Castle Paradox

[Gizmog1]

I've been more or less playing with Notate.exe for years, but I've never been able to produce a piece of music that satisifes me. Now, I have absolutely no formal composition training and minor musical instrument experience, but I've always wanted to learn. Where and how would you suggest I start, and are there any particularly helpful resources online? Any advice you can give me is great.

[rpgspotKahn]

I really want to start making music as well. But I cant find a BAM/MIDI maker anywhere on the internet besides that !@#$ Stephanies Piano. Which sucks.

Please any download links... (Free downloads)
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2nd Edition out now!

[Moogle1]

I use Winjammer, which is shareware. Search Yahoo! for Winjammer and the link'll be the first to pop up.

As for beginner's advice... start with a melody line. Choose a good primary instrument like strings, trumpet, distortion guitar, etc. and put your little tune into that instrument. Then choose backup instruments and have them do harmony and percussion.

A little music theory doesn't hurt, either, and if you play an instrument, even better.
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Slime Salad :: Independent Game Design

[Battleblaze]

Music theory.com will get you informed on note lenths and such...but as for actual composition...

I can't say anything all my original stuff sux.
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Indy OHR! and National OHR Month Contest going on now!

"Aeth calls PHC an anti-semite; PHC blames anti-semitism"
-squall

[Sephyroth]

I never did think that formal composition training was ever necessary. A bit of instrument experience is probably sufficient for competent music compositionification.

Also, blasting your ambient surroundings with constantly-playing video game music could never hurt.
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im realy ded

[Calehay]

When I begin a piece of music, I first decide what I'm trying to write. For example, today, I wrote the Act I Finale of my musical. I sat at the piano (which I think is a good thing for you to learn if you want to compose.) and just thought about what the song was about. After you decide that, decide what key you would like to be in. To me, I've heard certain harmonies in certain keys that I like and others that I don't like. Also, don't get stuck in the mind that Major means happy and minor means sad. Take Aeris's theme, for example. It's in a major key, but it feels very remorseful and sorrowful.
After deciding a key, I tend to go seperate ways. When creating a song, I write a chord progression or a riff that I like first. Then I build by creating a melody. When composing something "classical" I tend to create a melody before anything else.
After that comes lyric construction and whatnot... but assuming you want RPG music, I won't go into that.

As for Music Theory: Most definitely go into this. Most songwriters nowadays are very bland because all they learn are Major and Minor chords. You'll be suprised how much more sophisticated your music becomes when you learn Major 7ths, Fully Diminished 7ths, Whole Tone Scales, and even the Neopolitan 6s.

Kahn: NoteWorthy might be up your alley. It's free (don't pay attention to the demo warning. You can use it as long as you want.) It's not the best, but it gets the job done.

I hope my ramblings helped you.
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Calehay

[Gizmog1]

I understand keys, but how does one decide which is best? Just go down the list, and listen to each note until you find something you like? And, also, I don't really understand chords or riff progressions or things like that, I played the trumpet for 2 years, and I guess we never got around to that. Are there any online resources of music theory? I haven't checked MusicTheory.com yet. Will do so promptly.

[Moogle1]

Having played trumpet will help you a lot.

The key doesn't really matter -- D# major sounds a whole heckuva lot like F major to just about everyone -- but the major/minor makes a big difference. That's still sorta intuitive based on what kind of song you're making.

The one thing you do miss out on having only played trumpet is harmonization. You can probably wing it, though -- basic chords aren't too hard to figure out.
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Slime Salad :: Independent Game Design

[msw188]

It may be helpful to start in the key of C major, as you will have a chance to experiment with the most basic harmonies without having to worry about flats and sharps (If you're using notate, it saves you pressing the alt button all the time, in any case). If you're more interested in messing around with a minor feel, A minor is the closest thing to C major. To start off with, most of the basic chords are most easily formed by stacking three notes on top of each other (such that they are played simultaneously), each two steps away. For example, the chord C major is formed by the notes C, E, and G, while the chord A minor is formed by A, C, E. Having a low bottom instrument playing the note that names the chord is usually a good idea for beginners, I think. This should allow you to play around with putting some kind of melody on top of simple chord sequences. Things do get much more interesting when you allow yourself to stack more than three notes at a time for the chords...

