I can write songs - but I can’t compose them. What should I do?

You need to learn some basic music theory. Then, of course, you need to basically master an instrument. If you have the skills, it is recommended to practice piano or electronic keyboard. If not, guitar will also work.

Next, let’s briefly talk about how to compose the music. First you need to master some chords. For example, the main chord (starting on the first note), the subordinate chord (starting on the fourth note), the dominant chord (starting on the fifth note), and the dominant seventh chord of each major key. These four chords are the backbone of every piece of music. Next, you need to understand some rules. For example, the first chord of each piece of music must be the tonic chord, and the last three chords are generally T chords, dominant chords and tonic chords. Then, the middle part requires the cultivation of musicality. You need to select the corresponding chord accompaniment through the changes of your own melody. This should be practiced slowly. If you can't do it quickly at the beginning, you can try one by one to see which one sounds better. But there are rules, that is, the first note of each syllable must belong to that chord. Experience it for yourself and I believe you will be able to use chord accompaniment soon. The addition of chords is very demanding on the ears. If you can listen to music, it shouldn't be a problem. If not, I suggest you practice your ears more, which is also very important for composing.

The next step is to fill in. For example, if you use piano accompaniment, you may feel that it is too monotonous to always use consistent arpeggios or chords. You must learn to change the rhythm pattern at the appropriate time and stop at the appropriate time. Accompaniment to highlight the singer. In my personal opinion, although I can also play the guitar, I still feel that the piano accompaniment is more beautiful and has richer changes (of course, it may also be because my guitar skills are so bad...). There are many piano accompaniment rhythm patterns, you can learn them briefly. If you are simply accompaniment to pop music, you don’t need to have deep piano skills.

Of course, as a complete song, it also needs a prelude, interlude and ending. Since you know how to write songs, I guess you should have no problem writing these.

By combining the above, I believe you will be able to better complete a simple soundtrack for a song. If you want something more complex, you can play multiple accompaniments and combine them together. It is highly recommended to use the software cooledit.

Finally, haha, having said so much, it would be great if I could add some points!