forum Composing Music?
Started by @Simon-Says
tune

people_alt 42 followers

@Simon-Says

Hey, does anyone know how the HELL to figure out a piano accompaniment for a song that doesn't completely ruin the vibe of the song? Cause… I don't!

@fruitbatsandearlgrey

Well, what is the general vibe of the song? I write my own music on piano a lot of the time and I'm pretty good with figuring out what musical motifs go with what moods. Also, I find watching piano tutorials for songs/mashups on YouTube helps sometimes!

@Becfromthedead group

Fast, arpeggiated chords would sound good for most of that I think, and at the end of phrases, you could maybe punctuate with blocked chords.
I heard a piano accompaniment in my head as I listened, I just can't quite explain it.

@ninja_violinist

All right this is a few years ago for me and idk if you still need help but in case you do:

  • Piano accompaniments can generally be built around chords. Do you have a chord sequence in mind that fits your melody? If not, that would be a great place to start!
    Chord sequences, once decided, can easily be expanded out into arpeggios or own little countermelodies, so I really recommend those!
  • What key are you in? Once you figure that out, it could be fun to add some cadences to your music - I've tried to find a link that explains them well, but they're basically like musical punctuation for the ends of phrases. (idk how much music theory you've got, please tell me if none of this makes sense). Obviously all this theory stuff isn't vital to composition or anything, like you could definitely write an awesome piece without knowing/explicitly using any theory, but it makes it easier and it makes it more deliberate.

@Simon-Says

Thanks, that totally helps ( I. Have. No. Clue. What. I'm. Doing.) I haven't taken music theory yet, but I'm starting lessons soon. I'll definitely try those out!

@Becfromthedead group

Yes, everything (or just about everything) I piano accompaniment is based around chords, so that’s usually the place to start. Taking a theory class should help.