Genres and Scales/Chords...???

C

Chew_Bear

New member
So...This month has really been eye opening and very informative for me as I have started to stop watching/learning DAW/production videos and am really focused on music theory now.

Which is way more important than mixing/mastering/general production stuff. I.E. You can't polish a turd.

Just saw a video and many forum threads about scales and chords and how certain genres (i.e. EDM ones) actually are written in specific scales and chords.

I am confused because...generally speaking, I always thought that there was way more Freedom in music theory arrangement/composition. I.E. You can choose any scale/chords from music theory for your music, regardless of genres/styles.

Therefore...

1. Can someone explain why this is and the general theory behind it...???

2. If I am trying to fall into/emulate a certain genre/style...Should I try and stick with the scales/chords that have always worked for that particular genre...???

3. How do you find out which scales and chords fit best for a particular genre/style...???

4. I want to work with the Minor Pentatonic scale. Will this scale work with Dubstep, Trap, Future Bass genres...???

In the end...You can still do whatever you want scale/chord wise, regardless of genres/styles/music...right...??? i.e. If it sounds good...its good.

Please skool me...!? Thanks.
 
Hey Chew_Bear,

1. A QuickFix course for that is on my list and should be released soon :)

2. There's actually just 2 scales you need to worry about (for the most part): Minor (and, to a lesser extent in EDM, Major). With these two scales you can emulate pretty much any style there is (unless you want to go Classical or Jazz).

3. See #2 - it's usually Major (in simple terms: the happy one) or Minor (the sad one). The scales go 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 (Major) and 1 - 2 - b3 - 4 - 5 - b6 - b7 (Minor), so in C that would be c, d, e, f, g, a, b or c, d, eb, f, g, ab, bb.

4. The Minor Pentatonic scale is basically a Minor scale without the 2 and b6. It's called PENTAtonic because it has 5 notes. In theory, it's a great scale for coming up with melodies(! - it's pretty useless for creating chords) because it only uses the most pleasant intervals. But my advice is: Forget about Pentatonic scales for now and first learn Major and Minor, understand those fully and then move on to major and minor pentatonic scales. Then, if you're still up for it, look into church modes (dorian, phrygian, etc). I will make workshops on those soon as well.

5. Yes, if it sounds good, it's good. BUT: What sounds good to you might not sound good to everyone - that's where music theory helps.

Best,
Friedemann

P.S. You were asking about melody writing... I finally released my Hook/Melody Master Files!! Check 'em out here (incl. Soundcloud Demos of the hooks we'll be writing).
 
I would not say there are rules you should follow but I would say there are suggestions that you should follow if you don't know what you doing

a genre has to have its own clues to be identified as one genre, but that doesn't stop you making something else

I mean you can combine something that people never seen before, like a mix between 3 different genres that has never been made before

its music, you can do whatsoever you like, nobody can tell you wrong

but there are suggestions, and there are some kind of " rules " how something is supposed to sound like for example if you aim to make a "TRAP BEAT " it has to have trap clues like 808 or whatsoever, there are those that you identify that YEAH, this is a cool TRAP BEAT
 
Chew_Bear said:
Just saw a video and many forum threads about scales and chords and how certain genres (i.e. EDM ones) actually are written in specific scales and chords.

I am confused because...generally speaking, I always thought that there was way more Freedom in music theory arrangement/composition. I.E. You can choose any scale/chords from music theory for your music, regardless of genres/styles.
Click to expand...

Don't believe everything you read on forums. I don't think this is true. Generally people define genre by drum pattern (into house/techno, drum and bass, dubstep/garage etc) then they subdivide by the mood/ sound design. Genres are very rough anyway, they all blend into each other.

You're right, you can choose any scale/chords from music theory for your music regardless of style.

Another thing to note is try not to 'follow' genres. Make the music first, then decide what genre fits it best later.

P.S. I still haven't seen any music from you. When do we get to hear all the stuff you've been working on?
 
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Hey Chew_Bear,

To clarify what scrapheaper and I mean when we say "you can choose any scale or chords":
Once you've chosen a scale or chords, you should stick with them for a while. Don't jump from
one scale to another wild chord all the time. Pick a scale and use the chords from that scale
(using chords based on the scale you're using gives you a more pleasing, commercial sound -
you don't want to use chords that don't fit your scale).

Changing scales mid-song is called "modulation" and doing it well is tricky. But yes, you can pick any
scale to start with, regardless of the genre.

BUT AGAIN: This will usually be major or minor, so these scales are a good place to start with.

Best,
Friedemann
 
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