My newb thread

[Defunct]

Im sure you get these all the time but everyone is at a different place in their comprehension. I basically compose music via midi, and I've learned some things here and there about music theory but I'm still not sure what I'm doing wrong. There's people using the same programs and same sounds as I am that do what I do a whole lot better, and I'm not sure if it's the mixing or the composition. I often get told that my beats sound like something off of a videogame soundtrack lol (Final Fantasy). I've tried reading a lot of music theory and composition books but it seems like they expect you to know a lot of stuff that I don't already know, using terms ie 4ths 6ths, consonances, etc. but never actually explain what any of them are. For some reason my head just can't absorb it all lol. Then of course after reading an entire book worth of music theory and not having a clue what I just read, the same person who suggests reading it tells me "There are no rules in music"

ugh

anyways...for the most part this is what I understand. I usually pick out a scale, for this example C major. I use a lot of cheats in the process, but basically I pick out chords that are available in the scale...

C (or C7) Dm Em F G Am

so my chord progression might just be C7-G-F-C

I'm not sure if thats the I-V-IV-I or not?

then i develop my melody around those, but I usually only use the notes inside the chord for the beats in which that chord is being played. It's really kinda like coloring in a coloring book. I have the outlining chords, so i just draw in the notes for the melodies. I want to make music for R&B so really there's a lot of repetition in the chord progression. I usually just loop those same 4 chords and vary the melody and other instruments for switchups

anyways, here's something I made. I'd still have to do a lot of mixing to it. I have a few VST's so I really don't have an excuse for cheap sounds. Hypersonic, Trilogy, Komplete 5, Sonic Synth 2, etc. I don't know

zSHARE - Unmixed.mp3

*edit* for some reason the first hook is distorted a couple bars in. Not sure why that is but I'll fix it when I mix it down. It's the program lol

[Defunct]

Your actual composition sounds pretty idiomatic for R&B music - I'd say the problems with the sound are related to your software. I don't know much about computer music, but you'd probably want better samples to get a more authentic/realistic sound.

As for beginner music theory, try the lessons on musictheory.net. An interval (second, third, fourth, fitfth etc) is just the distance between any two notes. C-D is a second, C-E a third, etc.

I would strongly suggest using non-chord tones in the melody over a chord. ... if you're playing a C major chord, for example, you can use the notes C E G in the melody (the "coloring book" think you mentioned), but it would sound much more interesting if you used other notes as well.

First off, thanks for your response. I actually just finished mixing it, i think it's a little bit better (soundwise)

zSHARE - First Mixdown.mp3

but anyways regarding your post, the only thing is I'm like...deathly afraid of stepping out of the boundaries because I'm scared I'm gonna end up making something that sounds offkey lol. I occasionally (yet rarely) go outside of the chords, but even then I stay within the C Major scale. Thanks again for the response, I'll check out the site

[Propellerhead]

If you asked me, I would say this sounds good, you have created a nice atmosphere. I must admit however, I listened to it on my laptop speakers which are shocking for sound reproduction!

[chodelkovzart]

anyways...for the most part this is what I understand. I usually pick out a scale, for this example C major. I use a lot of cheats in the process, but basically I pick out chords that are available in the scale...

C (or C7) Dm Em F G Am

so my chord progression might just be C7-G-F-C

I'm not sure if thats the I-V-IV-I or not?

im kind of guessing, but from what you wrote above, it seems to me that you are trying to follow the rules and make up a basic structure.

well, if you are in C major, C7 is sorta rare. G7 is a lot more common.

and usually its I-IV-V-I, not I-V-IV-I.

but im just saying this because you seem to want to follow rules.

if you dont want to follow rules, then you should ignore everything i said. :P

[Defunct]

im kind of guessing, but from what you wrote above, it seems to me that you are trying to follow the rules and make up a basic structure.

well, if you are in C major, C7 is sorta rare. G7 is a lot more common.

and usually its I-IV-V-I, not I-V-IV-I.

but im just saying this because you seem to want to follow rules.

if you dont want to follow rules, then you should ignore everything i said. :P

i was just naming some random chords for the sake of providing an example. I just try to execute a good finished product with the minimal amount of musical knowledge I have. I do a good job of making it SOUND like I know what I'm doing when the reality is I really don't lol. I can't say "I wanna make a beat that sounds like this" and then make it and have it turn out the way I want it to. I just start putting stuff together usually one melody at a time...I just start playing random notes that are inside of the scale and then my ears just tell me what note is supposed to come next naturally.

