Music Composition 1

Learn how to compose well-written rhythms and melodies

What you'll learn:

• By the end of the course you will be able to compose your own rhythms and melodies. This includes motifs, phrases, periods and phrase groups.
• You will also learn how to develop your rhythmic and melodic material through a wide variety of compositional techniques.
• You will get practice transcribing music (hearing rhythms and melodies and then writing them down in notation form).
• You will get practice notating music using music notation software.
• You will be prepared to study harmony and form in Music Composition 2

Music Composition 1 is the first course in a series of two courses that teaches how music is put together and how to write your own music. The course is divided into two parts. Part one covers the study of rhythmic composition. Part two covers the study of melodic composition. (Harmony and form are studied in Music Composition 2)

Course lectures consist mainly of video but also include some text. Each section of the course covers a particular concept (or related concepts). Concepts and compositional techniques are demonstrated throughout the course with real musical examples (pictures and audio samples).

Besides lectures, each section of the course also contains memory questions, section quiz, listening assignments, and transcription/composition assignments. Memory questions serve to summarize and reinforce key concepts learned, while the quizzes test the students’ knowledge and understanding of the material from each section. Students who take this course will get practice transcribing music (hearing a rhythm or a melody and writing it down). In the composition assignments students will get real life practice using the information and techniques learned in each section to write their own rhythms and melodies.

Who should take this course? Every student of music should know how to compose! It is a sad but true fact that most modern music teachers and music courses do not include music composition as part of the students’ musical education. In the past it was typical for students of music to be able to compose music. The “complete” musician can play an instrument, has knowledge of music theory AND can also compose! If you want to deepen your understanding of music, learn to write it!

Course Includes:

• 190 Diagrams and Audio Samples (to illustrate concepts taught)

• 125 Memory Questions (to reinforce concepts taught)

• 90 Transcription and Composition Assignments (to practice the concepts taught)

• 76 Listening Assignments

• 21 Quizzes