Can I learn and train myself how to compose at home?

[SuperMarioGamer]

I am a complete beginner to composing and I wish to know if I can learn and train myself how to be a composer at home from online sources such as youtube and other websites.  Some people said that I needed to take music classes, but is that really necessary?

[MonoStone]

You do not need music classes.

 

You don't need music classes to learn how to play and compose - Just think how many of the great artists/bands taught themselves. And you can learn from them too. And from some of us if you like.

 

You don't need music classes to learn how to mix or use a DAW - Many of us here haven't taken classes.

 

Anyone who says that you HAVE to take a class, is clueless. 

 

Taking classes might speed up your learning IF it's a good class MAYBE.... but it's not essential and, in my opinion, some courses are likely a waste of money.

 

What you need is the desire to do it... you need to enjoy practicing and trying things until you get it right.... and yes YouTube and THIS site are full of really helpful tips and people to guide you.

 

Oh and... you need a certain amount of natural musical ability in my opinion....not much but enough that you have some natural timing and ability to hear when something sounds heavily out of tune etc

 

If you can play a few chords on an instrument and sing a bit then just start writing! Just go for it. 

 

Oh but.... I'm not talking about composing classical music. I have no knowledge of that and I'd imagine that might require some teaching, although I'd bet you can still find guidance online for that too.  You weren't very specific so I've assumed you mean writing AND playing your own stuff rather than composing for a real orchestra!  

Edited January 11, 2018 by MonoStone

[MonoStone]

2 hours ago, fasstrack said:

I have to respectfully disagree here

 

Well... I respectfully disagree too, especially since the question was can I learn to compose at home.

 

The rock and pop hall of fame is full of people who were not formally trained...learned at home... or in the garage.

 

To be a Jazz musician, well maybe that's different. But whilst you may have much experience in that, trust me I have plenty in rock/indie music. And I know that a whole load of super rich successful rock/indie stars agree with me  just in case my opinion isn't good enough.

 

If you want to be in a rock band.... just go for it... Pat Pattison or whatever he's called and that mob will kill at least two thirds of your soul

 

 

[MonoStone]

Just now, fasstrack said:

Ok. Like, whatever, dude (;

 

haha.... I use the word 'rock' broadly... I'm not a ROCKER really... but ... nice one 

[MonoStone]

14 minutes ago, fasstrack said:

Also, and seriously now. you gave your opinion---peachy keen by me, agree or disagree. So the follow-up about the people who agree is ancillary. I'm talking to you, not them. Know what I mean?

 

Hey I've not listened to your stuff but, I gather you're a proper talented musician who's been around, I'm not going to get into an argument. 

 

But I am right . Stating that other's have had huge success without formal training in pop/rock  serves two purposes -

 

1. It shows it is possible and has been done many times, and therefore in those, and related, genres my answer is simply factually true.

2. It could potentially save someone a literal FORTUNE, and I am very anti the extremely pricey courses that are available especially in the USA, as they leave the majority in debt having being sold a very over-priced dream. And that's the main reason I chipped in.

 

 

Edited January 15, 2018 by MonoStone

[MonoStone]

1 minute ago, fasstrack said:

NOBODY has the right to put down anyone's music. You can say 'it's not my cup of tea'---but only after you've adequetely sampled the tea

 

Ummmm I didn't put anybody's music down.

 

And my opinion is very informed within the type of music I'm talking about. And I tried to make clear in my answer to the OP that I was talking about rock/pop.

 

One of us got the wrong end of the stick but my comment was firstly to the OP not you, but you chose to disagree with me, so I disagreed back.

 

I like all sorts of tea....including some very exotic varieties. 

 

It's just true...you can't escape it... you don't need lessons which can't be learned from home , and especially don't need expensive courses, to be able to compose rock/pop music... you just don't. You might improve from GOOD lessons, but the question was 'can I train myself to compose at home' and the answer is 'yes you can', that's just a fact which cannot be disputed. It's a given that 'by myself' doesn't mean 'in a bubble without ever listening to anybody else', just in case this gets pedantic  

 

It's just a fact that many of the most successful people in rock/pop learned to write songs without having to go to 'songwriting school'. Therefore it can be done, has been done, many, many, many, many times. To dispute that is just pointless. 

 

The reason I bother to come back at you is - To tell young people who are new to composing songs that they CAN'T teach themselves, isn't just wrong, it's also discouraging, and also potentially pushes people towards wasting either their time in education or their money.

 

 

[MonoStone]

Just now, fasstrack said:

WHEN did I say ANYONE can't teach themselves? Show me chapter and verse---and please don't misquote me. \\

 

What I DID say to the guy: (paraphrasing) of course, those things are helpful (youtube, etc.). I went on to say I strongly advocate self-education---did I not? I merely gave my own experience---and the guy, you or anyone else  can take what I say or leave it---that formal and private study helped ME!! 

 

Period. 

 

'Maaaa, he's changing the channels and hitting me in the shoulder again. Make him STOOOOOPPP!!"

 

You started it! 

 

Muuuum! He started it! 

