Name: Music Composition 1: Myths, Techniques, and Getting Started
Rating: 4.4 (378 reviews)

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Created byJ. Anthony Allen

Last updated 11/2025

English

What you'll learn

Write and Compose music using proven techniques and tips
Create their own music using software, or good old pencil and paper.
Generate musical ideas through creativity exercises
Program music and metaphors
Character sketches
Writing through canon
Form
Binary, Ternary, and Rondo forms
Starting with a plan
Graphic form representations
Triads, and basic rules of harmony
Chord progressions
Inversions
Song analysis
Melody writing
Tools of the trade: Software
Tools of the trade: Pencils and fine paper

Course content

8 sections • 40 lectures • 4h 4m total length

Welcome & Overview4:33
Lets get started with a quick introduction to what we will cover in this class.
My Background8:52
A little about me, my experiences, and my background.
What is the difference between music theory and music composition?2:53
A see a lot of students stumped at this when they start writing music. Lets discuss.
Asking Questions1:19

Software Tools for Composers5:57
There are several pieces of software available for composers. I'll talk about the ins and outs of each in this section.
Update! MuseScore 3.00:32
Good old pencil and paper5:01
Nothing beats some good staff paper and a nice sharp pencil.
To sit with an instrument, or not to sit with an instrument?6:05
The obvious thing to do is have your instrument handy while you are writing. Or is it?

Which comes first? How do we start?2:49
Some quick tips for diving into the deep end of the music pool.
F-Sharp!3:14
When you are faced with a big empty page and need to start writing, use this tip.
Program Music and Metaphor6:41
One of the most powerful compositional tools is program music.
[DOWNLOAD] Symphony Fantastique0:04
Here is a score and program note for the piece I talked about in the previous lecture.
Character Sketches5:31
One of my personal favorite devices to use when writing a piece is a character sketch.
Free Writing6:49
Sometimes you just need to go outside, climb a tree, and start writing.
Canon13:26
This is a technique I use to explore a melody, and see what I can make with it.
"Good Composers Borrow..."3:14
Lets talk about one of the most famous quotes about writing music to have ever existed.

What is form?10:23
What is form, and why do we care about it?
Different form "templates"5:58
There are a lot of different places to begin with form. Lets look at 4 to get started.
Starting with a plan11:54
Form impacts us as composers because we need to know the shape of what we are writing before we start.
Graphic form representations7:24
This is a trick I do to help me visualize an entire piece before I've written any notes at all.

Triads - Our most basic building blocks2:51
The most basic building blocks of harmony are called triads.
Building triads7:26
The recipe for a triad is root, third, fifth.
Diatonic chord progressions11:59
When we put all the triads available in a key, we have the diatonic chord progression.
Inversions9:14
Triads by themselves don't sound all that interesting. But if we add some inversions, it starts to get interesting.
Roman Numerals10:16
This is a tool we use to analyze other music so we can figure out how it ticks.
Song Analysis - No. 18:56
Lets look at a fairly simple piece and see if we can figure out how it works.

The circle of fifths7:39
You have probably seen this chart hanging on a wall somewhere. Its more useful than you think.
Using the circle of fifths for composition7:44
Now that we know how this works, lets use it for writing music.
Song analysis No. 35:05
Now we will look at another piece of music and pick it apart, using what we've learned.
Non-chord tones11:04
Not every note in a melody needs to be part of the chord.
Song analysis No. 417:49
One more analysis of a song you've probably heard before.

Writing melodies alone6:24
In can be very difficult to just pop off a melody. But there are some tricks to coming up with a good one.
Antecedent and consequent6:48
This is a technique that is hundreds of years old that usually produces a good, memorable melody.
Writing melodies with a harmony7:49
If you already have a harmony, and are adding a melody, things before a little easier.
Using other melodies as influences3:01
Sometimes the best melodies are all around you.

Requirements

Students should be enthusiastic about music, but do not need to be producers or musicians. No prior experience is needed in the music industry, business, financing, or accounting.

Description

** UDEMY BESTSELLER **

Welcome to the COMPLETE Music COMPOSITION AND FILM SCORING Guide!

This is a class designed for the average person who is ready to take their music career (or music interest) and develop it into something more. Whether you are an active musician or an aspiring musician, this class is perfect for you.

When most people think of a composer, they imagine someone sitting in a dusty attic with a grand piano, a big white wig, and the year is 1800. That might have been accurate back then, but the modern composer is just like you and me. In fact, I am one.

In this course, I'll show you the techniques I use for writing music in a variety of styles and situations. I've worked with major American orchestras, film studios, and video game designers, so I've got more than a little experience. I'm also a Ph.D. in music composition and a university professor (of music composition).

Recently I was named as a semi-finalist for the Grammy Foundation's Music Educator of the Year award because of my in-person university classes. Now I'm taking those classes to Udemy in an online format in order to reach more students and give them the joy of Music Theory.

I'm planning on making several "sections" of this class, and this is only part 1. As the class grows, we will go deeper and deeper into my techniques. This class is focused on the beginning: Generating ideas and getting started.

In this class, we will cover:

My background, and listen to some of my music
The difference between music theory and music composition (highly opinionated!)
Tools of the trade: Software
Tools of the trade: Pencils and fine paper
How do you start?
The process
Program music and metaphors
Character sketches
Writing through canon
Form
Binary, Ternary, and Rondo forms
Starting with a plan
Graphic form representations
Triads, and basic rules of harmony
Chord progressions
Inversions
Song analysis
Melody writing
Principals of orchestration
Principals of film scoring
Writing music for games, video games, and sound design for games.
And much, much, more!

And of course, once you sign up for this class, all my other classes are yours at steep discounts! Over half off for all future sections!

The course is a roadmap to launching your career as a composer!

All the tools you need to prepare, organize and start your career are included in this course and the entire course is based on real-life experiences - not just academic theory.

Please click the "Take This Course" button so you can launch your music career today.

** I guarantee that this course is the most thorough music business course available ANYWHERE on the market - or your money back (30-day money-back guarantee) **

Closed captions have been added to all lessons in this course.

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Praise for Courses by Jason Allen:

⇢ "It seems like every little detail is being covered in an extremely simple fashion. The learning process becomes relaxed and allows complex concepts to get absorbed easily. My only regret is not taking this course earlier." - M. Shah

⇢ "Great for everyone without any knowledge so far. I bought all three parts... It's the best investment in leveling up my skills so far.." - Z. Palce

⇢ "Excellent explanations! No more or less than what is needed." - A. Tóth

⇢ "VERY COOL. I've waited for years to see a good video course, now I don't have to wait anymore. Thank You!" - Jeffrey Koury

⇢ "I am learning LOTS! And I really like having the worksheets!" - A. Deichsel

⇢ "The basics explained very clearly - loads of really useful tips!" - J. Pook

⇢ "Jason is really quick and great with questions, always a great resource for an online class!" M. Smith

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Students who register for this course will receive ongoing exclusive content and discounts to all future classes in the series.

Who this course is for:

Anyone in any country who is ready to start their professional music career by learning everything they need to know about how music composition works and the film scoring industry.

What you'll learn

Explore related topics

Course content

Introduction4 lectures • 18min

Tools and Methods4 lectures • 18min

Process8 lectures • 42min

Form4 lectures • 36min

Harmony (A quick lesson)6 lectures • 51min

Writing Chord Progressions5 lectures • 49min

Writing Melodies4 lectures • 24min

Wrap Up5 lectures • 7min

Requirements

Description

Who this course is for: