trance song keys

D

DJ Ransom

Guest
in what key are most trance tracks written in??

having no musical training, i started writing stuff in c major and a minor (so i'd only use the white keys on a keyboard)....i'm finding it a little limiting, but i'm not sure what other keys are normally used in this genre, or does it vary a lot???
 
melodic, progressive trance....not goa , or anything really dark or psychadelic.

i'm kinda doing some melodic progressive breaks at the moment....i just keep coming up with crappy melodies with the keys that i'm using at the moment, i've never had this problem before, so i thought it might be a good idea to start experimenting with different keys/scales....any suggestions??

also, i generally don't use chords with basslines, and i can come up with better bass lines when i've tried using flat keys, but anyway....what keys or scales do some of u more musically adept people use???
 
There are no set keys for writing any particular style of tune. It's more a matter of learning the other keys and getting a feel for what they sound like. Even though they all consist of the same intervals, every key has a different vibe going on. You'll also find some interesting accidentals yuo would have never thought of, when you experiment with new keys.

D - happy kinda, summery key. sounds good for epic stuff.
C minor - really dark, lonely kinda key.
Db / Bb minor - funkier sounding
A - mellow. a low A has the right frequency to vibrate speakers like no other note. feel it, use it, love it. (low G is almost as intense)

Anyways, those are some of my favourite keys. The best thing to do is play all kinds of **** and discover strange dissonance and harmonies you wouldn't have thought of. It takes a while to get really tight with a particular key, but the journey you go on while exploring it will inspire you more than you'd imagine.
-mj-
 
Ransom,

this is just an idea, but how about not hitting notes on a keyboard to come up with a melody you like. Instead try coming up with a drum/percussion loop that rocks you, then try to imagine a melody you like, then try to hum it. (I know you don't make pop-pap, but a melody is a melody). Once you've done that then try to work out what your humming on the keyboard. This way you aren't limited to what keys you think you can and can't play. Like I say, just an idea but it works for me (sometimes).

BTW if you're using all the white keys you're in Am not Cm - confusing isn't it?! And if you happened to be using those keys despite what I've said (and why not, there ain't no rules) you could try bunging in a Gsharp or a Bflat (the two black keys either side of the A) to add a bit of tension which you release by going back to the A. Might work, might not, depends what you've got in mind. One final thing, however you're doing your melody the one thing that really helps is having the right sound to play it, when you're working stuff out always try to have a kick-*** sound 'cos it makes everything sound good (even a great melody can sound lame played by the wrong instrument in the wrong context).

KasioRoks
 
chords

ModularJack is correct in saying that the different keys, despite having the same intervals, have different vibes. However, the difference is negligible really, compared with the choice of chords within that key.

E.g. If your tune is in A minor, you could create an uplifting trance sound using lots of major chords (G, C etc), or you could create something deeper and more 'brooding' using lots of minor chords (Am, Dm). You could make a funkier track using more 7ths/9ths and other 'jazzy' chords. And you could vary the 'tension' depending on when, and how often, you resolve to the key note/chord, and by using suspensions, dischords etc.

In other words, there are a billion factors which determine whether your track sounds trancey / housey / technoey etc. And the choice of key is not a significant one.

This is how I usually choose the key - I come up with the bassline first. I make it as low as possible without it sounding too 'muddy', and so that I make the best use out of the chosen instrument (whether it's my bass guitar, or from my synth). Then I take it from there. This works for a lot of my tracks because I like a very deep, tough bassline.
 
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i don't think the key matters ...

Ransom ... as u've noticed, trance [what is it anyway] is always in accord's minor.

so you can choose any key as long as it is X minor :)
let it be A# m or Bb m :))) really doesn't matter
if you make a full album, better connect tracks from the same keys,
but there's no rule on which key is best, sometimes some sample decides:
the rest is in it's key.

that's my opinion :-)

BOM :)
 
don't worry about how other people are making trance make it different. carve out a melody thats different then anybodys and amasing.
 
DJ Intrickisy said:
don't worry about how other people are making trance make it different. carve out a melody thats different then anybodys and amasing.
bilbobagginz is right - trance is usually in a minor key.

IMHO music, especially trance, usually sounds cheesy when it's in a major key. E.g. System F - "Out of the Blue" (although I know a lot of people like this tune, and it certainly has its merits).

It's just a personal preference thing - I like my tunes to sound deep and brooding - not happy and chirpy. :)
 
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