Music Composition | Its Process, And Types

ALEXNovember 3, 2023

Table of Contents

The process of writing a song is known as music composition. Both the act and its result can be referred to by this term. A composer, the person who writes the music, can write instrumental pieces for entire orchestras or vocal pieces for vocal performances. Simple musical pieces, like a children’s song or commercial jingle, can be as complex as symphonic pieces for fifty to eighty instruments.

Process of Composing Music

Writers frequently begin stories and novels with a tiny seed of an idea: an orphan boy who discovers he is a wizard; a restless young person drawn into a cosmic struggle for the universe’s peace. From these tiny concepts, the authors go on to construct entire novels and even fictional worlds. A composer similarly uses music.

The composer might begin with a simple melody or a few notes that they can’t stop thinking about. They might incorporate this into a complete melody, or the harmonized group of notes and tones that form the fundamental tone of a piece of music. Most of the time, when people hum a commercial jingle or sing along to a song, they are singing the melody.

The piece’s mood will also be decided by the composer. The qualities that give rise to the feeling are referred to as the mood. While some musical pieces have a bright, cheery sound, others are menacing and dark.

The composer will start adding notes and arranging harmonies—groups of notes that, when played simultaneously or sequentially, produce a specific, pleasing sound—once the basic melody and tone have been established. The rhythm of the piece will be created by the composer through the use of notes and rests, or pauses, inserted into the composition.

After the fundamental melody and tone are set, the composer will start incorporating additional notes and harmonies, which are collections of notes that, when played simultaneously or sequentially, produce a specific, pleasing sound. The rhythm will be created by the composer using a combination of notes and rests, or pauses, inserted into the piece.

To write their compositions, composers have access to a variety of tools. A score is a composed piece of music. Staff are groups of five lines used to write music notes and rest on paper when writing music. Depending on the pitch of the composition, staff are labeled as treble or bass clef. They also have notations for the musicians that specify the key and tempo of the piece. It has been possible for composers to write music by hand directly onto staff paper for centuries.

Types Of Music Composition

SOLO COMPOSITIONS

First, solo pieces frequently feature an accompaniment, like a piano, but they can also be for a single instrument or singer. The piano may also be used as a solo instrument; compositions for solo piano usually don’t require the accompaniment of a second instrument. Solo compositions have a gray area in that they can occasionally be featured in larger ensemble pieces and not always be the composition’s main focus.

CHAMBER MUSIC/SMALL ENSEMBLES

There have been chamber music performances for centuries. It was originally composed as music for a smaller ensemble to play at parties in people’s homes. Musical instruments were arranged into “consorts,” or families of instruments, during the Renaissance. In the opulent homes of aristocratic families, instruments from these consorts would perform for events such as parties. Over time, the genre of music changed to incorporate a wider variety of instruments and ensembles. These days, a lot of music publishers publish works in adaptable arrangements for different mixed instrument ensembles. This is more common in music intended for lower grades, but it’s still a common trend.

CHAMBER ORCHESTRA

A chamber orchestra, consisting of violin, viola, cello, and possibly bass, was once employed in comparable settings. Chamber orchestras repeat passages within sections so that multiple instruments play the same part, as opposed to one instrument covering it. As a result, the sound produced is more “orchestral,” as opposed to the small ensemble. Over time, chamber orchestras multiplied to become the sizable symphony orchestras you see today.

Conclusion

A professional writer of music is called a composer. Musicians perform the pieces using musical scores, which are frequently created using specialized types of musical notation. Their compositions frequently indicate key elements of a song, such as melody, chords, and tempo, and frequently include instructions for multiple instruments or vocal ranges. They could compose music for solo performers, ensembles, bands, choirs, and orchestras. Sometimes, many composers collaborate to create a piece of music; this is the case with popular music bands that create original songs.