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tips & secrets to evolve melodies
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elesdifrend
IsraTrance Full Member
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161
Posted : May 6, 2008 01:48:55
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If you could give an advice of how to learn how to evolve melodies, how can you improve your skills on making melodies? |
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MadScientist
IsraTrance Full Member
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97
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1220
Posted : May 6, 2008 01:58
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maybe learning music theory? 
 https://soundcloud.com/hazak
"Have you ever had that feeling where you're not sure if you're awake or still dreaming?"
"Hmm, yeah... All the time, man - it's called mescaline. The only way to fly!" |
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Elad
Tsabeat/Sattel Battle
Started Topics :
158
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5306
Posted : May 6, 2008 02:17
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Sixofour
Started Topics :
9
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71
Posted : May 6, 2008 02:51
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Well, its already been said..but,music theory. you need to, at least..know what scales and keys are.
After you learn that, i would start learning what harmony really is. Most people don't know...they think harmony has to do with sounding good...lol. when it is really what happens when two or more melodies compliment each other correctly
Like wise, two melodies can compliment each other correctly..and still sound like shit. That is why you need to know what scales and keys are so you stay on scale in an effecient way. And by scale..i don't mean 'known scales'..i mean, you select a group of keys, and stay with that group |
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Mesq
Reality Pixie
Started Topics :
34
Posts :
671
Posted : May 6, 2008 06:13
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On 2008-05-06 02:51, Sixofour wrote:
Well, its already been said..but,music theory. you need to, at least..know what scales and keys are.
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Well maybe... I still don't really know the key signatures of all the major or minor scales but listen to my music and see if I have any problem with melodies..  and I can tell you as a music student at university the more theory I learn the less i make music with feeling and more I make music with thinking.
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After you learn that, i would start learning what harmony really is. Most people don't know...they think harmony has to do with sounding good...lol. when it is really what happens when two or more melodies compliment each other correctly |
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Sorry to be pedantic but you know... this is music theory after all.
What you are describing ie two melodies complimenting each other is called counterpoint.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Counterpoint
Quote:
| In its most general aspect, counterpoint involves the writing of musical lines which sound very different from each other, but sound harmonious when played together. In all eras, writing of music organized contrapuntally has been subject to rules, sometimes strict. By definition, chords occur when multiple notes sound simultaneously; however, chordal, harmonic, "vertical" features are considered secondary and almost incidental when counterpoint is the predominant textural element. Counterpoint focuses on melodic interaction, and only secondarily on the harmonies produced by that interaction. |
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harmony
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| ...In Western Music, harmony often refers to the "vertical" aspects of music, distinguished from ideas of melodic line, or the "horizontal" aspect.[2] For this reason, considerations of counterpoint or polyphony are often distinguished from those of harmony.... |
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Mesq
Reality Pixie
Started Topics :
34
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671
Posted : May 6, 2008 07:31
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Ok but as for some tips for melodic development and composition in general:
Repetition - This is obvious but
repetition can be thought of as not just a repeated pattern but repeated motifs within a pattern or repeated intervals or notes that are repeated on the same beat of the cycle. *Varied repetition.
Variation - Ornamental variation adding subtle things like trills, vibrato/tremolo to notes, slides and glissando
- Continual variation, where a melodic line undergoes continual subtle variations in it's repetition
- Instantaneous variation, where a melodic idea is suddenly transformed by some aspect hidden within the original example for ex a pitch, rhythm or melodic fragment.
Transformation - An instantaneous transformation takes the least significant aspect of one musical texture to build another out of this minute element, like a quantum leap from one texture to another...
Reduction and Extension- Adding or subtracting notes or rhythmic elements from a melody in a varied repetition..
Expansion and Contraction - Sort of like large register shifts. A melody occupying the range of a major second might be expanded to encompass a major tenth...
Inversion - Inversion can be textural, registral, timbral, melodic or rhythmic... think opposites...
Symmetry - where each note of a melody is mirrored around a focal note.
Ive come up with a very basic example of what I am talking about.
The following is a midi file with each example given 2 bars to play
http://www.sendspace.com/file/95virp
The first 2 bars is the main melody
the next two bars contain added notes
then subtracted notes
then extension and variation of the melody
then ornamental variation where i have added a "run" and also a sort of grace note.
then registral expansion of the melody .. moving the range an octave or more
then registral contraction of the melody keeping the same countour
then an inversion of the melody
then symmetry in the melody.
