This New Age pianist has been playing the piano for over 15 years, and although I am constantly learning new things, the only thing that has helped me, as far as composition goes, is viewing the music as sections.
I always tell my students to work within an 8-bar framework. Why 8 bars? Because it is a pleasant and orderly space of time to work. And, more importantly, it doesn’t overwhelm beginning students who feel like they need to get to 100 bars on their first try.
The beauty of working within this framework is that it teaches you about phrases. Music has been compared to writing in that it is made up of small sentences (like sentences), larger sections, periods of music (like paragraphs), and finally whole movements (chapters).
Composers always think in sections because they know that’s how music is built. – at least 99% of the music in the western world.
When you master the 8-bar phrase, you learn how to complete a section of music. And you learn that the art of composition has a lot to do with repetition and contrast.
There is a limited number of times you can repeat an 8-bar phrase before it stalls. This is where we introduce new material: a contrasting section. Maybe another 8 bars or so.
Another thing I get my students to do is learn how to create a full ABA form.
This musical form is the most common and is also quite easy to create. Once the first 8-bar phrase (the A section) is complete, it’s time for some contrast. Maybe 4 bars… maybe 8 or more will do here. Finally, the first section A is repeated (with some variations) and that’s it: a small ABA shape is finished.
It’s a good idea to master these small sections of music before delving into 400-bar compositions.