About music composing...

[mi2]

hello everyone!! I'm quite new here so I hope I'm putting this in the right section lol...


I come here because I fear something since quite a long time now : it is that I will never be a great music composer. I feel completely overwhelmed by the works of advanced musicians, even if I try to decompose their songs to try and understand, I still feel like I won't ever be able to do something alike... I came here to know if some of you felt kinda the same way when you began??


I'm trying to compose music for a game I'm making, and I really want it to be my own, with it's own emotions. though I don't know where to start : should I study the theory? should I practice at making melodies? should I train my piano skills perhaps?? I really am lost and I don't know where I'm heading, so I also wanted to know how you guys got into composing songs, if you had any tips on where to start or something like that!


anyways, thanks for reading my whiny message lol and I really hope you guys can help me get on the right track!!

 

[Scythuz]

I feel completely overwhelmed by the works of advanced musicians, even if I try to decompose their songs to try and understand, I still feel like I won't ever be able to do something alike... I came here to know if some of you felt kinda the same way when you began??

This is completely normal, in fact it never truly goes away, you'll often catch yourself doing this even when you have years and years of experience.  As they say: "the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence".  The trick is to teach yourself to recognise when you've done a good job; maybe you pulled off a new technique for the first time, or maybe you finally made that kazoo symphony you always dreamed of making a reality   It's a long journey and I'd say to try and practice doing extremely basic theory along with making melodies on the instrument of your choice.  Then load up a DAW and compose away.


The best instruments to compose on for most people are the piano/keyboard and the guitar, though it's actually optional for a digital composer.  Even if you don't use an instrument to compose though, you should try every instrument you can get your hands on and watch videos of professionals play them.  The more you learn about what an instrument can do, the easier it'll be to use it in your compositions.  After you've got the basics down you'll want to look into more technical things like reverb, eq, compression and other effects.


Throw your hesitation and pride out of the nearest window, composition is a never ending journey and it's definitely not a journey suited for sane people   

 

[Skunk]

I have been producing music for over 15 years... my talent level would have to be up to other people to decide.


BUT I will let you know, every artist of every kind has felt this way at some point, and most likely several points in their life.


I got into composing by listening to daft punk, I loved house music and loved making melodic music.
I am a guitar player first, and composer second and producer third.


It's always a really good idea to know some music theory, understand how chord progressions work and i hate to say, having a natural "nack" for music is super important but not always nessicary.


There are TONS of premade loops and samples you can purchase and use, there are also many websites and video tutorials on how to get your foot in the door to start composing "decent" music.
 


It really depends what you are going for... a battle song, an emotional song, a song that makes you feel a certain way.... Its a really hard question to answer because your one question brings up hundreds more.

My advice is learn learn learn, do do do and experiment as much as you can.
You are never going to open your DAW and start putting random midi notes places and hope it turns out a badass song.


It all comes down to how much time and energy you are willing to put into it, it is an artform not a hobby.


Well, it can be a hobby but with what you are referring to it sounds like you want to make it more than a hobby.


I hope this helps

 

[mi2]

thanks a lot for your quick answers!!


Scythuz, you would then recommend me getting into basic music theory ? ( like chord progression, scales and notes ) ( sorry if I didn't understand correctly, sometimes I have issues with english lol )


Skunk, i'm actually aiming for a battle song right now, or at least something fast paced that could combine the "battle" part aswell as the emotionnal part, any recommandations on what I should learn in order achieve this?


oh and if any of you guys have any good resources about music theory, i'd be glad to read them!! ( i must suck at using google lol )

 

[Scythuz]

@mi2 Yeah I would, you don't need to go too crazy with it though.  Just learn enough of the basics to know whether you're the type to compose purely by 'feel' or if you prefer to take the more 'theoretical' approach.

 

[Skunk]

Lol Well Mi2... I will be honest with you. 


You aren't taking the right approach to the music thing, it has to be organic.


there is no resources to show you how to achieve a song type by reading a tutorial.
My first suggestion is, research midi composition, learn the different terms and things and find a daw that works for you.


Free = audacity


not free = audio logic/pro tools/sony acid pro/ sonar cakewalk/ frooty loops/ there are so many.

Start reading up on music theory, get your self a dinky little keyboard and start taking lessons online from youtube or where ever you can.


But sadly there isnt a set "place" to learn how to make a battle song.


Edit: (personal note) this is my 420th post

 

[mi2]

alrighty, thanks a lot for your answers and your time!!^^

 

[Skunk]

I hope it helped

 

[YagamiKyo]

Another tip (even if I have been composing for only a year) is this: listen to a lot of different musical styles. Or prog music, which tends to combine everything. It really helps.


Also,another tip is quantity over quality. The more you compose, the better you become. Just thinking about my first pieces form a year ago is embarrasing compared to what I did this last month for example. Having an actual instrument can help you as well, but is not necessary.

 

[mi2]

@YagamiKyo thanks!! I'll be sure to practice a lot, and I actually possess a quite big MIDI keyboard, so I guess that should help!! thanks for your answer^^ though did practice alone helped you improve, or did you try and learn new stuff on the way?

