just draw up different melodies from the chords you have. the more complicated you start making it the more it goes wrong. from an 8 bar chord progression i could have about 3 different melodies and pads that make the track come alive.

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cool.... only really started using theory in music so kinda understand what you mean... but yeah if i have alot of pads and melodies then my track will definely come alive

thanks

does that mean that you would combined three melodies to make one over all melody or weave diferrent ones in and out......

thanks agian u have got me experimenting ....which is cool

yea well i would have a simple melody in the intro just to introduce the track, then add pads. listen to my track mystify thats done using an 8 bar chord progression. that will help you understand.

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i really like ure track, alot of good sounds and as ive been doing this for two years you have gave me a very big wake up call.. all i would say is work on more swoosh sounds insteasd of snare rolls. i personal do this by putting alot of reverb on a synth sound then cut the reverb of and reverse it, feedback is another trick of mind... djing has helped ure production as things flow. what programs do u use? very clear sounds

maximlee

reason 3.0
cubase sx
jp8000
vsts

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Chord progressions isnt something that is easy to get "help" with. Basically it's part of the creative process before starting a track and is very personal to the composer. And also without listening to your track there isnt much we can do to help either.

Only thing we could do is listen to your track and give you a suggestion, but as I said, chord progressions is very personal and very much tied to an artists style.

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Ive said this a million times already and you need to use the search tool and/or read the stickies.

The point isnt to choose chords like its a pick and mix - you dont need some fizzy cola bottles, jelly beans, licorice AND gummy bears. You dont have to have minor chords and a few dimunitive chords just for the sake of having them.

You shouldnt really think of chords like that but rather in terms their consonance and dissonance. The point of chord progression is very much grounded in synaesthesia - that is, you are supposed to evoke a change in mood and texture through variation in chords. Or not as it were - there are no rules, only guiding principles. And they are designed to be broken.

A minor chord consists of the root note + a flatten third + a perfect fifth. A mjor chord is the root, major third and perfect 5th. You can make the chord larger and add more harmonic intervals by adding the 6th or 7th and/or 11th, 13th etc etc. You can add the root note an octave higher (the 12th) if you want. The point isnt to have a whole bunch of odd numbers tacked after the chord. The point is add more harmonics over a greater frequency range which in turn evokes a sensation.

By now you probably know that striking a chord or any combination of notes can trigger a kind of feeling - a minor chord is typically associated with dark colours and blues/purples or melancholy and sadness. These are just common associations that I seem to obseve - it isnt like this for everyone (and thats why music is so diverse in terms of emotion and sensation).

What asociation do you draw when you hit a C minor? The progression comes about by changing that feeling. Ascending notes of a scale create a sense of climbing. Half notes in the scale have mild dissonance and create the sense of reaching. A minor chord has a half step on the 3rd note of a major scale and creates this sense of reaching that I associate strongly with minor 3rds. at least for me. Descending scales tend to make me think of falling or tumbling (especially when played fast). Lower bass notes tend to make me think of weight whereas very high notes tend to make me think of delicate, plinking kinds of sounds. It depends on the timbre of the instrument you are using in combination with the notes and chords you are playing, as to what kind of sensation it arouses in you.

My advise is to learn the theory from a book if you can but always always always be aware that music is not about numbers and permutations. If you seek beeauty in numbers and resolution I would suggest you get into maths. Music is about sensation. Some of the most emotive music I have ever listened to is written by musical illiterates that make songs purely on sensation. Even those that are musically trained go on sensation but the theory helps to rationalise the connection with that sensation and why it is.

A diminutive chord is a double flattened 3rd and 5th so it has very strong dissonance - which exacerbated when played after a consonant and strongly harmonic chord such as a major. By juxtaposing chords and notes and scales and crescendo and diminuendo and tempo you can create the sensation of movement and energy. In the end it doesnt matter how you go about doing that but the knowledge of the theory doesnt hurt. It only starts to hurt you when you think of it rigidly - as a set of rules that must be obeyed. That you must have strong consonance in order to make a trance tune. You dont. I am not interested in hearing scales from you, but I am interested in hearing what emotions and sensations you can put into your songs when you play them. Sometimes all you need to do is simply enjoy the process of making music. Intensely - and over time and with practice that shows in the work of the artist.

Have a think about it...

Last edited by Derivative on Jun-21-2006 at 18:24

Nice post Derivative, as always ;P

quote:

but in the breakdown i would like alittle change...

So add a little change then.

It's not getting any easier nor any harder than that.

What I find intresting is that even though I write my music in the piano roll in FL, is that sometimes I write something bad, and sometimes something good.

What's intresting about that is, if it were only numbers, which is acctually how I go about writing music, every piece I write should be equally good. Logically.

But apperently, even though I'm not aware of it, something in me creates music while I drag little boxes around with my mouse. Like a creative center in my brain that will know what box to drag around. Sometimes that center sleeps, obviously...

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you need to post the melody so far if you are looking for help or at least tell me your chords so far