Creating Your Own Unique Music

Have you ever dreamed of penning your own compositions? Writing music has been a dream of mine for the longest time. And it's a dream I am fortunate enough to have realized.

The idea of having a finished piece of music in front of you is exciting to say the least, but many students rush the process and end up with music that is less than what they originally thought of.

The way around this "compostion trap" as I like to call it is to be able to sit down at the piano or keyboard and be able to play for at least 15-20 minutes without judging what is coming out of you. Once you can do this, your ability to capture musical ideas as they first came to you increase.

First thoughts are powerful!

Your first ideas will ALWAYS BE YOUR BEST IDEAS! Why? Because this music comes straight from the heart and does not have the censorship of the critical mind attached to it. Always improvise first, then memoralize your ideas if you wish. I do this by jotting down an 8-bar section. Once the melody is recognized, I pencil in the first 2-bars and try to fill up the 8-bars with chord changes.

Once I have the first 8-bars, the whole piece is practically done. I usually do not finish a piece in one sitting, however, I do make it a point to at least get 8 bars of music down. This is a very doable goal and one you can accomplish as well!

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 http://www.quiescencemusic.com/piano_lessons.html for a FREE piano lesson!

MORE RESOURCES:

Ticketmaster to Power Live Music Ticket Sales On Billboard.com - MarketWatch

table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/0-0fd=Rurl=http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/Ticketmaster-Power-Live-Music-Ticket/story.aspx%3Fguid%3D%257B18C9279F-F4C5-4D5C-B837-2AC78F1D79B3%257Dcid=1272317802ei=lIckSc3eLYe4zATHh5C4AQusg=AFQjCNGGCQXZ3IKnFKMnHXb5Xc-AWbLyOwTicketmaster to Power Live bMusic/b Ticket Sales On Billboard.com/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fMarketWatchnbsp;-/font nobr3 hours ago/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1quot;Billboard is uniquely qualified to provide consumers with credible chart data, authoritative bmusic/b analysis and access to both popular and up-and-coming b.../b/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/0-1fd=Rurl=http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/Ticketmaster-Opens-New-Ticket-Centers/story.aspx%3Fguid%3D%257BB3D33F8A-5EE3-4182-B212-C0C8A75B53DF%257Dcid=1272317802ei=lIckSc3eLYe4zATHh5C4AQusg=AFQjCNHkZCK1Hd76yo4szCgI_aV0WUVMsgTicketmaster Opens New Ticket Centers in Five Publix Supermarkets b.../b/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrMarketWatch/nobr/font/fontbrfont class=p size=-1a class=p href=http://news.google.com/news?sourceid=navclientie=ISO-8859-1rls=GGLG,GGLG:2005-22,GGLG:enncl=1272317802hl=ennobrall 14 news articles/nobr/a/font/div/font/td/tr/table

Metacafe Invites Viewers to Get Their Groove On With New Music Channel - MarketWatch

Sources: Apple, music labels talk DRM-free songs - CNET News

Nokia Music Store Italy: More Than 4 Million Songs - MarketWatch

He Can Bring the Wine and the Music - New York Times

table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd width=80 align=center valign=topfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifa href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/4i-0fd=Rurl=http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/19/dining/19pour.html%3Fref%3Dstylecid=1272135636ei=lIckSc3eLYe4zATHh5C4AQusg=AFQjCNFc9FT0VwgWvhh7hqplM1rqGYb0Dgimg src=http://news.google.com/news?imgefp=BEpwDfdJ6MkJimgurl=graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2008/11/19/dining/pour.190.jpg width=53 height=80 alt= border=1brfont size=-2New York Times/font/a/font/tdtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/4-0fd=Rurl=http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/19/dining/19pour.html%3Fref%3Dstylecid=1272135636ei=lIckSc3eLYe4zATHh5C4AQusg=AFQjCNFc9FT0VwgWvhh7hqplM1rqGYb0DgHe Can Bring the Wine and the bMusic/b/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fNew York Times,nbsp;United Statesnbsp;-/font nobr15 hours ago/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1By ERIC ASIMOV FOR bmusic/b and for wine, David Chan says, language has its limitations. He should know. THE RIGHT NOTES David Chan, violinist and Burgundy b.../b/font/div/font/td/tr/table

