What are some of the things to keep in mind when composing music?

Composition is a creative process and a result. Even if you make a simple melody, it's still a composition.　However, when you compose a whole song, then you have completed the whole process of composing, which is the result.　There are many theories involved in composing, such as tonality, meter, harmony, harmonic weaving, passage structure, scoring, and so on.　Modern compositions are mostly computerized, using MIDI or direct recording to complete the piece. The music theory is the same. The music theory is the same, but the songs made in different generations have their own characteristics.

Modern compositions are often computerized, using MIDI or direct recording to complete the piece. The use of music theory is the same. But the songs made in different generations have their own characteristics. Music theory is, in the final analysis, composition theory. However, it is not easy to be popularized because it is too specialized. Here is only a brief introduction to the important content to provide convenience for self-learners. I. Harmony Harmony Harmony is the study of multiple tones **** the same sound effect, the law of learning. If the melody is compared to the "bone", then the harmony is "meat", only with the harmony, the sound becomes full, harmonious and beautiful. The status of harmony is very important, and it can be regarded as the foundation of all music theories. Many music masters have made outstanding contributions to harmony. However, it is not easy to learn it well because of its vast content and many rules. The professor in the novel "You Have No Choice" (by Liu Sora, "New Era Controversial Works") claimed that he had studied harmony for eight years and still could not learn it well, which shows the difficulty. However, it is worthwhile to try to master the basics of harmony. Here is a brief introduction to some important basic concepts and terms. A triad is a chord formed by superimposing the root note with the upper third and the upper fifth. The triad is the most basic chord in the chord structure and is the most used one. According to the structure, there are "major triads", "minor triads" and "diminished triads" (only one). According to their function, they can be divided into "dominant chords" (triads in which the dominant is the root), "dominant chords" (triads in which the dominant is the dominant) and "subordinate chords" (triads in which the subordinate is the dominant). In addition, each triad has two inverted chords. The three chords of the dominant, the dominant and the subdominant are called "major triads" and the remaining four are called "minor triads". The other four chords are called "sub-triads". These four sub-triads belong to the "dominant" and "subdominant" groups. The seven tones of the natural scale form all the primary triads as follows: Root Function Species Symbol 1 Major chord Major T (or Ⅰ) 2 Secondary chord (Subordinate) Minor S Ⅱ 3 Tertiary chord (Subordinate) Minor D Ⅲ 4 Subordinate chord Minor S (or Ⅳ) 5 Subordinate chord Minor D (or Ⅴ) 6 Sextuplets (Subordinate) Minor S Ⅵ 7 Seventh chord (Subordinate) Diminished D Ⅶ Except for the diminished chord D Ⅶ, the other six triads are called "Subordinate triads". Except for the diminished triad DⅦ, the other six triads are harmonic chords. The chords formed by adding a third (the seventh note of the root) to a triad are called seventh chords. The seventh chord is a dissonant chord. The most commonly used seventh chords are the "dominant seventh chords" (dominant chords forming a seventh chord). It is not uncommon to find heavy dominant chords and diminished seventh chords. If you add a third to a seventh chord (i.e. the ninth of the root note), you have a ninth chord. Ninth chords are also dissonant chords. If one of the tones of a chord, other than the root, changes to another tone, this chord is called an "altered chord". Ninth chords and altered chords have a special coloration and are not easy to grasp, so they are rarely used; they do not appear in simple works. Harmony consists of four voices: the soprano, the alto, the tenor and the bass. The harmony is usually composed of four voices: the soprano, the alto, the tenor and the bass. In a harmonic score, the soprano part is at the top, the bass part is at the bottom, and the alto and tenor parts are in the middle. Therefore, the soprano and bass voices are often referred to as the "outer voices", while the alto and tenor voices are called the "inner voices". The soprano part is generally the main melodic part; the two inner parts are mainly configured for harmony, and are often referred to as the "filler parts". Harmony in the conduct, connection, the inner voices require full and smooth, no interspersed between the voices. The bass part is always the lowest sound in the harmony, determining the root sound, so it not only plays a fundamental role, but also leads the direction of the harmony, its role is very important. The