12th December 2012
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#1 | | Gear addict
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 353
Thread Starter | how to stay in key with beats???
how do i keep in key with my beats? just stay in the scale? lol
or do i stay in the notes that are used only in the chord progression?
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12th December 2012
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#2 | | Lives for gear
Joined: Feb 2009 Location: Slovenia
Posts: 822
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You don't have to. It's called modulation.
Basically it's about staying in scale, but you can still use alterations and diferent modes.
__________________ Quote:
Originally Posted by analogexplosions Tape smells better than Pro Tools. | |
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12th December 2012
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#3 | | Moderator
Joined: Jun 2006 Location: Sydney via London
Posts: 18,844
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Can you teach me music theory in one easy to understand forum post?!
Answer: no. People spend years studying this. I think I'm on about 20 years so far.
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12th December 2012
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#4 | | Lives for gear
Joined: May 2011 Location: Bronx ,NY
Posts: 1,243
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Keep hitting the keys until it sounds good. Use your ears.
Sent from my SPH-D710 using Tapatalk
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12th December 2012
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#5 | | Lives for gear
Joined: Jul 2011 Location: florida
Posts: 1,342
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Cubase has a feature that tells you what key each one shot is in and then it has the ability to change that note. I always set my drums to the root of the song...
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12th December 2012
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#6 | | Gear maniac
Joined: Jul 2010 Location: Queens, NY
Posts: 267
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Use your ears. Learn basic music theory. Before I learned basic music theory I found mine and most people's ears know what goes with or doesn't go with a certain melody/scale. It doesn't sound right. Just by listening to music all your life you're ears are sort of in tune so to speak. That's how a lot of producers/beat makers don't know music theory but can make a hot beat that's in tune (or not as long as it sounds good to u). Trust your ears.
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12th December 2012
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#7 | | Lives for gear
Joined: May 2011 Location: Bronx ,NY
Posts: 1,243
| Quote:
Originally Posted by eldorado_p Use your ears. Learn basic music theory. Before I learned basic music theory I found mine and most people's ears know what goes with or doesn't go with a certain melody/scale. It doesn't sound right. Just by listening to music all your life you're ears are sort of in tune so to speak. That's how a lot of producers/beat makers don't know music theory but can make a hot beat that's in tune (or not as long as it sounds good to u). Trust your ears. | +1
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12th December 2012
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#8 | | Lives for gear
Joined: Aug 2010 Location: Belgium
Posts: 1,517
| Quote:
Originally Posted by eldorado_p Use your ears. Learn basic music theory. Before I learned basic music theory I found mine and most people's ears know what goes with or doesn't go with a certain melody/scale. It doesn't sound right. Just by listening to music all your life you're ears are sort of in tune so to speak. That's how a lot of producers/beat makers don't know music theory but can make a hot beat that's in tune (or not as long as it sounds good to u). Trust your ears. | I had to thumb up. I also don't know mutch about music theory but playing by ear works aswel.
Same goes for composing a drum loop, when a certain instrument is few mili second of note it breaks up the chain.
But it's beter to learn your theory, it'll only affect your work in a positive way.
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12th December 2012
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#9 | | Lives for gear
Joined: Dec 2004 Location: Lake Charles
Posts: 1,400
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As a very general rule, you want mostly to play the notes that appear in the chord which you're playing over at that moment. So if you're playing over an A minor, you can play A, C, or E. Then you can use the other scale tones (B, D, F, G) as 'passing tones' between those chord tones. Those passing tones offer brief momentary 'spice' to the agreeable sound of the chord tones.
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12th December 2012
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#10 | | Lives for gear
Joined: Jul 2004 Location: Orlando
Posts: 3,788
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Yeah, agree I would learn chords and arpeggios first. It teaches you patterns and how the scales are created. So on a bass or guitar, I can play Amin in tons of different ways, since the A C and E are in many places all over the neck. Just learn major and minor chords first until you see the patterns, then expand to 7ths, min 7ths..etc.
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12th December 2012
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#11 | | Lives for gear
Joined: May 2011 Location: Bronx ,NY
Posts: 1,243
| Quote:
Originally Posted by Ronnie Coleman I have no formal training but even my first tracks sounded right because I know when a note or chord doesn't fit. Its something that comes naturally. If you don't hear those problems you might want to try basketball or the tennis club.
Sent from my DROID X2 using Tapatalk | +1
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12th December 2012
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#12 | | Gear addict
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 353
Thread Starter | Quote:
Originally Posted by Ronnie Coleman I have no formal training but even my first tracks sounded right because I know when a note or chord doesn't fit. Its something that comes naturally. If you don't hear those problems you might want to try basketball or the tennis club.
Sent from my DROID X2 using Tapatalk | well i hear the problems right away no doubt. i just wanted to ask because i have been learning scales the past 2 months.
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12th December 2012
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#13 | | Lives for gear
Joined: Dec 2011 Location: Boogie Down
Posts: 1,029
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Just use your ears. If it sounds good then most likely its already in key or close enough. And don't worry bout being precise, cause having sounds slightly out of key will build tension and give your track a unique sound and character. Thats whats gonna distinguish your sound from the rest. If anything just use a sine wave and a spectrum analyzer to practice tuning your sounds to a certain key, so you know what to listen for, but after that just use your ears from there on out.
