Art of Composing https://www.artofcomposing.com/ Let's learn to compose together. Wed, 08 May 2024 17:51:46 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://www.artofcomposing.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/cropped-Art-of-Composing-5122-32x32.png Art of Composing https://www.artofcomposing.com/ 32 32 Jon Brantingham false Jon Brantingham jon.brantingham@artofcomposing.com © 2023, Art of Composing © 2023, Art of Composing podcast Art of Composing https://www.artofcomposing.com/wp-content/uploads/powerpress/Art-of-Composing-Podcast-1400x1400.jpg http://www.artofcomposing.com/feed/podcast/ TV-G Weekly Understanding Dominant Seventh Chord Inversions https://www.artofcomposing.com/understanding-dominant-seventh-chord-inversions https://www.artofcomposing.com/understanding-dominant-seventh-chord-inversions#respond Tue, 07 May 2024 15:59:13 +0000 https://www.artofcomposing.com/?p=14680 A Guide to Dominant Seventh Nomenclature When composing music, one of the primary elements we work with is chords, which are often built by stacking intervals of a third. By stacking multiple thirds, we create various chords, including triads and seventh chords. A common area of confusion for many students is the notation and understanding […]

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]]> https://www.artofcomposing.com/understanding-dominant-seventh-chord-inversions/feed 0 Beat Writer’s Block By Testing Your Musical Idea https://www.artofcomposing.com/beat-writers-block-by-testing-your-musical-idea https://www.artofcomposing.com/beat-writers-block-by-testing-your-musical-idea#comments Thu, 28 Jul 2022 15:11:18 +0000 https://www.artofcomposing.com/?p=14061 Do you sometimes get inspired to write, and then get stuck after the first few measures? Do you feel like your ideas are boring or weak. Most of the time, when I sit down to compose, I come up with new ideas. It may be something that I can hear in my head, and I […]

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]]> https://www.artofcomposing.com/beat-writers-block-by-testing-your-musical-idea/feed 5 Finding the Value of a Piece of Music https://www.artofcomposing.com/finding-the-value-of-a-piece-of-music https://www.artofcomposing.com/finding-the-value-of-a-piece-of-music#comments Sun, 24 Jul 2022 13:34:52 +0000 https://www.artofcomposing.com/?p=14056 Where does the value lie in a piece of music? The answer isn’t so obvious. In the age of streaming, the primary focus is fundamentally on the recorded music. This seems to make sense as listening is where most people get the most experience with music. From a creation perspective most people work on the […]

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]]> https://www.artofcomposing.com/finding-the-value-of-a-piece-of-music/feed 4 The Two Critical Habits of Songwriting https://www.artofcomposing.com/the-two-critical-habits-of-songwriting https://www.artofcomposing.com/the-two-critical-habits-of-songwriting#comments Wed, 24 Feb 2021 14:40:13 +0000 https://www.artofcomposing.com/?p=13927 Habits are critical to how your life will unfold. Good habits generally lead to many good things, while bad habits on the other hand will slowly bleed you of the accomplishments you think you’ve made. If you want to be an effective songwriter, you need to establish good songwriting habits. The Two Critical Habits for […]

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]]> https://www.artofcomposing.com/the-two-critical-habits-of-songwriting/feed 6 How to Become a Songwriter if You’re a Composer https://www.artofcomposing.com/how-to-become-a-songwriter-if-youre-a-composer https://www.artofcomposing.com/how-to-become-a-songwriter-if-youre-a-composer#comments Tue, 16 Feb 2021 15:15:34 +0000 https://www.artofcomposing.com/?p=13911 I have been a composer since I was a young kid (I am currently 36 writing this), and so when I got into songwriting over the last year, I felt somewhat out of place.But I’ve also come to learn that the skills I acquired through studying the methods of classical, jazz, and film composition, have […]

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]]> https://www.artofcomposing.com/how-to-become-a-songwriter-if-youre-a-composer/feed 2 Why Art of Composing Exists: To Make Better Composers https://www.artofcomposing.com/why-art-of-composing-exists-to-make-better-composers https://www.artofcomposing.com/why-art-of-composing-exists-to-make-better-composers#comments Fri, 10 May 2019 14:37:30 +0000 https://www.artofcomposing.com/?p=13782 When someone says they want to be a better composer, what does that mean? This is the start of exploring that question.

