.

A great way to get started with composing a full piece is to model a piece you already know. 

Doing that will answer all of those questions.

It will give you a clear template to follow, so you don't have to think about all the theoretical details - just get immersed in the music! 

What's exciting about this is that there are many different models to follow - as many models as there are pieces. That means you can use this process over and over again, just as Julie can now do:

"I had no clue how to get started but now I have a clear road map for my next piece!"
--- Julie

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Departing from the model 

After helping many guitarists with composing their own piece, I've realized that every time without exception, they depart from following the model at some point.

For example, Julie's piece was based on Brouwer's 'Un Dia de Noviembre', which is in Ternary form (three parts - A - B - A).

But Julie departed from this by starting with one phrase and then repeating it with variations (ornaments, more extended accompaniment, etc.). 

Listen out for the interesting form: A - A' - B - B' - C - C' - A

What kind of variations do you notice?

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