How do you compose?

[Laura]

A question for everyone... how do you compose those instrumentals? You know, like trance & ambient trax that don't have structures, lyrics etc.

Do you just record a neat sounding rhythm and start jamming to yourself? Or do you have an idea set up beforehand? Do you play out a whole part or do you loop something and stick some more loops in? How much do you rely on loops that you create, vs. a part you play all the way thru?

My first recording project was a nature sounds CD, so it didn't have choruses, verses & chord changes.

[brandondrury]

Any noise I make has structure. If it doesn't have some kind of theme, its just a collection of noise. There may be exceptions, but I can't think of any off the top of my head. A collection of noise can be soothing or whatever, but it doesn't fit my definition of "music". Your definition may be different.

I never start the same way twice. I'll turn something on and start smashing on the keyboard most of the time. Sometimes, I grab the mouse and throw together a quick drum beat. Sometimes I start with piano. Sometimes I start with bass. It doesn't matter.

I'm usually just trying to make interesting ruckus that could be real songs down the road.

When it comes to real songwriting, my best work has came when I think of a vocal line and / or melody when I'm in the shower or reading. It doesn't usually come in the control room.

I've found the best way for me is to turn off the brain and just go for chaos when creating. Afterwards, I can sort out the garbage from the good stuff.

Brandon

[Laura]

Originally Posted by brandondrury

I've found the best way for me is to turn off the brain and just go for chaos when creating. Afterwards, I can sort out the garbage from the good stuff.

Brandon

I've found the thing that starts me off is weird chords. Like augmented or diminished. Or interesting scales/ note progressions that aren't quite major or minor or anything conventional.

These kinds of sounds create tension & uncertainty in the listener. That's what I'm going for... that suspenseful, questioning headspace.

I'm fascinated by the science of "why do certain musical sounds produce certain moods?". Like, why is Major "happy" and minor is "sad" and phrygian is "sinister".

[.tom]

most peeps don't even explore moods so, cool u do.. i'd describe ur disonent dabling as a hook -which is how most songs start during the writing process. mines do. and i also pay attention to my mood as i write thru the day. as my mood changes i move to incomplete worx that fit my mood or simply write a nu song and carefully archive it.

working within the trance/house or wutever sortof modern sound is different 4 me. i approach it differently cuz its about repitition and changing the sonix of the same progression. the feel is similar, as are drum beatz so, this genre is more about dynamix and the use of layering. thats how i see it. dynamix like drum breaks or melody breaks and also transient treble/bass sonix. layering usually involves the pad and strings counter melody or harmony....

[Firedance]

I guess I feel kind of compelled to compose relatively conventional songs.
E.g. With vocals, usually with chorus, rarely more than 5 minutes long.

Instrumental music I find much easier though - I don't feel under pressure to resolve tensions in the music, I can build very slowly layer by layer, I feel more free to use unusual sounds, progressions and changes in time.

Sometimes I stumble upon tunes, sometimes I work them out in a contrived almost scientific way aand sometimes I'll use a few tricks for inspiration.

More often than not though, melodies, riffs etc just 'come into my head'.

I can't really explain it - without realising it I'm just humming something.

[brandondrury]

most peeps don't even explore moods so, cool u do..

This explains my dissolusionment with much modern music. They just make sound. I want to FEEL SOMETHING! If I wanted to feel nothing, I'd turn the TV on.

Brandon

[.tom]

"This explains my dissolusionment with much modern music. They just make sound. I want to FEEL SOMETHING! If I wanted to feel nothing, I'd turn the TV on."

hahahaha brandon... itsa problem 2 me too

[jdaug]

composing instrumentals is difficult if you are trying to make it marketable. most of the general public out there listening to music will get bored with most instrumental music, regardless of how virtuosic and well produced (at least in the rock/metal/pop genres). i myself am an instrumentalist (because i cant sing or write lyrics mainly) and I dont like a lot of instrumental music because its boring. then again, if im in the car and sick of listening to talk radio, ill put on "audiovisions" channel on XM radio and totally space out to an ambient wind chime and wood block song for 20 minutes no problem.

so it depends on what your goal is. i used to write 9 minute long instrumental songs, mostly metal-ish or progressive rock, that would wander all over the place. they sounded cool to me at the time. after i posted them on public sites, i learned that nobody else thought so.

lately ive been trying to make more consumable instrumentals of the same genre, and i find that the music must be much more structured and well thought out for it to be accepted. because it doesnt have lyrics, the instruments must convey the verse, chorus, solo, break, etc. if you are just writing for yourself, fuck everybody else and do what sounds good to you.

techno, dance, trance, ambient is different. its normal for mainstream songs of those genres to be 10 minutes or longer, with only a couple main "riffs". totally different audience, apparently with a longer attention span, or just not as focused on every tiny aspect of the song. that type of music is also pleasant to listen to and doesnt make your ears bleed as much. like tom said, those genres are more about 1 riff with subtle variations and breaks, and then changing the beats behind it. Im thinking about doing a song or two in the ambient genre just for fun, and pipe it through my house to see if it shuts my baby daughter up when shes crying. if it does, thats the ultimate test of whether my music can affect someones mood.

on the question of how i compose--i just noodle on guitar or guitar synth with the red light on. listen back for things i like and then start to develop around them. usually have to cut up and save as different files because not everything i recorded will work within the same song.

[siski]

Techno, Hardcore, Happy House, Happy Handbag House etc...

Most Dance music in my opinion is all loop based thats why their are loads of loop programs out there that aim soley at that market. Good dance music in my opinion needs a killer hook, whether it be drums, bass, keyboards or vocal based. It also needs Dynamics and usually a build up to some sort of cra-shen-do (I haven't got a clue how to spell this word) and/or in a different place a breakdown. For my mind one of the best examples of this is "REZ" by Underworld so check it out to see what I mean.

Also go to a club and watch and listen. You can see what makes a cracking dance track. Watch people throw their arms in the air and roar during the breakdown. DJ's create this dynamic also by mixing different tunes together.

If I'm writing this sort of stuff then I start with an idea and then build upon it every 4 or 8 bars, chuck in a couple of breaks and Bobs yer Uncle.

Si

[Laura]

Originally Posted by jdaug

i myself am an instrumentalist (because i cant sing or write lyrics mainly) so it depends on what your goal is. i used to write 9 minute long instrumental songs, mostly metal-ish or progressive rock
techno, dance, trance, ambient is different. its normal for mainstream songs of those genres to be 10 minutes or longer, with only a couple main "riffs". totally different audience, apparently with a longer attention span

I can't sing either. I can carry a tune, but when I listened to a playback of my voice, I said "forget that." I really regret not having a good voice because when you're at a jam, you really need to sing just to have something to build a song around. Kind of like a frame or skeleton. How are you going to teach a song to the other jamming folks if you can't sing!

So I figured I would learn electric guitar because you can make it 'sing' like a voice.

But I don't expect to ever play in a band... done it before and it is just too exhausting. So I got into recording because I wanted to have a reason to practice and get really good. I like to 'noodle around' and play along with myself (since there is no one else to play along with). Sometimes I'll get 2 or 3 sections that work really well with each other and that will be good for my ego if nothing else

Prog metal has some great instrumentals by folks like John Petrucci, Joe Satriani.

I like that ambient stuff, it has a good strong beat and it's great for when I'm at work. I do medical coding, and songs with words would just distract me.

I'm thinking if I ever create any great ambient tracks, maybe I could submit them to one of the stations on shoutcast.com .