Composing starts with taking a musical idea and developing it far enough that it becomes something you can return to, remember, and build on.
In this lesson, you’ll learn a seven-step process for developing an idea into a short composition, from the first melody or chord progression to a simple recording.
Mastery Roadmap Focus · View Roadmap →
Start with one melody, riff, or chord progression. Develop it into two short sections with some contrast, then make a simple recording so you have one complete composition sketch.
1. Building on an idea
A composition can begin with something very small: a melody, riff, rhythm, or chord progression. The first goal is not to write an entire song. Choose one idea you like enough to keep developing.
You can then repeat it, change part of it, or create a second phrase that responds to the first.
Roadmap practice: Create or choose one short musical idea. Play it several times, then make one variation by changing the ending, rhythm, melody notes, or chord movement. Keep both versions.
2. Connecting what you hear on your instrument
If you hear a melody, rhythm, or chord idea in your head, sing or hum it first and then find it on the guitar. This keeps the musical idea at the center instead of forcing yourself to begin with theory.
Once you can play the idea, write down or record enough information that you can remember it later.
If you do know what key signature and time signature you are in, you can write those down if that helps you. If needed, I recommend checking out these 3 simple steps to write your ideas on sheet music.
You can use a tool like the My Music Composition Notebook that has printable sheet music and simple guides on notation or use software such as Musescore where you can input notes from your computer.
For more resources on this subject, check out this other post on how to develop ear training to play what you hear.
3. Creating a chord progression
When stating a chord progression in music, we use the number system to help us understand the chord movements taking place within a key center. Each key center has a series of related chords that naturally work together. This is because related chords are derived from each degree of one scale, whether Major or minor.
The following chart shows you examples of the related chords (also known as diatonic chords) in Major keys. Letters alone represent Major chords, ‘min’ stands for minor chord and ‘dim’ for diminished chords.
If your composition needs chords, start with a simple progression that supports the musical idea you already have. The charts below are references for finding related chords in Major and minor keys.
Related triad chords in Major keys chart
| Key center | 1 | 2 minor | 3 minor | 4 | 5 | 6 minor | 7 diminished |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C Major | C | D minor | E minor | F | G | A minor | B diminished |
| D Major | D | E minor | F# minor | G | A | B minor | C# diminished |
| E Major | E | F# minor | G# minor | A | B | C# minor | D# diminished |
| F Major | F | G minor | A minor | Bb | C | D minor | E diminished |
| G Major | G | A minor | B minor | C | D | E minor | F# diminished |
| A Major | A | B minor | C# minor | D | E | F# minor | G# diminished |
| B Major | B | C# minor | D# minor | E | F# | G# minor | A# diminished |
| Db Major | Db | Eb minor | F minor | Gb | Ab | Bb minor | C diminished |
| Eb Major | Eb | F minor | G minor | Ab | Bb | C minor | D diminished |
| Gb Major | Gb | Ab minor | Bb minor | B | Db | Eb minor | F diminished |
| Ab Major | Ab | Bb minor | C minor | Db | Eb | F minor | G diminished |
| Bb Major | Bb | C minor | D minor | Eb | F | G minor | A diminished |
For some examples of putting chords together, check out these easy guitar chord progressions.
Related 7th chords in Major keys chart
Maj = Major
min = minor
(7) = Dominant 7
dim = diminished
| Key center | 1 Maj 7 | 2 min 7 | 3 min 7 | 4 Maj 7 | 5 (7) | 6 min 7 | 7 min 7 b5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C Major | C Maj 7 | D min 7 | E min 7 | F Maj 7 | G7 | A min 7 | B min 7 b5 |
| D Major | D Maj 7 | E min 7 | F# min 7 | G Maj 7 | A 7 | B min 7 | C# min 7 b5 |
| E Major | E Maj 7 | F# min 7 | G# min 7 | A Maj 7 | B 7 | C# min 7 | D# min 7 b5 |
| F Major | F Maj 7 | G min 7 | A min 7 | Bb Maj 7 | C 7 | D min 7 | E min 7 b5 |
| G Major | G Maj 7 | A min 7 | B min 7 | C Maj 7 | D 7 | E min 7 | F# min 7 b5 |
| A Major | A Maj 7 | B min 7 | C# min 7 | D Maj 7 | E 7 | F# min 7 | G# min 7 b5 |
| B Major | B Maj 7 | C# min 7 | D# min 7 | E Maj 7 | F# 7 | G# min 7 | A# min 7 b5 |
| Db Major | Db Maj 7 | Eb min 7 | F min 7 | Gb Maj 7 | Ab 7 | Bb min 7 | C min 7 b5 |
| Eb Major | Eb Maj 7 | F min 7 | G min 7 | Ab Maj 7 | Bb 7 | C min 7 | D min 7 b5 |
| Gb Major | Gb Maj 7 | Ab min 7 | Bb min 7 | B Maj 7 | Db 7 | Eb min 7 | F min 7 b5 |
| Ab Major | Ab Maj 7 | Bb min 7 | C min 7 | Db Maj 7 | Eb 7 | F min 7 | G min 7 b5 |
| Bb Major | Bb Maj 7 | C min 7 | D min 7 | Eb Maj 7 | F 7 | G min 7 | A min 7 b5 |
Related triad chords in minor keys chart
And here are the related triad chords in minor keys below.
