K
kton16
Guest
What or how do you go about Composing (From picking the scale to the type of Chord Progressions) different genres?
Any tips?
Any tips?
I never really pick scales. I just compose at the keyboard with a piano. I don't really think about keys or scales. I can pretty much play what I am thinking. So formal music theory is largely irrelevant. I was trained in music theory when I was younger, so I have a base, but I think you should only take it as far as it's useful. My genre is, I don't know, whatever. Not my problem.
Then I usually do sound design. But by then I have an idea for the sorts of sounds I want to use. I also have a feel for the rhythm of the track too. I do the sound design in key as I know by then how the harmony of the track works, so whatever sound design I do fits in. I tend to use sounds that are as expressive and varying as possible.
Then I tend to compose the track in the order you hear it. Then get as much detail and life into it as possible. Its probably good to get a rough layout of the track as soon as possible. I dont really do rough versions of tracks (like having presets that I replace later...I usually create some basic version of riffs which get chopped up and varied later). Automate everything that can be automated. Get things moving on their own. Try to make everything sound like its coming from a real place, like you are inside a real space.
Then I try to listen to the track and let it tell me whats missing. Add that.
Then maybe use whats there to do more sound design from that, re-process things etc. Once I have an idea of what the track is I might do some more sound design from scratch in a different project, render that out and import it in as a wav. Especially of this involves some very complicated process. See where it fits, maybe chop it down into something smaller.
Anyway, I digress. The point is that I tend to have the idea for the composition of the track, the bit I do with the piano at the start, bouncing around my head for ages...sometimes months or years, before I start making it. By that time I know it, as a pure piece of music, inside out. Its been a very long time since I set down making a track with just a melody in my head. So all the stuff you are asking about really happens before I start producing anything. IMO DAWs are too slow for pure musical experimentation. With a piano I can get through ideas 100 times faster.
Then I usually do sound design. But by then I have an idea for the sorts of sounds I want to use. I also have a feel for the rhythm of the track too. I do the sound design in key as I know by then how the harmony of the track works, so whatever sound design I do fits in. I tend to use sounds that are as expressive and varying as possible.
Then I tend to compose the track in the order you hear it. Then get as much detail and life into it as possible. Its probably good to get a rough layout of the track as soon as possible. I dont really do rough versions of tracks (like having presets that I replace later...I usually create some basic version of riffs which get chopped up and varied later). Automate everything that can be automated. Get things moving on their own. Try to make everything sound like its coming from a real place, like you are inside a real space.
Then I try to listen to the track and let it tell me whats missing. Add that.
Then maybe use whats there to do more sound design from that, re-process things etc. Once I have an idea of what the track is I might do some more sound design from scratch in a different project, render that out and import it in as a wav. Especially of this involves some very complicated process. See where it fits, maybe chop it down into something smaller.
Anyway, I digress. The point is that I tend to have the idea for the composition of the track, the bit I do with the piano at the start, bouncing around my head for ages...sometimes months or years, before I start making it. By that time I know it, as a pure piece of music, inside out. Its been a very long time since I set down making a track with just a melody in my head. So all the stuff you are asking about really happens before I start producing anything. IMO DAWs are too slow for pure musical experimentation. With a piano I can get through ideas 100 times faster.
bandcoach
Zukatoku - Mod Scientist
mdh has nutshelled for it you - there is no one way to progress or create when composing as there are so many paths you can travel.
Most pop music is based within one of several scale/mode choices:
Major: Major scale/Lydian mode/Mixolydian mode
Minor: Natural minor scale/Harmonic (and all of its modes) minor scale/Melodic (and all of its modes) minor scale/Dorian mode/Phrygian mode
Chord progressions can be chosen before or after scale/mode choice: i.e. both provide a pointer to the tonality/modality in use.
Instrument choices are an important of composing as they form the basis for expressing your ideas.
Structural ideas are also important as they allocate/relegate different instruments to different roles. There are two levels of structural ideas:
When analysing harmonic progressions (chord progressions) we usually use the letters found in the level formal structures to represent different parts of the chord progression as they relate to the overall structure.
Think of the level 2 structural ideas as the scaffold to hang your level 1 ideas on (your chord progressions and melodic ideas).
The rest is simply choosing a path and experimenting as you follow it......
If uncertain about some terms in this post, use the search here at fp to find deeper explanations
Most pop music is based within one of several scale/mode choices:
Major: Major scale/Lydian mode/Mixolydian mode
Minor: Natural minor scale/Harmonic (and all of its modes) minor scale/Melodic (and all of its modes) minor scale/Dorian mode/Phrygian mode
Chord progressions can be chosen before or after scale/mode choice: i.e. both provide a pointer to the tonality/modality in use.
Instrument choices are an important of composing as they form the basis for expressing your ideas.
Structural ideas are also important as they allocate/relegate different instruments to different roles. There are two levels of structural ideas:
- Level 1
- Melody: the main melodic ideas singer, solos, etc
- Counter-Melody: the response to the call of the melody
- Harmony: chords
- Rhythm: percussion and bass (bass also draws on harmony)
- Level 2
- Formal structures
- Ternary: ABA | AABA | ABAA | ABBA | etc a lot of RnB is based in this type of structure
- Binary: AB | AAB | ABB | etc sometimes called Verse Chorus form, the B section can be broken down into other formal structures as well
- Rondo: ABACABA and variants (also called ritornello or returning form) Fur Elise is an example of this one
- Song Forms: Intro Verse Chorus Verse Chorus Solo Bridge Chorus Verse Chorus Chorus Outro is one of many examples
- In each of the above no indication has been given about numbers of bars for a section (AB or the various song form sections) - these can be from 4 to 8 to 16 for an individual section. The AABA and variants is usually called 32 bar song form, i.e. 8 bars per section letter. AB is usually called 16 bar song form for the same reasons. However, there is nothing stopping you from taking these structural components and making the smaller or larger
- Formal structures
When analysing harmonic progressions (chord progressions) we usually use the letters found in the level formal structures to represent different parts of the chord progression as they relate to the overall structure.
Think of the level 2 structural ideas as the scaffold to hang your level 1 ideas on (your chord progressions and melodic ideas).
The rest is simply choosing a path and experimenting as you follow it......
If uncertain about some terms in this post, use the search here at fp to find deeper explanations
K
kton16
Guest
Very intresting! THanks both of ya'll! Tryna grasp composing more and understand it. I sometimes can't finish my music because I loose were to go with it. Been having this probelm for a long time. I think understand and picking a scale for mee is best then chord progression then creating a melody and now that bandcoach revealed to me (Counter Melody) I will use that to make my melody stand out more. So is there any programs to help understand composing more? THanks ya'll input!
