j.troup
New member
Yup...Minor chords and scales. Try playing 2 white keys and a black key. You'll get scary.
How can one make scary, dark, ominous chord progressions IN HIP HOP
- Thread starter Robot Sunset Extreme
- Start date
Yup...Minor chords and scales. Try playing 2 white keys and a black key. You'll get scary.
Robot Extreme you might be thining too hard in terms of tension and release. Particularly you can play around with Diminished Chords and the Whole Half and Half Whole Diminished Scales as those are known to be very "dark" and "HEAVY".
I wouldn't go that far though you can get evil enough with just minor's.
Meanwhile I wouldn't consider anything evil about any of these songs. Maybe I've just been listening to too much TM:101 though -- thermin sounding leads is what I instantly visualize when I think of "evil".
Shawty Redd on the track!
I wouldn't go that far though you can get evil enough with just minor's.
Meanwhile I wouldn't consider anything evil about any of these songs. Maybe I've just been listening to too much TM:101 though -- thermin sounding leads is what I instantly visualize when I think of "evil".
Shawty Redd on the track!
Robot Sunset Extreme
New member
suddenly shawty redd tracks go even harder cuz you know it's coming from someone who honestly had a killer instinct I guess...
hahahahahaha
I know an online dude who knows Shawty personally, he has a few TM103 tracks he's done but thankfully (and sadly) he isn't leaking them.
I always liked how Shawty stepped it up on TM102, nothing was ****ing with Hypnotize and J.E.E.Z.Y.
but back on topic: MINOR scales should get you a darker feel. diminished sound heavy to me and I try not to use a diminished chord unless it's an extended dominant / V-vii type of deal.
when I hear Dminor -- I hear it as a dark ass key, plus I be hovering around the 3rd, 6th and 7th's in melody to bring out that minor quality.
I know an online dude who knows Shawty personally, he has a few TM103 tracks he's done but thankfully (and sadly) he isn't leaking them.
I always liked how Shawty stepped it up on TM102, nothing was ****ing with Hypnotize and J.E.E.Z.Y.
but back on topic: MINOR scales should get you a darker feel. diminished sound heavy to me and I try not to use a diminished chord unless it's an extended dominant / V-vii type of deal.
when I hear Dminor -- I hear it as a dark ass key, plus I be hovering around the 3rd, 6th and 7th's in melody to bring out that minor quality.
B
biggrome
Guest
suddenly shawty redd tracks go even harder cuz you know it's coming from someone who honestly had a killer instinct I guess...
My theory is correct.
B
biggrome
Guest
I can make a darker beat than anybody in here talking music theory...
... waits.
... waits.
N
normalisboring
Guest
Why not have the two? You know, dark and BRIGHT?
Here's an example:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Quh1sytFuqI
Danjahandz has sort of mastered juggling two moods in the same song.
But yeah, to sound dark all you gotta do is play with lower keys.
As in, piano keys go from left to right. Extreme left is dark, extreme right is bright.
All you gotta do is whip something up in the middle, I guess.
Here's an example:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Quh1sytFuqI
Danjahandz has sort of mastered juggling two moods in the same song.
But yeah, to sound dark all you gotta do is play with lower keys.
As in, piano keys go from left to right. Extreme left is dark, extreme right is bright.
All you gotta do is whip something up in the middle, I guess.
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Isk2009
DamnSonWhere'dYaFindThis?
If you wanna be lazy just take a low octave string synth pan it to the sides and throw some REEEE...verb on that B!tch. As far as chords go I don't know a damn thing about chord theory, I just know the sound I'm looking for in the end. Thats why I wanna take music theory class, I suck with by the book definitions and such.
noblewordz
sexing your mother
Sample...
ALC on the beat..
.. feminine types look away now..
ALC on the beat..
.. feminine types look away now..
Yea I agree with this post none of the joints you posted are what I really consider evil or really dark. These joints are what I would consider more along those lines
Sean Teezy- Da Motto
http://downsouthhiphop.com/audio/sean-teezy-da-motto-audio.html
[video=youtube;9XUzdlHH08Q&feature=related]video[/video]
As far as getting that sound like some people said before a good way to start is using thermin whistles, bells, choirs, brass, piano, organs, high pitched saw synths. A quick way to get to make something sound evil is to play a melody or chord in a minor scale then either transpose up or down a half step, D rich, Shawty Redd, and Lex Lugar do that all the time. Watch scary movies like Nightmare on Elm Street, The Omen, Silent Hill, Halloween, ect and try to replay the music. Mess around with augmented and diminshed progressions and chords (those can be very scary sounding maybe to much for hip hop if not done correct)Try making your beat sound like movie scores can help too......