writing of "four-part harmony" is one of the most important skills in composition, and should be the starting point for any work, big or small (after the main theme is determined, the harmonic writing is started). Instrumentation crystallizes the harmonic texture. (Because different instruments belong to different parts, so the total score can be written according to the harmonic part, can also be written according to the instrument grouping: such as strings part, brass part, woodwinds part ...) Different composers of the harmonic style to the; different: or rich and magnificent, or mellow and generous, or clear and transparent. For example, Wagner's works are famous for their splendor. Harmonization, connection, and "resolution" Harmonization is a process of constant transition, change, and suspension in the course of a piece of music; and the voices must be properly transitioned and connected for this purpose. Therefore, this is the basic skill of writing harmony. The basic characteristic of harmonic progression is from "stable" to "unstable" and back to "stable"; from "harmony" to "discord"; from "harmony" to "discord". The basic feature of the harmonic process is the alternating cycle from "stable" to "unstable" and back to "stable"; from "harmony" to "dissonance" and back to "harmony". The diagram of its functioning is: T-S-T, T-D-T or T-S-D-T. This is what is meant by the so-called "functional circle" mentioned several times in the novel You Have No Choice. The novel also mentions the term "resolution". This refers to the way in which dissonant chords (e.g. seventh chords) are transformed into consonant chords during the progression, the basic rule being to transition the tones of the voices to their nearest consonant, e.g. 7 → 1, 4 → 3, etc., while the consonant remains unchanged. In "You Have No Choice", the senior student named Samson is keen on imitating Beethoven, but because Beethoven's "strength is overwhelming", he spends his days smashing on the piano in search of "strength". "Power. One of his catchphrases was "Shit, power!" Usually, "power" refers to acoustic intensity, and is expressed in Italian as "p" for "weak", "f" for "strong", "s" for "strong", "s" for "weak", and "s" for "strong". "p" is for "weak", "f" is for "strong", "sf" is for "extra strong", and so on. But the strength here is another concept, otherwise the "strength" of the piano with the feet must be more than Beethoven. The "strength" in the novel mainly refers to the strength of the sound effect, that is, the strength of the harmony. The strength of the harmony is probably related to the resonance spectrum of the series of overtones contained in the chord. It is therefore related to the number of voices and their intervallic distances. Generally speaking, minor triads are not as strong as major triads, single intervals are not as strong as complex intervals (intervals of more than an octave), and harmonic chords are not as strong as dissonant chords (with the exception of diminished chords). That's why Samson "added a seventh chord to a ninth chord". *How to learn harmony (1). Understand the basic concepts without memorizing the rules. There are many rules in harmony, but there are few limitations. Moreover, if you remember the "forbidden rules", you will not make a big mistake, so you should memorize the "forbidden rules" first. (2). Insist on doing exercises. Music is different from mathematics, science and chemistry, there is no absolute standard, exercises are not a kind of answer. Only by doing more and more practice will be memorized and improved. (3)． Listen to more famous songs. This is actually the most effective means. Beginners can listen to more simple, good to understand and listen to the tune. II. Format learning format refers to the structural form of the music. There are "single-part", "two-part", "three-part", "variations", "sonata", "variations", "variations", "variations", "variations", "variations", "variations", "variations", and "variations". "Sonata" and "Rondo" and so on. Each thematic section is represented by "A, B, ...". For example, the pattern of "two-part" is "AB"; the pattern of "three-part" is "ABA'", and the pattern of "three-part" is "ABA'", and the pattern of "three-part" is "ABA'". The third section A' is basically the same as the first section. Children's songs are mostly two-part or even one-part; popular songs are mostly three-part. And the "round dance" often adopts the cyclorama style. III. Polyphony "polyphony" is relative to the "main key". If there is only one melodic voice, the other voices only play the role of background, such music is called the main key music. If there is more than one melodic voice, and the voices are independent of each other horizontally, and vertically form a harmonic relationship, forming a harmonious organic whole, then such music is called "polyphonic music". In polyphonic music, the melody of each voice part is called the "main melody" and "secondary melody" in order