Music Review: Chinese Democracy - Entertainment Weekly

table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd width=80 align=center valign=topfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifa href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/5i-0fd=Rurl=http://newsroom.mtv.com/2008/11/17/what-was-the-world-like-the-last-time-guns-n-roses-released-an-album/cid=1272078017ei=lIckSc3eLYe4zATHh5C4AQusg=AFQjCNEeVPQWJF9ov96CfCBeDgS0spST5wimg src=http://news.google.com/news?imgefp=YF0FuPL6WYMJimgurl=www.mtv.com/shared/promoimages/bands/g/gunsnroses/axl_comp/140x105.jpg width=80 height=60 alt= border=1brfont size=-2MTV.com/font/a/font/tdtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/5-0fd=Rurl=http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20241280,00.html%3Fiid%3Dtop25-20081119-Music%2BReview%253A%2BChinese%2BDemocracycid=1272078017ei=lIckSc3eLYe4zATHh5C4AQusg=AFQjCNGIXzVYb3PuAPhW_BkNULB6ln2GhgbMusic/b Review: Chinese Democracy/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fEntertainment Weeklynbsp;-/font nobr7 hours ago/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1This is unapologetically huge bmusic/b, not fit for tiny iPod earbuds. At times it#39;s possible to hear the world-changing CD that Rose — whose banshee howl b.../b/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/5-1fd=Rurl=http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1599694/20081118/guns_n_roses.jhtmlcid=1272078017ei=lIckSc3eLYe4zATHh5C4AQusg=AFQjCNHk8xDssGfp514-HueEhOitbMLcLQAxl Rose#39;s Most Amazing MTV Moments, In Bigger Than The Sound/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrMTV.com/nobr/font/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/5-2fd=Rurl=http://www.musicradar.com/news/guitars/official-uk-chinese-democracy-premiere-announced-183375cid=1272078017ei=lIckSc3eLYe4zATHh5C4AQusg=AFQjCNHHf4WkAj-2RVSOc-loVlDY-E3yoQOfficial UK Chinese Democracy premiere announced/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrMusicRadar.com - The place for music makers/nobr/font/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/5-3fd=Rurl=http://www2.islandpacket.com/theguide/chinesedemocracy1119cid=1272078017ei=lIckSc3eLYe4zATHh5C4AQusg=AFQjCNHXRTJQMbnXecCzeNDvlQc7Pbzw7A#39;Chinese Democracy#39; review: Ancient Chinese secret, huh?/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrHilton Head Island Packet/nobr/font/fontbrfont size=-1 class=pa href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/5-4fd=Rurl=http://idolator.com/5092900/chuck-klosterman-likes-chinese-democracy-even-better-now-that-hes-heard-itcid=1272078017ei=lIckSc3eLYe4zATHh5C4AQusg=AFQjCNFQ1lT2_VXJEdHZ0YpewMLvQE-_RQnobrIdolator/nobr/anbsp;- a href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/5-5fd=Rurl=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27681908/cid=1272078017ei=lIckSc3eLYe4zATHh5C4AQusg=AFQjCNFvdDTYJjTysrL0qhe0yyZvNEY6DQnobrMSNBC/nobr/a/fontbr/font class=p size=-1a class=p href=http://news.google.com/news?sourceid=navclientie=ISO-8859-1rls=GGLG,GGLG:2005-22,GGLG:enncl=1272078017hl=ennobrall 113 news articles/nobr/a/font/div/font/td/tr/table

paidContent.org - Gaming Roundup: NatGeo; Music Mogul; Square Enix ... - Washington Post

Music Review | #39;Fugitives#39; Tracking Composers on the Run - New York Times

Microsoft slashes prices of several Zune music players - Seattle Post Intelligencer

table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd width=80 align=center valign=topfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifa href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/8i-0fd=Rurl=http://www.product-reviews.net/2008/11/19/microsoft-cuts-price-of-flash-based-zunes/cid=1271983730ei=lIckSc3eLYe4zATHh5C4AQusg=AFQjCNHGUGrIR2r8l6_cJoZ-i56wT_QPMQimg src=http://news.google.com/news?imgefp=heOPpSw1730Jimgurl=www.product-reviews.net/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/microsoft-cuts-price-of-flash-based-zunes.jpg width=80 height=80 alt= border=1brfont size=-2Product Reviews/font/a/font/tdtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/8-0fd=Rurl=http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/388410_msftzune19.htmlcid=1271983730ei=lIckSc3eLYe4zATHh5C4AQusg=AFQjCNF8xcfI8b2hqjK2tA8IDJn8GnlNXgMicrosoft slashes prices of several Zune bmusic/b players/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fSeattle Post Intelligencernbsp;-/font nobr18 hours ago/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1By JOSEPH TARTAKOFF Microsoft slashed the prices of several of its Zune bmusic/b players Tuesday, hoping to drive holiday sales despite the weak economic b.../b/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/8-1fd=Rurl=http://profy.com/2008/11/18/microsoft-hopes-price-cuts-will-help-zune-in-the-holiday-season/cid=1271983730ei=lIckSc3eLYe4zATHh5C4AQusg=AFQjCNHK8Jvj_xQSCnZX4_QhXg8o9aZX7AMicrosoft Hopes Price Cuts Will Help Zune in the Holiday Season/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrProfy/nobr/font/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/8-2fd=Rurl=http://blogs.eweek.com/applewatch/content/ipod/zune_price_cuts_the_economy_or_nanos.htmlcid=1271983730ei=lIckSc3eLYe4zATHh5C4AQusg=AFQjCNHEusnw80dWe0Sjo2QyuU3H4Lq06wZune Price Cuts: The Economy or Nanos?/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobreWeek/nobr/font/fontbrfont class=p size=-1a class=p href=http://news.google.com/news?sourceid=navclientie=ISO-8859-1rls=GGLG,GGLG:2005-22,GGLG:enncl=1271983730hl=ennobrall 28 news articles/nobr/a/font/div/font/td/tr/table

