Musical Development
Extending your music from 15 seconds to 5 minutes
$99 $49
Lifetime access
“I can come up with a simple idea, but I don’t know where to take it next”
Sound familiar? If you’ve ever had a strong starting point but weren’t sure how to carry it forward, you’re not alone. That’s what this course is all about.
This course will help you come up with short, simple ideas and transform them into a fully developed piece of music. We’ll focus on practical techniques suitable for all genres, and keep things creative and driven by interactive self-assessment so you’re not studying endlessly without tangible results.
course structure
module 1
Let's Get Started
Let’s get you set up and ready to go. We’ll install a collection of free and accessible software instruments so you can follow us every step of the way, provide you with a Cubase and Logic Pro DAW template, and show you how to get the most out of this course.
module 2
Developing Your Musical Ideas
Here we'll explore how to expand your starting idea into a suite of musical ideas, finding new melodies, evolving harmonies, and shaping texture and arrangement so you'll have a solid foundation of ideas ready to develop further.
module 3
Using Musical Structures
Arrange your ideas into clear musical structures. Analyse examples from other composers and analyse them, then apply what you’ve learned to your own ideas. The goal here is to show how different approaches to structure can give your music shape and momentum.
module 4
Process-based Composition
Use repeating patterns and layers, and evolve textures over time. This is all about letting layers grow organically. This opens up a vast range of new creative possibilities favoured by minimalist and modern cinematic composers.
module 5
Theme and Variations
You'll learn how composers restate themes through melody, harmony, rhythm, and texture, and we’ll focus on structures and forms that utilise this as a core development tool. This gives you tools to expand your musical voice and create even more varied, yet cohesive, compositions.
module 6
What's Next?
Finish your course with a short quiz to assess your progress, taking a moment to reflect upon what you've learned and think about possible next steps.
Learn from an Emmy-nominated composer
Practical, hands-on learning
Learn by doing
We’ve kept every tutorial as practical and creative as possible, giving you clear steps to complete with recognisable creative checkpoints.
A DAW template built of free instruments
Download our course template (in Logic Pro or Cubase) built entirely of free software instruments, so you can compose in-step with us without getting stuck building your own project and instrumentation from scratch.
Driven by interactivity
Watching tutorials can only get you part of the way – the best way to learn is by doing it yourself. This course will make you to check in with yourself every step of the way, to make sure you're not pushing ahead and leaving valuable skills behind.
Join the community on Discord
This ThinkSpace Interactive course includes lifetime access to our ever-growing community of music makers on Discord. You can chat to other people taking the course, pick up and share tips, and grow your network. You can also share your MinusONEs and other projects from the course to gain useful feedback and pointers from your peers.
Don’t worry if you’ve never used Discord before, it’s simple to get set up, and totally free.
courses delivered to over 50,000 students
"It is a holy grail of knowledge that I have never seen in over 35 years in the music world."
“Comprehensive and entertaining, with great teaching materials and a great community in the background.”
"A supportive organisation that prioritises developing the students’ skills in a genuine way."
“Guy is an engaging, down-to-earth teacher who explains things clearly with just the right amount of humour.”
“You’re not just there, but right in the middle of the action.”
"It’s all really practical stuff and very likely not what you would think of without guidance."
Buy today, start & REVISIT anytime
- Short and decisive – practical, creative techniques to practice straight away.
- Turn one musical idea into a suite of longer, nuanced themes.
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Adapt what you’ve learned to your own genre and creative process
- Something for all learning styles – creative tasks, interactive tools, and clear analysis.
Lifetime access. Start, finish and revisit anytime.
30-day money-back policy
Frequently Asked Questions
If you have any questions not answered here, please get in touch using the contact details below and we'll get back to you.
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