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14th December 2012
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#14 | | Gear addict
Joined: Jul 2011 Location: Atlanta/Alabama
Posts: 423
| Quote:
Originally Posted by eldorado_p Use your ears. Learn basic music theory. Before I learned basic music theory I found mine and most people's ears know what goes with or doesn't go with a certain melody/scale. It doesn't sound right. Just by listening to music all your life you're ears are sort of in tune so to speak. That's how a lot of producers/beat makers don't know music theory but can make a hot beat that's in tune (or not as long as it sounds good to u). Trust your ears. | This
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14th December 2012
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#15 | | Gear is over-rated
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 954
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the title of the thread really made me laugh out loud lol
no offense
and there is some good replies in here.. good luck
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14th December 2012
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#16 | | Gear maniac
Joined: Nov 2012
Posts: 200
| Quote:
Originally Posted by TYPHY the title of the thread really made me laugh out loud lol
no offense
and there is some good replies in here.. good luck | It's more worrying the fact that it's 3 years on since the account creation that this question has been asked.
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Twitter: @JC_Biffro
FutureProducers.com: JC_Biffro |
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19th December 2012
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#17 | | Gear addict
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 353
Thread Starter | Quote:
Originally Posted by JC Biffro It's more worrying the fact that it's 3 years on since the account creation that this question has been asked.  | Lmao I make sampled beats so I haven't learned everything about staying in key. That's why
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19th December 2012
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#18 | | Gear nut
Joined: Apr 2010 Location: Mönchengladbach |
if you dont know anything about music theory and use only your ears - what I doubt will work - you are simply limited to what was there before. that is not you. you always wil be limited to something happening by accident and you dont know why. you cant work out an idea. you cant do anything with a goal in mind. you will never get willingly your music sound like you want it to sound.
you will be forever be a slave to coincidence.
learn music theory, the only way to understand how music works. and this you cant do with samples or loops or beats or whatever.
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20th December 2012
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#19 | | Gear is over-rated
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 954
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yeah.. music theory is soooooo helpful when trying to make melodies
the pentatonic scale is very easy to make melodies with
i highly recommend you learn scales bro
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20th December 2012
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#20 | | Gear addict
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 353
Thread Starter | Quote:
Originally Posted by TYPHY yeah.. music theory is soooooo helpful when trying to make melodies
the pentatonic scale is very easy to make melodies with
i highly recommend you learn scales bro | I'm learning now. I have learned alot since I first posted this.
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20th December 2012
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#21 | | Gear maniac
Joined: Mar 2010 Location: Hollywood, CA
Posts: 279
| Quote:
Originally Posted by TYPHY yeah.. music theory is soooooo helpful when trying to make melodies
the pentatonic scale is very easy to make melodies with
i highly recommend you learn scales bro | This http://worldsciencefestival.com/vide...ntatonic_scale |
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20th December 2012
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#22 | | Gear addict
Joined: Mar 2009 Location: London
Posts: 449
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Don't people learn how to read music at school nowadays ?
I thought I was utterly helpless as far as music theory is concerned and that I just had a good ear... But then I realized that I've had music courses in middle school in which I learnt how to read sheet music and play those plastic flutes... Honing my ears to recognize notes.
Hearing pitch dissonances seems to be just so natural...
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21st December 2012
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#23 | | Lives for gear
Joined: Dec 2011 Location: Boogie Down
Posts: 1,029
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Originally Posted by Ronnie Coleman This is not true. I make better beats than a lot of people with theory. And I didn't learn theory. If you have talent, you have talent. | +10
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21st December 2012
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#24 | | Gear addict
Joined: Mar 2009 Location: London
Posts: 449
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yeah but someone with talent and theory will be better... why always settle for less...
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21st December 2012
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#25 | | Lives for gear
Joined: Jan 2009 Location: Hungary
Posts: 653
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Originally Posted by mylesp how do i keep in key with my beats? just stay in the scale? lol
or do i stay in the notes that are used only in the chord progression? | translation:
I'm ****ing lazy to google a very simple music theory thing, so I want YOU GS guys to save me time and do the work for me.
This is because I want success but too lazy to learn.
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21st December 2012
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#26 | | Lives for gear
Joined: Jan 2009 Location: Hungary
Posts: 653
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without theory, you'll be very limited in composing. most of these guys who say you need no theory are writing childish melodies and cant make a simple chord progression.
also, just because you didn't go to school to learn music theory doesn't mean you don't use it.
it makes no sense to invent hot water imho.
also depends on what you want to do. for dirty south, you don't need no theory. but for things like J.R. Rotem and Scott Storch does, you're not in the ballpark without knowing scales and chord progressions.
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21st December 2012
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#27 | | Lives for gear
Joined: Dec 2011 Location: Boogie Down
Posts: 1,029
| Quote:
Originally Posted by Thysta translation:
I'm ****ing lazy to google a very simple music theory thing, so I want YOU GS guys to save me time and do the work for me.
This is because I want success but too lazy to learn. | You got all that from the op? |
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21st December 2012
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#28 | | Lives for gear
Joined: Dec 2011 Location: Boogie Down
Posts: 1,029
| Quote:
Originally Posted by Thysta . For dirty south, you don't need no theory. but for things like J.R. Rotem and Scott Storch does, you're not in the ballpark without knowing scales and chord progressions. | Also not true. Music theory is needed for all music, and for the record music theory originates in the mind not on a piece of paper or book. If your talking about traditional music theory then yes you can read up on it to help bring to light what you already know. Quick Tip: Tune Your Drums in Ableton Live |
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22nd December 2012
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#29 | | Gear addict
Joined: Feb 2012
Posts: 357
| Quote:
Originally Posted by Ronnie Coleman I have no formal training but even my first tracks sounded right because I know when a note or chord doesn't fit. Its something that comes naturally. If you don't hear those problems you might want to try basketball or the tennis club.
Sent from my DROID X2 using Tapatalk | if you never learn music theory then you will have a hard time making music that makes sense. so how you want to make music if you dont know about cadences, about counterpoint, harmonies??? you think you can make music when you know that a chord fits?
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22nd December 2012
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#30 | | Gear maniac
Joined: Aug 2012
Posts: 235
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bruh, its not rocket science.
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