Posted January 24, 2015 by Ian Benedict Mia

Whether you sing while taking a shower, strum a guitar not in tune or smash your fingers on a piano – some people would definitely want to compose their own music. It may be difficult at first, but it all pays off in the end. After which, there’s this feeling of satisfaction that you were able to play an instrument and sing your very own song.

So what can help you compose better songs? What do musicians have that non-musicians don’t?

In an experiment involving three distinct groups of people, it was found that practicing improvisation leads to improved musical creativity. This means that people who try to improvise with the sounds or rhythms they make generally find it easier to compose music. For experienced musicians, you’d typically see them improvising tunes effortlessly, as if they got a whole musical piece memorized within their heads. If you want a sample of improvisation, here’s an online guitar contest, which asked participants to create their own tunes based on a standard backing track: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UoQJCuO9hfw

Now, going back to the study: the participants were composed of three distinct groups, such as musicians trained in improvisation, musicians not trained in improvisation, and non-musicians. They were asked to accomplish divergent thinking tasks and their evaluation of creativity. After the experiment, the musicians trained in improvisation were found to have higher fluency and originality compared to the other groups. It was then concluded that those who practice improvisation in music tend to be more creative and unique with their musical compositions.

How come? A study says that as humans, we are improvisational in nature. When we expand our horizons and learn many new things, we tend to develop restrictions or inhibitions in many aspects of our lives. These restrictions become more evident when we practice doing certain things without even learning all the fundamentals first. This idea suggests that musicians who are trained in improvisation initially tried to learn the essential skills in playing the guitar. After which, they attempt to create their own music with the knowledge they have gained.

So when you really want to compose good songs, be sure to learn the fundamentals first! But of course, the case is different for gifted individuals.

The study can be accessed here: http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0101568