 

Well actually you did pick out my post and you did disagree with it. 

 

Full stop.

 

 

[MonoStone]

The OP isn't paying any attention anyway.

 

And... can someone open the Pit again please.

[SuperMarioGamer]

Alright, I was busy and I am finally back now.  I would like to say that the style of music I wish to compose would be something like anime style music.  It would be like the types of music you hear in certain anime such as Dragonball Z.  It would be bizarre, otherworldly music that conveys profound and powerful emotion.  You see, my inspiration to compose does not come from the types of inspiration that drove musical artists to make rap, rock, dance, or hip hop music.  My inspiration comes from watching anime and playing video games.  I was wondering if I could acquire sufficient learning and training at home to compose the types of music I wish to compose.  Also, I don't wish to be a performer which means I don't wish to perform my compositions.  I don't wish to play instruments.  I just wish to reproduce the notes I hear, place them on a notation software, and fully perfect my music using musical software.

Edited January 18, 2018 by SuperMarioGamer

[Richard Tracey]

SMG - yes it is something that you can learn on your own and at home. As long as you have the right set-up to allow you to produce music - I.e. DAW, keyboard etc - or if you are using something like an iPad - then a music package that acts like a DAW and some kind of vst’s with the songs you would need.

 

You can read up about what kind of sounds the musicians use to create that style of music. Which chords they use, even try and replicate one of the tracks to give you an understanding of what they are doing. You can download a list of all the different kind of chords you can play - whether keyboard or guitar - and you can even download the circle of fifths, which will give you an indication of which chords go with each other to compose something that will sound correct. This is bordering on music theory, which is a good thing to learn as it will certainly help in the song writing process, but is not essential to start you off. I have no music theory training, but it doesn’t stop me writing sometimes 2 or 3 songs a day - on a good day. I took some of my songs to a producer - someone who is a musician and knows music theory and he couldn’t believe how good some of the songs were, because I am not a musician and have taught myself everything I can do.

 

Now I know that moonstone and fasstrack have different views to each other above and it is not that they are wrong, but it really is different to some people and how skilled they want to be.

 

Monostone is correct in that you don’t need to have been taught how to play an instrument or read/write music, but you still need to have some kind of understanding about how music sounds together.

 

If you feel you want to take the process further, then fasstrack is correct (I think monostone mentioned it as well) that it is better to go down the route of learning from someone who has done it and knows what they are talking about, but that doesn’t need to be right away. I have tried to learn guitar in the house and don’t have the patience for it, but I know if I went for lessons, I could probably pick it up with a couple of weeks.

 

As I said, I have had no training and have somewhere in the range of 500 songs I have started and of that over 120 are almost complete - just require the polish that the production stage brings. The trick is to just keep writing, even if it sounds terrible, the more you write, the better you will get and all those other ideas might end up incorporated into future tracks.

 

Good luck.

[Richard Tracey]

On 16/01/2018 at 12:11 AM, MonoStone said:

The OP isn't paying any attention anyway.

 

And... can someone open the Pit again please.

 

‘We could always create a member’s only club and use that as the Pit... it might be the most subscribed club on the site!!!😂

[Richard Tracey]

36 minutes ago, fasstrack said:

 A couple of weeks? I'm playing for 53 years and still have things to learn. (my playing is posted in Performance, on 2 threads. Decide for yourself).

 

Sorry, but I cannot let such a statement go by. It reflects, frankly, ignorance at worst, and is  not only a bad answer to the poor OP but disrespectful in the extreme to people like myself who took years to reach a certain level---and know better.

 

Please check yourself out and think that answer through a bit.

 

Geez...

 

‘Fasstrack - I think you need to calm down. I wasn’t referring to being a maestro in a couple of weeks, I was meaning learning to play guitar. I am well aware of how long it should take to learn some of the basic chords on guitar and how long it would take to become so proficient that I could get up in front of an audience and play and sing at the same time. The first I could learn in a couple of weeks, the other would take a hell of a lot longer and I would be learning up till the day I left this mortal coil.

 

I feel like you are taking everything said by the members on this site to heart. Everyone here loves music and wants to be involved in the creation of music. We are all at different levels for one reason or another, but that doesn’t mean that we don’t want to strive to learn how to produce something we are proud of and hope that others will like. We are also all involved in different aspects of music creation and that means we can impart information that we have learned by doing just that, to others. Most of the members on this site have been part of a band at some point in the past. They have been involved enough to know what they are talking about and shouldn’t be disregarded as quickly because you have a different opinion to them. We can only offer what we know and let the member asking for assistance make up their mind what they want to take from it.

 

At no point was I disrespectful to you - you read that from my post. Now I don’t want to get into an argument about this, but please think about what you want to write before commenting. Read what someone has written and understand that everyone has a different view on how music should be played / written / listened to etc.

 

If being on this site can help someone make music - music that they want to make - then that is a good thing.

[Richard Tracey]

4 minutes ago, fasstrack said:

I can't find the 'ignore' button---but will click it the minute I do. Consider yourself ignored...

 

Grow up.