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how to stay in key with beats???
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Old 12th December 2012   #1
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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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Old 12th December 2012   #2
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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.
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Old 12th December 2012   #3
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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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Old 12th December 2012   #4
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Keep hitting the keys until it sounds good. Use your ears.

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Old 12th December 2012   #5
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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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Old 12th December 2012   #6
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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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Old 12th December 2012   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by eldorado_p View Post
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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Old 12th December 2012   #8
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Originally Posted by eldorado_p View Post
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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Old 12th December 2012   #9
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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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Old 12th December 2012   #10
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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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Old 12th December 2012   #11
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Originally Posted by Ronnie Coleman View Post
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.

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Old 12th December 2012   #12
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Originally Posted by Ronnie Coleman View Post
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.

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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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Old 12th December 2012   #13
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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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Old 14th December 2012   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by eldorado_p View Post
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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Old 14th December 2012   #15
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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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Old 14th December 2012   #16
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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
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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Old 19th December 2012   #17
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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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Old 19th December 2012   #18
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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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Old 20th December 2012   #19
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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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Old 20th December 2012   #20
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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
I'm learning now. I have learned alot since I first posted this.
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Old 20th December 2012   #21
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Originally Posted by TYPHY View Post
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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Old 20th December 2012   #22
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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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Old 21st December 2012   #23
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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.
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Old 21st December 2012   #24
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yeah but someone with talent and theory will be better... why always settle for less...
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Old 21st December 2012   #25
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Originally Posted by mylesp View Post
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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Old 21st December 2012   #26
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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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Old 21st December 2012   #27
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Originally Posted by Thysta View Post
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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Old 21st December 2012   #28
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. 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.

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Old 22nd December 2012   #29
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Originally Posted by Ronnie Coleman View Post
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.

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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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Old 22nd December 2012   #30
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bruh, its not rocket science.
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