I hope that helps. Sometimes just jumping into music theory can be overwhelming (I never had the patience to actually STUDY it), but if you start messing around with stacking different notes on each other you begin to get ideas of how notes can blend together.

If you have access to a piano, it is much easier to experiment with chords on that than it is to be constantly placing and erasing notes on Notate.

[Gizmog1]

I think a piano'd be pretty daunting for me to learn. I mean, jumping from 3 buttons to 72? 52? 128? Somewhere in there. is a big jump.

[Moogle1]

Piano is easy to learn but one of the hardest instruments to master, IMO. (Guitar is just the opposite. I know a hundred people who play guitar.)
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Slime Salad :: Independent Game Design

[Jazz_Man]

Lemme go down the list of things I wanted to pipe in.

1. Noteworthy is good. I started on it, and am still using it (Though eventually, I'm upgrading to Finale) Check noteworthy.com for a free download.

2. For a while, I never thought formal composition training was necessary, either... then I turned a composition into a teacher here on campus. It got ripped to shreds, basically. I mean, theory-wise, it was correct, but chord progressions, melodic lines, and voice leadings weren't as good as they could have been. but then again, composition is not an exact science. No one can tell you your work is wrong, they can only offer advice as to what would make it more professional. So, yes. Formal Composition training is necessary if you plan on taking it past a simply hobby.

3. Calehay, wait until you get into borrowed chords, and augmented 6ths. Those rock more than the Neopolitan 6th (If used in the right context). My theory class just finished learning those, and we're moving on to 9ths, 11ths, and 13ths. This semester will help me to polish off a lot of my compositions to how I WANT them to sound, as opposed to settling for a mediochre chord choice.

4. As for deciding which key is best, it's up to the composer. There's that gag from Spinal Tap, "I always think D minor is the saddest of all keys." believe it or not, there's validity to that statement. A lot of people think that Eb is the most "regal" sounding key, d minor is the saddest, etc. etc. I've trasnposed music of mine to other keys, nothing sounds right, but then I hit a certain key, and it just seems to lock in.

5. As for chord progressions, a good I - IV - V (1 - 4 - 5) progression is a nice start. Say you're in the key of C... the I chord would be the C E G chord (C being the first note in the scale), the IV chord would F A C (F being the 4th note in the C scale, C D E F) and the V chord would be G B D (G being the 5th note, or C D E F G) Most songs revolve around this, or variants on this chord progression. Think "Louie Louie", as a popular example. (I I I... IV IV, V V V... IV IV, I I I) That's just a basic BASIC run through on chord progression, and I can clarify later, if you want.

7. Piano is NOT easy to learn... tough to master yes, easy to play a few piddly melodies... ok, sure, but to play actual beginner piano songs takes a bit of work. Guitar, on the other hand, in reference to strumming, it's easy to learn, and not too difficult to master... I challenge those same chord strummers to start learning classical... ok, it's eays to learn, but to master takes years... bah.

Any other ways I can impart my vast music majorial knowledge? (I just said majorial...)

[Calehay]

[Jazz_Man]

Side note: There's really only a set amount of theory to learn... so if you're already into borrowed chords, and we just learned about those at the beginning of the 4th semester in a 4 semester series... odds are, college will be the same. What sucks, though, is I took a couple theory classes in high school... only, to be a music major here, you need to take the college courses... so I had to take the same stuff over, even though I knew it all. Just one of the many hoops to jump through to be a music teacher, I suppose. (They also won't let me take composition lessons until after I finish all 4 semesters of theory... )

K, BACK ON TOPIC! GO!!

[Gizmog1]

I'm not sure I'm as clear on keys as I thought I was. Is the key defined by the first note on it's scale? (I think I'm starting to understand Chord Progressions a bit, but I still don't have anything music wise that sounds quite right.)