Practical tutorials and tips for composing?

[ms0k]

Hey all,

I've been studying recording technology for 2,5 years now and alongside with that I've been taking classes on music theory and lessons with the bass guitar and piano. I'm really interested in songwriting but all the knowledge about music theory isn't helping me much with the practical side. I'm having trouble coming up with good melodies and creating nice harmonies accompanying the melodies. Is my only option to learn as many riffs and lead melodies as possible and to jam with different musical scales until my head goes boom or do you kind forumites have tips on how to push me the right way with smaller steps? Any answer is appreciated.

EDIT: changed title to composing from songwriting. Didn't realize there was an actual difference...

Edited February 16, 2014 by ms0k

[ectogemia]

Ear-training. Theory is really helpful, but you have to be able to hear what you're learning. Learn intervals up to 13ths, ascending and descending. Be able to sing them all. Be able to identify triads and 7th chords by ear (hard mode: be able to identify extended and altered 7th chords). Maybe even learn how the inversions sound. Be able to hear all the modes, altered modes, the minor scales, etc. Being able to play all of these things on your instrument/piano is helpful, too.

Also, think about tension and release more than you think about theory. That's what the appeal of most music is, dissonance resolving into consonance. If you want to create a piece that isn't boring and cookie-cutter, find ways to alter chords or harmonize the melody with chords, which should be dissonant at times and resolve into a more consonant sound. I think of syncopation as "rhythmic dissonance" in genres which don't typically have much syncopation, so that's a good device for adding some color as well.

And if songwriting in particular is what you're interested in rather than composing, check out hooktheory.com.

[Nase]

Ear-training. Theory is really helpful, but you have to be able to hear what you're learning. Learn intervals up to 13ths, ascending and descending. Be able to sing them all. Be able to identify triads and 7th chords by ear (hard mode: be able to identify extended and altered 7th chords). Maybe even learn how the inversions sound. Be able to hear all the modes, altered modes, the minor scales, etc. Being able to play all of these things on your instrument/piano is helpful, too.

Also, think about tension and release more than you think about theory. That's what the appeal of most music is, dissonance resolving into consonance. If you want to create a piece that isn't boring and cookie-cutter, find ways to alter chords or harmonize the melody with chords, which should be dissonant at times and resolve into a more consonant sound. I think of syncopation as "rhythmic dissonance" in genres which don't typically have much syncopation, so that's a good device for adding some color as well.

i feel that's as good advice as you're going to get.

but don't feel overwhelmed. just start with developing your relative pitch (learning to recognise the intervals), and all the other things will follow logically if you stay curious.

plus, the same thing i always end up saying in these threads: use your built in melody maker.

hum away when you feel like it. if you find a melody you like, determine the root of the key you hear it in and analyze the intervals. practice it with songs you hear on the radio. music is everywhere, that's what makes it so easy to have a lesson every day.

[timaeus222]

One of the important abilities you should have is to simply know how to identify what key you're in. You don't even have to say what the key is---you could just internalize the feel of the key, and try to write melodic content in that key. When you internalize a key, you have a general idea of what fits and what doesn't. Within some confines of tonal centers, it may help you stick to writing things that don't sound awkward (a bunch of completely random accidentals in a row, for example. Meaningful accidentals may work).

[ectogemia]

but don't feel overwhelmed. just start with developing your relative pitch (learning to recognise the intervals), and all the other things will follow logically if you stay curious.

plus, the same thing i always end up saying in these threads: use your built in melody maker.

hum away when you feel like it. if you find a melody you like, determine the root of the key you hear it in and analyze the intervals. practice it with songs you hear on the radio. music is everywhere, that's what makes it so easy to have a lesson every day.

I agree with both of these things 100%. I threw a lot of stuff at you to learn, but relative pitch is the very first thing you should master as it sets you up for being able to internalize the rest of non-rhythmic music theory really easily*. Whenever I listen to music in the car, I try to identify the type of chord I'm hearing in the progression as it comes, and I try to identify intervals in the melodies when I can. I'll even sing or whistle harmonies to the melody if I'm familiar with it or sing an improvised melody over a section which only has chords. You definitely don't need an instrument to practice, and I can tell that doing this sort of thing in the car on the way to and from school every day is helping me improve, but really, nothing helps my ear more than sitting down at my piano to improvise and practice out of my jazz theory books and fake books.

* it still isn't that easy

Edited February 15, 2014 by ectogemia

[timaeus222]

I agree with both of these things 100%. I threw a lot of stuff at you to learn, but relative pitch is the very first thing you should master as it sets you up for being able to internalize the rest of non-rhythmic music theory really easily*. Whenever I listen to music in the car, I try to identify the type of chord I'm hearing in the progression as it comes, and I try to identify intervals in the melodies when I can. I'll even sing or whistle harmonies to the melody if I'm familiar with it or sing an improvised melody over a section which only has chords. You definitely don't need an instrument to practice, and I can tell that doing this sort of thing in the car on the way to and from school every day is helping me improve, but really, nothing helps my ear more than sitting down at my piano to improvise and practice out of my jazz theory books and fake books.

