So, you want to create your own music. Something you can put your name on and show off to friends and family. Why not? It's an amazing thing when you think about it. Where there was once nothing, now exists a piece of music authored by you. Let's examine how we might go about creating a complete piece of music.

Your initial idea is an important step. Why? Because the initial idea is the foundation for the entire piece! For example, let's say you get a certain melody in mind. You go to the piano and play it. But then you're stopped cold and don't know how or where to proceed next. What to do? You need to first draw out 8-bars on a piece of paper.

Working with an 8-bar phrase is the best way I know of capturing musical ideas and turning them into full-fledged compositions. You can write out as much of the melody as you can, or you can do what I do - write in the first 2-bars (the initial idea) and then use chords to quickly fill in the entire 8-bars. This example is if you work with melody first.

You can also "compose" working exclusively with chords. That is, you can take a few chords (like you have in the lesson "Reflections in Water") and play around with them creating a few minutes of music. These chordal improvisations are a great way to get your ideas out. If you wanted to develop Reflections in Water or "compose" it, you'd have to put it on a chart and write out the chord symbols on top. Then, you'd have something you could go back to and play again if you wanted. You'd have a complete piece of music.

A long time ago, I read a book on musical composition where the author suggests you must work with either the melody or the chords and not both at once. This is an excellent suggestion because you simply cannot do both at once! It is far easier to either write out the melody for 8-bars or block out a chord arrangement than it is to do both at once.