Sleater-Kinney#39;s guitarist tries out Wii Music. - Slate

table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd width=80 align=center valign=topfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifa href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/9i-0fd=Rurl=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/scienceandtechnology/technology/technologyreviews/videogamereviewsandpreviews/3476874/Wii-Music-video-game-review.htmlcid=1271670173ei=lIckSc3eLYe4zATHh5C4AQusg=AFQjCNGgmCNOjGvGJIz2_BaRL8n0LxczkQimg src=http://news.google.com/news?imgefp=XoDKD8gM7sYJimgurl=www.telegraph.co.uk/telegraph/multimedia/archive/01116/wiimusic2_1116067c.jpg width=80 height=49 alt= border=1brfont size=-2Telegraph.co.uk/font/a/font/tdtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/9-0fd=Rurl=http://www.slate.com/id/2204766/cid=1271670173ei=lIckSc3eLYe4zATHh5C4AQusg=AFQjCNE9zUjuM6mgaHSe4-2HejDqKDDtvgSleater-Kinney#39;s guitarist tries out Wii bMusic/b./abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fSlatenbsp;-/font nobr9 hours ago/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1That#39;s what I thought of the first time I played Nintendo#39;s new game Wii bMusic/b. Unlike Rock Band and Guitar Hero, where the fun is derived from living b.../b/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/9-1fd=Rurl=http://multiplayerblog.mtv.com/2008/11/19/lips-rocks-but-is-it-enough/cid=1271670173ei=lIckSc3eLYe4zATHh5C4AQusg=AFQjCNGedfqXsayWCC7k9r8LB-cGpQYG-g‘Lips’ May Be The Best Karaoke Game Ever, But Is That Enough Anymore?/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrMTV.com/nobr/font/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/9-2fd=Rurl=http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/BANDthology-This-Game-Rocks/story.aspx%3Fguid%3D%257B22837355-D9D0-42B2-9979-1398B4131CA0%257Dcid=1271670173ei=lIckSc3eLYe4zATHh5C4AQusg=AFQjCNFAzSP6wT6fuNODVZ7eDyru5r_Xpgquot;BANDthology-This Game Rocks!quot;/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrMarketWatch/nobr/font/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/9-3fd=Rurl=http://arstechnica.com/journals/thumbs.ars/2008/11/17/wii-music-fails-to-find-an-audience-at-launchcid=1271670173ei=lIckSc3eLYe4zATHh5C4AQusg=AFQjCNEhZm-8ILxOCR8hNW5rLF4OQ8EjwgWii bMusic/b fails to find an audience at launch/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrArs Technica/nobr/font/fontbrfont size=-1 class=pa href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/9-4fd=Rurl=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/scienceandtechnology/technology/technologyreviews/videogamereviewsandpreviews/3476874/Wii-Music-video-game-review.htmlcid=1271670173ei=lIckSc3eLYe4zATHh5C4AQusg=AFQjCNGgmCNOjGvGJIz2_BaRL8n0LxczkQnobrTelegraph.co.uk/nobr/anbsp;- a href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/9-5fd=Rurl=http://www.worthplaying.com/article.php%3Fsid%3D57638cid=1271670173ei=lIckSc3eLYe4zATHh5C4AQusg=AFQjCNE5trJKAZWAuLUpa-Gd1qicKtVMIQnobrWorthPlaying.com/nobr/a/fontbr/font class=p size=-1a class=p href=http://news.google.com/news?sourceid=navclientie=ISO-8859-1rls=GGLG,GGLG:2005-22,GGLG:enncl=1271670173hl=ennobrall 34 news articles/nobr/a/font/div/font/td/tr/table

Music - Google News

RELATED ARTICLES

Chords or Melody First... Which is Best?
There are basically two ways you can compose a piece of music. The first and most traditional way is to write out the melody and then harmonize it.