It's frustrating though because I want to be able to WRITE a song and then build a (good) beat around it as opposed to the other way around where I make the beat first then write the song. The problem is number 1 knowing what key I'm singing in and number 2 even if I think I KNOW the right key...when I compose a song it doesn't always end up being in the key that I intend it to.

For instance...this beat, when I started making it I just picked a random scale. I didn't really know what I wanted to do with it yet. I was trying to take Bolanos advice and not really focus too much on limiting myself to the chord progression. It's pretty basic because the genre isn't exactly the most complex in the world as far as composition is concerned, but I thought overall the beat turned out decent.

zSHARE - mixdown.wav

The problem is when I started the beat, I was using the A Major scale. Then when it was finished I was experimenting with autotune in A Major but it wasnt sounding right and I wasnt sure why...then I talk to a producer friend of mine who tells me that it's C Minor....I'm not sure why this is...I understand that some scales share the same tones, but how can I assure that when I'm making the beat that it stays in the scale I want it to? Should i always start and end with the note of the key I'm playing? Is the note of the scale necessarily always going to be the tonic?

for another example, just this morning I'm making another beat. I was at work yesterday and came up with a melody I liked so I wanna make a beat that'll go with it. So I figured I'd give it a shot and of course I ended up failing. Again, I like the beat...but it's just not the same key as what I was singing.

here's the song I was singing, forgive the sound quality. I broke my mic and I haven't wanted to spend money on a new one lol. Now my $300 condenser sounds like a radioshack mic..anyways

zSHARE - Alienated.mp3

so I started making a beat and ended up with this. I'm pretty sure this is E Minor correct? I think the song is B minor though...not sure lol...I think I was going off the note where i said "Failed" which might've been B or something I don't remember, it was earllly and i was sleepy lol

p.s. I still haven't mixed this one so the sounds will be a bit better on the final version. When I started making the beat the first thing I did was the piano, it sounded like it would work with the melody. Then i finished the beat and it just wasnt working

zSHARE - Alienated unmixed.mp3

One of the problems I have is that I have a hard time writing songs for beats I've made...which is kinda weird but yeah...When I write songs for beats OTHER people have made, it just comes kind of naturally since I don't already know every part of the beat as it plays...i dunno

thanks for all the advice.

[Defunct]

bumping

[Defunct]

and again

[Christian Opperman]

Just wanted to jump in and point out that in C Major, C-G-F-C is actually tonic, dominant, subdominant, tonic (I, V, IV, I). You were right at the start.

Also, I second Bolanos' advice about non-harmonic tones. If you're afraid of sounding off key, just stick to notes that are in the key you're working in.

Let's say, for the sake of continuing your example, you have a C Major chord in root position, just a plain CEG chord. What you're doing right now (your "coloring book" method) is only using C, E, and G notes in the melody over that chord. That's one way to do it, but it's severely limiting and rather boring.

But you're in C Major - no sharps and no flats. Technically, if you wanted to remain strictly in key with no accidentals, you could use C, D, E, F, G, A, and B without having to worry about sounding 'off key.'

Some notes will sound worse over others (well, not necessarily worse - just more consonant. A consonant sound is one that doesn't need to be resolved - you can let it sit there without having to move on to the next note to achieve finality). Anyway, some pitches will sound more consonant (which I think is what you're going for) over others. That's based on interval tonal qualities:

A second (C and D in C Major) and seventh (C and B in C Major) are dissonant - if you have a keyboard try playing them and you'll see what I mean. They sound like they almost clash - you need to move to a different note in order to resolve the phrase/melodic idea.

Unison (C and C - same pitch), Fourths (C and F in C Major), Fifths (C and G in C Major), and Octaves (C and C again) are all what are referred to as perfect intervals. They're the most consonant of the intervals.

Thirds (C and E) and Sixths (C and A) are relatively consonant, but not as consonant as the four intervals above.

Ok, I hope that made sense. Anyway, when you're writing, try throwing in non-harmonic tones (tones that don't appear in the chord structure below the melody). Think of them as sort of...the spice (I'm hungry, sorry). You can cook meat well, but you can only go so far without the various spices and garnishes and gravy, etc. You know what I mean?

As a final note (ah no pun intended :P), don't be afraid to use dissonant intervals in your compositions. They make things interesting. Experiment experiment experiment. If you like how something sounds, keep it. If you don't, change it. That's the only way you'll ever REALLY compose anything that you're satisfied with. Formulaic compositions are boring.

Hope that made sense, and feel free to ask any questions here or PM me if it didn't.

~Christian