It is useful to know how what you like works. Any art becomes much more interesting if you are aware of how its works from the inside.
By replacing stupid contemplation with exploration, we, in general, become the smarter song writer. And if earlier it took too much to study the arts, now just a computer with a couple of accessories is enough - and now you are ready to do something with your own hands.
For example, to master the basic skills of composing music, which then maybe someone wants to listen to. Or buy.
It won't work because I have no education
Firstly, you are too old to enter a children's music school, and secondly, they will most likely not teach you anything good there.
Statistically, most of the people who graduated from the children's music school threw the instrument out the window immediately after the graduation concert and recalls all these endless exercises with hatred and heavy sighs.
Of course, the theoretical part is extremely useful, but you can move on to it later, when you realize that the degree of your interest implies a corresponding immersion in the question.
I can't read from a sheet
Remember a simple thing: musical notation was invented at a time when humanity did not even have a hint of sound recording technology.
For great composers, all these hooks, dots and stripes were the only way to capture the melody just invented and convey it to the performers.
Even 10 years ago this was still a problem, but now you can record music even on an iPhone, and then collect something sane from the drafts.
Nevertheless, knowledge of musical notation is also a very useful theoretical skill. Leave it for later.
Basic kit
If you do not own any musical instrument, but really want to pour out your soul in the form of ordered sounds, it will be enough to buy a laptop and a MIDI keyboard, and then decide on the program in which you will work.
If you're on Windows, try out basic FL Studio ($ 100, free demo) first. And on MacBooks, Garage Band is installed by default, it's more than enough.
The keyboard is primarily needed for clarity. An experienced composer does not need it for work: a person with experience is able to go into the editor and write music in complete silence, like an html programmer.
For those who want to understand how everything works here, and what sounds it makes, the instrument from which children begin to study music will come in handy. Here is "before", here is "salt" - everything is much more obvious on the keys than on the guitar with its peculiar logic.
What to do next
Armed with everything you need, first you should try to repeat those you like. For example, if you decided to take an interest in the profession of a musician because of Depeche Mode, it makes sense to try to “shoot” a couple of their hits, at least in fragments.
Yes, children in music schools do the same: they either play circular exercises, or learn the works of the greats. But you and I have our greats, right? Choose a simple song, try to catch the melody and repeat it by pressing the keys. We promise: during the first dozen approaches, you will feel like a complete idiot - it sounds simple, but in performance all this is at least not comfortable.
After a while, a habit will develop, fingers will stretch and confidence will appear; the main thing is not to retreat. Otherwise, the only conclusion you can make is that making music is difficult.
Although this is not the case. If you know how the composition works, the only thing that stops you from writing a hit of the level “Don't rub salt on my wound” is your own imagination, nothing more.
Just Click On buttons
Once you're done, start your music machine as often as possible and play what you have memorized. Sooner or later this will lead to the fact that you will become bolder and begin to improvise, enriching (rather, swearing) other people's sketches with your own.
Accidental hits on some previously unknown notes will lead to the fact that you learn to compose - at first very simple things, and then more and more complex ones.
Don't take it too seriously
The main mistake of everyone who starts doing something simply out of love for art is that such people suddenly start to make a serious face and tell others that they are "indie" or "musicians". You are not this one - you are just an inquisitive amateur. Take all the criticism into account and treat it humbly - well, really, can you really count on rapid recognition if you literally heard for the first time yesterday how a virtual grand piano sounds from under your hands?
group
If you suddenly realized that this is exactly what you wanted all your life, and from a momentary hobby music has grown into a more or less serious priority, hire a tutor. Now that you have a basic understanding of how everything works, you can safely go to learn more professional things.
At the same time, there is no need to give up on yourself if someone close to you says that this is “not yours,” and in general you are wasting your time.
Studying music, even everyday and very superficial, develops imagination and imagination, plus, with due zeal, you will have the opportunity to earn some money from this - because now everyone around is shooting ads and making games that need sound design. Eventually, you will acquire a skill that you can later share with your children.
And your malevolent relative can only go to the store with his bags.