30-day loop challenge

046oh

046oh

New member
i saw another person doing a 30 day challenge about learning music theory, and i thought i'd do my own learning challenge. :) (i have his permission)

i'll post my progress, and i also would like some help with you guys


======read here only if you don't feel like reading everything========
so basically all anyone who wants to help me out is to
post a link to a song + genre
it can be any song; a song you're listening to, or your fav song
it can be even be your own soundcloud!
(i'd be happy to give feedback if it's your own sound)
you don't even have to give feedback if you don't feel like it ;)
================================================


for more details...

learning goals:

(as of Jan 25 2014)
- learn what tweaking each knob on my synthesizers does to my sound
- learn the theory behind each tweak
- learn how to combine different sounds
- learn how to make music in different styles
- learn how to express my feelings / impressions with sound

I may add more later

in order to accomplish this, i want to practice making loops.
(by loops i mean short fragments of sound, and not a fully developed song)
i say loops because before i practice how to tell a story with a complete song,
i want to be able to get the sound i want.


what me & whoever else is kind enough to help me will do:
1. people will post links to songs
2. i will try to make a loop (8-16 bars; around 30 sec) in the style of the song
3. i will post the soundcloud link to the song for feedback
(if the sound follows the style; techniques i could use to improve the loop; any other advice)

note: it would help if you could post what genre (in general) the song is in, so i could look for similar sounds for inspiration / ideas / techniques


i'll try to make at least one loop per day, but i'd like to do more if i can.
i'm hoping for lots of songs from lots of genres! :)
 
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thanks, i'm going to work on it :D

it might take a while though...
first attempt on a hiphop

but lovin the challenge here!
 
DAY 2

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original song: Chance The Rapper - Favorite Song (feat. Childish Gambino) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8mtA9GvpzwU) by Blakx



my song #3: https://soundcloud.com/oriko-harada/hiphop3
acapella courtesy of: Download Rap Acapella : On The Edge 97 Bpm By Ade1980



what i practiced:
- making music in the style of hiphop



what i learned:
there was A LOT.
i really appreciate Blakx for giving me this hw, because i learned so much from this experience

- about hiphop drum lines
(beat patterns; techniques for variation; basic hiphop beat)

- hiphop bass
(bass + subbass)

- basic hiphop structure
(intro, verse, chorus, break, v, c, outro, fadeout)

- even though a track may sound good on its own, it might not when mixed
(this happened w/ my bass line. i thought it was good but it sounded really messy when i put it together with the drums. i aligned the beat of the bass w/ the drums and luckily it improved.)

- the "basic thing" is not what you should always do (i know it's obvious when you think about it but still)
(the basic drum beat i learned did not go well AT ALL with the acapella i had)

- how to "feel" and get it right
(i didn't know how to add stuff to the beat i started out with. i wanted it to "fill up" and get more cheerful as the verse repeated. having a classical background, i tried to add on-beat stuff evenly, but it didn't really work out. i then listened and thought about where i would WANT the beat in order to make it livelier. it went well i think :D)

- composing a melody from the bass
(i usually start out from the melody and then come up with the bass, but this time i made the melody from what i had below. that was so fun and a new experience for me)

- a 1/32 note-length can really make a difference
(i thought the notes were too choppy but when i made it legato it sounded wrong. the solution was to open it not by a 16th rest but a 32th rest)

- how to edit samples on Audacity

- it helps if i have another track playing the melody just for assistance in the process of beatmaking



comments:
this was my first time making a hiphop beat, and it probably sounds really crappy. still i'm really proud that i finished it and at least i learned a lot about hiphop :) i've never listened to hiphop before, but i can now appreciate the music.

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as always, feedback is much appreciated & will be returned!
also, keep the sounds coming; i'd love to experience more of what i just did today :)

btw, is this considered "remixing"??
 
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Day 3

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original song: Free Music Archive: MKRNI - Jingle


my loop #4: https://soundcloud.com/oriko-harada/airplane1

what i practiced:
- not really sure.. i wanted to record my impressions of an airplane, on which i will be getting on in an hour or so

what i learned:
- it's okay to have the melody in the lower part

comments:
didn't really go as planned for this one... i tried to follow the original's style but then i kind of went my own direction

===============
 
Hey there!

I think you're on the right track with this. But I would suggest listening to more samples of other works - including completed ones. Just a suggestion, but I think you're getting there. Here's my challenge:

I have a song that I have made myself. It's in my sig (can't link stuff as of yet), and I would like to see your recreation and/or interpretation of it.

Genre: Drum 'n' Bass
Sub-Genre: Liquid/ Melodic
Title: Blue Blossoms

A couple of clues:

The beat is syncopated in the first 32-64 bars. The structure is in 32nds and 16ths. Drum 'n' Bass is all about those 16ths and 32nds.
In Liquid, melodies and harmonies rule the stage. Drums keep the beat/time and the bassline is the reinforcement. (This is from what I learned and what my conception of it is).

Hopefully that'll get you on the right path :)

Best of luck!

-J.P.
 
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ok so i tried to make a song...
but just making the intro was enough for me.
so sorry about how i'm kinda bailing from the breakbeat.

i didnt have time to go over the bassline...

still, i had a lot of fun making it!
thanks so much for giving me the challenge :)
come back any time!

and anyone else watching this thread i'll do f4fs :D

https://soundcloud.com/oriko-harada/liquiddnb1-1
 
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