To all those well versed in music theory

D

Decyphr

New member
i don;t know really how to the piano nor do i know that much about music theory. I never have really needed to but as i further try to progress as a producer i feel that its necessary that i become somewhat knowledgeable about these things. For those whose who are well versed in music theory and production are there any particular aspects of music theory or any points that u use in ur process that help u to make every single beat unique
 
before anyone here can help you i think you will 1st have to explain what you as a producer are trying to do specifically
 
you dont need to learn piano fully to understand music thoery. Get your self a music theory book and a piano and u all set.
 
true
just learn some basic chords, chord progessions and scales
have some fun with them and sequence them
a small amount of music theory should dramatically improve the tracks you make
 
THE FIRST THING U NEED TO KNOW when ur goin to add instrumentto ur beat, is WHICH SCALE ur going to use. i found a helpful site that has all the scales and shows which keys are designated for each scale. this will help u make good music without knowing much of the theory; just use the notes within the scale for every instrument u use.
http://www.looknohands.com/chordhouse/piano/.
i recommend the Byzantine scale for those egyptian/arabian hiphop beats.
 
Music theory can not, will not, and has never made anyone sound original. This is because the whole point of music theory is to attempt to describe the music of the people that are original. And from my experience theory never did that much to inspire me either. And heres why. If your a straight male and you see a certain part of a girls anatomy you get excited right? Well now imagine your a gynecologist, you might look at a little bit different. Not that you wouldn't still get excited but I would imagine thoughts of your job might interfere every once in a while.:D So if anything I would say you already have the best tools at your disposal (on both sides of your head) so your best bet would be to develop those. Try ear training. Sh*t even yoga would probably be more helpful if it quiets down the mind chatter.

Good luck
Dj Tensai
 
djtensai said:
Music theory can not, will not, and has never made anyone sound original. This is because the whole point of music theory is to attempt to describe the music of the people that are original.
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What does music theory have to do with originality or the lack of? Music theory is just a language... a way to communicate musical ideas. It's just like English or French. What your saying would be the equivelent of saying English has never made any author sound original. It's up to the author/musician to form original ideas.

A sound grasp of theory can only help. My experience has been that the folks who denounce theory either know none, or only know some diatonic basics.
 
I was in the same boat as you. And my advice is to learn music theory, but just perfect the C and A minor scale (you'll understand that later) and learn the transpose botton on your keyboard. You will get better once you learn chord progression. Because as you grow you would want to learn how to make r&b songs, it's a producer's PROGRESSION to want to learn and understand these types of things. check out www.chordmaps.com and www.youtube.com and search for scale, chords, and beat making videos. Reading everything you can about music theory, watching tutorials and reading tutorials will knock about five years off your Trial and Error. And use the search that's here on FP. And before you take any advice from anybody on here listen to the beats that he/she makes, you'll be surprised and probably want take their advice. Good Luck on your Journey.

One last tip: Become a www.google.com or www.ask.com Pro, and learn how to find what you want for free.



This is me giving back to FP.
 
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theory never made anyone sound origional ? Bizzarre statement - try telling that to George Martin ;-)

dude, if you think that knowing music theory is nearly pointless, think again. 99% of pro producers know theory inside out.

where did u dream THAT idea from ?

the whole point of theory is to describe people who are origional?? Even more bizzarre statement !!!!
Theory is soooooooo much more than just transcription (which is what your talking about, I think). How could you ever know how to apply the right notes to a chordal progression if you dont even know what key your in ? You could work by ear, but unless your exceptionally gifted, your NOT going to have a complete picture in your head of what you COULD do.

Learning theory is something that EVERYONE who is serious about being a producer should do.

In reply to the origional question, I like to use modal phrases and syncopated rythems, largely in 4/4 or 8/8 but I like to use 6/8 and 7/8 sections to add interest to a track sometimes.

keep learning the theory dude, dispite whast others say, it can only help. Education is key.... if a particular theory stiffles a track - bin the theory - it doesnt have to rule you, but if you dont know it, the option isnt there ;-)
 
Yeah I guess your right the people who are responsible for the best music must be exceptionally gifted. Specifically my problem with theory is that its not capable of addressing all the elements that make up music. Its like science & math. While they are perfectly capable of describing our biological makeup, they fall short of describing humanity and the human spirit. I realize this sounds corny, but what is more important when it comes to music, the fact that you avoided parallel fifths or used a perfect authentic cadence instead of a mere authentic one, or is it rather that you expressed some genuine feeling and emotion that your audience can connect with. Maybe that human element fits under the heading of music philosophy which when combined with a good basis in theory might add up to a more holistic approach to music. But if I had to chose between the two fields I would definitely want an ability to grasp the latter. Unfortunatley in many acedemic enviornments only the theory is addressed and this often causes the creative potential of the students to stagnate.

