Music Theory - Moved from Metro

[Aratron]

i'd really like to learn more about music theory.
i really struggled with music at school always came last, and have never leanrt the basics of music. I think i am really tone-deaf.

Thinking of splashing out and buying this.

Anyone else got any links. Tips. Same program i can borrow?

http://www.amazon.co.uk/EarMaster-5-...954233&sr=1-10

[tonyc2002]

That program actually sounds (no pun intended) pretty good. Let me know how you get on if you buy it :)

As for music theory, I dont know alot about it really except that its very deep and complicated. I scratched the surface when I was doing my BTEC, but it was literally only a two hour tour about different musical scales that are used around the world.

Funnily though (you might like this) I remember Paul telling us there was a musical note that was banned in the middle ages (cant remember which one) nick-named the "devils note", and if someone played it they would be executed for blasphemy or something. Harsh :lol:

[Jay Pace]

I hated musical theory. Its dry, boring and fairly useless unless you have a burning desire to start transposing 303 riffs into different keys and adapting them for a bassoon.

I'd go with something more fun, fruity loops or something and a stack of tutorials.

[robin m]

I'd go with something more fun, fruity loops or something and a stack of tutorials.

I second this... a copy of fruityloops and a cd full of crap samples got me into it all.

You should definitely give it a go Calv - I bet you a tenner you get bitten by the bug and can wave goodbye to the next several years of your spare time.

Problem is that there's an increasingly infinite amount of stuff to learn when you get into it - I feel like I know less about music than when I started trying to make it, and I knew **** all back then. Several years later and I still haven't made one thing I'm happy with but I've enjoyed every minute of working on it so that'll have to do :)

[dirty_bass]

Well, the best and most indespensable part of music theory is learning your scales, and chord progressions.
It`s exceedingly helpful when trying to creat great melody, and for making interesting chordal arrangments beyond the standard techno 3 note chord.

[SlavikSvensk]

whether or not you enjoy music theory largely depends on whether you can (and want) to "think like that." a lot of people benefit greatly from it. others play music more intuitively, and for those people theory is dull and can even constrain creativity. for me it's been back and forth. i took a couple theory and composition classes in uni that were not a lot of fun. took an acoustics class and loved it.

[RDR]

That program actually sounds (no pun intended) pretty good. Let me know how you get on if you buy it :)

As for music theory, I dont know alot about it really except that its very deep and complicated. I scratched the surface when I was doing my BTEC, but it was literally only a two hour tour about different musical scales that are used around the world.

Funnily though (you might like this) I remember Paul telling us there was a musical note that was banned in the middle ages (cant remember which one) nick-named the "devils note", and if someone played it they would be executed for blasphemy or something. Harsh :lol:

it wasnt a musical NOTE it was a chord

[tonyc2002]

it wasnt a musical NOTE it was a chord

Yep, your right :Yes:

[maily]

it wasnt a musical NOTE it was a chord

nope it's an interval, 6 semitones.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tritone
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/4952646.stm

[Aratron]

nope it's an interval, 6 semitones.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tritone
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/4952646.stm

lol

[RDR]

nope it's an interval, 6 semitones.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tritone
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/4952646.stm

oh shit yeah....

[massplanck]

Aratron. Forget theory. Start playing an instrument.. just as long as you enjoy it, thats all that counts. I reckon youd be great on the theramin,.

[FILTERZ]

http://www.musictheory.net/


heres a nice link for some very simple music theory lessons online

brilliant they are

[RDR]

http://www.musictheory.net/


heres a nice link for some very simple music theory lessons online

brilliant they are

+1, i use these in class with my learners!

[maily]

Aratron. Forget theory. Start playing an instrument.. just as long as you enjoy it, thats all that counts. I reckon youd be great on the theramin,.

yeah, or start playing with fruity or rebirth or reason, just keep bashing notes in until u start seeing the patterns of what works.

[FILTERZ]

http://chordmaps.com/


this one has good chord maps for all keys

[theledge]

personally i think it's a very good idea to learn some of this stuff. if nothing else it gives you a broader understanding and some new ideas. i found that learning it encouraged me to write music of many different kinds, and vary my style a lot more.

and as dirtybass says even a basic understanding makes constructing melodies and harmonies a lot easier. it's quite dry and mathematical reading from a book so you need to apply it to music approximating something you like while you learn it.

Calvin, i've got a table of scales and chord/note positions i made a few years ago, i use it all the time making music, hit me on msn and i will send it to you if you want.

[Aratron]

personally i think it's a very good idea to learn some of this stuff. if nothing else it gives you a broader understanding and some new ideas. i found that learning it encouraged me to write music of many different kinds, and vary my style a lot more.

and as dirtybass says even a basic understanding makes constructing melodies and harmonies a lot easier. it's quite dry and mathematical reading from a book so you need to apply it to music approximating something you like while you learn it.

Calvin, i've got a table of scales and chord/note positions i made a few years ago, i use it all the time making music, hit me on msn and i will send it to you if you want.

thanks mate, problem is i dont even understand the rudimentary basics.
i know know about counting bars and stuff, thro djing.

i hear acid techno is in the key of c, but i dont know wot it really means.

[eppertheleper]

Well, it all really depends on what kind of music you're interested in making. If you want to make techno, you really don't need to know much of anything about music in the classical sense. Since pure techno is a straight 4/4 meter, meaning four beats per measure and a quarter note gets one beat. I'm sure some could be simplified into 2/2 or drawn out into more complex time sigs, but that's pretty much it.

Also, when talking about techno, what key it's in really doesn't make a bit of difference unless you're trying to do something with pianos, strings, or vocals. I don't know if the 303 is set in the key of C or not, but it might be limited to that one key. Frankly it doesn't matter since most of the sounds that come out of the thing could be called a pitch, but only in the widest definition of the term.

Basically, what key it's in means which notes you can play together and have it not sound like crap, and everybody in the orchestra needs to be in the same key or it will. C is pretty much the "easiest" because it has no flats or sharps. These are the black keys on the piano, and are the adjustments that must be made in other keys in order for the notes to, again, avoid sounding like crap.

Oh, I'm blathering, maybe I should have an online theory course here in the forum! I'll get to the point. If you're interested in playing with a group, from a small band up to a full orchestra, then you'll need to take some classes in theory. I haven't ever played with theory software, so I don't know how well it works. I would imagine they've got some good stuff out there.

If you just want to make some techno, then don't worry about it. Just buy Reason and start tinkering.

Oh, and I'm pretty sure there's nothing you can do if you're truly tone deaf. If you just haven't honed your skill, then you can work on it, but people who lack the cognitive ability to differentiate between tones are that way for life.

[theledge]

If you just want to make some techno, then don't worry about it. Just buy Reason and start tinkering.

Doesn't hurt to broaden your horizons a bit though. Maybe not at first, but eventually higher quality, more original techno is the likely result.