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This is often the most overlooked part of the composition process, but it is also the most essential part. It is really important that you don’t rush the development of your composition just because you want to get it finished!

Once you have an idea, it is important that you try to develop it. All good music consists of musical ideas that are developed - it is important you do this to your own music too.

The best advice is to play your musical idea over and over again until you feel you can extend it or write an answering phrase. If you are struggling, change the timbre of phrase or play it on a different instrument to stimulate some other responses.

One of the most difficult things about writing your own composition is knowing where to begin. Melody and harmony work in partnership with each other, so choosing a chord sequence you like is a good first step. The melody can then grow from these chords.

Repetition

Most music contains elements of repetition. The repeat may be an exact copy, or it may be varied by:

• altering the pitch
• taking out some of the notes
• making alterations to note durations
• using retrograde and inversions of the melody
• adding ornaments such as trills
• adding new notes to the melody
• playing the phrase at a higher or lower pitch

Call and response

This involves taking a phrase and devising a suitable answering phrase. Improvising possible ideas is a good way to generate useful material.

Drones

A simple way to add another layer to music is to add a drone part, if appropriate. A good way to begin can be to think about rhythmic possibilities. Here are some simple, straightforward ideas for developing rhythm over a basic pulse:

• start with a strong pulse played on an instrument that all players can hear clearly
• work out some simple, repeated patterns that can be added to this, then clap or sing them before transferring them to instruments
• gradually add and remove instruments, building up layers of texture
• include some sections where the contrasts are more sudden
• work out some percussion signals that indicate when to change to a new section
• devise a graphic score to help work out the structure

Here are some more ideas:

• Using any percussion instrument, such as a djembe, develop a few rhythm patterns. Some can be simple, some more complex. Record or notate these patterns.
• Transfer some of these patterns, or fragments of these patterns, to one or more melody instruments. Initially play these patterns on a single note, and then find melodic parts for these.
• Chordal instruments, such as keyboard or guitar, can be used to vamp chords to these patterns.
• Explore ways in which these patterns can be combined and layered, using these instruments, to provide a starting point for developing a piece of music.

Here is a video that outlines how you might explore instrumental ranges and their timbres:

Recording and storing your ideas

Because you will rarely finish a composition in one session it is essential you have a good system for ‘storing’ your ideas so that you can come back to them at a later date. Consider doing some of the following:

• Recording ideas onto your phone or another device, so that you can listen wherever you want to.
• If you’ve already stored your ideas using some software, consider whether this software is available to you in all the places you compose, or if it’s limited to one place. Try finding an alternative so that you can access your music at any time you like.
• Writing your notes down on manuscript.
• Writing chord or note letters etc into a notebook.

It really does not matter how you store your work, as long as you are able to pick up from where you left off as effectively as possible.

Don’t rush the recording of your work - it is a huge part of the composition process.