Teaching yourself music composition

What kind of music are you looking to compose? I know many beginning composers are reluctant to put labels on their music, but it will effect which books are appropriate for you. Does your music lean more toward "popular" genres, jazz, "classical," or whatever?

Is this for GCSE music or something? Because loads of people have this problem. In my opinion there is no way you can 'learn' to compose music. Maybe learn the basic chords and what melodies would fit with them, but composing requires a natural talent, it's one of those 'you've got it or you ain't things'

Of course you can learn!

It begins with literacy.

See here Penty, some of us have a natural 'talent' as you put it when it comes to music, but didn't learn the basics early on that many others take for granted. That limits the expression and unfolding of any latent talent.

Self learning can be a bitch when the very people who could most speed your progress by sharing their work and knowledge with, are the very ones who get all arrogant and protective of what they know.

Excuse my indignation. It pisses me off though when people make things more difficult than they need to be and - whether with intent or not - close off opportunities and encouragement for others.

Romanticizing musical knowledge, is what it is.

You can immerse yourself in music, and learn from what you hear what others have done before.
You can take a class, or a workshop, or spend time working on music with others who have more experience.

You can brush up or learn for the first time Musical Literacy : how to write and read music, what a melody is defined as....
Find a good teacher.

You read books, and you write, if you want learn how to write.
You listen to music, and write music, if you want to learn how to write music.

Whether it will be 'good' or not is not the question.

*gets off angry high horse*

Well yeah, sure. Sorry.
But what I mean is I started composing when I was about 7 without any real knowledge of what I was doing. I don't really see how its possible to learn that- because surely all you are going to learn about what notes fit with what in the same key etc. No one can teach you to hear music in your head and write it down can they?

Well, I'd like to think the "writing it down" part is teachable, since I frequently teach such classes myself! You're right that not everything can be taught, but teaching doesn't have to involve everything in order to be useful. Some of the straightforwardly practical stuff you mentioned--how keys work, how to notate things you hear in your head--is absolutely invaluable to an aspiring musician. Composing, like any creative endeavor, can't be reduced to the basics alone; but nor is it the case that you can neglect the basics and expect to make it very far.

Venetia08, welcome to A2K

If you want to compose, can I assume you have a basic proficiency in an instrument(s)?

I've been using Kostka/Payne's "Tonal Harmony" which is terrible, but ultimately effective and Adler's "The study of Orchestration" which is wonderful.

I also worked my way through a translation of Fux's "The study of counterpoint", can't claim to have mastered the art yet, but it helped make more sense of "Tonal Harmony"

Finally, don't laugh, but the "Idoit's Guide to Songwriting" is also really good. It's written by stage and film composer (the late?)Joel Hirschorn.

I'd like to be able to compose music for the lyrics i've written.. most are sad though.