Good books on music theory, composing, production etc

lookitsll

New member
I was having a discussion with my friend today that not many people actually know their theory behind what they are doing. Sure you know how to turn a few dials and knobs in FL Studio, but do you actually know what you are doing and why?

I honestly thought about this myself and I can say for a fact (because I'm a beginner also) I do not know why I turn that knob or dial all I know is I've seen it in videos and I get the sound I like from it.

So my question is this, are there any good books that you guys would recommend for me to read on music production in general? I am an EDM producer, specifically house, but I honestly just want to learn more about this craft in general and I do not want to sit through and read the thousands of books that honestly will not help me understand. Any recommendations are greatly appreciated,

thank you.
 
If you're looking for more of a straight theory approach, I would check out hooktheory.com. They have some excellent material.

As far as production, engineering, etc...

The real growth for me occurred several years ago when I got myself a personal coach / trainer who was way better than myself that I paid out of my own pocket. There is truly no better way to learn than to hire someone who has been there already and can simply say "don't do that, do this."

I personally give private lessons now, and there are tons of great people on this forum that give lessons I'm sure, as well as depending on where you live some local people as well. I would just recommend going with someone who's producing similarly to what you want to produce.

While yes, this has somewhat of a shameless plug in here about my teaching, feel no obligation to take me up on it. I just want to make you aware to NOT UNDERESTIMATE the power of private teachings.

It really comes down to this:
-You can watch youtube videos and learn a lot. But they can only take you so far. And the rate of learning can be much slower because of all the time it takes to find the material you actually want, and all the misinformation out there that may actually STEER YOU WRONG.

-You can read responses on forums from people who may or may not know what they are talking about, and that can also help a lot if you get some great responses.

-You can experiment alone in frustration for hours, making almost no progress because you simply aren't sure whether or not what you're doing is even in the right ballpark.

-Or you can get a teacher, and simply ask "How do I do this?" And they will tell you.

I'm always taking private lessons in things I want to improve on. It's just a cost I've learned is well worth it. They are usually customizable to your needs.

Just keep in mind getting a teacher isn't necessarily a 100% ALTERNATIVE to the above things. You should do ALL of them! But with a teacher, you'll also have someone to reflect that information off of. ("Hey, I just saw a video that went over _____. Does this sound right to you?")

I realize this sounds a bit like a sales pitch, but it's really just my enthusiasm for private teaching coming out. It's made a massive impact on my life (both teaching and being taught) and I think it's silly to not consider it.

No matter what you do, good luck! I hope this helps.
 
If you're looking for more of a straight theory approach, I would check out hooktheory.com. They have some excellent material.

As far as production, engineering, etc...

The real growth for me occurred several years ago when I got myself a personal coach / trainer who was way better than myself that I paid out of my own pocket. There is truly no better way to learn than to hire someone who has been there already and can simply say "don't do that, do this."

I personally give private lessons now, and there are tons of great people on this forum that give lessons I'm sure, as well as depending on where you live some local people as well. I would just recommend going with someone who's producing similarly to what you want to produce.

While yes, this has somewhat of a shameless plug in here about my teaching, feel no obligation to take me up on it. I just want to make you aware to NOT UNDERESTIMATE the power of private teachings.

It really comes down to this:
-You can watch youtube videos and learn a lot. But they can only take you so far. And the rate of learning can be much slower because of all the time it takes to find the material you actually want, and all the misinformation out there that may actually STEER YOU WRONG.

-You can read responses on forums from people who may or may not know what they are talking about, and that can also help a lot if you get some great responses.

-You can experiment alone in frustration for hours, making almost no progress because you simply aren't sure whether or not what you're doing is even in the right ballpark.

-Or you can get a teacher, and simply ask "How do I do this?" And they will tell you.

I'm always taking private lessons in things I want to improve on. It's just a cost I've learned is well worth it. They are usually customizable to your needs.

Just keep in mind getting a teacher isn't necessarily a 100% ALTERNATIVE to the above things. You should do ALL of them! But with a teacher, you'll also have someone to reflect that information off of. ("Hey, I just saw a video that went over _____. Does this sound right to you?")

I realize this sounds a bit like a sales pitch, but it's really just my enthusiasm for private teaching coming out. It's made a massive impact on my life (both teaching and being taught) and I think it's silly to not consider it.

No matter what you do, good luck! I hope this helps.

Cosign hard as hell.
Been saying this since the get-go. But I understand how hard it is finding someone willing to take time to mentor who actually knows what the hell they're talking about when it comes to electronic music.
 
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