I once taught music to an adult who wanted to learn how to compose.
He asked me, “Vladimir, I understand how to select chords for a melody, using strumming and treble notes, but how do you correctly and properly select chords for a melody? How do you compose a melody in general?”
Of course, I answered him. I hope that after seven years, he’s still composing music using musical thinking.
Then I said that to learn how to compose a melody, it’s not enough to simply strum the guitar when you’re in a good mood, plucking the strings, or running across the keys in search of a catchy tune. You absolutely need to master the skills of musical thinking.
At least to create a melody.
Let’s try it.
With these words, I picked up the guitar and played one note (I think it was the third string, 7th fret – D). I asked the student to listen carefully to this one note. There was no response. I played again and again, but my student couldn’t hear the overtones I was tuning him to.
I asked if the timbre was pleasant, if I’d chosen the right tempo, or if perhaps he needed to play slower. In response, the student said that he could only play the keys of a synthesizer (not at all like playing the piano and certainly not even close to playing the grand piano).
It’s clear that the sound of the note was not close to him. Since he was playing stringed instruments (sound is produced by the hammer striking the string), the timbre of the keyboard was the closest to his.
I explained that if you want to write music, the very first thing you need to do is HEAR it on different instruments. You need to be able to hear just one note in different timbres, without giving preference to just the guitar or the piano.
The first task was to find and listen to the same note on different instruments. You must concentrate on just ONE sound. Hear it, feel it.
You will achieve complete concentration when the sound you’re listening to begins to echo in your head.
You need to train your timbre ear and listen to the overtones of different musical instruments. After all, we know that adding or removing certain overtones from a sound will change the instrument’s sound, and therefore its timbre will change as well. You need to know which overtones enrich the sound of a particular instrument.
This will help you color the melody and understand what timbre it should have—whether it should be a single timbre or whether the melody should be broken down into several instruments and sections, etc.
Well, what are you waiting for?!
Go ahead, future composers. This is just the beginning. The most interesting things are yet to come.
What instrument do you compose music on?
I’ll help you develop your ear and voice timbre, subscribe!
