Music Education

[molecule]

DORIAN,
my favorite mode

start on D and play every white note back to D, thats a D minor Dorian scale.

sooooo much of todays music is built off this sound. and on the 9th.

its a minor scale with a major 6 in the scale rather than minor 6.

ahhhhhhh Dorian, i sleep in it.

[molecule]

alittle more basics about modes for anyone not aware......

here are your modes using C major as your start. very easy

play one octave C to C all white notes- This is C major IONIAN

D to D (all white notes) D minor DORIAN

E to E - Phrygian

F to F - Lydian

G to G - Mixolydian

A to A - Aeolian

B to B - Locrian

now learn it every key.

[Xodiac]

Originally Posted by xsin1x

ps xodiac, is that juno still up for sale?

I just sold it on eBay last week. : ( Sorry.

about the I-V-i thing, I did mention that i-VII-i is common in dance music, and the vii can function as a substitute for the dominant, so I do guess I have to give you that one.

What I meant by sound design is "making your own sounds". It doesn't have to be a 10,000 osc FM modulation of a granular resynthesized fart, it can be as simple as tweaking a preset or adding an interesting effect. I guess the point I was trying to make is that I feel like in EDM, the emphasis is on the way it sounds, more than melody and chord progression, the music is kept interesting by continually adding or changing electronic sounds, rather than, say modulation to 4 different keys or have a recognisable ABAB form. EDM doesn't really even have to have a melody at all, but the tunes that don't, usually aren't just drums, they try to incorporate different sound to make a developing groove.

But I feel like the 'art' of electronic music is sound design, and I really don't belive in using presets or loops or whatever, but even if a song does use them, it won't make the song itself bad, because of course some good sound designer made those cool sounds, it just lowers the credibilty of the producer him(her)self.

[GoldenHorse]

I'll chime in and offer this link for a resource - not as extensive but it's simple interface makes some things come thru clearer for those wanting to get a little more theory under their belts.

http://www.musictheory.net

Ear training is also important - here's an example of a book that you may want to check out (can't vouch for it but I have some resources that are similar to this). Ear training let's you hear what is on paper so in a way it makes the theory more real.
Essential Ear Training for the Contemporary Musician
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...glance&s=books

As for theory, if you want to write songs (particularly with vocals) then it is much more crucial to understand this aspect of production. And remember it is only a framework that sheds light of the experiences of centuries of composition and essentially tries to answer some fundamental questions like: What sounds good? Where do I go from here? It's almost like playing chess where music theory gives the best opening, middle, and end-game moves to win. A lot of times in composition you have to think one, two bars ahead and anticipate what is coming in the current bar.

But there is no substitute for inspiration. Beyond basic music theory there are more advanced topics like counterpoint and harmony which if you are working in the EDM style of music must adapt to some degree since other factors do come into play here regarding sound design, especially rythmic progressions. And you must also remember that well-known progressions and patterns should be used maybe perhaps as a starting point but feel free to get creative and trying some far out combinations till you hit something that sounds like it came from another world. You still follow some basic rules but experimentation is key.

But if all you want to do is produce tracks that have a groove and a vibe then you'll be ok just going by ear. Sound design does play a more significant factor here since LFOs and bass sounds will definitely be dominant in the composition - these are what will drive the track whereas more melodic pieces will make heavy use of counterpoint and harmony so you have a little more to consider.

I myself went thru the effort of doing some extensive music theory research and it is paying off. The emotion of the tracks get richer as a result. Sound design helps add the spice to the soundscape. So sound design is also important to understand. What takes more effort is knowing how to integrate principles of sound design into the theoretical considerations as the ideas of keys, scales, progressions must live side-by-side with frequencies, filters, and envelopes. So as a rule of thumb when i'm writing a track, if something doesn't sound too right or if I really want to pack a movement then i'll go back to the theory to see if it helps provide any guidance. More often than not it does and then I go from there and take it further with sound design enhancements.

[Trek]

very well put goldenhorse. i think sound design and music theory are equally important. to me it seems as if most producers are usually better in one of the areas than the other. that is why COLLABORATION can be such a beautiful thing.

[PolluxRockStar]

I like minor scales


yup

[Left/Right]

Originally Posted by Xodiac

What I meant by sound design is "making your own sounds". It doesn't have to be a 10,000 osc FM modulation of a granular resynthesized fart, it can be as simple as tweaking a preset or adding an interesting effect. I guess the point I was trying to make is that I feel like in EDM, the emphasis is on the way it sounds, more than melody and chord progression, the music is kept interesting by continually adding or changing electronic sounds, rather than, say modulation to 4 different keys or have a recognisable ABAB form. EDM doesn't really even have to have a melody at all, but the tunes that don't, usually aren't just drums, they try to incorporate different sound to make a developing groove.

But I feel like the 'art' of electronic music is sound design, and I really don't belive in using presets or loops or whatever, but even if a song does use them, it won't make the song itself bad, because of course some good sound designer made those cool sounds, it just lowers the credibilty of the producer him(her)self.

In that context, i agree wholeheartedly.

Originally Posted by GoldenHorse

counterpoint and harmony

16th century in tha hizzay.

[GLopez]

How do you think a person's music (who's learned and played by ear all of his life) compares to someone who's learned music by the book?

I think that there has to be something burning inside of you to really want to make/play/sing music.. it has to come from the heart, the soul. In my opinion, I think today, everyone is learning music because they think it's the "cool" thing to do and you can tell by the crap that's out there. There's no feeling in it... it's lacking something, it doesn't have personality.