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Robot Sunset Extreme
New member
so the d minor scale is definately doing that effect for me lol.
actual diminished chords are less about dark and rather a weakness I guess.... ?
On that extended diminished though it gives a kind of contemplative mystery rather than evil? I think I see what you're saying.
So am I getting this right: the effect is primarily achieved with finding the right minor chords and mixing in melodies with a lot of half steps on the sharps? (aka a couple white keys with a black key lol)
well there's never just one way of doing things. I can achieve what I think is an evil ass sound in major with just the right sounds & samples from jumpstreet.
As far as the diminished observations go, it's all up to your ear and how you hear them. I hear diminished chords as heavy, you may hear them as weak. in different contextes things become chameleon. I know in general diminished chords are unstable as fvck.
I don't get the "melodies with a lot of half steps on the sharps" part. but those are probably the notes that make minor sound the way it does that you're referring to. (I.E - b3rd, b6th, b7th).
As far as the diminished observations go, it's all up to your ear and how you hear them. I hear diminished chords as heavy, you may hear them as weak. in different contextes things become chameleon. I know in general diminished chords are unstable as fvck.
I don't get the "melodies with a lot of half steps on the sharps" part. but those are probably the notes that make minor sound the way it does that you're referring to. (I.E - b3rd, b6th, b7th).
deRaNged 4 Phuk'dup
Moderator
Ooooowwww......
F**k theory.
No samples, don't ask me how I did it, I closed my eyes, gritted my teeth tighter and tighter, nodded my head harder and harder with each note while holding my breath until it was done. My heart was beating fast by the time I was done with the progression and I had a headrush.
Put down the books and black out!
For the record, I don't think i could make a "happy beat" on purpose. I've made a couple by accident. Dark is kinda my thing. It's not in the Keys and chords...It's in your soul.
F**k theory.
No samples, don't ask me how I did it, I closed my eyes, gritted my teeth tighter and tighter, nodded my head harder and harder with each note while holding my breath until it was done. My heart was beating fast by the time I was done with the progression and I had a headrush.
Put down the books and black out!
For the record, I don't think i could make a "happy beat" on purpose. I've made a couple by accident. Dark is kinda my thing. It's not in the Keys and chords...It's in your soul.
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Robot Sunset Extreme
New member
cool well I thought this thread was helpful but now it wont be seen.
I guess all those dipset examples werent hip hop related enough.
Props on that track deranged! its tight.
I always thought it was cool how you worked with yukmouth. When I used to live in San Lorenzo I used to have a friend who used to make me listen to him all the time. Maybe I heard your stuff without knowing it lol.
I guess all those dipset examples werent hip hop related enough.
Props on that track deranged! its tight.
I always thought it was cool how you worked with yukmouth. When I used to live in San Lorenzo I used to have a friend who used to make me listen to him all the time. Maybe I heard your stuff without knowing it lol.
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deRaNged 4 Phuk'dup
Moderator
^^^Why won't it be seen? I'm asking because I looked for it and couldn't find it. Did I accidently block it or something?
Oh, somebody switched where it was i'm guessing? Not me.
Oh, somebody switched where it was i'm guessing? Not me.
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Robot Sunset Extreme
New member
I guess its cool that it was moved here, maybe some imput from other members who arent in the hip hop section will add something cool
its just that I specifically needed chord information strictly for hip hop. my problem in nature was that I keep getting info for chords in a non hip hop environment.
moving it here defeats the purpose of hip hop heads who like dipset stuff giving me help. they never come to the theory area cuz they dont really use theory that much barely anyway lol.
Maybe it could be moved back? I believe that is fair...
and helpful for others who might wonder the same thing I was.
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deRaNged 4 Phuk'dup
Moderator
^^^Have you tried just "banging on keys" a little? Know it sounds crazy, but what do you have to lose?
jay_jizle
needs more cowbell...
As usual you're making it harder than it is.
Chords are chords. There's no such thing as "chords in a non hip hop environment". Some of the hottest tracks follow chords sampled out of different genres including classical.
Sound selection and style of playing help dictate the overall sound a lot too. Short, staccato notes opposed to long, vibrato notes give drastically different sounds/feels, as well as use of different instruments in different octaves. A distorted guitar playing the same chords as a string section will have a different sound/feel. While, a string section playing at different octaves have drastically different sounds even playing the same chords.
