OK, so I (very) occasionally enjoy composing music. I don't know music theory, I don't have experience, I just enjoy it. I think I've made some stuff that has potential.

I have two things I can't get past, despite trying to do my research.

One, I think I'm pretty good at establishing basic melodies and motifs. But I don't know how to turn that into a proper musical piece. I don't know how instruments work with other instruments. I have some understanding, both intuitive and based on research, on how to juxtapose two musical ideas, but I don't know how to create a chord progression and make it fit with what I'm making (to name just one of many examples). And yes, I've researched that as well.

Are there tutorials out there for complete, and I do mean complete noobs, that you can recommend? Ideally text-based, because Youtube videos about music production kinda bounce off of my brain.

Second question - OK, so this is stupid, but the knowledge that the melody of "Imagine" was something John Lennon remembered from his childhood and then uknowingly just mostly reused is giving me a lot of stress. And I've read in multiple places that people without much understanding of music tend to just unknowingly copy a lot of stuff because they like it.

And yes, I know imitation and even copying elements of something is a stepping stone in learning art. I've done that with drawing, before I developed something resembling a style of my own.

And I realise there's nothing new under the Sun, and music does repeat motifs and ideas and styles without straying into plagiarism even remotely. Two hair metal songs are going to sound alike much of the time. Two acid jazz pieces will share some of their DNA.

But I'm so scared of making something that's just an existing composition with serial numbers filed off, it kinda blocks my creativity, paradoxically. I try too hard to make something wholly original, and that is great when starting, but it does not allow me to finish a piece, because I just do not have enough experience to reinvent the wheel. I know only genius artists or people with years of experience can accomplish that in ANY medium. Some of the best books, plays, movies, paintings in the history of civilisation are built upon earlier ideas. "Romeo and Juliet" and "Hamlet" are two best-known plays by arguably the best-known writer in the Western world, and they're both basically retellings of preexisting stories.

It's just... I don't know how to approach things "my" way while also not inadvertently plagiarising stuff.

Any advice or ideas or feedback or sources will be greatly appreciated.

Just keep in mind that I don't know anything about anything. If you think I know something very basic, there's a 60% chance that no, I actually don't.

#music #composing #indiemusic