Here is a bmp with the score..it is easy to see visually what is happening ...
http://www.sendspace.com/file/vbtyty
Hope this helps to give some people ideas on ways to evolve melodic motifs. To give some advice on how evolve melodies in counterpoint is too difficult for me to get into though at the moment 
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aciduss
IsraTrance Full Member
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112
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Posted : May 6, 2008 08:24
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Wow... this really illustrated me.
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Hope this helps to give some people ideas on ways to evolve melodic motifs. To give some advice on how evolve melodies in counterpoint is too difficult for me to get into though at the moment |
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Well make sure you find the moment to do it because i would greatly appreciate that. I think you explained simple things that when put together can become great help when creating melodic patterns / riffes. The way you wrote is very friendly
thanks in advance
btw... where does one listen to your trax? |
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Sixofour
Started Topics :
9
Posts :
71
Posted : May 6, 2008 08:39
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Mesq
I think you shot yourself in the foot...
The first wiki quote...actually says exactly what i said. Two melodies, complimenting eachother to achive a harmonious effect. To achive harmony.
The second wiki quote says..."In western Music"...sence when did the west know anything about music? ..besides that, Goa Trance is an eastern music. Not only did it come from an asian country, its produced mostly be asians/easterners...[infact, this site is a great example of that.. ]
Though, it is a discussion about Music Theory...
No offense..but anyone who makes sound just with calculation and not soul or emotion..is not a musician, they are a sound desginer. Nothing more than that. That is what differentiates sound with music..music is collections of sound that was made with a certain feeling/emotional aspect in mind. Computer cannot make music.
It doesn't matter what it is called. We are talking about the same thing.
As a note,i disreguard most western musical theroy. Most of it just isn't very..sound. And given the history of music to come from the west...er, yeah.
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Mesq
Reality Pixie
Started Topics :
34
Posts :
671
Posted : May 6, 2008 08:58
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hehe yeah I realised that little ambiguity when I posted.
But if you read it properly it is actually not contradicting itself at all.
Aciduss: Thanks for the encouragement... I sorta did this quickly as a bit of a refresher for myself but I really should have been doing actual uni work hehehe
You can hear some samples of my music here
http://www.saikosounds.com/english/show_artist.asp?artist_id=7388
In terms of melody the best ones to listen to would be phloem and tripples.
and here is my myspace...
http://www.myspace.com/realitypixie |
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Sixofour
Started Topics :
9
Posts :
71
Posted : May 6, 2008 10:10
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Dude Phloem has the best harmony ive ever heard in any recent track. It is really good. To bad you don't post it under CC  Yeah..i love it.
You should think about doing something under creative commons...i would love to hear more! And the free world could use some more artists [well..'better' artists]!
Tripples is great too! Damn...i'm suprised actually, someone who can do melodic goa still! |
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gutter
Inactive User
Started Topics :
54
Posts :
3018
Posted : May 6, 2008 11:49
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jammin is the way to unlock the path 
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Elad
Tsabeat/Sattel Battle
Started Topics :
158
Posts :
5306
Posted : May 6, 2008 14:17
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aciduss
IsraTrance Full Member
Started Topics :
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Posted : May 6, 2008 18:58
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I struggled much towards good melody once, it is now that i know sum theory that i am able to fit tones as my heart likes them... that's a bit of musician and a bit of designer... i'm learning sum piano too
Anyway i believe tips other can give you to create melodies are great and more when someone explains them in the "for dummies" style...
I'm listening to your tracks Phloem Of TLSG is very funny and original in sound, i like btw nice LFOing in all those lines at Squidless.
Please have a momment to explain counterpoint since i have been reading texts around the net but my limited music knowledge is bluring this concept.
cheers |
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Mesq
Reality Pixie
Started Topics :
34
Posts :
671
Posted : May 7, 2008 04:29
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On 2008-05-06 11:49, gutter wrote:
jammin is the way to unlock the path
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^^^^
There may be lots of tips and techniques but only your ears will be able to tell you what will sound good together...and only practising and hearing what notes, intervals, scales and chords go together...
If i can think of anything to recommend for counterpoint I will definitely post it though. I do have some ideas so i will try and get them into a cohesive reply in the next few days |
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Sixofour
Started Topics :
9
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71
Posted : May 7, 2008 04:45
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hey mesq, check your myspace..id love to chat with you! You really out did it with those few songs of yours i heard.
I have a few clips with examples of counterpoint..but some are pretty simple and/or not technically counter point.
An example would be the track i am working on now..the bass and lead root from the same chordal progression..even though the twomelodies are different...they compliment eachother.
Btw, this track is a work in progress... 
Link: http://www.tindeck.com/audio/my/huml/psymet_17 |
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