D-Melt

One thing I remember clearly about theory is that Bach broke the 'rules' al the time. Our teacher told us he was alowed to but me must never try to even bend them. When I asked why he always said the same thing: "Because Bach is Better." Now I know the truth though. Its because they were his rules we were studying. So if you want to learn the "rules" of music why not make your own. Beethoven did, Lizt did, Chopin did, Picasso did....etc. etc.
 
I was searching for another post of mine and came across this. I know this thread is old, but...
djtensai said:
Yeah I guess your right the people who are responsible for the best music must be exceptionally gifted. Specifically my problem with theory is that its not capable of addressing all the elements that make up music.
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Huh? Can you be more specific? An example maybe? Other than an odd technique that a particular musician may have, I can't think of a sound that can't be expressed with theory. I'm very interested in an example if you have one.

djtensai said:
Its like science & math. While they are perfectly capable of describing our biological makeup, they fall short of describing humanity and the human spirit. I realize this sounds corny
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I don't get the connection. Music theory is simply a language, like English or French, and is designed to define sounds. If there's an event that warrants a new word, it's put in the dictionary. "Internet" comes to mind.

If a musician comes up with a technique that can't be expained with theory, a new term is created.

djtensai said:
but what is more important when it comes to music, the fact that you avoided parallel fifths or used a perfect authentic cadence instead of a mere authentic one, or is it rather that you expressed some genuine feeling and emotion that your audience can connect with.
Click to expand...
How does theory get in the way of expressing genuine feeling and emotion? In fact, knowing theory only makes it easier. If you're well versed, you'll know what chords sound sad, happy... you'll know how to creat & release tension, create excitment, establish moods.

djtensai said:
Maybe that human element fits under the heading of music philosophy which when combined with a good basis in theory might add up to a more holistic approach to music. But if I had to chose between the two fields I would definitely want an ability to grasp the latter. Unfortunatley in many acedemic enviornments only the theory is addressed and this often causes the creative potential of the students to stagnate.
Click to expand...
The human element is just that. Human. It's up to the musician's creativity. Theory can't get in the way of that.

djtensai said:
One thing I remember clearly about theory is that Bach broke the 'rules' al the time. Our teacher told us he was alowed to but me must never try to even bend them. When I asked why he always said the same thing: "Because Bach is Better." Now I know the truth though. Its because they were his rules we were studying. So if you want to learn the "rules" of music why not make your own. Beethoven did, Lizt did, Chopin did, Picasso did....etc. etc.
Click to expand...
You had a terrible teacher... or she was only teaching classical music, which is quite stagnent.

Music theory is not a set of rules. It's a language that helps communicate & describe sound. Nothing in theory says you have play particular chords or notes. It simply defines those sounds so they can be communicated. I could lay my hand blindly on a piano, and theory can explain what I played.

I think a lot of people with your opinion confuse diatonic theory with music theory as a whole. Diatonic theory tells you what notes are in a key, and what chords are diatonic to that key, ect. But there's nothing in music theory that says your music has to be diatonic. A typical jazz tune would look & sound crazy to someone that only knew diatonic theory because it would appear to break every "rule" they knew.
 
djtensai said:
Music theory can not, will not, and has never made anyone sound original. This is because the whole point of music theory is to attempt to describe the music of the people that are original. And from my experience theory never did that much to inspire me either. And heres why. If your a straight male and you see a certain part of a girls anatomy you get excited right? Well now imagine your a gynecologist, you might look at a little bit different. Not that you wouldn't still get excited but I would imagine thoughts of your job might interfere every once in a while.:D So if anything I would say you already have the best tools at your disposal (on both sides of your head) so your best bet would be to develop those. Try ear training. Sh*t even yoga would probably be more helpful if it quiets down the mind chatter.

Good luck
Dj Tensai
Click to expand...

I kinda see your point but In my opinion thats bad advice. Im going to put your example the way I think better fits the situation. Lets say your a straight male and when you see pussy you get excited, but you just dont understand how the womans mind works. If you understand how her mind works, what shes thinking, why shes thinking it, and use that to your advantage youll get a whole lot more pussy and thats the truth. Knowledge is power and understanding what your working with will always give you an advantage above those who dont.
 
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