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How difficult is composing trance compared to other music?
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| EnerJen |
This is for those of you who have knowledge on creating other genres of music (e.g. pop, rock, orchestral, techno). I know it's hard to compare between an apple and an bananna. :crazy:
But generally, how much effort is put in for composing trance compared to different categories? |
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| DJ-Fuq |
| Waaaaaaaaaaay more effort. |
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| Tranc3 |
I'd say it's no more difficult to compose the pieces than it would be with any other genre, with the exception of classical pieces. It really depends on how comfortable you are with the style, how much you know about it, your motivation, etc... It also depends on what aspects of the piece you're more proficient in...if a sense of rhythm comes more easily to you than a series of pitches strung together, trance would probably be harder to compose than, say, house or techno - two genres that are not focused so much on the hook as they are on the rhythmic aspects.
Musically speaking, trance is very similar to other genres like pop, rock, hiphop....really anything done in the modern style. You find a hook, you repeat it, you throw in a few modulations of the hook...that's about it. Whereas in classical music you still have the idea of the hook, but you put more effort into the supporting melodies that come inbetween the instances of your hook...to me that means you have to work harder, seeing as how you can't just rely on a looping harmony and some percussion to lengthen your work without getting overly repetitive. |
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| NeoPhono |
| I think each genre has elements that make it difficult, but it is hard to say if one is more difficult than the other. As tranc3 said, there is a difference between writing a symphony for a full orchestra and writing a trance tune, but between other genres and trance, it's just a matter of opinion. I come from a jazz background and the trick there is the chords. Whereas trance may have only 2 to 4 chords total, a "standard" jazz piece will have unique chords every bar or so (there are exceptions, such as tonal pieces). You have to find chords that are interesting, fit, work with the melody and can be soloed over. It can get very complex, even with the rules (load of music theory) that exist. I think with trance, part of the difficulty is making a song exciting when you have fewer chords to work with and the whole point of the genre is to have repetition. In a nutshell, each type of music has things that make it tough (maybe not cheesy pop though), so it is difficult to say that one is more difficult than the other when each has its own unique areas that make producing good music difficult. |
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| Limit |
Nothing is easy...if it was, then we would all be pumping out serious tunes left and right. The most difficult would most liekly be a classical score as you have to know how every instrument works, sounds, and interacts with each other...but whos to say trance isn't the same in a way. I love the genre in all it's forms...just my opinion anyway.
Limit Out! |
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| thecYrus |
in my opinion is producing electronic music much more difficult then the normal stuff like rock, metal or so..
in our genre, you've to know every single component (e.g. compressor, reverb, phaser, flanger, ..........) there is so much to know!
in the normal genre, almost nobody cares about that stuff and they simple play.
and also the sound design like create your unique sound or FXs is one of the tricky things that an electronic producer has to do.. |
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| Disco_Stu |
| Disco Stu says trance is harder to make than disco! |
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| azior |
| i think trance is easier to make than house/hiphop/hardcore/drum&bass/techno/chill-out... it's not like trance is so difficult just because there is a melodie in it... i was working on some classical piece, and with the same effort i can make a 7 minutes trance track, i made a 30 seconds piece... |
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| DeZmA |
| quote: | Originally posted by azior
i think trance is easier to make than house/hiphop/hardcore/drum&bass/techno/chill-out... it's not like trance is so difficult just because there is a melodie in it... i was working on some classical piece, and with the same effort i can make a 7 minutes trance track, i made a 30 seconds piece... |
No I think that's bs, if you want to make a quality tune it's always gonna take a lot of time. I'm not talking about the commercial cheese.
And since when is hiphop considered music? |
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| Drazzic |
| quote: | Originally posted by azior
i think trance is easier to make than house/hiphop/hardcore/drum&bass/techno/chill-out... it's not like trance is so difficult just because there is a melodie in it... i was working on some classical piece, and with the same effort i can make a 7 minutes trance track, i made a 30 seconds piece... |
I think classical is the hardest thing. But I think no music style is harder than the other. It depends on the person I guess. If you love trance is't easier for you. I think Neophyte isn't that good in greating trance tunes only because he don't like it that much and Paul Oakenfold isn't the best hardcore producer I guess. |
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| MadThijs |
| quote: | Originally posted by Tranc3
I'd say it's no more difficult to compose the pieces than it would be with any other genre, with the exception of classical pieces. It really depends on how comfortable you are with the style, how much you know about it, your motivation, etc... It also depends on what aspects of the piece you're more proficient in...if a sense of rhythm comes more easily to you than a series of pitches strung together, trance would probably be harder to compose than, say, house or techno - two genres that are not focused so much on the hook as they are on the rhythmic aspects.
