What is Your Method?

Do you have a method for writing melodies? Harmonic progressions? Rhythms? What is your method and what did you do to learn how to do it? 

For example, I developed a method for harmonizing melodies by studying scores and learning more about chord substitution. This method allows me to compose with more attention on linear ideas without too much need for horizontal analysis while I’m writing. 

Starting with a melody, I’ll compose a bass line that compliments the melody, then as I fill in the inner voices, I’ll consider primary chords only - tonic, subdominant, dominant - to fill out the voicing.

From this, I’ll substitute chords for these primary chords (example, tonic substitutes include mediant and submediant chords and the borrowed varieties - bIII, bVI, etc.; subdominant substitutes include ii and vi and their borrowed varieties - bII, iv, bVI, VI, etc.; and dominant substitutes - v, vii^o , bVII, VII, etc.)

Knowing tendency tones of the Major and minor modes helps - #4 and b7 for the major modes (Lydian and Mixolydian); b2 and raised 6th for the minor modes (Phrygian and Dorian). Also, the tendency chords for the modes are helpful to know as well (II - Lydian; bVII - Mixolydian; bII - Phrygian; IV in Minor - Dorian).

Over time, I’ve become so used to doing this that I don’t really harmonize with the basic primary chords and easily find the chord substitute that works, simplifying my process so that I don’t feel like I’m having to do as much trial and error every time I sit down to harmonize a melodic idea. 

So that’s my method for harmonization. What’s your method, where did you learn it, and how could we learn to add it to our toolkit? Whatever your method, share it at your discretion. Let’s be better together! 

There are many many methods.

One which I find interesting (and I use) is taking ideas from jazz.

In jazz you don't put the main notes of the melody as the fundamental or fifth of the chords. Important notes use to be the third, seventh, sixth or other tensions.

For me the melody is always primary but then the harmony and the bass each can take either the secondary or tertiary roles in a composition.  Sometimes a melody will clearly outline certain chords which I completely ignore instead opting to use those tones in the melody as added tones/tensions in the resulting harmony like @Luis Hernández mentioned.  Sometimes I like to also use 7ths, 9ths, or 11ths in the bass in turn completely transforming the harmony above it into something new.  For a discussion of this go here:  Ever build harmony by stacking down?

For a discussion of melody that you might also find interesting go here:  Melody: How do you write one? Do you even need one? And will it ever be exhausted?

My preferred method is to start by working out a harmonic progression by ear rather than by writing out an unaccompanied melody. This is mainly because doing it this way gets me started with something that sounds richer and more interesting to me than a lone melody, and that puts more wind in my sails. It's also easier for me to think up interesting modulations and whatnot with a harmonic progression than it is with a melody. Once I have done that, I start writing melodies that loosely follow that framework. On strong beats, I put chord tones and suspensions; on weak beats, I use some passing tones. I then layer more melodies on top of the one I started with until I'm satisfied that I have a thick enough musical texture. That technique isn't suitable for every kind of musical structure, though; if you're writing a canon, for example, as I often do, trying to conform to a harmonic framework is likely to hamper rather than help.

The style I'm most comfortable in is impressionist relying on timbre, motifs end flexible rhythm or arhythmic. People may call it atonal though it flirts with tonality often. 

I'm reliant on CPP theory (learned in early days. Kitson Part 3 was like opening a treasure chest). What it's given me is a sense of progression, sequence and proportion, the proportion of phrases between themselves and the whole piece. It also taught vertical spacing and how to manipulate it for a particular effect, given that most verticals are dissonant.

If an idea for a new composition comes to mind I try to jot it on paper and work from there; sometimes on dark paper in pastels as wadges of colour. I like to work on paper as I can literally cut and paste and see several versions simultaneously on the table. When in ok enough shape I transfer it to the daw and make final adjustments from there. 

I sometimes write diatonic 'light music' numbers using conventional harmony and orchestration, more as a break and to keep my hand in with the conventional.