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Chords and Scales?
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Yellow Warrior
IsraTrance Junior Member
Started Topics :
35
Posts :
898
Posted : Sep 8, 2004 14:27
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Hello All,
Ok, the thing is, i've seen a few posts here where people have been told that you don't really have to know much (or even nothing!) about music theory to make Psy.
They say, ' Just use your ears' !!!!
My question is if you don't know anything about chords or scales or whatever else there is (Sorry, i don't know much!) how can you make the sounds??
Do you just keep writing notes randomly and hope that something will eventually sound nice?
I mean, on a keyboard i know what C5 is but how do you guys know that C5 when combined with say G4 will sound awesome?? (Please, i'm just using this as an example) Does it come with practice and experience or are there some rules when using chords and scales?
So, If you must know about chords to make good music, how should i be learning to use them? Are there any rules?
I hope you understand me and hope i'm not wasting anybody's time?!
Also, i would be grateful if someone could suggest a link where i could learn more about these things? I don't have any musical background, so if you could suggest something for a beginner it would be great.
Thank you all for your time and help and please forgive my ignorance.
Peace.
  Rather than feeling that you're about to have the rug pulled from under you, let me teach you how to dance on a flying carpet |
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PsyGoatDelic
IsraTrance Junior Member
Started Topics :
45
Posts :
359
Posted : Sep 8, 2004 14:31
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fuzzikitten
Annunaki
Started Topics :
40
Posts :
603
Posted : Sep 8, 2004 14:35
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Bharath,
It seems that some people learn well with theory, using it to help organize and classify sound. Other people learn well just by playing with the notes. Some people are a combination, using a little theory here and there and just going on intuition the rest of the time.
Play with the notes, try different combinations - if you get frustrated, try learning some theory to help you out. A lot of it is experience as eventually you will learn to recognize notes and learn their character. I once burned a cd of a song of notes: A A# B B# etc and just listened to that for a week, trying to learn each note. Practice practice practice - play with music every day, writing bad melodies and basslines (eventually they will get better).
There is no wrong way, only your way. 
http://www.dolmetsch.com/theoryintro.htm
http://www.looknohands.com/chordhouse/piano/ |
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Mike A
Subra
Started Topics :
185
Posts :
3954
Posted : Sep 8, 2004 16:12
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Quote:
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On 2004-09-08 14:27, Bharath wrote:
They say, ' Just use your ears' !!!!
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Once you finished doing what fuzzikitten just said, use your ears. 
If you got a guitar or a keyboard you can just play chords and stuff (using fuzzi's links) to see what sounds good and progresses nice.
Then put it into your tracks.
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WAVELOGIX
Wavelogix
Started Topics :
136
Posts :
1214
Posted : Sep 9, 2004 00:10
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bharath , theory is absolutely essential for makin good music man !
i know tht 2day every one can try to make music by just dloading some fruity loops / cubase nuendo frm the internet ... coz the programmers have made it soo simple ... tht every one wants to give it a shot !
but mate , in times when these programs didnt exsist , wasnt music made only by musicians ?
i mean ppl some spent some time of their lives " learning " music ....
coz ultimately when u want to make music , its not abt just making some patterns play to gether and putting some effects on them .... but like all good music , tht inspires the heart ... ur music must be soulful and this soul in the music only comes when u know wat u want to make !
so learning music is everything man...... i know many ppl who dont kinow jack abt music theory ,,, but make music all frm the ears ..... u know drawing some notes in the piano roll and then shifting notes here and there until it sounds sumthin ....
but believe me man , guy who learns music will always have more edge and he dosent have to do this trial and error method as he might already have all the tunes in his head and may also know how to switch the moood of the trk using the right chord progressions [ infected mushroom 4 example ]
so , i even feel tht even thought 2day many ppl trying to make music on th fruity loops or cubase ... every one cant be big star coz even though one may put in some yrs trying to get good sound and mix ....
but as it is sound takes its time ... music just isint meant 4 everyone and only a few are blessed with it ...
so always better to learn man . as nuthin goes waste in life !
as i say this ... i myself have been learning music for 10 yrs now ... and stil feel i really got lots of stuff to learn !