| Key center | 1 minor | 2 diminished | b3 | 4 minor | 5 minor | b6 | b7 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C minor | C minor | D diminished | Eb | F minor | G minor | Ab | Bb |
| D minor | D minor | E diminished | F | G minor | A minor | Bb | C |
| E minor | E minor | F diminished | G | A minor | B minor | C | D |
| F minor | F minor | G diminished | Ab | Bb minor | C minor | Db | Eb |
| G minor | G minor | A diminished | Bb | C minor | D minor | Eb | F |
| A minor | A minor | B diminished | C | D minor | E minor | F | G |
| B minor | B minor | C# diminished | D | E minor | F# minor | G | A |
| Db minor | Db minor | Eb diminished | E | Gb minor | Ab minor | A | B |
| Eb minor | Eb minor | F diminished | Gb | Ab minor | Bb minor | B | Db |
| Gb minor | Gb minor | Ab diminished | A | B minor | Db minor | D | E |
| Ab minor | Ab minor | Bb diminished | B | Db minor | Eb minor | E | Gb |
| Bb minor | Bb minor | C diminished | D | Eb minor | F minor | Gb | Ab |
Related 7th chords in minor keys chart
| Key center | 1 min 7 | 2 min 7 b5 | b3 Maj 7 | 4 min 7 | 5 min 7 | b6 Maj 7 | b7 (7) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C minor | C min 7 | D min 7 b5 | Eb Maj 7 | F min 7 | G min 7 | Ab Maj 7 | Bb 7 |
| D minor | D min 7 | E min 7 b5 | F Maj 7 | G min 7 | A min 7 | Bb Maj 7 | C 7 |
| E minor | E min 7 | F min 7 b5 | G Maj 7 | A min 7 | B min 7 | C Maj 7 | D 7 |
| F minor | F min 7 | G min 7 b5 | Ab Maj 7 | Bb min 7 | C min 7 | Db Maj 7 | Eb 7 |
| G minor | G min 7 | A min 7 b5 | Bb Maj 7 | C min 7 | D min 7 | Eb Maj 7 | F 7 |
| A minor | A min 7 | B min 7 b5 | C Maj 7 | D min 7 | E min 7 | F Maj 7 | G 7 |
| B minor | B min 7 | C# min 7 b5 | D Maj 7 | E min 7 | F# min 7 | G Maj 7 | A 7 |
| Db minor | Db min 7 | Eb min 7 b5 | E Maj 7 | Gb min 7 | Ab min 7 | A Maj 7 | B 7 |
| Eb minor | Eb min 7 | F min 7 b5 | Gb Maj 7 | Ab min 7 | Bb min 7 | B Maj 7 | Db 7 |
| Gb minor | Gb min 7 | Ab min 7 b5 | A Maj 7 | B min 7 | Db min 7 | D Maj 7 | E 7 |
| Ab minor | Ab min 7 | Bb min 7 b5 | B Maj 7 | Db min 7 | Eb min 7 | E Maj 7 | Gb 7 |
| Bb minor | Bb min 7 | C min 7 b5 | D Maj 7 | Eb min 7 | F min 7 | Gb Maj 7 | Ab 7 |
You can also create stronger movement by using a secondary dominant. This is a dominant chord that temporarily acts as the 5 chord of another chord in the key.
For example, in D Major, B7 can lead strongly into E minor. B7 functions as V/ii because E minor is the ii chord in D Major.
4. Developing a song form
Once you have one musical idea working, give it some structure. A simple way to begin is with an A section based on your first idea and a B section that creates some contrast.
The contrast can come from a different melody, chord progression, rhythm, register, or ending. Then decide whether you want to return to the A section.
Roadmap practice: Turn your first idea into a short A section. Then create a B section that changes at least one important musical element. Play A → B → A and listen for whether the sections feel connected while still having some contrast.
For example, a common pop song form might be something like verse, chorus, verse, chorus, bridge, chorus which translates to A, B, A, B, C, B. Another form can be something like A, A, B, A which is common in jazz standards.
Another thing to think about is using key changes for different parts of a song to make them stand out even more.
5. Writing down your musical ideas
Save your composition in a form you can return to. You might write the melody and chords in notation, make a chord chart, record a voice memo, or use a combination of these.
The important thing is that you can come back later and remember what you created.
You can either write your ideas by hand using a music composition notebook or using a music software program like Musescore or Guitar Pro.
6. Adding parts
Once the melody, harmony, and basic form are working, you can experiment with additional parts such as another guitar line, bass, percussion, or vocals.
Add a part only when it supports the composition. More layers do not automatically make the music stronger.
7. Recording your song
Your recording does not need to be polished. A phone recording is enough to capture the piece and let you hear the full form from beginning to end.
Listening back can help you notice where a section feels too long, where a transition needs work, or where the strongest idea deserves to return.
It’s nice to be able to have a recording of the songs you compose and start to build a catalog of your music. You might surprise yourself when you go back and see how you’ve developed your music composition skills over time. You may also want to check out these 6 benefits of recording to practice music.
Roadmap practice: Make one simple recording of your composition from beginning to end. It can be as short as an A → B → A form. Listen back once and choose one thing you want to improve, then record it again.
Wrapping up
Composition grows by taking small musical ideas and developing them instead of waiting for an entire piece to appear at once.
Start with one melody, riff, rhythm, or chord progression. Create a variation, give the ideas some structure, and capture the result so you can hear the piece as a whole.
The harmony charts, arranging ideas, notation tools, and recording options in this lesson can help you expand the process as your compositions become more involved.
Before continuing
You’re ready to continue when you can develop one small musical idea into at least two contrasting sections and make a simple recording that lets you hear the composition from beginning to end.
Next: Continue in the Mastery Roadmap to keep developing your composition and arrangement skills.
My Music Composition Notebook is designed to help you capture your musical ideas, featuring printable sheet music tailored for different instruments.
It also includes easy-to-follow guides and references to help you understand essential music concepts and symbols, such as note names on the staff, time and key signatures, note values, and the circle of fifths.
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