Have you ever marveled at how artists can quickly sketch out a beautiful landscape scene and convert it into a full-fledged painting? I have and I’ve always been jealous of their ability to do so.

I’ve often wondered why music couldn’t be more like this. Of course composers know how to go about creating a complete piece of music, but I didn’t want to spend years learning theory and harmonic analysis. I didn’t want to study form and compositional technique. Not because I was lazy or unmotivated but because there had to be a simpler way of taking what I felt inside and turning it into a piano improvisation or composition.

Fortunately for me, I discovered my own unique method for quickly creating what I love to create and that is New Age piano music.

A few chords and a Key to play in are all I needed to begin quickly creating my own unique piano journeys. You see the problem most aspiring composers have is that they think they need to learn everything that was ever written about how to compose music. This isn’t necessary and only serves to delay the experience of jumping in the water and trying it first hand.

My method is really simple – improvise first and let the music tell you where it wants to go. That is, let go and allow the music to flow through you. I ALWAYS START WITH IMPROVISASTION because this is where the raw creative energy is. If something strikes me as particularly nice, I’ll draw out 8-bars on a sheet of paper. It doesn’t have to be notation paper either. I just use a blank composition journal I bought at a Borders bookstore to do this.

After the 8-bars is drawn, I’ll write in the first 2-bars of the melody to remember the initial idea. I then use the chords from the Key I’m working in to complete this small 8-bar section. Working within 8-bar sections is, I think, the best way a beginner can actually complete a musical phrase. It’s a very attainable goal and works very well.

By: Edward Weiss

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As a DJ, don’t you **** it when you sell your own mixtape, but nobody buys it because of the ugly cover? Chances are that you probably designed the cover yourself. You did some research online, followed a couple articles and watch video tutorials on how to design – thinking that you will be an overnight expert graphic designer and Photoshop guru.?You give your all in making this Jamaican themed cover design. But all those who see your finished product give you comments like ‘This is not Jamaican’ or ‘Your design looks like crap.’ ?

I once recorded a mixtape of my own thinking that it will sell like hot cakes considering all the exclusives and guest freestyles that I had on it. The music was dope and my friends loved it and so did everyone who listened to it. But in order to save money I decided to design the mixtape cover myself. This was the biggest mistake that I made. The tape sold poorly and the poor cover design was to blame. This was when I decided to have a professional design my cover.?

I researched online about which designer I should hire and numerous articles and reviews recommended that I visit sample?mix tape designs. I was very impressed when I saw samples of other people’s work and excited to have my cover designed by them. Getting a hot and stylish mix tape cover was easier than I thought.

The prices were also very affordable: US$45 for a front cover design and US$65 for both front and back cover designs. The sales you will make from a mixtape with good music and an attractive cover will more than compensate for the money you’ll be spending on design expenses. ?So why waste time and spend hundreds of dollars on graphic design lessons when you can get the job done correct and immediately.

By: Erika Ayala

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So, you want to create your own music. Something you can put your name on and show off to friends and family. Why not? It’s an amazing thing when you think about it. Where there was once nothing, now exists a piece of music authored by you. Let’s examine how we might go about creating a complete piece of music.

Your initial idea is an important step. Why? Because the initial idea is the foundation for the entire piece! For example, let’s say you get a certain melody in mind. You go to the piano and play it. But then you’re stopped cold and don’t know how or where to proceed next. What to do? You need to first draw out 8-bars on a piece of paper.

Working with an 8-bar phrase is the best way I know of capturing musical ideas and turning them into full-fledged compositions. You can write out as much of the melody as you can, or you can do what I do – write in the first 2-bars (the initial idea) and then use chords to quickly fill in the entire 8-bars. This example is if you work with melody first.

You can also “compose” working exclusively with chords. That is, you can take a few chords (like you have in the lesson “Reflections in Water”) and play around with them creating a few minutes of music. These chordal improvisations are a great way to get your ideas out. If you wanted to develop Reflections in Water or “compose” it, you’d have to put it on a chart and write out the chord symbols on top. Then, you’d have something you could go back to and play again if you wanted. You’d have a complete piece of music.

A long time ago, I read a book on musical composition where the author suggests you must work with either the melody or the chords and not both at once. This is an excellent suggestion because you simply cannot do both at once! It is far easier to either write out the melody for 8-bars or block out a chord arrangement than it is to do both at once.

By: Edward Weiss

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