 

[YagamiKyo]

@mi2 Both, more or less. Having my guitar with me after 8 months did help a bunch in comparison to composing with the DAW alone. I also started learning some music theory from the beginning. I mean, I had played guitar for 4 year but never cared about theory too much until now. Learning worked for me. I am actually going to do an online free course on classical music composing, but it does require some previous knowledge. Here!


https://www.coursera.org/learn/classical-composition

 

[Ms Littlefish]

Everyone has to start somewhere. And, we're all different. I try not to get so worked up because my goal is to do the best job making my music. It often doesn't make a lot of sense comparing myself to someone who does something pretty different. We all have so much to offer and teach each other, but everyone has their own point of view. That said, comparing does happen. It's nature. We compare clothes, money, houses, ect. Comparing music happens, too.


I got into writing music in mostly a, "eh, why not?" way. You can't over-prepare for these kinds of things. As our friend Shia LaBeouf says, "JUST DO IT." When I first started out I had very limited music theory knowledge beyond reading and playing it. It was like playing in mud. As in, it was generally messy and didn't make a lot of sense at first, but it was completely enthralling and I couldn't stop. Sometimes being lost and bashing your head on a piano is the beginning of something great. It was years before I really opened up a music theory book.


That said. I do recommend all the things you've mentioned. Studying some music theory, practicing your instrumental skills, and keep listening to and dissecting music as well. But, never stop bashing your head on a piano and playing around. Music does tend to follow some structure and logic but there is a very expressive and emotional component of music that does come down to feeling.


Warning: Do not actually bash your head on a piano, use your hands. Feet are OK, too. Make it work.

 

[Scythuz]

Regarding quantity over quality, start with quantity, then switch to quality over time as you get better.  


@mi2  Sorry if you've already mentioned it, but do you have a DAW (Digital Audio Workstation)?  If not you can always download Reaper and search for some free VSTs for it  

 

[Skunk]

Learning the new stuff comes with practicing set songs
Everything you will ever see in the world has some form of inspiration behind it.


Once you learn the theory, you can transpose other peoples songs in your own way, notice the song structure/melodic aspects/rhythm and groove aspects and writing your own music will be a lot easier because you understand HOW the others came up with theirs


You are welcome to check out some of my stuff on soundcloud, I do many many different styles of music now a days, but started striklty with acoustic guitar, then moved onto techno, then with learning how to make house and techno I learned how to make orchestral arrangements!


WINNING!


Like I said before there are tons of DAW's out there you can use. they all do basically the same thing, kind of like a video editor with a time line.


Reaper ^^^ is very good for learning but has many limitations, I would almost recommend downloading just a piano roll editor and getting the feel for midi composition. It sure makes it fun when you have a million different sound you can assign ONE instrument! 

 

[Quigon]

If it makes you feel any better I still can't read sheet music, I'm probably the worst pianist I know and my first year (and honestly I'll fall back on it sometimes) mainly comprised of me opening a DAW, throwing some notes around that sounded good together and going from there. Listen to a lot of music, write down anything that comes into your head and you're already on the up and up. Everything gets better when you do it over and over and over and over and over again.

 

[mi2]

@YagamiKyo thanks for the link, I'll keep it and perhaps return to it when I'll have learned some theory^^


@Ms Littlefish I'll try to keep toying around then!! i'll try to bash my head on the keyboard even more and see what I come up with!!


@Scythuz I'm using FruityLoops 12 and it kinda suits me ^^


@Skunk thanks for the additional tips, and already checked your soundcloud, really liked what you got there ^^


thanks so much for all your answers!! i actually composed something like maybe a month ago, if you want to give it a listen, please do! : https://instaud.io/rIv

 

[Skunk]

^^^^ this! 


You have NO idea how many times I did just that when I started 15 years ago. catching those notes that make musical sense is one of the first steps in understanding musical progression
I have a degree in sacred music (which sounds a lot cooler than it is) and it taught me A LOT about melody and harmony which are super important.
But making a simple 4 track techno song is still the best place to start in my opinion. 


it's easy, it's repetitious and it makes you feel super sexy lol

 

[mi2]

@Quigon you can't imagine how reassured I am by your answer lol. that motivates me a lot to keep toying around!! PS : funny you commented here, I actually looked up earlier today a thread about someone who had a similar issue as me like 3 years ago, and you posted there haha

 

[mi2]

@Skunk i'll be sure to get more into music theory^^

 

[Scythuz]

@Quigon Well it's obviously worked out well for you, you're a very talented composer  


@mi2 Ah you'll be fine then, I think I tried an older version of FL once and I personally think it was much better than Reaper.


I'm in a similar position to Quigon.  I also suck at reading sheet music, it's a new years resolution I keep making because it makes me think in theory more when I write that way, so it'd help with working through writers block a lot.  I'm also not good at piano either, though I am slowly getting better and it does help out a lot.  I wouldn't recommend even trying to play a drumkit on a midi keyboard though hahahaha, you would literally be better off getting an electric drum kit if you're that fussy about it xD