Musically speaking, trance is very similar to other genres like pop, rock, hiphop....really anything done in the modern style. You find a hook, you repeat it, you throw in a few modulations of the hook...that's about it. Whereas in classical music you still have the idea of the hook, but you put more effort into the supporting melodies that come inbetween the instances of your hook...to me that means you have to work harder, seeing as how you can't just rely on a looping harmony and some percussion to lengthen your work without getting overly repetitive. |
This is where it's all about.
All styles have different aspect that need attention. Techno/house lacks good meldoy as some tracne does by the way, the producer doesn't know theory and can't make his melody work in his track. Some can by listening though. Trance is more melodic but with some energy in the rythm, for me.
All the house music is based on that 4/4 beat. If you can make longer lines of melody or rythm you come close to classical music. Classical has no steady kcik on every beat and an annoying hihat between the kick and the snare.
And for every rule there's an exeption:)
I study classical composition at the conservatory in Zwolle. Now I don't take much trance to the class but I can take whatever I want as long as it's a bit more classical music then electronic music. |
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| ElantraGT |
| quote: | Originally posted by DJ-Fuq
Waaaaaaaaaaay more effort. |
| quote: | Originally posted by thecYrus
in my opinion is producing electronic music much more difficult then the normal stuff like rock, metal or so..
in our genre, you've to know every single component (e.g. compressor, reverb, phaser, flanger, ..........) there is so much to know!
in the normal genre, almost nobody cares about that stuff and they simple play.
and also the sound design like create your unique sound or FXs is one of the tricky things that an electronic producer has to do.. |
sorry but "in my opinion" you both seem like "electronica fan-boys" who don't know a lot about producing as a whole :p . no offense, please. :)
There's a difference between producing and writing, and the topic poster was asking about composition. But since hardly anyone in this thread paid attention to that...
As a producer/writer of electronica, heavy metal/rock, and classical/contempory, I can tell everyone that there are many more similarities than one would imagine between writing and producing various genres. The main difference between what I do is how I record the tracks, but almost every other aspect, such as mix down, mastering, effects, etc, all use the same skill set. There's "so much to know" in every genre of music. Some genres let you get away with murder, though, as far as what you need to know and what you can "get by with". Fact of the matter is, most guitar based rock groups don't need to know a lot of that stuff.
Now, in thecYrus's defense, I agree that many musicians in metal/rock don't know the difference between a phaser and a flanger, and have no clue that a flanger and chorus are related effects, but the ones who have unique sounds, unique little things they do in their playing style, know every setting of every effect in their pedal board, and can tell within a few seconds of plugging in that something is amiss. Some won't even touch another amp but their own.
Every good producer of these genres knows exactly what each effect is for and what it does, as well as how to use it.
Now what the radio calls "heavy metal" (dizturbed, limp bizkit, korn, lynkin park, etc) is not heavy metal as defined by what the genre of metal is. It is more akin to heavy rock, and should be treated as such. I can see why no one is impressed by these goofballs, and while I can like what some of them play, it is not metal. Metal has changes (be it key, time, etc) that rock doesn't typically display, has certain tansitions and an over all "feel" that other genres don't come close to. True metal is close to classical in many ways.
I even write trance melody lines similar to how i write guitar riffs, and tend to call them riffs, hehe. If I do melodic runs in an electronica piece, it's more like a guitar or flute solo, and it goes on and on with the similarities on how the parts are written for the various genres.
Sorry if I seem "uppity" but i'm not, just wanted to post my opinion of the subject since I write/produce many of the genres in question :)
Music is music, any way you slice it. I used to make fun of electronica artists as I felt I was a "real" musician and they were all bogus poser wannabes who programmed machines all day. Such talent. :rolleyes: But now I think 'why limit your sound palette?' |
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