Level 5 (like Grade 5) · Unit 24 of 24

Write your own music

Compose your own tunes by simple rules, play them back, save them and turn them into lessons or class play-alongs.

By the end you will be able to:

compose a short tune that keeps simple rules
write it neatly with complete bars
play it back and improve it

Learn

Question and answer

Many tunes are built from two halves: a question phrase that ends “unfinished” (often on the 2nd or 5th note of the scale) and an answer phrase that ends on the key note. Try a 2-bar question and a 2-bar answer.

Simple rules that work

Start on a note of the key chord (1, 3 or 5).
Move mostly by step, with the odd leap – and after a leap, step back the other way.
Repeat a rhythm you like: repetition makes music memorable.
End on the key note.

What Classfern marks

In the composing tasks Classfern checks the rules: complete bars, the start and end notes, notes in the key, the size of leaps and the variety of note lengths. Whether the tune is beautiful is up to you – play it back and trust your ears. Your free compositions are not marked at all.

Your turn

Watch and listen, then practise with new questions every time – reading questions, and writing tasks you answer on the stave. Take the check when you are ready: 80% passes the unit.

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Level 5 is like Grade 5 music theory. These are Classfern’s own levels, not an exam board’s. Questions are made and marked by rules in your browser.