I'm starting to notice that all my tracks sound same-ish. Same chords that I'm comfortable with. Same progressions. Ever feel that way? If so, how does one get out of the comfort zone with more than just transpose button?

I tried learning new chords but seem to revert back to the same trite combo, because it's comfortable. I often listen to tracks and think "wow, I could play that" but when time comes to compose a melody I'm just playing another variation on my well-known scale and chords. I was watching Pink Floyd's "Dark side of the moon" documentary and I was simply blown away by the complexity of the composition process and how awe-inspiring Pink Floyd's music is. Hundreds of years from now, I believe their music will be studied and performed with as much reverence and dedication as Mozart, Bach, Bethoven, etc.

Obviously, I can't compare myself to Pink Floyd in terms of natural talent but is there really such a thing? I am quite convinced that I simply don't have any talent for composing...

Ever feel that way and what do you do about it?

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Last edited by aNYthing on Dec-06-2009 at 05:58

I feel that way daily. I think the only solution is just keep working at it. I am sure someone will have some better advice though.

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Originally posted by echosystm because DAWs are for noobs. real pro's use a magnetised needle and a steady hand, hovering over a spinning hard drive platter, flipping one bit at a time.

Why or how would you compare yourself to a band anyways? Pink Floyd was an outfit of 5 heads cooking things for 1 plate. You're just one person right?

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commercial and underground electronic music (house/techno/trance/other) will surpass today's hip hop/pop/rock/country in worldwide interest...if it has'nt already.

quote:

Originally posted by AstroB I think the only solution is just keep working at it. I am sure someone will have some better advice though.

Some producers can bang out melodies very quickly, especially if they play an instrument. For the rest of us, its just about waiting for inspiration to strike. Dance music is not all that melodically complex for the most part, and if you work in the more melody-devoid genres, its much more about the engineering anyway.

A skill that seems to get lost on new producers is basic songwriting. It is such a critical skill, but most new producers worry too much about getting "that sound" or getting a new piece of equipment rather than concentrating on just writing good songs with what they have. Anyone with any kind of formal compositional training is going to have a good head start, which is where having that type of musical schooling can pay off big time.

If you don't have any experience composing and arranging, and you don't have the money or time to learn formally, then the best you can do is try to learn on your own. Some books may help with the basics, but at the end of the day its going to be about practice just like everything else.

I will say this: If you are writing music which relies heavily on melody, sometimes it is better to just forget about the sounds and try to nail down a good, complete arrangement. You'd be surprised how much better a patch sounds when its in the right context.

Sounds like you might want to study up on harmony and counterpoint, and some basic music theory. Though, I think melodies, you ultimately have to have in you, and when you go about trying different things, they have to make sense with the rest of the elements, as you hear them. A lot of melody making is having sensibility and instincts...being able to hear and see what notes, timings, and lengths to notes sound good with eachother, and then relating them with everything else that is going on. I recommend playing Street Fighter Alpha 3 to improve some melody making skills.

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commercial and underground electronic music (house/techno/trance/other) will surpass today's hip hop/pop/rock/country in worldwide interest...if it has'nt already.

Last edited by Kismet7 on Dec-06-2009 at 08:16

quote:

Originally posted by Kismet7 Sounds like you might want to study up on harmony and counterpoint, and some basic music theory. Though, I think melodies, you ultimately have to have in you, and when you go about trying different things, they have to make sense with the rest of the elements, as you hear them. A lot of melody making is having sensibility and instincts...being able to see what notes, timings, and lengths to notes sound good with eachother, and then relating them with everything else that is going on. I recommend playing Street Fighter Alpha 3 to improve some melody making skills.

seriously though.. I do need to spend some time on music theory... but I always hated it, even dropped out of music school. Ironically enough, I was in musical school for 4 years and passed all recitals with flying colors, playing purely by ear. My teacher was blown away when he found out I couldn't read notes to save my life but was able to play by just watching and listening how he played.

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quote:

Originally posted by aNYthing seriously though.. I do need to spend some time on music theory... but I always hated it, even dropped out of music school. Ironically enough, I was in musical school for 4 years and passed all recitals with flying colors, playing purely by ear. My teacher was blown away when he found out I couldn't read notes to save my life but was able to play by just watching and listening how he played.

If you can play it, you can feel it, and if you can feel what your playing, you should be able to make melodies. People know music theory, but if they cant feel what they see on paper, or put what they feel on paper, it doesnt translate when it comes to making music.

People were making melodies through anything that could make a sound well before there was any theory. Melodies are closely tied to senses, ideas, feelings, and vision...if you can think well, play well, you should be able to put down some nice melodies.

What instrument do you play?

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commercial and underground electronic music (house/techno/trance/other) will surpass today's hip hop/pop/rock/country in worldwide interest...if it has'nt already.

The more you work the more ideas you'll come up with.

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quote:

Originally posted by dj_alfi change your avatar for fucks sake.

quote:

Originally posted by Eric J I will say this: If you are writing music which relies heavily on melody, sometimes it is better to just forget about the sounds and try to nail down a good, complete arrangement. You'd be surprised how much better a patch sounds when its in the right context.

QFT
I see it too many times, a few cheap and crappy sounding patches correctly processed and whatnot will sound better than one massive sound that overpowers everything.

Keep
It
Simple
Stupid

KISS method.

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listen to different music.

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Originally posted by RichieV listen to different music.

here's a partial list of music I listened to in the last two weeks, representing my usual cross section of genres.

A local jazz quartet
Andrea Bocelli
Various Russian rock
Various classic music on our local radio
Ambient/chill/trip hop/dubstep/shranz
and of course usual helping of di.fm trance Chanel
Jarre, vangelis, koto, italo synth pop
classic rock

you tell me if my list needs to be more diverse :-)

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quote:

Originally posted by Stef QFT I see it too many times, a few cheap and crappy sounding patches correctly processed and whatnot will sound better than one massive sound that overpowers everything. Keep It Simple Stupid KISS method.

that's funny, I started working on a minimal track and it turned into a much more complex affair than usual, as I spent hours recording various elements to sprinkle in a track (I refuse to use sample libraries unless I simply must)

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