Writing music

Writing music is a lot more difficult than people think. People think, “oh you just have to write down a couple notes on a staff” but there is so much more to it than that. You have to have a time and key signature, also there is a bunch of sharps and flats plus there are also accidentals that make the music more interesting.

Dynamics are a very important part of music, it adds character to it and can make it more dramatic if written and played correctly. Dynamics are almost as important as writing is the melody and rhythm, without rhythm notes are just random and make no sense which completely ruins the sole purpose of writing music. If you just have notes scattered on the page that makes no sense at all it takes away the appeal of the music. As a fellow musician, and instrumentalist of 6 years when you see music already right away in your head you can see and hear what the music will sound like.

“SILENCE MEANS JUST AS MUCH AS THE NOTES THEMSELVES” rests in music might seem extremely pointless but they actually create just as much impact as playing notes. Also musicians need time to rest their mouths. Some need it more than others, for example trumpets need rest more than a flute or saxophone. Without rest in music and all the instruments playing at the same time the whole song can make the music sound messy and hard to hear the separate parts and instruments, because of the different pitches and tones of all the instruments. For example the tension between lows and highs.

Another important thing in writing or composing music is you have to know who to give the different parts, like melody, harmony, counter melody etc. to. In many pieces it more often goes to the highs instead of the lows. For example giving it to the flutes, clarinets, or trumpets instead of giving it to the tuba or euphoniums. There are some cases where lows get the melody but it doesn't happen all that often like highs do.

What about how do you know where to put an accidental? Well you don't, there is no specific spot to put it. Reason why it’s called an accidental. Any musician will know how much of a pain in the rear end accidentals are. Plus they carry through a measure so you can't forget about them as quickly you want to. Accidentals go completely against the key signature. For example putting a B natural in when Bb is in the key. That is why you really have to pay attention with music so you don't miss them. They are put in the for a reason, whether it be trying to make the music sound better or creating dissonance between parts. Or even just to create suspense.

There are so many moving parts in music that no one takes the time to pay attention to. So next time you sit down and listen to music, listen to the separate parts. And listen how they work together to create the sound they make. The words of a song doesn't matter, it’s the music and rhythm that make it work.