Help!

This wanna be uplifting trance melody is theoretically very incorrect with all of it's dissonances, unresolved tensions and bad voice leading. But still I think it could work quite well. (the last beats sound a bit cheesy but).

I know that trance often ignores classical harmony rules but would this be still better with more proper voice leading etc?

Feel free to attempt to modify it and show us the results!

http://minagi.hybridi.net/saippua/g...for_strings.mp3 Arpeggiated version

http://minagi.hybridi.net/saippua/l...for_strings.mp3

http://minagi.hybridi.net/saippua/l..._for_string.mid Midi file

the problem is that your voicing seems unintended. It just seems like you don't really know what notes you want to play. You don't need to know the rules to hear what it should sound like as the rules were made according to what people thought sounded good.

Arpegiatted melodies tend to be 3 compounded melodies together. You have your main soprano line, your counterpoint line that fills in the harmony and your bass note. Try to keep each voice linear in that don't have notes belonging to one group all of a sudden jump to another. Use restraint. Try to use common tones if you can and don't do needless jumps all over the place.

http://www.subtleinc.net/subtles_adagio_for_strings.mp3

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http://soundcloud.com/subtara

that was pretty bad.

You people need to stop thinking vertically. Good melodies and interaction with counterpoint lines form chords that weave seamlessly. Just playing a melody over chords sounds dull. Think of each note of a chord as a voice that is moving linearly, not just a bunch of block chords.

Terminal.mp3 - 1.14MB
PressureMaster-04m.mp3 - 0.98MB


Did this before I had any formal harmony training. Its just common sense. Looking back, the voice leading is flawless. I didn't know anything about voice leading at the time.

Last edited by Looney4Clooney on Aug-29-2010 at 15:44

quote:

Originally posted by Mad for Brad that was pretty bad. You people need to stop thinking vertically. Good melodies and interaction with counterpoint lines form chords that weave seamlessly. Just playing a melody over chords sounds dull. Think of each note of a chord as a voice that is moving linearly, not just a bunch of block chords. URL=http://www.zshare.net/audio/79847222ca9fc7ee/]Terminal.mp3 - 1.14MB[/URL] Did this before I had any theory training. Its just common sense.

Ooooh! Les Prities! I'd love to hear what you'd do with it, now, but the point you're making isn't lost.

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Now with extra singles!
my old stuff, not quite up to snuff - but I still dig it - UPDATED 9/23/2012

added another gem. I was a melody machine. To answer your question, it goes into a SCot Project styled super build with german 88 artillery snare drums. The second link does this sick harmonic movement right when the backbeat snare comes in. If I didn't decide to get a higher education, I might of made something of myself. Both those tunes were 2001 - 02

quote:

Originally posted by Mad for Brad that was pretty bad.

What you mean bad ? Damn it took me 2 hours making that clip.

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http://soundcloud.com/subtara

there is no connect between your melody and the chords. It just sounds disjointed. It sounds like melody + chords. And your timbre didn't really inspire.

quote:

Originally posted by Mad for Brad the problem is that your voicing seems unintended. It just seems like you don't really know what notes you want to play. You don't need to know the rules to hear what it should sound like as the rules were made according to what people thought sounded good. Arpegiatted melodies tend to be 3 compounded melodies together. You have your main soprano line, your counterpoint line that fills in the harmony and your bass note. Try to keep each voice linear in that don't have notes belonging to one group all of a sudden jump to another. Use restraint. Try to use common tones if you can and don't do needless jumps all over the place.

You hit the nail on the head. I really didn't have any idea what i wanted to make when I did that.

But thats hard to keep them linear. There are so many dead ends! Or then I should same notes without establishing any chords or harmony.

then sit at a piano and tweak it until every note is where it should be. When you are done, there should not be any second guessing as to where you wanted them. EVerything should sound confident and intended and moving a note should not be a possibility as you've refined it to the point that it is exactly what you want.

What I find just as important to the melody is connecting it somehow to your song so that it doesn't just sound like you are throwing a random melody in. That is why form is so important. Having elements foreshadowed, morphing earlier elements , transposing, retrograding whatever it takes to make something that is arbitrary into something that belongs.

quote:

Originally posted by Mad for Brad that was pretty bad. You people need to stop thinking vertically. Good melodies and interaction with counterpoint lines form chords that weave seamlessly. Just playing a melody over chords sounds dull. Think of each note of a chord as a voice that is moving linearly, not just a bunch of block chords.

I agree but will melody first and/or chords first approaches lead to this?

I can't create other without other. At least I have to create the harmony or uh counterpoint simultaneously!

quote:

Terminal.mp3 - 1.14MB PressureMaster-04m.mp3 - 0.98MB Did this before I had any formal harmony training. Its just common sense. Looking back, the voice leading is flawless. I didn't know anything about voice leading at the time.

Awesome stuff. But uh there are no V-I resolution?

cuz the clip ended lol. Always end on a high note. lol


Anyways, to start, use block chords as it is generally easier but once you have your chords and the melody. Deconstruct your chords and start viewing them as voices in their own right. I've gone thru so much orchestral scores where everything is a voice that it is really easy for me to hear the voices move in a chord but it does take practice and it is hard to hear and do unless you practice. But all the great composers do/did this.

And you don't need to resolve V - I. Harmony is really a game of statistics. V usually goes to one most of the times, it also often but less often goes to vi, but there are no rules as to where you have to go.

case and point

Wagner's tristan and Isolde prelude. Not one V - I resolution in the entire piece which spans 10 minutes but the key is clearly established none the less. its one big cock tease.

Beginning is slow but once it gets into it, you will hear some trancy pants harmonies.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fktwPGCR7Yw

the queers playing clarinet are quite funny to watch.

Last edited by Looney4Clooney on Aug-29-2010 at 16:15