How Music Works: Why Study Music Composition?

A lesson in the many ways that studying music composition isn’t just for music composers…

It’s for anyone– whether you play written music or improvise–who wants to take their musicianship to the next level!

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Why Should You Study Music Composition?

Because learning how to compose music teaches you fundamental lessons in how music works… and knowing how music works is the foundation of every artistic reading and performance.

Specifically, learning how to compose teaches you that:

1. Music is a unique language with its own vocabulary and grammar.
2. The musical patterns (form, meter, rhythm, harmony, melody, scales, chords, chord progressions, embellishments, etc.) that comprise music should not be conceived as nouns, but as verbs. In other words, music comprehension isn’t based upon what a musical pattern is called, but is rather based upon what that musical pattern does.
3. “One-note-at-a-time” is not the way that musicians compose, improvise, and perform written music anymore than fluent English speakers speak one-syll-able-at-a-time.
4. An enormous diversity of music can be made by using just a small number of simple patterns combined in interesting ways.

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Learning how to compose music will absolutely transform your relationship with music. ~fjp

The profound understanding and skills you develop from learning how to compose will elevate your performances from merely competent renditions to artistic expressions. ~fjp

Learning how to compose music transforms you from a mere CONSUMER of music into a CREATOR of music! ~fjp

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learn more… Composition Lessons: Music Theory & Music Practice