How to compose a song from zero step by step
To compose your first song you don't need advanced theory: an idea, four chords, a tune you like and a letter from you. We show you the complete process step by step.
To compose a song from scratch, start with a small idea (a phrase, a riff, a rhythm or four chords) and get them a chorus. He then commands the parts into a simple structure, as verse--corse--verse--chorus, chooses a progression with 3 or 4 chords, seek the melody singing above, writes the letter care for accents and record a demo On his cell phone.
No advanced theory and no studio. You need to finish: an imperfect and complete song teaches more than ten priors saved on his cell phone.
To sum up
- It starts with the choir or with the words that you best love, and the rest of the song's built around.
- A true-and-true-and-light-and-chorus structure works for most songs.
- Three or four chords are good and the contrast between verse and chorus matters more than complexity.
- In his letter, accentuated syllables have to fall into the strong times of music.
- Record a simple demo with a metronome and listen to it the following day with fresh ears.
Step 1: capture the idea before it escapes
The songs are rarely born complete. They are born of a fragment: a phrase that occurred to you on the bus, a raff that came up with warming, a rhythm that remained ringing or a concrete emotion. They record everything in the phone's voice notes, with date and a key word, and do not judge them at the moment.
When you have several ideas, choose the one that's most repeated in your head and turn it into a choir. The choir is the part that people remember and if that part works, the rest can be built.
Step 2: select a structure
| Section | Function | Consejo |
|---|---|---|
| Intro | The atmosphere and the tone | Cut: often are chords of chorus or verse |
| Verso | Tell the story, give details | He changes his letter in every verse and his music goes back and forth. |
| Pre-chorus (optional) | He creates expectations before his choir | Gather up or leave a little silence before the chorus |
| Coro | Summarize the central idea | Same letter at a time with the title included |
| Puente | Give a breath and a contrast | Other chords, another perspective in the letter |
| Final | Close the song | Repeat the chorus or end with the intro |
The most widely used form is verse - choir - verse - choir - bridge - choir. Another classical form is the AABA of many standards from the 20th century, where Section A is repeated and Section B works as bridge. For a first song, two verses and a choir that's repeated three times.
Step 3: A simple chord progression
First select a comfortable tone for your voice. If the melody looks very sharp or serious, then you can [carry the song]](/blog/como-transportar-una-cancion). These advances in Sun are met with open chords at the [guitar]](/clases/guitarra-acustica) and they're easy at [piano]](/clases/piano):
| Progression | Chords | Feeling |
|---|---|---|
| I - V - vi - IV | Sun - re - Mim - Do | Open, optimistic, very common at pop |
| I - vi - IV - V | Sun Mim Do re | NostALGIC, with a classical ballast |
| vi - IV - I - V | Mim - Do - Sol - re | More melancholy, though they are the same chords of the first |
| I - IV - V | Sun - Do - re | Direct, rock and roll and popular music |
| I - IV | Sun - Do | That's quite simple and leave all the starring to the melody |
The secret is in contrast: if the verse revolves about vi - IV - I - V, the choir can start at I to feel more light, or change chord more often to gain energy. what's musical harmony explain why each chord produces rest, movement or tension.
Step 4: find the melody
Record two minutes of your motif progression and sing about with senseless syllables, as "nah" or "la." Do so several times without stopping and after that listen: nearly always there are two or three pieces that are worth it. Keep them and work about them.
- Chord notes at strong times: about Sun, the notes Sun, Si and Ree sound firm and the other ones work passing through.
- Registration: The verse in the middle or grave area of your voice and the choir a little higher. That ascent gives him strength.
- Repetition with variation: repeat a short motif and change only his end.
- Question and answer: That the first sentence end with an open note and the second one back to the tone.
- Rhythm: with more syllables and short notes and with longer and easier to write with a choir.
Step 5: write your own letter
- Summarize what the song's about in a single prayer. If it doesn't work out, it's still unclear.
- Put the title in the choir, at the start or at the end of the sentence, where you listen most.
- Use the verses to show concrete details, such as the cold of the morning or the last bus, rather than abstract words as "feeling" or "destination."
- He takes care of his prosodia: his accentuated syllable of every word should fall into a strong time. "Song" accentuates at the end and "music" at first. If his melody contradicts them, they sound bad.
- The consonant rhyme repeats vocals and consonants from the last accentuated vocal (song, reason) and the asonant, only vocals (house, soul) and usually sound less forced.
Avoid the usual rhymes as a heart with a song, unless you have a good reason. Read the letter out loud, without music: if it sounds weird and talked, it will probably also sound weird singing.
Step 6: record a simple demo
- Define the tempo with the [metronomer]](/herramientas/metronomo) and write it down.
- First record the instrument with an autophone click, in a multitrack recording application (there are several free).
- Record his voice up and listen to his instrument by hearing aids so that his phone doesn't get cold.
- He looks for a place without echo: a closet with clothes or a room with curtains and blankets sounds better than a bathroom or an empty room.
- Save every version with date and listen to them the following day. Write down what you would change.
When you block: Expits that work
- Switch instrument: an idea that doesn't advance at guitar can take off at piano, and the other way around.
- He's changing his rhythm: Test the same progression at 6 / 8, on a cumbia basis or with the bambuco's swing; [Colombian rhythms]](/blog/ritmos-colombianos-bambuco-pasillo-y-cumbia-explicados) They open up roads that pop doesn't give.
- Put some boundaries: Just 3 chords, 20 minutes and a single Section.
- Imperfect end: A song with a loose verse is better than a perfect choir with no song.
- Check that it's yours: If a melody came out too easy for you, get something and ask them if they remember another.
Componting also learns with accompaniment. A teacher of theory, guitar or piano can help you to clear up a section, suggest new chords or show you why a choir doesn't get off.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to know music theory to compose?
Not for starters: Many songs are composed of ears with few chords. But the theory helps to get out of the blocks, understand why something works and try more choices in less time.
What's first about his words or his music?
The two forms work. If you start with the letter, read them out loud to discover their natural rhythm. If you start with the music, you sing senseless syllables and let the melody suggest where important words go.
How do I know if my song looks too much like another?
The progress of common chords appears in thousands of songs and what identifies a song is especially his melody and his lyrics. If you suspect that a melody isn't yours, you will be singing to several people or record and share with what you have been listening to lately.
How long should a song last?
Many popular songs last 3 to 4 minutes but for a first song the important thing is that every section say something and that doesn't repeat more of the account.