I Have A Workflow Problem

DrCIH

DrCIH

New member
Hay guys,
I've been producing for an year right now and think I need a new approach. My problems right now are those:
When I start a track I have no idea what I'm going to write. I just say to myself "OK now lets get the chord progression". I almost always start with the progression or the drums. Then I say "lets put a Gm here" and try to guess the second chord that will fit. Of course I stay in key, I am familiar with the theory basics. Then what I come up with is something that sounds good. But is guessed and made to the point where it's somehow fitted. Not composed. If I ever come up with a progression in my head my greatest problem is that I forget it by the moment I try to put it in the DAW. Or when I'm hitting the notes and try to guess if its Dm or first inversion ot Gmaj what's in my head changes and it becomes worse than the original, but acceptable. So tell me guys how to get over this. How are the great tracks composed musically? How they come up with the chords so that they have a mood and express it? THe downs and ups in it. Is it better to almost always write what is in your head instead of guessing what sounds decent? Help me get over with this. If here is some site with articles or book about composing, but not just fundamentals please give it to me. My other problem is even if I have something in my head I start with creating the synth for it an forget it in the process. Sometimes it takes me 20 sec to get a synth, simetimes its an hour.

Beste regards,
Kostadin
 
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Staring at the DAW like it's a blank slate can be frustrating. I try to have an idea in my head going into a session. I've even sung the melodies into my voice recorder app, and talk about feel, speed, and all that so I can listen later and re-create it. But other times I sit down at the keys and start playing around until I find something nice.

Also, while knowing the theory of what you're playing can help, it can also hinder you. If you feel like you have to stay inside a certain box according to some rules, you're already limiting your creativity.

Basically, don't force things. Play what you feel.
 
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DrCIH said:
Hay guys,
I've been producing for an year right now and think I need a new approach. My problems right now are those:
When I start a track I have no idea what I'm going to write. I just say to myself "OK now lets get the chord progression". I almost always start with the progression or the drums. Then I say "lets put a Gm here" and try to guess the second chord that will fit. Of course I stay in key, I am familiar with the theory basics. Then what I come up with is something that sounds good. But is guessed and made to the point where it's somehow fitted. Not composed. If I ever come up with a progression in my head my greatest problem is that I forget it by the moment I try to put it in the DAW. Or when I'm hitting the notes and try to guess if its Dm or first inversion ot Gmaj what's in my head changes and it becomes worse than the original, but acceptable. So tell me guys how to get over this. How are the great tracks composed musically? How they come up with the chords so that they have a mood and express it? THe downs and ups in it. Is it better to almost always write what is in your head instead of guessing what sounds decent? Help me get over with this. If here is some site with articles or book about composing, but not just fundamentals please give it to me. My other problem is even if I have something in my head I start with creating the synth for it an forget it in the process. Sometimes it takes me 20 sec to get a synth, simetimes its an hour.

Beste regards,
Kostadin
Click to expand...

this is why i'm partially scared to learn music theory ^^^^... making music like that instead of using what your ears tell you approach must stress you out... i know i would be
 
Not much to do than be patient and slowly evolve in this. There have been dozens of moments for me before where I have gotten frustrated just like you, but as time progressed it didn't fade as quickly anymore.

One thing you could do is before you lay down the melody or chord, you try to play it in your head and repeat - but very slowly, so you may hear a little better on how many semitones up or down you may be dealing with when changing chord/note.

Further on - start with the big picture if it's possible = the "bass" melody, and the main lead melody, and so on. Start with whatever is the most necessary notes and chords for you to keep your idea and emotion alive.
 
you need to do a few things all related

ear training:
learning to recognise chords
as individual triads (major, minor, augmented, diminished) and extended chords (7ths, 9ths, 11ths, 13ths, 6/9) tied to the basic triads
in a key as they flow from one to another, including the appearance of parallel key chords as well as secondary dominants and other special function chord types

learning to recognise melodic sequences
as individual melodic pairs (i.e. melodic intervals)
as a larger set of of such pairs either via scale/mode placement or an extension of the previous line

learning to recognise rhythmic ideas
as individual beat groupings
as larger groupings of beats

if you can do these things (try teoria.com) by listening to other music then it becomes a very small step to being able to do it with what you hear in your head
 
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This is really the most frustrating thing about making music. I think all the advice above is great.

I get annoyed to hell when I have an idea in my head, but I can't get it to translate out of my speakers. It's easily killed a lot of sessions to the point I do something else. Still happens a lot; can't forget that frustration is also a part of music.

But some of my best stuff, in my opinion, has come from free flowing and messing around with notes and sounds. Subconsciously using music theory, but not restricting myself to it. Slowly, an idea will take shape and I'll continue to work on it piece by piece until it starts to sound good.

Not much I can really recommend other than playing what comes.
 
One thing you can do is pull out your phone and hum or whistle the melody. Your brain will come back to the idea when you play it back later. As for the blank DAW deal that happens alot now because alot of people didn't start with a physical instrument so they don't know how to jam or just vibe. I started playing guitar 10 years ago and jammed with friends and that's really kind of lost these days. Every one just locks themselves in their fortress of solitude until they either get frustrated and quit or wil a song into existence. Collaboration is something to try. Inspiration comes from outside forces.
 
tomkillsjerry said:
One thing you can do is pull out your phone and hum or whistle the melody. Your brain will come back to the idea when you play it back later. As for the blank DAW deal that happens alot now because alot of people didn't start with a physical instrument so they don't know how to jam or just vibe. I started playing guitar 10 years ago and jammed with friends and that's really kind of lost these days. Every one just locks themselves in their fortress of solitude until they either get frustrated and quit or wil a song into existence. Collaboration is something to try. Inspiration comes from outside forces.
Click to expand...

+1
 
I have a million 30 second clips where I hum a melody or a bass line or guitar part that I come up with, specifically so that I don't forget it. The voice recording app on the iphone is a lifesaver, because I tend to approach music like you do.

I'm still getting the hang of DAWs and recording music in general, but I've been a musician for 10 years. Any time you feel inspired, you gotta jot down or record that inspiration as quickly as possible, then you can go back and listen later on and see if you start to develop other ideas, and eventually these ideas will turn into an actual composition.
 
uhg..I had a melody in my head the entire walk home from school today and I was literally whistling it over and over and over again. Like 25 minutes straight as I'm walking home. Thought for sure I had it locked in and id be able to translate it to my daw. As soon as i walked into my apartment my phone rang and i forgot i was whistling the melody...got off the phone.. Totally didn't even realize I stopped whistling the melody until I was sitting on the couch. Now its gone. So damn frustrating.

Not much of a contribution to the thread but this discussion just reminded me of that haha
 
Thank you so much for your answers and help.
I've heard the part of recording, but believe it or not I have no smartphone. Instead I do have 5 computers at home, three of which are laptops. I'm a computer specialist, but outside I want to be with people, not computers.
IPM Music,
the most interesting thing is. I now never use preset samples. Not out of the box anyway. Maybe on zebra a tend to load a preset and chnge it but by the moment I create the sound the melody in my head is gone. One thing to do about it is save your presets, which I don't do, cos I love making different synths knowing what kind of sound I am doing, but from scratch, just so it can be different. :)
Bandcoach,
I've been using this software for ear training when I was learning the guitar:
https://www.gnu.org/software/solfege/
It's got so much features. But I've been doing it all wrong. I was always going for the perfect pitch :). Not the chords, not the intervals.

So thank you for your help, all of you. I will stick to your advices :).
Best regards,
Kostadin
 
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