How do people learn to compose? Can anyone recommend any good starting materials?

I know some people have done the LCM Composition exams do these have specific materials linked ot them.? Would they be a good starting point ofr a young beginner composer?

I'm asking as it looks like my youngest will get the chance ot od GCSE early and whilst she will get support form her teacher I was just wondering about resources she could perhaps explore for herself to start her off.

Well, I did it last year (Not GCSE , Intermediate 2 , which is the Scottish equivelent)
and I got some pretty good advice from my teacher, and all i can say is follow the simpl advice given by the teacher..eg where to put passing notes , suggested chord progressions etc. There are probably people on here can give better advice than this but it helped me so i just thought i would add my input

x

Thanks iLaura

The GCSE Classes haven't started yet, they are going to be run after schooli and begin after half term. They are aimed at people who already have the perfomance skills but the exam is rather a long way off.

We have sibelius and have just bought a Midi interface for the Keyboard. I think my daughter might like to strike out on her own first. The Teachers record of running after school activities idn't fantastic so any progress my child can make alone would be good.

I have never really used on 'manuals' for composition - I'm not sure any really exist, though there are some books available. A good knowlege of theory is essential, and it helps to have an idea of notation convention etc. I've really learnt all my skills from simply writing pieces, and getting feedback from players, publishers and teachers.

David

As I say to my GCSE and A level composers, be a musical doodler. In other words, come to lessons with fragments; little motifs, rhythms, chords etc. From there you can teach developmental appraoches to using the material they have come up with. We always play the first movement of Beethoven 5, as its a good 10 minutes of music, based on one 4 note motif.

The other key to a good composer is lots of listening, and yes, in lots of styles. You'd be amazed what some kids tap into from seemingly very disparate sources.

Thank you and David for your suggestions.

I'll certainly mention to my daughter to have a think about your suggestion and I'm sure she'll try doodling.

I've got a couple of user-friendly composition books but I think they'd still be a bit too advanced for her age. She's welcome to have a look at them though when we next meet to see what she thinks of them

Thanks Skylark! I've only just seen this. I sort of forgot about it when the Forum went on holiday.

I know where you are so we can always borrow them once GCSE course starts.

I am from the US and Canada, so I am not familiar at all with the requirements for the GCSE and LCM in composition.

I agree with dcmbarton that it is best to compose, then try to get feedback from performers and teachers.

Composition lessons can be quite expensive as good composition teachers tend to hold higher degrees and teach at conservatories and universities. But if your daughter is really keen on composing, it may be a good idea to take composition lessons, even only sporadically. One advantage of studying composition with someone with a conservatory or university affiliation is that there will be a better chance of getting the music played by competent performers.

As a start, I recommend Arnold Schoenberg's book Fundamentals of Musical Composition. One could argue that this book is more like a theoretical treatise than a composition manual, but it gives clues to beginning composers how to develop a small musical idea into a larger structure. Most of the examples in the book are drawn from the Classical repertoire, but the ideas are applicable to music of different styles.