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Hayden Holcomb
18-11-11
AP Literature
7th Period
Corbett
Piano Composition Senior Project Research Paper
According to Aaron Copland, a famous American composer, “You compose because you
want to somehow summarize in some permanent form your most basic feelings about being
alive, to set down... some sort of permanent statement about the way it feels to live now, today.”
Composing a piece of art on the piano takes time and patience more than anything, as well as a
basic understanding of how to play a piano and what a song consists of. As with anything there is
a method to composing songs on the piano, and if followed and developed properly a song of
one’s own can be produced. The method used to compose a musical piece on the piano can be
broken down into formation of the lyrics, composing the base notes, adding the four part
harmony, and finally making a final product and copyrighting it.
To begin with, lyrics work as the foundation to any song, and the music must be molded
around the words to form a composition. Lyrics work as the skeleton of most normal songs, the
notes of the song must be tacked onto the words to enhance them, not the other way around.
Before you begin writing the words though one must consider who the song will be targeted at
and what genre is desired so that the lyrics can reflect the original idea. “The first step is to write
down who your audience is. You will need to keep this in mind while writing the lyrics so you
can target them. After all, if you were writing a song for children you would certainly avoid adult
material of any kind” (How to Write Song Lyrics). Before knowing what genre or language to

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use in the song, one must determine exactly who the song will be targeted towards. Big words or
profane words would not be used in a children’s song just the same as more sophisticated and
advanced words should be used in adult songs. The entire song will be shaped off of who the
piece will be composed for, down to the speed and style. Now, one of the most vital parts of the
lyric composition process is producing a well thought out and catchy chorus. “The chorus is a
bridge or connection from one verse to the next. It must make sense to sing the words of the
chorus in between the verses” (How to Write Song Lyrics). The chorus is the most recognizable
parts of the song, and will make the difference between a good song and an amazing song. Not
only is it repeated between every verse, but the title of the song is usually derived from
somewhere in the chorus. The chorus should be somewhat repetitive and have a recognizable
tune or distinctive sound. “[The] verse[s] should draw attention to your song and make your
audience want to listen. Don't worry about it being perfect at this point; you will refine all the
verses and the chorus later” (How to Write Song Lyrics). The core part of the song is the main
verses, and they make up the substance and meaning of the song. The verses allow the composer
to add real meaning to the song and make the chorus tie in smoothly; verses are used to connect
with the listener on many levels. This is one of the hardest parts of the procedure due to the fact
that each line of lyrics must have the same amount of syllables and fit together perfectly.
Formation of the lyrics is a primary step required to successfully compose a song on the piano.
Next, one must sit down at the piano and formulate the base notes of the song being
composed. The music is to be tailored to fit the words perfectly, keeping in mind the original
idea and style of the song. First and foremost a melody idea must be established before
beginning to put in the base notes, give the lyrics a catchy tune then put in the notes. “You don't
have to come to the piano with an entire song already in your head before you start composing.

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Just start with one simple melodic phrase. That melody will be the centerpiece for everything
else in your composition” (Nevue). The base notes that are put with the lyrics will form
hopefully a recognizable melody for your song. At first the there should be one base note in the
treble cleft that matches the syllables of the lyrics. The single base notes act as a base to the
future development of the song. “Once you have a good idea of your melody then you have
something to build on. The next step would be to figure out which key you are playing in.” (9
Tips on how to Compose Piano Music). One of the key steps to the composure is establishing
what key the song will be in. The key of the song influences how the whole thing is shaped and
sounds. The basic key is the key of C, and if the composer is unsure of what key would be best it
can be done in C and transposed later to any key desired. “Likewise for a younger student: in
writing down a beginning piece, the younger student sharpens their skills in listening to melody
(shape and direction) and rhythmic patterns” (Viemeister). When it comes to recording the song,
especially with new composers it is wise to hand write the lyrics and notes onto a sheet of paper
with staff lines. This is just for the draft though; later on when the copyright process begins you
will make a black and white copy likely on the computer. So, in the end of the stage of writing
the base notes a completed draft should be prepared. This consists of a handwritten draft with
lyrics and the base notes on it. Once this is done, the song is well on its way to completion and
perhaps some great recognition.
Finally the song is ready to be graced with the four part harmony; this is also called
doubling the notes. “When writing triads, there are only three pitch classes but four voices. This
means that two or more voices will have the same pitch class. This is called doubling”
(Principles of Part Writing). Adding the four part harmony to a song gives it the fuller sound
people are used to hearing when they listen to a song. Also, when someone sings the song, the

