Composing Beginner Course
A 6-step curriculum for people who want to write music
Build the theory you need to write melodies, chords, and progressions — one tool per step, all in order. Each step assumes the previous one, so work from the top.
For: people who want to compose, build chord progressions, or write melodies
Progress
Steps
- 1
Hear the distance between two notes
Intervals are the foundation of all music theory. Start by training your ear on perfect 5ths, major 3rds, and minor 3rds.
→ Identify P5, M3, and m3 by ear alone
- 2
Collect melodic material with scales
Major, minor, pentatonics, world scales — see and hear them as the 'usable notes' for melody.
→ Internalize the major and minor scale shapes
- 3
See which chords work in a key
Diatonic chords are the 7 chords that fit naturally in a key. Use the T / SD / D color coding to learn each chord's role.
→ Memorize the 7 diatonic chords of C major and the T/SD/D roles
- 4
Internalize classic progressions
Canon, Royal Road (IV–V–IIIm–VIm), Komuro, and more — hear them as patterns your ear recognizes.
→ Recognize 3–5 standard progressions just by hearing them
- 5
Build your own progression
Pick diatonic chords and arrange them into a vibe you want. Filter by mood (bright, melancholic, etc.).
→ Complete one original 8-bar progression
- 6
Write a melody over your progression
Over each chord, the piano highlights which notes work. Build a melody around the chord tones.
→ Write a 4-bar melody over the progression from step 5
Bonus steps
Sketch ideas with the Step Sequencer
Paint melodies onto a 16-step grid and loop them while you tweak.
Find new ideas with the Generator
Random Progression Generator surfaces patterns you wouldn't write yourself.
Expand your genre vocabulary with Scale Conversion
Re-render familiar melodies in unfamiliar scales to gather worlds you can pull into your own writing.