3 Different Starting Points For Better Compositions

You start a new session and see the cursor blinking. After two hours, you have written the same eight bars four times, and the track still has no direction. You might blame a bad day or waiting for a better idea, but it is really a clear starting point problem ...

I've gone through this problem many times and now I understand that it's real, so I want to share my solution. I also noticed that every time I sat down to write, I made decisions that later shaped everything that followed. One reason for the problem is that many composers stick to what they always did or what worked recently.

You might begin with the melody or try out chord progressions, but you usually rely on habits that succeeded on the last few cues, assuming they will work again. In reality, that’s not always the case, so let's find out why a piece sometimes fights back.

You might have experienced one of these situations: the bass line doesn’t support the melody because it was written in isolation, or the groove doesn’t fit the harmony because the harmony was created first. Then, you end up spending your session moving things around in a space that was meant for something else.

This is especially important when you work outside the Diatonic system because Diatonic theory gives you a clear path which is defined by the key or the scale you pick, and you build everything else from there. However, if you work directly with intervals, you don’t have that anchor. That gives you more freedom, but it can also lead to many choices and possible confusion. 

Based on that, I’d like to suggest three simple starting points that fit the Diatonic system and the intervals. 

The 3 Starting Points

In recent years, I've found myself drawn to three starting points, each leading to different results. Let's explore them one by one. Just so you know, these starting points are only suggestions, and I'm sharing what has worked for me. Feel free to change them or use them as inspiration. 

Melody First

Most likely, this is the main element that composers start with, and that is for a good reason. A singable line is a strong musical idea that the audience can take home with them. They can whistle it and they will remember it. Harmony adds color, paints the scene, and provides a stage for the melody, while the bass supports both. In a way, everything serves the melody.

When it works: It works well for main titles or any cue you want the audience to remember. It’s great for vocal writing or pieces where the listener should be able to hum the main idea. I would say this is audience first, because the audience will remember it and they take it as a gift.

Where diatonic composers get stuck: One common problem is that people write the melody using a key and then harmonize it with triads from the same key. Additionally, if you stick to generic progressions and cadences, I can pretty much guarantee the piece will look predictable and generic on paper. The best next step is to make an outstanding production of the piece that will catch the audience's attention. Actually, the problem just moves on to the next phase.  

What interval thinking adds: I often separate my melody from harmony, and I keep my melodies singable and easy-to-follow because that’s what the audience wants to hear. Usually, I put those melodies on scales. So, in fact, the melody often follows Diatonic thinking, but when I think about harmony or accompaniment, looking at intervals opens many musical doors that go beyond the scales. So the purpose of harmony is to support the emotional direction of the melody, not the scale.

The tool: I usually begin with diatonic chord progressions, then I swap a few parts with intervals, sometimes even the whole progression. Also, techniques like scaling triads work wonders for adding the romantic, sweet sound that Disney often uses. These tools and others let me focus more on the emotion than on staying within the scale. And remember, the notes aren’t chosen randomly, but we use the harmonic series as a guide to shape the vertical structure and its stability. 

Example & Practical test: If your harmonization sounds like a hymnal, you're still thinking in key. Try transposing the harmony, and hear what happens.

Bass First

Next, let's focus on writing the bass before we add harmony or even the melody. The bass gives the music a sense of weight and points the piece in a certain direction. If you start with that, let the harmony and the melody develop from that movement.

When it works: This starting point works well for underscore or ambient pieces, or any cue where the listener feels pulled forward without noticing it. The best bass-first writing is almost "invisible," and the listener gets emotional direction without even hearing it. And the best part of all is that this whole movement doesn't scream "here comes the chord progression". It's a fantastic scoring tool.  

Where diatonic composers get stuck: One of the biggest problems is that composers often write the bass as a series of root notes, using the usual cadences like tonic, subdominant, and dominant. The motion is grammatical and predictable. Experienced composers know a few more tricks, such as tritone substitutions and using other chord tones in the bass register, but the overall outline still follows the scale.

What interval thinking adds: Using Root Cycles other than the circle of fifths is a great way to move out of a key or scale. If you think of the bass as a mix of cycles that aren’t the usual cadences, you can play freely without a key or overall scale, just temporary tonal centers that you move in and out of. This creates a repeating interval pattern that gives forward motion and a sense of gravity without defining a key center. The listener hears movement, not chord rules. 

The tools: Each root cycle has its own character, and you might want to explore the emotional effect of using them. Once you lock the base onto a root cycle for a few bars, you can add harmony on top and use the harmonic series again to decide the density and overall complexity.

Example & Practical test: Write four bass notes using the Root Cycle 2 or 3. Don't think about what key they're in, but just hear the motion. Next, add more harmonic context above each note. You can use triads or any other structures that give the feeling you want. Dissonance can also be a playful part of that mix.

Groove First

A third good choice is to focus on rhythm. You can choose a pulse, a motor, or a repeating pattern like an ostinato. Harmony and melody will develop from that groove later. The most important thing about this starting point is the energy, because it comes from rhythm, not from harmonic tension and release.

When it works: This method works well for action cues, hybrid scores, or any electronic piece that needs a gentle push forward. The listener will feel pushed forward instead of just being carried along. We also know this from classic works like Bolero by Ravel.

Where diatonic composers get stuck: Rhythms sound best when they aren't forced by harmony, and that can cause the problem in the Diatonic frame. Many composers treat the groove as a way to change chords, and the rhythm section handles the harmony while something interesting plays over it. So harmony still leads the music, and the groove is just the texture.

What interval thinking adds: When a repeating interval pattern, such as a "1+5," or a dominant intervals are used, it gives the music a clear harmonic identity through repetition and rhythm instead of chord changes. Listeners notice this quality before they understand the underlying grammar. 

The tool: Motors and pulses are very powerful. If you want to write them in a loose way, just use a single note or octaves and focus on the groove. If you want to be a little more committed, add a second or even a third pitch to the groove. You can let the pitches rise or fall over time. As long as the groove keeps everything together, the audience will follow easily, and there's no need to stick to any particular scale.

Example & Practical test: Pick two intervals and assign them to two alternating beats. Repeat for 16 bars without changing anything. Hear whether it already sounds like something.

Below, I'm showing a more advanced example of how you can use pulses and rhythm. It's a great demonstration by interval composer Marc Bercovitz.

The Starting Point Problem Most Composers Have

You may have noticed from your own experience that sometimes a cue writes itself without much effort. In that case, you probably chose a clear starting point and everything else grew around it naturally.

Listeners may not name the problem, but they feel it, and you feel it, too. As a result, the piece loses its momentum because it doesn’t know where it wants to go. This often creates frustration for the composer. So, I suggest choosing just one starting point on purpose and committing to it for the whole sketch. Let the other elements come in one at a time and let them serve the main element you chose. 

The Solution

Naturally, this brings up an important question we should answer before we write any notes:  What does this cue need to do most?

You might have heard interviews with very successful composers, like Hans Zimmer, John Williams, Alan Silvestri, Thomas Newman, and many others ... They often say to "stay on the story" and to "have an idea of what you want to write before you start." That all ties into the topic of this article. When you know the purpose of a particular cue, the whole workflow and decision-making become easier.

You can even consider taking a more unconventional starting point, like the "1+1" game, as it can help you discover musical material that isn’t overused.