Composing Songs

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  • #603372
    smartstar
    Member

    Hi I Would Like To know Can Anybody

    Compose songs? im sure not but can u learn how?

    #903501

    WATS a song?

    #903502
    MiddlePath
    Participant

    Yes, you can learn how, but a lot is dependent on either having an ear for music or understanding music theory. I’d say the most important key to composing a song is inspiration and influence. Meaning, whatever your musical inspiration and influences are will directly affect how you compose a song, and what goes into it. Which is why so much music sounds so similar. It is difficult to really be original without understanding music theory.

    #903503
    TheMusicMan
    Participant

    Quite true.

    #903504
    Song of Blessing
    Participant

    What do you want to compose in the song? The music? The lyrics? Or the whole thing?

    For lyrics I think its practice and inspiration – you need to have a message – write it down, and usually since songs that rhyme sound better you’d want to find words in your message that go together. Its just practice makes perfect

    For music lol you’d first need to learn an instrument… once you know how to play one thats when you can start to just play around with it and try to make your own tunes.

    I do think its down to talent but I do believe anyone can do anything if they really really want to.

    #903505
    Think first
    Member

    Well it def helps if you are musically inclined but you don’t have to be . In fact a famous Jewish composer is quite tone deaf and has someone listen to him song and together they figure out what he was trying to sing. Personally I compose songs usually on guitar sometimes on piano and it starts with adorned focusing on a Paul that stood out for me or something that I connected to for whatever reason and I’ll sit down with an insrument and play some chords and see what happpends. You dont need to play an insrument to compose though many omposers dont play any instruments. Honestly a song comes the easiest when one has a strong emotion whether happy or sad or anything else it seems that emotions realy shape a beautiful song

    #903506
    SayIDidIt™
    Participant

    Think first, is it possible for you to name the composer?

    #903507
    yytz
    Participant

    Smartstart: I suggest starting with Idiot’s Guide to Music Theory — in addition to the basics of music theory, it has a detailed chapter on how to compose good melodies. An easier way to compose a song is to find a chord progression you like (there’s even a website full of Jewish song chords), and keep playing it while you start singing, until you come up with a melody you like. Alternatively, you can come up with words (whether it’s something you came up with yourself or some Torah quote — the latter is what chassidic singer-songwriter Yosef Karduner does), and then try to find a chord progression and melody that fits it well. If you don’t already know how to play chords on a guitar or keyboard, learn how — it’s not that hard.

    #903508
    Think first
    Member

    Sayididit- elimelech blumstein

    #903509
    SayIDidIt™
    Participant

    Tf: Thanks! Very interesting!!

    #903510
    BTGuy
    Participant

    Hey smartstar.

    I think anyone can compose a song.

    Your question brings to mind something a great songwriter said. Yochanon Lennonsky, part of a great songwriting team, Lennonsky and McCartneystein once said:

    Anyone can write a song. Just think of what you want to say. Make it rhyme, and hum a tune to it.

    #903511
    yitayningwut
    Participant

    I find it hard to believe there is a composer who is tone deaf. Besides, why would anyone need to figure out his tunes, why can’t he just write them down?

    #903512
    Shopping613 🌠
    Participant

    Composing songs are really easy, the hard part is the tunes! I’ve made quite a few!

    #903513
    Esrogj
    Member

    I composed a really great song and I’d love to sell it to someone. How do I do that?

    #903514
    Shopping613 🌠
    Participant

    i dunno, wen u find out, tell me! 🙂

    #903515
    oomis
    Participant

    I don’t believe ANYBODY can compose a song. i think anybody has it within himself/herself to find things that inspire them. But you still need the basic talent and ability. If it were not necessary, there would be no great composers. We could all just do it (like Nike). I think most people, given the right material, could probably come up with some lyrics, though. Music, is a different kettle of fish. You need the ear, even if it is just inside your head.