i even know tht many big and successful trance artists whom v all lissen to and like /// [ infected , illumination , psycraft ..] to name a few are all noted musicians ....
so u know i believe in wat im saying ...
like there are soo mny other users also on this forum and some may agree with me and some may not ... but tht dosent matter ...
i think a few music classes always help ... !
making music without learnign is like driving a car without knowing directions .... u know keep driving tilll u learn the way ... lmao ! |
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NikC
BeatNik
Started Topics :
40
Posts :
601
Posted : Sep 9, 2004 02:08
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Having played in orchestra's when young, been (unfortunately and kinda lamely) on a music scholarship to my school a while ago, and having studied classical composition as well... i know that without the theory i know, i would not be able to make the music that i do.
learning scales which are the basis for most psytrance melody (not counting 12tone and other scales from outside of europe such as indian Raga scales) is hugely important for making a coherent, understandable piece, however effects based it may be.
GTN made a very good point saying that before programs existed, music was created only by musicians who had studied (as was the case with almost all famous classical composers) since they were very young, in the technicalities, formalities and details of what made music what it was.
There is no progression without an understanding of what has been done before.
Music hasn't come to where it is now because of programmers creating the 'ultimate' sounds, but through understanding of what makes music what it is.
And that is called theory.
I think that if you are dedicated to creating music of any kind, at least learn the basics; learn about cadences, harmony, major and minor scales, learn about 'World Music'... you could probably do this at home on the internet(try google ).
Knowledge is power; and knowing even simple theory gives you more control and power over what you can create musically...
Nik C |
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Reconstructed
Started Topics :
4
Posts :
166
Posted : Sep 9, 2004 03:27
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What I think is fundamentally wrong with the direction psytrance has taken. There is almost no musicality. Strange sounds and textures were exciting when they were first being experimented with, but now most of that has been done to death.
Intense sequences and fast sounds are good and all, but without theory it loses much of the emotion you can get with a really killer melody or chord progression. |
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sonik_akb
Started Topics :
5
Posts :
221
Posted : Sep 10, 2004 18:28
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Quote:
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On 2004-09-09 03:27, Reconstructed wrote:
What I think is fundamentally wrong with the direction psytrance has taken. There is almost no musicality. Strange sounds and textures were exciting when they were first being experimented with, but now most of that has been done to death.
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I totally agree with you. It's necessary to understand something about musical theory and how to create exciting chords progression in order to make cool tracks. Is it possible to make trance tracks using samples and FXs? Yes, but this is sad and cold.
Perhaps you (Bharath) could check this tutorial (The Raven Spiral Guide):
http://www.kwookyworld.com/rsg2mt/rsg2mt.pdf
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UIU
IsraTrance Full Member
Started Topics :
88
Posts :
238
Posted : Sep 10, 2004 19:20
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I agree with people here. I hate the type of psy songs that have no harmony and are just based on rhuthm. What helps me set the mood of the song and decide about chords progression is pads. It is usually a good starting point for me. |
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Yellow Warrior
IsraTrance Junior Member
Started Topics :
35
Posts :
898
Posted : Sep 13, 2004 12:15
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Thank you all so much for your help and advice. I'm very grateful!!
Thanks for the links Psygoatdelic, Fuzzikitten and Sonic_AKB. I will read them!!
MikeA, GTN, NickC, Reconstructed, UIU, Thanks for the advice!!
Take Care people and Good Luck to all!!
Peace.....
Rather than feeling that you're about to have the rug pulled from under you, let me teach you how to dance on a flying carpet |
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Boobytrip
IsraTrance Junior Member
Started Topics :
39
Posts :
988
Posted : Sep 13, 2004 12:42
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Yeah, i agree with most peepz here. The time spent on learning theory is time well spent. It will save you loads of time in the future, when you are trying to make progressions, solo-lines and stuff like that. And it will make your music better.
And i don't see a reason why you would not want to do it. It's not rocket-science for god sake. In fact, it's pretty simple to get your head around. If you spend an hour every week on reading and trying music theory, you are an expert in about a year.
I guess the word THEORY scares the living shit out of a lot of people. |
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Psycho Mushroom Lolipop
Inactive User
Started Topics :
14
Posts :
71
Posted : Sep 15, 2004 18:30
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