Deprecated: mysql_connect(): The mysql extension is deprecated and will be removed in the future: use mysqli or PDO instead in /storage/content/49/145849/famitracker.com/public_html/forum/classes/dbHandler.php on line 29
FamiTracker
As someone who composes as a second or third hobby, I've never actually had any classical training in music. I've studied, or, read some articled on music theory, but considering i've never used a program with staff notation as it's interface, the actual look of things, triads, what have you...isn't something i'm frequently thinking of.
I basically just throw music in there, and make sure that the notes all agree and do something. I've made an embarrassing amount of loops in the past couple years, but hardly any of them go beyond 50 seconds in length.
To put it frankly, my music is one simple idea that does one thing, and then finds its way back to the beginning to play again. It's nice, but not long enough for me to call any of them songs, really. The problem is i never know where to take a piece after the initial idea is carved out. My pieces don't sound BAD, but they never go anywhere.
So, seeing as you people tend to compose music yourself, I'm curious what you all have to say. Do you have this problem? Something with study and practice that can be fixed, perhaps? [b]How do you go from your initial idea and make a decent length piece from it?[/b]
One thing: you don't have to repeat notes every time you want to change volume, you can just change volume and leave the original note playing.
OK so there are a few ways if you get to that point-- if you have 2 sections in your song already, you can repeat them with differences (new harmony, new melody, etc) or write a new section that either changes keys that compliments the current section... or go progressive with it and basically write a new song in a related key.
The 'again, but different/more' i've done before, but it generally comes off as too samey to me. I'll push more effort into 'write a new section in a complimenting key', because i feel that's the root of the issue. Writing a new section that DOESN'T sound like a completely different song, that's the kicker~
When I get really stuck I'll sometimes try things like laying a different bassline under my existing melody in an attempt to spark some new ideas.
More often than not though I'll just listen to the loop I have until I can "hear" where I want it to go next.
It really all boils down to your musical mind and how you work. I've said it countless times here, but I'll say it again - start listening to the music you like with a more objective mindset; pay attention to what's going on with every little element of the song. How do they work together? How do they set the mood? How can you apply some of the concepts to your own work? Assimilate them and make them yours. Imitation before innovation, I always say. Developing your own personal style is something that takes time.
Don't misunderstand, though; maybe there's some kind of weird timing you want to use, or a beat you really like, or maybe a chord progression you'd like to lift and write something new. The progression heard in [url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Af372EQLck]Pachelbel's "Canon" has been recycled countless times. Just be careful not to do stuff like [url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kk6NhjD3Dbg]this.
Just my two cents.
_______________________
The only things certain in life are death and uncertainty.
[quote=insomniacovrlrd]Anyone else got any input on the matter?[/quote]
I actually have similar problems at times with my music. It's all about the syncopation & that's typically a simple concept to do in music. Like RushJet1 said, it's a simple matter of repeating a small portion of the song & changing one or two notes somewhere. But once you change the notes enough, you could create a totally new section that somehow complements the loop, but remains unique.
Check out the attachments; one of them is a song that started as a collaborative work (based on Clubbed To Death) & wound up getting stuck because of writer's block & disinterest. The other's an original work that's as short as your typical loops.
Aside from understanding their note progression, if you're able to continue from where any of these two tunes left off, then you're able to think of a way to vary a common pattern, in order to make a totally different/unique section that's independent of the main theme, but still complements it. You'll also notice what Necrophageon's talking about when you listen to my dungeon theme.
You can see this occur in [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LR9msTsmpZs]Dvorak's Humouresque, where he has a common theme based on the intro being modified slightly near the middle of the song (leading to an entirely unique section that sounds very different from, yet complements, the rest of the song's structure).
_______________________
Technology: the one thing that's hated & cursed at by all engineers, technologists, scientists & technicians!
thought i uploaded this last time. i made an example ftm (ex.ftm) but it didn't take i guess. also .. uh.. "new timings can make it sound like a new song?" can't resist
Voted Rushjet1 for head security analyst and troll. :PP
_______________________
"im going to continue making this crazy stuff then after a while my style will be so sick that you will be like damn suuun that shit is so sick i dont even get it. i will be like bro its ok.. you dont have to." -omgdonut
What in the world. Suddenly cool things happened at the end. For a bit i was convinced you sent the same file back to me.
I'd have more to say about how i'm surprised you got such a full sounding echo going on in pulse1, in a song this slow, but shit
And then interesting things happened. Awesome.
edit : in the second file, it's interesting to see that kind of beat on even slots. I've always assumed that in order to break something down like that, you'd take a piece that goes One(234)Two(234)Three(234)Four(234) and switch it into One(23123123123)Two(23123123123)Three(23123123123)Four(23123123123)
if that makes any sense. basically to expand the document and crank up the speed in order to have the swingy bits land on even numbers.
Or perhaps i just don't know enough about structure~
Clubbed to Death, eh? I could have sworn you were covering Elgar... [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wviJIQpZ_yY]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wviJIQpZ_yY
Well, Rob Dougan did use Elgar's Eniga Variations & his own piano-fiddling for Clubbed To Death. :P
[quote=insomniacovrlrd]I'd have more to say about how i'm surprised you got such a full sounding echo going on in pulse1, in a song this slow, but shit[/quote]
Just because the song itself may seem slow, it doesn't mean that you can't fit a bunch of arpeggios in such a short time span & vary each note with different effects/volume levels. Basically, the arpeggio itself is possible because of the amount of lines between each significant beat in channel 1, while the echo effect is possible because of the volume control.
_______________________
Technology: the one thing that's hated & cursed at by all engineers, technologists, scientists & technicians!
) .png)
