Composition is the craft of making songs—the deliberate act of shaping sound into organized musical thought. It begins with an idea and transforms it into structure: melody, harmony, rhythm, texture, and form arranged into a coherent whole.
Every song, from a simple tune to a symphony, follows this same principle of organized intention. The composer decides how each element functions—what repeats, what contrasts, what resolves—so that emotion and design become one experience.
Composition can work within traditional systems such as tonal or modal frameworks, or move freely through contemporary methods including digital, algorithmic, and experimental approaches. Whatever the style, it remains the discipline that turns musical imagination into a repeatable design—a blueprint another performer can bring to life.
Composing a Song – Outlined with Words? Terrible
I. Materials
- Pitch
- Scale
- Major, Natural minor, Harmonic minor, Melodic minor
- Modes: Ionian, Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, Mixolydian, Aeolian, Locrian
- Pentatonic, Whole-tone, Octatonic, Hexatonic
- Rāga, Maqām, Makam
- Interval
- Consonance, Dissonance
- Microtone, Cents
- Tuning/Temperament
- Equal, Just, Meantone, Pythagorean, 19-TET, 24-TET
- Pitch-Class/Set
- Forte numbers, Prime form, Normal order
- Scale
- Rhythm
- Beat, Pulse, Subdivision
- Meter
- Simple, Compound, Complex, Additive, Asymmetrical, Mixed
- Tempo
- BPM, Rubato, Metric modulation
- Devices
- Syncopation, Hemiola, Polyrhythm, Cross-rhythm, Isorhythm, Ostinato, Clave, Swing, Shuffle
- Timbre
- Spectrum, Partials, Formants, Envelope (ADSR), Noise
- Orchestral color, Blend, Balance, Registration
- Dynamics
- pp…ff, Crescendo, Diminuendo, Terraced dynamics
- Texture
- Monophony, Homophony, Polyphony, Heterophony
- Countermelody, Drone, Pedal, Alberti bass, Walking bass, Hocket
- Articulation
- Legato, Staccato, Tenuto, Accent, Marcato, Portato, Staccatissimo
- Slur, Tie, Pizzicato, Arco, Flutter-tongue, Col legno, Sul ponticello, Sul tasto
II. Harmony
- Functions
- Tonic, Dominant, Subdominant, Predominant
- Harmonic rhythm
- Chords
- Triads: Major, Minor, Diminished, Augmented
- Seventh chords: MM7, Mm7, m7, ø7, o7
- Extensions: 9, 11, 13
- Alterations: ♭9, ♯9, ♯11, ♭13
- Suspensions: sus2, sus4
- Quartal, Quintal, Cluster
- Tonal Devices
- Cadence: Perfect, Imperfect, Plagal, Deceptive, Half, Phrygian
- Secondary dominants, Secondary leading-tones
- Borrowed chords, Modal interchange
- Neapolitan, Augmented-sixth: Italian, French, German
- Chromatic mediants, Enharmonic reinterpretation, Tritone substitute
- Modulation
- Pivot-chord, Common-tone, Sequential, Direct, Enharmonic
- Key plan, Region, Relative, Parallel, Distant
- Jazz/Popular Harmony
- ii–V–I, Turnaround, Rhythm changes
- Slash chords, Pedal tones, Upper-structure triads, Drop-2/Drop-3, Shell voicings
III. Melody
- Contour, Range, Tessitura
- Motif, Cell, Hook, Riff, Lick
- Sequence, Inversion, Retrograde, Augmentation, Diminution
- Ornamentation: Appoggiatura, Acciaccatura, Mordent, Turn, Slide, Grace notes
- Pentatonicism, Modal melody, Scalar passage, Arpeggiation
IV. Voice Leading
- Part writing, Contrapuntal motion
- Contrary, Similar, Oblique, Parallel
- Parallels (5ths/8ves), Hidden fifths, Doubling, Spacing
- Resolution, Tendency tones, Leading tone, Preparation–Suspension–Resolution
- Species counterpoint: First, Second, Third, Fourth, Fifth
- Invertible counterpoint, Double counterpoint
V. Form
- Microform
- Phrase, Subphrase, Incise, Motive
- Period, Sentence, Continuation, Cadential
- Sectional Form
- Binary, Rounded binary, Ternary
- Rondo: 5-part, 7-part
- Theme and variations, Passacaglia, Chaconne
- Through-composed, Strophic
- Large-Scale
- Sonata: Exposition, Development, Recapitulation, Coda
- Fugue: Subject, Answer, Countersubject, Exposition, Episode, Stretto, Augmentation
- Suite, Cycle, Multi-movement
- Popular/Contemporary Maps
