16 Tips on Composing Music

by Bob Reynolds

Writing your own music is a bitch.

Unlike just playing your instrument (which is hard enough), composing music demands you put
your emotions, state of mind and perspective on record and present it to the world saying, “Here
world. This is me. This is who I am.”

And unlike an improvised solo, which is over in a flash, a composition leaves a permanent mark
of who you were at the time of writing.

This is scary shit. And it causes a lot of resistance.

I’ve had numerous questions recently about how I compose so I thought I’d share a few bits of
my process.

Tyler writes:

“I’m a big fan of your music and was wondering what inspires your compositions or if you have
any tips to composing. I’m a sax player trying to write in the same genre as you but I get stuck.
Thanks man.”

and Sam writes:

“I love composing, and I’m really looking to develop in that area. This got me thinking: how do
you go about writing tunes, and what techniques do you apply to your own compositions?”

Whew…where to start? Ok. Here are a few ideas…

1. Movement. I almost always get ideas while walking. (This is an old trick. Beethoven used to
walk each morning before sitting down to write.)

2. Bass lines. Sometimes tunes start with a melodic bass line (lots of the Can’t Wait for Perfect
material started that way).

3. Tiny melodies. A melodic motif or a combination of 2 chords often gets the ball rolling for me.

4. Balance. Much of composing for me is trying to balance the more-pop-than-jazz chord

progressions I favor with the sophisticated “jazz” harmonic textures I know and love. Many
times, for me, it’s not that I choose chords that are “out” or difficult, per se, but rather I find
unique ways to combine and arrange more “common” chord types.

5. Be like Wayne. I like Wayne Shorter’s melodic approach to writing. There’s often a singable
melody with sophisticated harmonic movement, but also a sense of keeping one thing the same
while changing something else. (Static melody note hangs over two diatonically unrelated
chords, etc.)

6. Listen to what you love. Never fails. I put on some music that moves me (genre agnostic) and
the ideas start flowing.

7. Groove, beats and pocket. I like love grooves.

8. Rich harmonic movement. I like cool chord progressions (cool being subjective to personal
taste), but think Pat Metheny. I love chords moving tertially (in thirds, vs. traditional cycle fourth
movement). Try moving constant-structure chords (Berklee-speak for a chord that remains the
same as it gets moved around. Ex.: Cmaj7 / Emaj7 / Dbmaj7) around in minor and major thirds.

9. Relationships. Tunes are often born from two chords, which, when played back and forth
begin to reveal a melody, mood, or both to me. If I get goosebumps I know I’m on to something.

10. Steal. (See #6) Try to put the music that moves you into a pot and stir it into your own thing.
(Wow, really helpful!!) � Build from there.

11. Melody rules. This personal preference but I prefer melody to complexity. Very nearly every
tune of mine can be sung, and those that can’t, like “Nine Lives”‘s bridge…well, you could sing
that, too! Who wants to hear a bunch of pyrotechnics in a melody? Not me.

12. Think shapes. What’s the arc of this song? Where are you coming from and where do you
want to go?

13. Begin with the end in mind. What mood does this song create? What’s the end of the song
feel like? Work backwards.

14. Blend and borrow. Have a couple small ideas that haven’t amounted to fully fleshed out
songs? What happens if you mix two (seemingly unrelated) ideas together. Anything? (Summer
Light was totally a result of this technique.)

14. Put the end at the beginning.

15. Put the beginning at the end.

16. Sing. If you can’t sing it, should you be writing it? (See #11)

Good luck and happy searching.

About Bob Reynolds

Bob Reynolds is a Grammy Award-winning jazz tenor saxophonist known for his work with
Snarky Puppy and John Mayer. He's released 9 albums as a solo artist. Bob helps saxophonists (&
other instrumentalists) become confident improvisers through his virtual studio. He also co-
founded an annual retreat for saxophonists. (You should come.)