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]]> https://www.artofcomposing.com/why-art-of-composing-exists-to-make-better-composers/feed 11 The Science of Becoming a Better Composer https://www.artofcomposing.com/the-science-of-becoming-a-better-composer https://www.artofcomposing.com/the-science-of-becoming-a-better-composer#comments Fri, 03 May 2019 14:20:53 +0000 https://www.artofcomposing.com/?p=13774 If you want to improve, you need falsifiable statements, which you can measure the outcomes on.

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]]> https://www.artofcomposing.com/the-science-of-becoming-a-better-composer/feed 3 Build Your Craft: Learn the Melody and Chord Progression in Mozart’s Lacrimosa https://www.artofcomposing.com/learn-melody-chord-progression-mozarts-lacrimosa https://www.artofcomposing.com/learn-melody-chord-progression-mozarts-lacrimosa#comments Fri, 15 Jun 2018 15:00:00 +0000 https://www.artofcomposing.com/?p=11164 Want to make fast progress? Finding cool chord progressions from great music, and internalizing will give you a huge repository of ideas to pull from in your own music.

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]]> https://www.artofcomposing.com/learn-melody-chord-progression-mozarts-lacrimosa/feed 12 What Are Inversions https://www.artofcomposing.com/what-are-inversions https://www.artofcomposing.com/what-are-inversions#comments Wed, 20 Sep 2017 14:21:26 +0000 https://www.artofcomposing.com/?p=13514 What are harmonic inversions? If you're not using them, you run the risk of writing very boring progressions and pieces.

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]]> https://www.artofcomposing.com/what-are-inversions/feed 2 Composing Without An Instrument https://www.artofcomposing.com/composing-without-an-instrument-art-of-composing-daily-vlog-020 https://www.artofcomposing.com/composing-without-an-instrument-art-of-composing-daily-vlog-020#comments Tue, 19 Sep 2017 14:20:25 +0000 https://www.artofcomposing.com/?p=13512 It is possible to write without the aid of an instrument. Instruments can actually be detrimental to your composing. And it’s not just instruments. DAWs, notation software, and virtual instruments all get in the way of the pure ideas we have. Find out why.

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]]> https://www.artofcomposing.com/composing-without-an-instrument-art-of-composing-daily-vlog-020/feed 5 Music and Time: Theme Types https://www.artofcomposing.com/music-and-time-theme-types https://www.artofcomposing.com/music-and-time-theme-types#comments Mon, 18 Sep 2017 14:18:11 +0000 https://www.artofcomposing.com/?p=13510 The two main theme types, the sentence and the period have somewhat different musical goals. In this episode, I talk about how I use them in my own composing.

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]]> https://www.artofcomposing.com/music-and-time-theme-types/feed 1 Music and Time: The Basic Idea https://www.artofcomposing.com/music-and-time-the-basic-idea https://www.artofcomposing.com/music-and-time-the-basic-idea#comments Fri, 08 Sep 2017 14:16:08 +0000 https://www.artofcomposing.com/?p=13508 In this episode, I talk about the basic idea, and why it’s such a useful way to start your themes.

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]]> https://www.artofcomposing.com/music-and-time-the-basic-idea/feed 2 Music and Time: What Are Formal Functions? https://www.artofcomposing.com/music-and-time-what-are-formal-functions https://www.artofcomposing.com/music-and-time-what-are-formal-functions#comments Wed, 06 Sep 2017 14:13:22 +0000 https://www.artofcomposing.com/?p=13505 In this video, I talk about Formal Functions, the idea that your music can represent temporality.

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]]> https://www.artofcomposing.com/music-and-time-what-are-formal-functions/feed 2 How I Setup My Scoring Template https://www.artofcomposing.com/how-i-setup-my-scoring-template https://www.artofcomposing.com/how-i-setup-my-scoring-template#comments Fri, 01 Sep 2017 14:12:00 +0000 https://www.artofcomposing.com/?p=13503 In this episode, I show you my scoring template.

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]]> https://www.artofcomposing.com/how-i-setup-my-scoring-template/feed 7 More on Sketching https://www.artofcomposing.com/more-on-sketching https://www.artofcomposing.com/more-on-sketching#comments Wed, 30 Aug 2017 14:06:56 +0000 https://www.artofcomposing.com/?p=13501 In this vlog, I show the techniques I talked about in the previous video on sketching.

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