How to Remove DRM from WMA - Is It Legal and Worth the Effort?
Technically, it's illegal to remove DRM from WMA protected music. Digital Rights Management (DRM) is part of the music industry's effort to curb piracy.

Your PC Is An Awesome Singer... If You Let It!
As an amateur songwriter, who struggles with a computer far from powerful enough to run the necessary software to record vocals of good quality, I have looked for good solutions. And I've found a few.

Quick and Easy Violin Mute
One of the reasons I picked up the violin was because it was easier to travel with than a guitar (not that I haven't found some nice travel guitars, but that's another story). It fits in an airplane overhead and is easy to carry!However, I want to be considerate of the folks in the rooms around me when I'm playing in my hotel room.

Guitar Facts: A Glossary of Terms
It is said that the forerunner of the guitar, the lute, was created by the Greek god, Apollo. In India, it is believed that the sitar, another stringed instrument from which the guitar is descended, is sacred to the goddess Saraswati.

Closet Monsters London Spicoluk
Way back in November I found myself at the Casby Awards after party trying to socialize with whomever I came across. One person who I chatted with that night was a guy named London Spicoluk, from the band Closet Monster.

The Strange Days (mostly nights) of Guns N' Roses
Kenny "Axil" Rose (Lead vocals), D.J.

Painting with Sound
Whenever I go to a Borders bookstore here in San Diego, I make it a point to look at the art instruction books. I'm not a visual artist, but I've always enjoyed the step-by-step approach authors of the better books take to teach students how to create a finished painting.

History of the Clarinet From the 19th Century
While composers had already begun to write music for the clarinet, such as Mozart with the Clarinet Concerto and Clarinet Quintet, it was the 19th century that saw an explosion of use of the clarinet in the music of most composers of the day. This was mainly due to two factors.

Jazz Yatra
Jazz is arguably the most argumentative form of music (even has diminished and argumented chords). So at the outset let me present my side of the argument.

Beginner Guitar Lessons - Learn Guitar without Ever Leaving Your Home!
So, you think you'd like to learn to play guitar, but you're put off by the high cost of lessons? You don't want to put up with a teacher showing you a bunch of theory and boring songs that you don't want to learn and won't get you where you want to go? Look no further, online instruction is now available that provides comprehensive beginner guitar lessons to anyone who wants to learn to play guitar quickly and easily.Do I need to read music? No! Most online programs use a very visual approach, using picture diagrams and videos that actively demonstrate techniques so you hear what you need to play, not read it.

6 Tips for Organizing Your Music Files
If you're a digital music fan, you probably have problems organizing your music file collection. For me, I used to have hundreds of MP3 files lumped in one folder in my hard drive.

Zen and the Art of New Age Piano
We all want to be in the moment. That's where real transformation takes place.

Does Reading Make Music?
When you read music you are deciphering the printed page and transferring the information to the keyboard. You might say that you are decoding what the composer or arranger put on the page .

How to Create Hip, Mature, and Lush Harmonies [correction]
Rarely is a chord played with its tones contained in a single octave, the root on the bottom, the third in the middle, and the fifth on the top.Usually chords are "voiced!"This basically means that the positions of a chord's tones are scattered over the keyboard.

How to Organise a Gig or a Live Music Event - the Budget
Three times in the last month I've been asked the question, "what do I need to do to organise a gig?" In reality, when this question is asked it can mean several things: How do I find a venue? How do I sort out the PA? How do I get an audience? And so on.But there is a stage before all of this: the budget.

50 Cent
More so than any other music since the blues, hip-hop is all about stories. And its stories are both criminal minded and grand, making them enthralling and unbelievable, but also making them only as interesting and convincing as the teller.

Music & Citizenship: Can Playing a Musical Instrument Help Your Child Become a Better Citizen?
Disregard the popular image of rappers with their ghetto blasters, terrorizing neighborhoods with eardrum-splitting cacophony. Consider instead our delightful school bands and orchestras? and ponder on whether those students might be becoming our best future citizens.

Guitar Performance - Make The Most of It!
Getting ready for any type of guitar performance can be a little scary at first, but if you are well prepared, you will find the experience much easier to handle. Whether you're playing with a band, or by yourself; are a seasoned performer, or a rookie; there are several things you can do to make the most of your performance.

Liberate your iPod
When Akio Morita came up with the idea of the Sony Walkman all of his colleagues at the thought he was completely insane. The general consensus was that people wouldn't want to walk around the streets wearing headphones.