- AABA, ABABCB, Verse, Pre-chorus, Chorus, Bridge, Middle-eight, Refrain, Intro, Outro, Drop, Build, Breakdown
- 12-bar blues, Rhythm changes, Head-solos-head, Vamp
VI. Processes & Development
- Repetition, Contrast, Variation
- Fragmentation, Liquidation, Expansion, Compression
- Interpolation, Omission, Elision
- Sequencing, Fortspinnung, Continuo schema
- Motivic transformation, Thematic transformation, Leitmotif
VII. Orchestration & Arrangement
- Instrument families: Strings, Woodwinds, Brass, Percussion, Keyboard, Voices, Electronics
- Ranges, Transpositions, Clefs, Mutes, Divisi, Double stops, Harmonics
- Voicing: Close, Open, Spread, Cluster, Planing
- Doubling, Counterlines, Pads, Fills, Call-and-response
- Register, Density, Transparency, Weight
VIII. Techniques & Systems
- Modal, Tonal, Extended tonality
- Atonal, Post-tonal, Pitch-class operations
- Serialism: 12-tone, Row, Prime, Inversion, Retrograde, Matrix
- Spectralism: Partials, Residues, Inharmonicity
- Minimalism: Phase, Additive process, Gradual process
- Chance/Indeterminacy: Aleatory, Open form
- Algorithmic/Stochastic: Markov, Cellular automata, Grammar, Rule-based
- Generative, Procedural, Live coding
IX. Electroacoustic & Electronic
- Synthesis: Subtractive, Additive, FM, Wavetable, Granular, Physical modeling
- Sampling, Time-stretch, Pitch-shift, Convolution, Resynthesis
- Modulation: LFO, Envelope, Filter, Waveshaper, Ring modulation
- Sequencing, Arpeggiator, Step automation
- Spatialization: Stereo, Binaural, Ambisonics, Surround, Diffusion
- Acousmatic, Musique concrète, Tape, Looping
X. Notation & Scorecraft
- Staves, Clefs, Key signatures, Time signatures
- Rehearsal marks, Cues, Ossia, Divisi, Tutti, Solo
- Proportional notation, Graphic notation, Tablature
- Ornaments, Articulation marks, Dynamics, Hairpins
- Transposed scores, Concert scores, Score order, Parts extraction
XI. Analysis & Planning
- Schenkerian levels: Background, Middleground, Foreground
- Set theory: Segmentation, Interval vector
- Harmonic reduction, Roman numerals, Figured bass
- Form diagrams, Roadmaps, Lead sheets, Nashville numbers
XII. Context & Function
- Programmatic, Absolute, Functional, Liturgical, Dramatic, Dance
- Style, Genre, Idiom, Convention, Practice
- Prosody, Scansion, Rhyme, Syllabic stress
XIII. Workflow
- Sketching, Drafting, Orchestrating, Engraving
- Mockup, Demo, Revision, Proofing
- Parts preparation, Session prep, Click map, Tempo map
XIV. Performance Directions
- Tempo marks, Character marks, Expressive text
- Fermata, Caesura, Attacca, Tacet
XV. Constraints & Games
- Isorhythm, Cancrizans, Crab canon, Mirror canon
- Serial rows, Magic square, Cipher, Acrostic
This is a compact taxonomy of composition keywords, nested for relationship only.
The fifteen top-layer categories form the skeleton of compositional knowledge.
They can be read as the vertical structure of the craft—from the most primitive to the most external:
- Materials – all raw sound parameters.
- Harmony – vertical tone relationships.
- Melody – horizontal line and contour.
- Voice Leading – how multiple lines move together.
- Form – the architecture of time.
- Processes & Development – how material evolves.
- Orchestration & Arrangement – distribution of sound among forces.
- Techniques & Systems – theoretical frameworks and compositional schools.
- Electroacoustic & Electronic – modern extensions of sound generation.
- Notation & Scorecraft – the written or symbolic representation.
- Analysis & Planning – the reflective and structural study guiding design.
- Context & Function – purpose, genre, and cultural placement.
- Workflow – the working sequence from sketch to finished score.
- Performance Directions – interpretive markings controlling realization.
- Constraints & Games – rule-based or generative strategies of invention.
Together they represent a complete outer map of composition:
sound → structure → method → context → realization.