For a scary, ominous sound, try starting with a big low end instrument. Maybe a crunchy or buzzy synth, string, piano, bass or horns. Layer them if you want. Then contrast that with something in the high end at the end of every bar or 2. A little tinkle of piano keys here and there, or a few high string stabs.
Then for an eerie background effect use a sine wave pitched high with a lfo on the volume that has a slow attack so it fades into a little "wobble". Make it sit nice in the background, real subtle-like.
Try this chord progression: Cm - Bdim - G - Cm 1st inversion (the G is the root note of the chord). It's not really scary, or ominous, but has kind of a sad, mournful, almost sinister sound with a hopeful resolve to it depending on instrumentation.
There's tons of ways to go about it. Stop thinking strictly hip hop and start thinking music.
Also, just because you're in the key of Dm, you're still using a few major chords depending on the progression. Don't think just because it's a minor key, it's totally made up of minor chords. One of your comments sounded like that's what you were thinking. Different sounds require the right mix of all different types of chords. Notice the progression I listed contains minor, major, diminished, and inverted chords.
Told you no hate on FP. Don't say I never gave you nothing.
Chords are chords. There's no such thing as "chords in a non hip hop environment". Some of the hottest tracks follow chords sampled out of different genres including classical.
Sound selection and style of playing help dictate the overall sound a lot too. Short, staccato notes opposed to long, vibrato notes give drastically different sounds/feels, as well as use of different instruments in different octaves. A distorted guitar playing the same chords as a string section will have a different sound/feel. While, a string section playing at different octaves have drastically different sounds even playing the same chords.
For a scary, ominous sound, try starting with a big low end instrument. Maybe a crunchy or buzzy synth, string, piano, bass or horns. Layer them if you want. Then contrast that with something in the high end at the end of every bar or 2. A little tinkle of piano keys here and there, or a few high string stabs.
Then for an eerie background effect use a sine wave pitched high with a lfo on the volume that has a slow attack so it fades into a little "wobble". Make it sit nice in the background, real subtle-like.
Try this chord progression: Cm - Bdim - G - Cm 1st inversion (the G is the root note of the chord). It's not really scary, or ominous, but has kind of a sad, mournful, almost sinister sound with a hopeful resolve to it depending on instrumentation.
There's tons of ways to go about it. Stop thinking strictly hip hop and start thinking music.
Also, just because you're in the key of Dm, you're still using a few major chords depending on the progression. Don't think just because it's a minor key, it's totally made up of minor chords. One of your comments sounded like that's what you were thinking. Different sounds require the right mix of all different types of chords. Notice the progression I listed contains minor, major, diminished, and inverted chords.
Told you no hate on FP. Don't say I never gave you nothing.
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Robot Sunset Extreme
New member
As usual you're making it harder than it is.
Chords are chords. There's no such thing as "chords in a non hip hop environment". Some of the hottest tracks follow chords sampled out of different genres including classical.
Sound selection and style of playing help dictate the overall sound a lot too. Short, staccato notes opposed to long, vibrato notes give drastically different sounds/feels, as well as use of different instruments in different octaves. A distorted guitar playing the same chords as a string section will have a different sound/feel. While, a string section playing Bat different octaves have drastically different sounds even playing the same chords.
For a scary, ominous sound, try starting with a big low end instrument. Maybe a crunchy or buzzy synth, string, piano, bass or horns. Layer them if you want. Then contrast that with something in the high end at the end of every bar or 2. A little tinkle of piano keys here and there, or a few high string stabs.
Then for an eerie background effect use a sine wave pitched high with a lfo on the volume that has a slow attack so it fades into a little "wobble". Make it sit nice in the background, real subtle-like.
Try this chord progression: Cm - Bdim - G - Cm 1st inversion (the G is the root note of the chord). It's not really scary, or ominous, but has kind of a sad, mournful, almost sinister sound with a hopeful resolve to it depending on instrumentation.
There's tons of ways to go about it. Stop thinking strictly hip hop and start thinking music.
Also, just because you're in the key of Dm, you're still using a few major chords depending on the progression. Don't think just because it's a minor key, it's totally made up of minor chords. One of your comments sounded like that's what you were thinking. Different sounds require the right mix of all different types of chords. Notice the progression I listed contains minor, major, diminished, and inverted chords.
Told you no hate on FP. Don't say I never gave you nothing.
thanks bro I respect the kindness. Appreciate that.