    #903516
    BTGuy
    Participant

    I just have to add that that anybody can compose a song if you accept that a song is not excluded to a piece of music which has been formally arranged, produced, and recorded. A child can make up a song on the spot, if you can go outside the aforementioned definition. With a little help, you can play it on a piano with single keys, and sing to it. Is that not a song?

    I also guess that tone deaf people can compose a song. Beethoven was deaf altogether.

    Having had theory and harmony class back in high school, since I played in a few bands back during that time, it is theoretically possible to know the scale of any given key and write notes to sheet music, staying within the major or minor notes of that scale, and know the song will come out with a sound which makes sense. Of course, some songs also include going outside those rules where dissonance is actually adding to the meaning of the song, depending on what you want to achieve.

    #903517
    yitayningwut
    Participant

    Beethoven wasn’t born deaf, he went deaf after his hearing began to deteriorate in his late twenties. He certainly wasn’t tone deaf. And besides, he wrote down his music. It sounds kinda weird that a tone deaf person would be composing music and people would be carefully inclining their ears toward the person to make out the tune. Not very realistic.

    Also, of course it’s theoretically possible for anyone to put together the right notes to make up a song that is coherent. The same way it’s theoretically possible for my four year old sister to put together the right words for the president’s State of the Union address. But there’s a reason he hires professionals to help him and not my four year old sister. Same with everything.

    Oomis – +1

    #903518
    SayIDidIt™
    Participant

    Esrogj, thats the million dollar question! Ive been wondering (and trying) the same thing for years now. As Shopping613 said:

    i dunno, wen u find out, tell me! 🙂

    #903519
    oomis
    Participant

    Beethoven was not tone deaf, he became completely deaf. He could hear the music in his head, however,and that is not the same as genuine tone deafness. My husband is tone deaf. He cannot sing to save his life. But he can appreciate beautiful music. I doubt he could ever write beautiful music, though.

    #903520
    YW Band
    Member

    Shira: You’re totally right! It’s combined talents.

    As for composing stam: It used to be that the lyrics were made first, only then did the music chime in (Carlebach is the best example lol). Now, the music is the ikkur and the lyrics are the taful. That’s not real Jewish music, but some composers are able to get away with it and still sounds nice (idk about Fried but his stuff just keeps on getting better!)

    I believe that a song is a real niggun when it can be sung at the Shabbos table. If not, then it’s lacking.

    I’m curious to see what the olam says about my svarah…

    #903521
    Song of Blessing
    Participant

    YW Band: I actually disagree because sometimes I can’t come up with the words until I hear the music, and its the music that inspires me to write beautiful lyrics. I guess it depends HOW a person composes some people’s inspiration comes out in words – whilst mine comes out in my music. Its my music that tells the story and once its made I can come up with the lyrics that translates the story into words… My best songs came out that way – the ones that I made the lyrics first are good but my top ones are music first.

    I guess it depends on the individual…

    And I agree about if the song is a real niggun it can be sung at the Shabbos table – but… not all songs have to be niggunim 🙂

    #903522
    MiddlePath
    Participant

    Shira, I agree with you for the most part. Yes, lyrics help translate the story into words, but I actually prefer to leave most of my songs as instrumentals, and have the listener dream up their own story through the music. Though of course, I do try to tell a story in my music itself, but I’ve realized that different people get different emotions and feelings from the same piece of music.

    It’s kind of like when they make a movie for a novel. It could be great, but at the same time, it’s a bit depressing because when you read the novel, you conjured an image of what everything looks like, and when seeing the movie, it takes away that image.

    All this is in terms of actual “compositions”, though. “Niggunim” are something else, entirely. Those are mostly conveying emotions through the spoken message throughout the song, and containing an element of holiness through repeated and easily impressionable progressions.

    #903523

    I composed a really great song and I’d love to sell it to someone. How do I do that?

    You email the tune to singers There e-address is usually on the cd cover (Dont expect to sell it first try, bec the singers get many songs sent to them)

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