How to Become a Successful Music Composer

Write

There are many ways to become a composer and not all of them necessarily mean that you are successful. The methods and pathways will differ drastically between each person and timing. It’s an ever-changing industry and an ever-changing artistic landscape so take everything with a pinch of salt.

One thing that everyone will agree on is, to become a composer, be it media, theatre, TV/Film, Dramatic works or kids music, you must write music. Write music whenever you can and finish pieces whenever you can, this is the best way that you can improve. Your gear, samples, microphone choice etc. is all secondary to just writing as much as you can, as regularly as you can.

Listen and Learn

The goal for any composer is to be able to write music with your own voice that is the sum of all of your musical parts. This doesn’t just happen overnight.

Actively listen to music, study scores, analyse beats, watch breakdown videos, learn to play pieces, transcribe solos. All of these acts will contribute in a small way to what you write and will take you from writing material that is derivative to something that is artistically yours.

Find your Niche

Do what you’re good at, because there are always hundreds of other composers and if you’re not top of your game then you’ll be lost in the press.

Doing what you’re good at will make your work flow faster, your compositions more interesting and useful for their end use and will significantly increase your enjoyment of the composing phase. This is not to say that you can’t get good at other genres but always put your best foot forward!

Start Small

This is a useful tip whether you are revising for an exam, learning a sport or pretty much anything else and it is doubly the case for composing music.

Do not try to write a symphony as your first piece. Write a four bar melody, orchestrate it, improve it. Do an 8 bar melody, orchestrate it, improve it. Maybe try to link those two parts and now you have a piece. No-one, from Bach to Beyoncé to Hans Zimmer, got good overnight so pace yourself.

Start with building blocks and a strong foundation - it won’t give you the instant gratification that we’re all used to in modern society but it will make you a better composer in the long term!

Connect

You can get a certain amount of the way on your own but everyone needs help. It might be that you need help learning to mix, a second pair of ears on a master, someone to help make your score a bit more legible  or, more likely, trying to make heads or tails out of your country’s royalty system and artistic funding.

There are so many auxiliary skills you need as a musician these days and plenty of grifters on the internet who will offer courses or assistance to do these things for you. Reach out to musicians in your area, most will have been in similar positions when they started out and might be willing to help, give some advice or point you in the direction of someone or an organisation who can.

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Explore More from Nick Pike

Nick Pike is a London-based composer, pianist, saxophonist, producer, and educator with over 15 years of professional experience. His music blends neoclassical piano with jazz, funk, and contemporary influences, drawing comparisons to Ludovico Einaudi, Yiruma, and Ólafur Arnalds. Alongside original compositions, Nick offers music services including scoring for film, TV, and advertising, piano and saxophone recording, arranging for strings and horns, and professional mixing and production.

Music & Albums – Original releases from solo piano to orchestral scores.

Services – Composition, recording, arranging, and production for artists, media, and brands.

Contact – Get in touch for lessons, commissions, or collaborations.