of priority. There is only one main melody. Polyphony is an important compositional technique that is widely used, and its theoretical basis is harmony. "Fugue" is one of the polyphonic forms, and Bach developed its technique to maturity. IV. Counterpoint is one of the writing techniques of polyphonic music. It is based on the theory of harmony, so that the voices are both harmonious and relatively independent. Such as the chorus (trio, quartet) is written in counterpoint. Counterpoint and "strict counterpoint" and "imitation counterpoint" points. Russian and German music theorists respect, abide by strict counterpoint. V. Melody melody is the tune. It is the fundamental characteristic of a piece of music that distinguishes it from other pieces of music, like the style and rhythm of a building. The "phonemes" constitute the "motif", which is further developed into the theme to form the melody. Specifically, a melody is formed by the combination of certain "tone patterns" and "rhythmic patterns" according to a specific rhythmic pattern. Melody is visual: it is reflected in the melodic line (the line of note heads). Some early musicians pursued the "beauty of the melody line", believing that a good melody should also be visually beautiful. Melodic composition depends on genius, inspiration and practice. Melodic writing is very skillful, and there are many different ways of developing melodies. Commonly used developmental techniques include: repetition, modulation, imitation, tightening, expansion, change, contrast, and variation. Most of the concepts are explained through demonstrations and audiovisuals. (See Music Appreciation Lecture (3)). VI. The orchestration method is an orchestral writing technique, so it is also called "orchestral method" or "instrumental method". But for all the orchestra's performance and even the accompaniment of popular songs are inseparable from the use of orchestration, so learning a little orchestration knowledge is very practical value. The study of orchestration is to solve the following problems: - the principles of sound, timbre, volume and playing method of various instruments - the matching relationship between the volume of various instruments - the correct choice of instruments in order to correctly express the theme and style of the work Let's assume an example: I have written a violin concerto. I wrote a violin concerto, but the violinist came to me with the score and said: I can't play it. I am convinced that there is nothing wrong with the writing: the melody is beautiful and the harmonies are rich. What are the problems? There could be three. One is that the clef is not in the right range, the upper or lower limits are outside the range of the violin. Secondly, I wrote the triad as three notes, whereas the violin can only play two notes at the same time, so of course the player can't play it. Thirdly, the chord intervals are too big: one note is on the G string (the fourth) and the other one is on the A string (the second). There is a string between them, how do you let him (her) pull?　Another example is that a township enterprise bought a bunch of foreign music and formed an orchestra and rehearsed a program, and then invited an expert to come and give guidance. But the conductor looked after shaking his head, said he could not help. The reason is that (1) the number of instruments do not match, some more than large orchestra; (2) do not talk about orchestration, engage in large concert, which is a professional musician is difficult to do. The above two cases of failure cover out of ignorance of the orchestration of common sense. In addition, in the popular song accompaniment, if not the appropriate use of orchestration can also appear some problems, such as "chaotic", "the main event" and so on. But electro-acoustic instruments pronunciation, timbre, functional characteristics and performance techniques are very different from traditional instruments, self-contained system, so the traditional orchestration method is basically not suitable for purely electro-acoustic band's own listening, notation must be good, humming out the melody, they have to write down.... That's the inspiration. If you don't write it down, it won't be so easy to come up with it next time...

And also pay attention to the motivation of the phrases and so on, that is, the connection between the previous and the following bars should be harmonious and should be consistent and so on

They are all their own feelings, right, feel good on the line~The requirements for writing a mainstream song are not very strict - those of the classical songs are more demanding

Suggestion: If you have time, you can pick up other people's songs and feel them.

It's a good idea to get a feel for the direction, ups and downs, and structure of other people's compositions-

Inspiration is your own, and there are no rules about it, and your teacher can't teach you how to create it

Remember, the moment you get inspired, you've got to catch it.