I've often written new words to old songs for pure personal enjoyment. I relied on existing tunes written by others and never played them for monetary gain. Hence, no foul, no harm. I'm now ready to go beyond that level. There is a concept developing in my head for a series of songs, all linked to and revolving around a particular theme. The story lines are beginning to gel and I'm confident I can write lyrics that will make sense ... to me, at least.. The problem is the music. I can't compose music without blatently ripping off the work of others. I don't know enough musical theory and don't have the time to learn what I need to know. One possible solution I've thought about is to find someone with good theoretical skills and the ability to understand what I'm trying to get across to help me write original music and flesh it out. How easy, or how difficult is it to find the right musical collaborator? Or are there other solutions to this type of dilemma?

Bob