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[flame99]

So, I've recently gotten into writing a few simple piano pieces. I absolutely love doing it, and it's amazing to write songs like this, but frankly, I'm really, really bad at it. I want to get better at it, and I'm perfectly willing to go for the brute force "It takes 10,000 hours" method, but I was wondering if any of you might be able to point me in another, somewhat less time consuming direction by giving some tips. If you'd like, I'd be willing to post an unfinished (Though certainly my current best) piece I've been working on.

[LordBucket]

Create a simple melody with the right hand. Add chords from time to time. Play it piece by piece, identifying notes that would constitute a chord if they were added to the notes being played by the right hand, drop them a couple octaves and play those notes with the left hand instead to complete the chord, occasionally sprinkling in duplicates of the exact notes you're playing on the right hand in the same octave being played by the left.

Extra credit: syncopate occasionally.

[alamoes]

Or you could take a music theory class.  It is quite useful.  I still tend towards brute force, but now I understand that what I want is based on a combination of the circle of fifths and non-chord tones, which you would learn about in music theory.  Where would you take such a class?  I don't know, I took mine in high school.  Or you could find someone to explain said theory.  Preferably not me. 

[Tiruin]

So, I've recently gotten into writing a few simple piano pieces. I absolutely love doing it, and it's amazing to write songs like this, but frankly, I'm really, really bad at it. I want to get better at it, and I'm perfectly willing to go for the brute force "It takes 10,000 hours" method, but I was wondering if any of you might be able to point me in another, somewhat less time consuming direction by giving some tips. If you'd like, I'd be willing to post an unfinished (Though certainly my current best) piece I've been working on.

Personally here, I went in fully knowing and understanding the tones-to-keys and form an idea of a rhythm and melody out of mind, and connect it to the keys noting what to press.
Given that you know, in this scenario, what pitch the key makes and in writing--where it may be placed (due to underlying understanding of it ._.), it'd contribute to how you proceed into doing it. Like for example comparing how the melodies work in the many famous sheets being played across the world, you'll notice that its a combination of multiple keys played either at the same time, or in tandem with other keys.

But that's just personal opinion here.

Though getting professional advice is advised--they're quite more able to guide you than we are, as you could also learn from every other communicative method than text and that it'd be faster overall when doing such.

[martinuzz]

Another way I've found to work pretty well, back when I played in a band, was reverse composing.
Which means, grab your instrument(s), in your case the piano, and improvise. Record it. Listen back. Identify melodies and chords that please you. Use those as themes in your next improvisation session. Repeat untill you are satisfied with the result and know it by heart. Now write it down.

[Retropunch]

Scales, Broken chords and arpeggios.

I had the same problem, as I wanted to be able to just *play* and enjoy myself. At the time I was lucky enough to be going for lessons with an incredibly gifted concert pianist - he was literally incredible.  He improvised some absolutely awe inspiring pieces and had a really simple trick.

He picked two key signatures that worked together (there's a chart here: http://www.harmonic-mixing.com/Images/camelotHarmonicMixing.jpg) and just used the scales, broken chords and arpeggios of them together. Then he mixed 4, then 6, then 8 and by the end it was just...unbelievable, it was like he was playing hundreds of different pieces and styles of music that just flowed together.

So yeah, start with two scales, and then learn them absolutely off by heart (including broken chords and arpeggios) and then just play with them for hours. If you get a bit stuck for making it sound exciting enough, get a drum backing track (or make one) and then just play along to that on repeat. Eventually you'll come across a few awesome melodies so just repeat them a few times and write them down.

Once you get riffing between 4-6 key signatures - and have a few awesome melodies in your head - you'll be able to knock the pants off your preferred gender at a hundred paces.

[Parsely]

I'm perfectly happy playing stuff I hear when it comes to piano, I've never been interested in writing my own music, but one thing I liked to do was listen to game medleys and try to turn them into proper songs free style.

[silverskull39]

Hijacking this, does anyone have good advice/resources for learning to improvise in general?