* it still isn't that easy

I kinda do the same thing, but I just hum the bass line for the heck of it.

[Frederic Petitpas]

I recently discovered The Recording Revolution on YouTube and the dude makes really great videos. Some are about songwriting and all. He gives a lot of good thoughts on music production and songwriting.

https://www.youtube.com/user/recordingrevolution/videos

[ectogemia]

I recently discovered The Recording Revolution on YouTube and the dude makes really great videos. Some are about songwriting and all. He gives a lot of good thoughts on music production and songwriting.

https://www.youtube.com/user/recordingrevolution/videos

When I think production tutorials, I think 5 Minutes to a Better Mix. That dude's Youtube channel taught me so much.

[ms0k]

Thanks for all the answers so far.

Ear-training. Theory is really helpful, but you have to be able to hear what you're learning. Learn intervals up to 13ths, ascending and descending. Be able to sing them all. Be able to identify triads and 7th chords by ear (hard mode: be able to identify extended and altered 7th chords). Maybe even learn how the inversions sound. Be able to hear all the modes, altered modes, the minor scales, etc. Being able to play all of these things on your instrument/piano is helpful, too.

Also, think about tension and release more than you think about theory. That's what the appeal of most music is, dissonance resolving into consonance. If you want to create a piece that isn't boring and cookie-cutter, find ways to alter chords or harmonize the melody with chords, which should be dissonant at times and resolve into a more consonant sound. I think of syncopation as "rhythmic dissonance" in genres which don't typically have much syncopation, so that's a good device for adding some color as well.

And if songwriting in particular is what you're interested in rather than composing, check out hooktheory.com.

I've doing some ear training with intervals and chord types for a year maybe now. Some intervals have come very obvious to my ear, but with some I have great trouble still.

One thing I'm having a tough time to wrap my head around is the concept of tension and release. Are you able to point me to a resource from which I could understand more of it? Hooktheory.com looks interesting, I'll check it out, thanks!

One thing: is there actually a difference between composing and songwriting?

[timaeus222]

One thing: is there actually a difference between composing and songwriting?

Songs are, by definition, something that is sung. Composition is not restricted to vocal music only.

[ectogemia]

Are you able to point me to a resource from which I could understand more of it?

I'm not sure off-hand, but learning jazz theory in general will help you with that concept. I've found Mark Levine's 'Jazz Theory Book' and 'Jazz Piano Book' (names might not be totally accurate) to be VERY insightful, but they don't very often specifically speak to tension and release. Learning the concepts he teaches, though, will help your natural sensibilities.

The more I think in terms of tension and release, the less I think in terms of discrete scales and chords. I find myself playing some chord or melody and deciding I want to move into more consonance and dissonance with the next chord/note and just doing it rather than thinking of playing some scale note or some specific chord. This has come from learning lots of theory and internalizing it so it's automatic AND from practicing experiencing tension and release in real time through lots and lots of improvisation on piano.

I wrote a little bit about it in this post, specifically the part about playing ii-V7-I in block chords in root position vs. with good voice leading. The voice leading is what establishes the most tension and release in that particular (and any) progression. Knowing chords is useful, but simply throwing block chords together into a progression doesn't establish much tension and release. It works for some genres, but more traditionally musical tunes rely strongly on good voice leading to make a progression sound "smooth" and pleasing. Lots of half steps leading strongly into a chord tone in the next chord, intentionally dovetailing the melody in with the chord tones in the chord proression, etc.

Quick example: moving from, say, the I to iii triad in C could be done in a number of ways. C E G to E G B, both in root position, is an obvious way, but there's really no tension and release established by that type of movement. The E and G don't move at all, and the C leaps all the way up a major 7th to a B. Instead, C E G to B E G is a smoother, more tension-relieving way to do that progression, almost as if the C in the I chord were suspended a half step above the B in the iii chord the whole time, just waiting to resolve. In the root position movement I mentioned first, that effect doesn't exist.

What I really like most about jazz over classical music is that chords are extended beyond triads with the addition of 7ths, 9ths, 11ths, 13ths, and all the alterations. That gives you a TON of additional opportunities to introduce dissonance/tension and consonance/release. That's basically why I recommended a jazz theory book in the first place.

Like I mentioned in the beginning of this post, I use that concept of creating and relieving tension through voice leading to improvise very naturally without even thinking about whether I'm playing this chord or that or even the key or mode I'm in. I just move smoothly from one chord to the next and adapt the melody to the chord I'm playing.

Edited February 15, 2014 by ectogemia

[ShrackAttack]

Good posts ecto. That hook theory website is pretty awesome.