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four part harmony ensures that notes of all pitches are hit ensuring the perfect sound when the
words and music are combined in a performance. “This type of harmonic structure, unlike the 2
and 3 part harmony, is the first that is capable of defining the complete harmonic structure of
chords beyond the triad” (Music Theory: Four Part Harmony). The four part harmony is way
more common than either the two or the three especially in gospel and country music. This
method allows a variety of singers to accompany the song when the lyrics are combined with the
music, any voice can go with it from alto to soprano. Depending on the base note put the right
hand base also at the bottom of the bass cleft and then use the chord notes to fill in the other two
notes to the composers liking based on the desired sound. When installing the four part harmony
it is really the time for the composer to make sure the song sounds as desired and fits the lyrics
well, the finished four part harmony is basically the completed song minus some minor
customizations. The entire song receives the four part harmony, which means both the verses and
the chorus. Once this part of the composition is completed, the song sounds like an actual song.
Lastly, the final step to the composition of a song on the piano is the final recording and
copyrighting of said piece. The song can be recorded using either hand written methods or a
digital method. “We can do this the hard way or the easy way. First you can learn your song
perfect with timing perfect and you can play it into my keyboard to make your final draft or you
can sit for hours at my computer and put each note in and fix the timing manually” (Autry). The
digital method can be done one of two ways, either by playing on a keyboard into a computer
allowing it to record through software or manually putting the notes into the software. The digital
copy will be much more efficient if copyrighting is planned as you can make as many copies as
needed and it looks much more professional. The finished product should be on staff lines, with
each of the verses all numbered, and every note with the proper timing and effect notations. The

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final draft should also include the song’s title and the name of the composer as well as the year
composed, it should also have copyright information. Now, to copyright the newly composed
song it has to be entirely the idea and work of the composer. “[Copyrighting] helps protect and
endorse the exclusive rights which are granted by default to the author or creator of an original
work. Copyright Registration will help establish and confirm the rightful and legal copyright
owner as from the date of registration” (Securing the copyrights of songs, music & lyrics).
Copyrighting is very necessary if the composer cares about being recognized and having full
ownership and control over the composition. To legalize ownership of the song and make sure it
remains property of the composer it is important to go through the procedure of copyrighting. “If
you see yourself as a serious musician (and I presume you do), you would be wise to register
your original songs with the U.S. Copyright Office. This will protect you in the event that
someone, somewhere, steals one of your songs and claims it as their own” (How to Copyright
Music). It is imperative that the new song is protected due to the increasing occurrences of
robbery of credit. This is especially true in the gospel and even country music field where songs
are disputed over all the time. “A Copyright is the exclusive right, granted by law for a stated
period, usually until 70 years after the death of the surviving author of the work, to make,
dispose of, and otherwise control copies of literary, musical, dramatic, pictorial and other
copyrightable works” (COPYRIGHTS). Having the copyright gives you complete control over
the piece, but it is not permanent and once copyrighted it must be renewed after certain periods
of time. Copyrighting certainly is the final step in the composure of a piece of music on the
piano.
The history of piano composers goes way back to the well know Beethoven and Mozart
and even before that all the way to modern day’s piano geniuses and prodigies. Construction of

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the lyrics, placement of the base notes, fulfilling the four part harmony, and finally final
composure and copyrighting are the main steps to completing a well thought out and nicely
developed piano composition. Music plays such an important part in people’s lives; without
composers, music would not exist for anyone’s enjoyment.

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Bibliography
Autry, Linda Mulkey. Personal interview. 18 Oct. 2011.
“COPYRIGHTS.” Music Powers. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Nov. 2011. <http://www.musicpowers.com/
copyrights.html>.
“How To Write Song Lyrics.” essortment. N.p., 2011. Web. 16 Nov. 2011. <http://www.essortment.com/
write-song-lyrics-60774.html>.
“Music Theory: Four Part Harmony (Block Chords).” Learn Music. N.p., 2010. Web. 16 Nov. 2011.
<http://www.learnmusicfree.com/lesson/melody_harmony/four_part_harmony.html>.
Nevue, David. “Advice for Pianists: How to Compose Piano Music...” David Nevue Solo Pianist and
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<http://www.musicbizacademy.com/internet/how2copyright.htm>.
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<http://www.newagepianism.com/2010/06/how-to-compose-piano-music/>.
“Principles of Part Writing.” Theory on the Web. SMU, n.d. Web. 17 Nov. 2011. <http://smu.edu/totw/
partwrit.htm>.
“Securing the copyrights of songs, music & lyrics.” Songrite Copyright Registration Office . N.p., 2011.
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Viemeister, Jane L. “Teaching Composition to Piano Students.” Piano Education. N.p., 29 Sept. 2011.
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