Editorial Review
Write the songs that make the whole world sing. A step-by-step guide to writing music, this book shows musicians how to compose simple chord progressions and melodies, and leads them through more advanced compositional techniques and musical forms. Designed for composers of all types of music, it includes instruction on composing stand-alone melodies, using different scales and modes, themes and variations, orchestration, and composing for film, theater, and videogames.
-Perfect complement to The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Music Theory and The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Songwriting
-Includes a comprehensive glossary of musical terms, as well as an appendix of various computer-based composition tools
-Easy-to-use oversize trim
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Customer Reviews
Extremely Helpful book on Composing/Writing Music 
2008-01-22
This is a very useful and informative book. I already had a solid grounding and understanding of music theory, chords, scales and the like. But felt i needed help synthesizing the information into a more useable form when it came to composing music. So i looked into this book for help. I agree the first half of the book is sort of a rehash of information from the idiots guide to music theory but its still very helpful. The book does a great job of explaining the core concepts of music composition such as melodic phrasing, orchestration, setting a melody to a chord progression (and vice versa) ect.
I would recommend you have a solid understanding of music theory and notation before diving into this book since the author assumes you do and the musical examples are presented using written notation. I feel the goal of this book was to present you with the essentional knowledge needed to become a good composer and feel it delivered. If you expect in-depth information on non-traditional topics (atonality, minimalism ect.)then you might want to look elsewhere. But if your looking for a book that'll help you grasp the essentials of writing or composing music...then this is the book to get.
A useful reference. Well written, well organized 
2008-01-19
This is a very readable guide on how to choose chords for a progression and notes for a melody. The author clearly outlines the conventions of Western music composition and opens the door to deviating from those conventions to surprise listeners and keep compositions fresh. This book won't make you an instant Beethoven or Stravinsky. But it's a good foundation for songwriters in any genre.
If the author had more to say about rhythm, the book would merit 5 stars.
excellent book 2007-10-19
It is an excellent guide for beginners and self-taught people. For those who start in the subject I recommend to buy it together with another book of the same author: 'The Complete Idiot's Guide to Music Theory'. The author writes in a concise language, and makes clear concepts that are difficult to understand in other books. It is a comprehensive guide.
Will Definately help you write music 2006-06-28
This is undoubtedly the best book i've ever read on music composition. Be warned though, if you do not have a background in basic music theory the concepts in the book may be a little confusing. However, if you read Miller's other book the guide to music theory first you should have no problem picking up the concepts in this book. I cant say enough good things about Miller. This book is full of so many great things and yet he writes in such a way that even someone with just a basic background in music can understand him. If you follow what he says you will definately be able to write your own compositions
O.K. follow-up to Music Theory 2006-03-05
This is a very good book. It elaborates on the Idiot's guide to music theory specefically in the area of composition. My only gripe is that the first half is very redundant with the previous book. Many paragraphs are identical. I would have been much happier if they had been embellished, or if the two books would have been combined into one larger volume. The book does go into much more detail later on, with topics such as rhythmic patterns etc. Still the first half doesn't even feel like a review as much as it feels like Deja Vu.
Well-written, focused on the conventional 2008-06-02
This is a well-written introduction to traditional composition. The examples are plentiful and nicely illustrate the concepts being discussed and the organization of the book has been carefully thought through. I only have a few complaints/reservations about recommending the book:
First, the book is very much focused on traditional composition techniques. That's the author's intention, and that's great for most people. However, if you're looking for a book that will help you understand the structure of modern (non-pop) music, there are probably better resources. (That said, if you have *no* background in composition, I think it is wise to read this book before trying to do unconventional things... as in, understand the rules before you break them). The author has little interest in electronica and non-diatonic compositions, so if you're looking to compose NIN- or Slayer-like stuff, then you won't be using many of the tools described in this book (though you will use some of them). There *is* a chapter on non-diatonic/chromatic composition, but the author treats these techniques primarily as a means of "spicing up" a traditional composition, rather than a separate approach to composition all together.
Second, the author's examples and approach assume that the reader has/plays the piano or keys. I am a guitarist, and while I understand that illustrating harmony/melody combinations or counterpoint, etc. is most easily done with the piano (assuming a single musician), it would be nice if the examples were chosen to be a little more generalizable. I also think one would have a very difficult time trying to work the examples in this book with any instrument that cannot play chords. Again, this is reasonable given the topic, but prospective buyers/readers should understand ahead of time.
Finally, the author seems a little unsure of where to begin with music theory. On the one hand, he asserts that readers should have a basic understanding of theory (and repeatedly endorses his own book on the topic... blech). However, some of the material covered in the text seems rather basic. Perhaps the overlap between theory and composition is just to gray to make a clean division, but I found the pace of discussion on theory a little uneven.
Overall, a good book and worth the price. Just be aware of the author's intent and the scope of the book before you buy.
great book 2008-04-23
I have just read this book completely. I think its a great book with expert ideas. Excellent choice from beginner to intermediate composers.
Simple training for a complex topic 2008-04-11
I'm an advanced right brained musician (I've been playing for 20 years but never really gave much thought to theory). This book was just the thing to connect that other side of the brain and now I can start forming some structure out of my playing. The book takes a complex subject and boils it down to the necessities. It's got to be tough to describe abstract concepts like musical phrasing but this book does a good job. Get it if you want to write songs, or even if you just like to jam.
a gift 2008-03-30
This was bought for my daughter - she teaches a variety of age levels a huge variety of music. She will use the book to guide her in teaching composition - so as not to forget something important, or give her the variety of words that make it easier to understand at a variety of age levels.
Excellent resource. 2008-02-19
Easy to go through. Excellent grasp of the material and gives easy building blocks. Very helpful for me.
