Creating your own music is an art form that only a few master musicians have mastered.
Everyday with new technology it’s becoming more possible to create quality sounds to your music.
If it’s your dream to create your own music and express yourself through this medium it can be very possible.
Decide first what kind of musician you are. The type that wants to make an impact in your small community, the one who just enjoys music for themselves or the type that wants to go pro?
Music has a large spectrum and you can go any way you want with it, your success depends on the audience you target so read on if becoming pro is the path you want to take.
Step by Step
Listen to Music. Analyze the general feel and groove of the music and what makes it great. Look at the way it’s layered together in detail so you know how the emotion is achieved. This develops your internal metronome which is an essential tool of any musician.
Choose your Music Makers. Choose your instruments to create the type of music you want to focus on, the piano and the guitar are the most preferred as they cover a broad spectrum when it comes to melodies and sound effects when connected electronically.
Choosing an instrument quickly is not something that is recommended. The instrument should be widely researched from dedicated instrument websites, reviews, a friend who has experience with instruments, the best brand and the type that will suite your style of music etc.
Play your instruments and practice. If you’re looking to learn an instrument to improve your
song making skills, you’ll need some patience, which will let you relax and go over the steps and keys you need to learn to master your chosen instrument.
If you practice regularly each day for 15-30 mins its better than practicing for 3 hours one day and not the others, the brain learns by repeating patterns through constant repetition.
Get a mentor. Have a teacher give you the tools to avoid bad habits and allow you to become independent once you’ve learnt the basics. This is a good stepping stone to maturing musically and being able to write your own stuff.
Never give in to frustrations and always find new and quirky was to deal with problems, look for a new unorthodox angle and you might surprise yourself.
Have an extensive knowledge of current music trends. Make sure you know all the hit songs of the moment in most of the genres and crowds you’ll be playing to. If it’s predominantly a tecno crowd, you should be familiar with the known songs of the moment for that genre.
Some genres to explore are: Trance, Techno, Electronica, House, Hardcore, Downtempo, Breakbeat, Dubstep. You can create unique mixes with other genres like r& b and classical or hip hop and jazz depending on your tastes.
Play suitable music and be charismatic. Be a fun personable DJ but don’t over exxert yourself in the obnoxious department, it’ll make people uncomfortable and this is the opposite of what you want; you need people relaxed and vibe-ing to your mixes. Also, choose the appropriate music for the occasion. A wedding can differ from a kids party so know the order and tempo of the songs you’ll play to either fit a romantic setting or a fun up beat event.
Gather Experience. Start by playing to small crowds if you don’t have that much experience. Volunteer or play small payed gigs at nursing homes or kids parties. You can also ask a friend to DJ at their hosted party.
Composing Your Own Music:
Tell a Story. When writing music create a journey, like telling a story through melody. Melodies can evoke emotions so take your listener on a ride with you, make them feel what you’re feeling in the song.
The best way to do this is to just be true to yourself and people will hopefully relate to your music. Avoid composing mixes which have no link and are jumbled sounds mashed together. Put your heart and soul into your craft and you’ll receive what you in.
Be original. Creating your own sound is part of the package that you’ll give to your audience. Having a unique sound will make you instantly recognizable.
In terms of musical theory you can use this to compose or create your music by ear which can be easier for some who have a natural sense for this, just transfer your melody or riff to the instrument through the way the keys sound.
It might not be viewed well critically but it can be popular with audiences, but even those who do create music by ear have an understanding of musical theory.
Experimenting with Compositions. You can compose to a sample, to a looped beat, to another song and
put a spin on it to turn it into a different, new song or even a riff could start you off. Scales are usually the
best way to create an original riff and you can build up the rest of the track around that. This technique is used in rock and hip hop.
Composing to visuals: Practice composing to a movie, a tv show or any other visual medium, even a memory or dream. If you were asked to compose for a movie, picture the scenes, the atmosphere and enhance this with your music, play the scene back with no sound run it with your music, experiment until you get it right.
Compose with Lyrics. This is one of the tougher forms of creating music though some find it much easier to create music upon written lyrics. You can create a Chord progression to suit the story or meaning of the lyrics (happy) major (sad) minor.