Hi guys, it's me again.
I have recently made another arrange, here it is: https://soundcloud.com/lw97-1/somewhere-over-the-border
I want to know, where can I study basic composition in general and what can I improve in this particular arrange?
And also, let me know what do you think about the track, thanks!
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Whateverville, California
Most mid-sized junior colleges will offer an introduction to theory/composition course. If money is an issue you can look into something like this:
http://www.open.edu/openlearn/history-t … -section-0 There are tons of free resources on the web, try punching your question topics into youtube or wikipedia for starters. I can offer what might be a serious shortcut to better composition though: if you don't play one already, maybe it's time to learn an instrument. Piano is fun and easy to start with, you can find cheap electric (toy) keyboards at thrift stores pretty often. It's not really comparable to the real deal, but it can get you started in the right direction.
Your tracks seem pretty well programmed for an LSDJ novice (I'm one too, we're all learning here...), but they're pretty loud, both in the mix and in the instruments. Better mastery of the E command is something I'm looking into myself. I had a problem with lots of long sustained notes in my early work on Famitracker. As I learned more about volume control it became really clear to me how hard those notes were on the ears. If you feel like it, check out some of my songs from when I first started understanding how volume works (Blushing Lilies) compared to my latest stuff (That Summer Lives On) here: https://soundcloud.com/imaginary-chipmusic That's just a general tracking hint though, some of the LSDJ pros could probably help you out a lot more... anyway, just keep tracking. Maybe try some originals?
Last edited by Imaginary (Aug 15, 2014 6:01 pm)
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Let me add on to Imaginary's advice.
My own bias against higher ed music degrees would keep me from recommending them to you. But what can help put you on track to writing more harmonic music would be to learn an instrument. Even knowing basic scales and chords will be more of a head start than most beginning musicians will have. Becoming familiar with either guitar or piano (or another instrument with many online resources) will, at the very least, help you in the long run.
For becoming more proficient in arranging, listen to and emulate the styles of your favorite artists. The more music you write, the more you learn about what does and doesn't work. Just keep on creating and trying out new ideas!
And of course there's always Coursera. https://www.coursera.org/course/musictheory
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Thank you for the recommendations, gonna check out coursera and try to pick up a small usb-midi keyboard controller for PC.
Also, Imaginary, I have listened to your music and I find the improvement amazing! Thank you for the heads-up!
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Whateverville, California
Oh yeah, thanks! I've been working hard. Being somewhat a newcomer to the production side of chipmusic myself, I know how you feel. Check out the super helpful advice from an0va in this thread: http://chipmusic.org/forums/topic/15001 … ductivity/
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Youngstown, OH
A lot of stuff can be learned "on the job" playing around and experimenting while writing over the years. Listen to songs you like and spend an afternoon studying them. That's basically what I've always done.
And I have no bias against formal training either. While I've grown pessimistic about academia and, in general, college, I've learned a lot from some very talented people during my time at music school. A big thing to remember is that they don't usually try to dictate what music IS so much as teach what other people have done and what fast and hard rules you can take away from that. Using that knowledge alone you'll write "functional" music, but making interesting music is all on you!
I'd recommend if you're at a school just sit in on a couple theory classes if that's interesting to you. I love the stuff. Otherwise you can learn a lot of the stuff over time or online if you can ask the right person or search the right inquiry.