Piano Songs – Make Them Yourself

Editors comment/ A simplified method for creating basic songs on the piano. This skill is important to learn before any other if you wish to compose your own music.

Have you ever wanted to create your own unique piano songs? Just
simple pieces that express how you feel? You can if you learn how
to improvise first and then learn how to compose. Here’s why.

Improvising allows you to express what you feel without constraint.
In essence, it’s like free writing because the goal here is to free
your own unique voice without having to worry about right or wrong,
good or bad. It is a skill that students should learn before any
other and is foundational for further success at composing. Once
you are able to sit down at the piano and can trust your intuition
to guide you, you’re ready to compose.

Composition is really just slowed down improvisation. We take the
initial inspirational gem we’ve discovered through improvisation and
flush it out using the tools of repetition and contrast. For example, in
the lesson “Waiting for Spring,” we learn how to create a simple
ABA form in the Key of C.

The key here is that we already know the piece will be an ABA form
so how do we proceed? Easily! The way I do it is I write out the
first 8-bars and then improvise to see what will come up. Once I’m
onto something, I write out the first 2-bars of the melody so I can
remember it. Then I use chords from the Key of C Major to finish
the first 8-bars; my (A) section. Another 8-bars or so for my (B)
section and I’m done! The arrangement of this easy piano song
usually works itself out to be play the (A) section twice, (B)
section once, back to the (A) section and I’m done. Most of the
time, this comes out to about 2-3 minutes of music.

The important thing for creating your own piano songs is that you
must be able to move forward and complete sections of music. This
is best accomplished when you can improvise freely first!

 

About the Author

Edward Weiss is a pianist/composer and webmaster of Quiescence
Music’s online piano lessons. He has been helping students learn
how to play piano in the New Age style for over 14 years and works
with students in private, in groups, and now over the internet.
Stop by now at quiescencemusic.com/piano_lessons for a FREE piano lesson!

 

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