Melody, Chord Progressions, or Drums first?

T

typhy

New member
I'm new to producing and only have made about 5 beats so far. I find myself to be already stuck/slumped. I'm having a hard time starting a beat. Normally I try to get a chord progression going first.. but for some reason I always get a really sad progression or a really happy perky progression. I've been watching a lot of Ryan Leslie videos on his youtube page and I am amazed at how easy he makes his beat seem. I can't for the life of me assemble a nice little groovy progression for a R&B type feel.

Do you guys start with progressions, melody, or drum patterns first? I hate how I'm stuck already on making beats, I've just begun! I've purchased Komplete 7 and it came Massive and Absynth and I'm sooooo lost on how to program new sounds that are actually good sounding. I guess I'm more of a preset man but I'm tired of all those presets already. I need new ideas on how to start a beat.. any help?
 
man you gotta just let it come to you... look at whatever your making beats on...say to yourself " clear your mind , be free from reality " and then just bang your head against your keyboard a couple times.. that should get all the thinking out of your head.. then just start to make a beat.. i think it helps build charachter in a young producer and surely if you hit your head hard enough you might actually get something knocking. As for me... i usally switch it up depending on my mood. Maybe if i relaxed and started to sip on a nice class of 2 buck chuck ... ill maybe flip on some porn to get the mood right. were talking sexy r and b baby. Then maybe put some lotion on your hands ... it feels wonderful and its good for the skin. If im feeling keys first, obviously im going to lay down me some keys like i would lay down one of the finest of dimes you have ever glanced upon my friend. If im feeling the drums , like i got that fire down under. Obviously im gonna knock out some drums i could **** to. You see. SEXY its all about that sexy swagg haha. You will figure it you man! just don't think about it so much and let it come to you.
 
i think thats my problem... i always try to create a very very very good beat instead of just going with the flow and continuing.
 
I think a lot of people will tell you - you just need to go with it. When I'm struggling to start work on a new track, I try work on a catchy intro or something that I can reduce to a less busy sound for the rest of the song, then add layers as I go.
 
i always build an 8 bar loop with as much as i can... that'll be my hook and then just take things away for the verses. maybe i need to switch up my workflow.
 
oh and ps. you dont allways have to make a song.. i learned that over time... sometimes its all about just programing 1 synth for 3 hours lol. or making a vocal tag or a movie intro or a wierd ****ed up mutilated sound mess.. but its fun and you use your tools ! so think about that...
 
roll up some INSPIRATION my dude B]

haha, nah but man starting out its all about your influences... possibly try listening to a song, pick out some synths you like try programing a similar synth. im not necessarily saying recreate the song, but as a beginning producer, you gotta take the time to study the different elements it takes to make a song. be it percussion; listen to all the little shakers cymbals and other bs and listen to their rhythms individually, then pick out a synth and listen how its used to shape the different sequences of a song. im just getting beyond that stage, and i still have to take a step back run through my playlist on shuffle... smoke a bit. then get to bangin! personally i prefer starting with a verse sequence. usually on the drummes, but keep it basic at the beginning. another thing you should try is focusing on using your melody to reinforce the rhythm and groove of the song.
hope that help, cuz i been there, and still get stuck. but there aint nothin that breaks down my creative block like a good ole fire stik! phaha
 
sometimes just do a very nice drum pattern with alot of percussion( hi hat,shaker,crash,toms,noises,) and get into it and try to find a synth that kinda matches the same texture of the drums. Or like me lately i been going pretty hard on the piano and i do that first for a good melody foundation and then add the drums and everything else. But seriously if your just starting out its gonna take time man and you cant be hard on yourself cause that will only get you thinking more and second guessing too much and frustrated. If you just started i would strongly suggest piano classes cause that will step your game up in a big way with practice and devotion.
 
Honestly there is no set way to create your music like the other guy said. Many people start with the drums first which is great but I usually start with the melody! so do what works for you
 
It's all about getting to the point where you do it in your own way, don't try to "copy" peoples styles or anything like that. You don't always have to make a beat in the exact same order as the previous beat.
 
Whatever draws you behind your daw or mpc or synth or whatever.. i usually go with a melody or bass, and then add drums.. or do drums and change them accordingly later and so on..
 
Bandith said:
It's all about getting to the point where you do it in your own way, don't try to "copy" peoples styles or anything like that. You don't always have to make a beat in the exact same order as the previous beat.
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Copying other peoples idea's is a good thing to do in a lot of area's to do with music production. Apart from melody off course which usually has to be original or to sound that way.

I almost always start writing music with some kind of inspiration. This could be anything and it doesn't even have to be musical. Some nice chords can be all that is needed.

My advice would be to try many ways to start the music creation, and to see what works for you.
 
I don't think there is any right or wrong answer here, but, I don't think you can plan what you create you just have to let it come naturally.

Also the videos that Ryan Leslie makes, do you really think he makes them on the spot?

He probably spends hours if not days trying to come up with those beats. All you are seeing is the finished article arranged. But still, great producer though!
 
Hey good question. I had a big problem early on starting out. Really it depends on you and what you have going on. Me, whenever I produce I never have a beat in my head it just all comes out in the spur of the moment. I produce trance music and usually my favorite part is the pad because I love chord progressions. The chord progression usually can determine the way the track works unless you work in parallel or oblique to the progression. I say the best thing to do is experiment and see what is comfortable to you.

Also on the programming part, I own komplete 7 as well and dive into it when I work on productions sometimes. If you want to learn to make your own sounds most people will tell you to go and watch a tutorial. That is not a bad idea but, if you want a better hands on experiment I suggests you load up a preset you find that blows your socks off that sounds amazing. Then piece by piece take it apart. Find out why it is the sound that it is and then you can make your own sounds. It won't come easy to you at first and it won't be a short task to master let alone even become comfortable with. I was a preset warrior for the first 6 months then I started programming on Vanguard from ReFX. I suggest you read up on some of the technical terms ADSR, passes, and the wave forms that make up a sound.

I hope this helps ^^
 
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