At the beginning I want to say that I’m not the excellent pro in theory of music, that’s why no articles from this site should be used as a proof. Also, if you find that something is epicly incorrect in the article, please, tell us. If you think that you may add some information to the article or have an idea how to tell it better, you can also contact us.
Why have you decided to start this blog?
I never pretended to teach music but once I found that a lot of people don’t understand things that are very simple for me now. And it is difficult to find any info for them, because they are not prepared for understanding such info.
I decided that maybe it would be easier for them to understand the one who also studied music theory by himself (me) than to read professional books about music theory.
Modern musician does not need music theory at all!
I read this opinion at comments on different sites very often.
‘How to produce a fat bass’ is a theory also.
And if you need neither good sound nor melody and harmony, you are a genius or… how many listeners do you have if you will exclude your friends and relatives from this list?
What information can I find in this category?
I don’t remember the concrete source and I’m not sure that it wasn’t just a personal opinion, but I liked the idea that music has three levels:
1. Sound
Sound is the first and the only nessessary component of music. Music can’t exist without sound.
Many times I read and listened to different authors who say that the only nessessary thing in music is score. Especially people with musical education share this point of view.
I was also agree with such opinion before. I thought that modern music is not a music because it has few notes only (three chords, or, maybe, even one chord of three notes). Also I thought that sound is a secondary thing, so I started to study notes, harmony, counterpoint etc.
Now I think it was my mistake. Nobody will listen to your music if you have bad sound. Even if you write a touching melody with a perfect harmony.
When I hear or read such words from professional composers or musician I think that they have a reason to think so. Historically the process of music creation was divided between different people: a composer wrote notes, after that musicians played the score. Musical composition existed in the form of notes, so if notes were perfect – a composition was perfect also. If some of musicians played it wrong – it were bad musicians, but not a composition. When the sound recording appeared, if the composition had an awful sound, it were because of bad sound director. Nobody said that the composition is bad in all these cases.
Now the world has changed. We hear new music in the form of recordings. We have a lot of recordings, so if your music sounds bad, a listener will just click the next recording and will never think about who was bad: a composer, a musician or a sound director.
If you have a group of musicians and found a sound director, then maybe the only thing you need is writing notes. But it is not because other things are not important, this is because you divide the process of creating music between different people and play only one role in this process.
Also if you are sure, that you are a Mozart of the XXI century and lots of professionals will play and record your music – start from notes and harmony.
If you are not sure, that you can be a composer only without doing other jobs to make your music exist and become listened – better start from learning how to manipulate sound.
In this category I will tell about different methods of sound synthesis and different effects. Maybe you will find my articles too abstract and difficult, but if you understand these things – you will understand how to apply this knowledge in different plugins.
Also I will try to create a VST plugin for every article, so you will be able to examine the pure technology (without additional effects or features that you see in modern cool plugins). If you will get a fat sound by combining and manipulating with my plugins – sure, it will be easy for you to get it from professional ones.
2. Mood
Mood of a composition consists of several components:
Rhytm
‘Music starts from rhytm’ – this is what I read in one of the books about music theory. Also it say that there is no music without rhyme.
You may say now: “What are you talking about?! I heard lots of music with no drums!”
In music theory rhytm is not about drums. Rhytm is a tempo and cound. For example, 4/4 in 120 beats per minute. Or 3/4 in 70 beats per minute. What beats if we have no kick? Metronome!
Also here you may remind me about such genres as japanoise or field recordings. Ok, I have no arguments, just I don’t know exactly if these genres are music or other forms of sound art.
Anyway, in the most part of musical genres you need rhytm.
And yes, I will post some articles about writing interesting beat also.
Key
In modern world key is less important than before. I don’t hear the difference between keys and hardly can divide major and minor.
But some professional musicians divide them and say that different keys has slightly different mood (for example, I sometimes I hear that some keys work better for trap and other works better for cinematic music. I tried to find more concrete examples now but failed, so I’m not sure if this is true of just personal opinions).
Anyway, you should choose a key for your composition before writing notes.
Melody and Harmony
There are different opinions which of them is more important.
The most part of people who are not musicians think that melody is the most part of music. It doesn’t matter if you agree with them or not, you can’t disagree that the melody is the component that you remember and replay in your mind when hear the title of a song.
As for me, I found that after choosing sounds for your composition, writing a beat and a chord progression you may put any notes you wish or even improvise in the chosen key, the mood will not change.
3. Idea
After writing different melodies with different sounds and different moods you can combine them to express an idea.
This is the highest level of music composing.
I will post nothing about this level because I think that it depends on fantasy of a composer.
What information I will not find in this category?
What plugin will help me to get a fat bass
Really. No information about plugins at all. I think you may find a lot of information about plugins in other places.
What plugin is the best for mastering
Exactly nothing about this.
What DAW is the best for writing music
You can find lots of articles about best DAWs without our site.
If we will create our own DAW we will say that this DAW is the best.
How much does a good mastering cost
No information about prices. This blog is about music theory, not about prices for different musical services.
Welcome!
- If you are a beginner and wish to find information about sound synthesis and effects, musical harmony, rhytm and melody.
- If you are a musician who found himself in a deadlock. Sometimes we will post articles about different unusual and experimental methods of writing music. The world of music is endless. Are you sure that you’ve tried everything?
- If you are a cool professional… you will find nothing new here, but we will be happy to receive a feedback. Or, maybe, you wish to become an author of our new articles?