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Hello Cognitos!

Everytime I write something is a struggle to complete it, but I have just completed this one 100% Synfire.

I would like to hear some feedback, and if someone is willing to collaborate with me, let me know. Creating good counter melodies is a struggle for me. Here is the link: (http://snd.sc/15eWDHM)

Thanks Andre for making this possible! :yeah:

Eduardo 

 


Mi., 24.07.2013 - 19:21 Permalink

Nice pleasant voice Eduardo.
Your backing music sounds thin for (me) chordal accompaniment instruments, but well rhythmic instrumentation

Don't follow your emotional voice the backingmusic and you can try more using functional harmony (to express your emotions in music) by adding chordal instruments.
Maybe also too repetitive the songsections, but i get more value when i understand what you are singing.
Keep on going... and one contrapunt melody is more for adding a variety to the main melody ..it makes not the emotional structure of the song, for this than you must use at least 3 or 4 melodylines to form chords to get functional harmony . 

 

 

 

 

 

Mi., 24.07.2013 - 19:39 Permalink

Thanks Jan for the feedback. Functional harmony is the one suggested by the harmony templates in Synfire right?

Most of the time I go with the chords suggested by the harmonizer.

Instead of having all instruments create the chords,  do you select the instruments that you want to play the chords? How do you do that? 

Thanks again!

Mi., 24.07.2013 - 23:02 Permalink

Hey Edwardo:

 

You are making headway... Here are my observations:  (take with a grain of salt - you are the one who decides what is right).  

 

I like that you started the theme first with piano, before voice.. You have a decent voice.. The drumming and the bass might benefit the song better if they were more consistant.  That is they should be more steady, without all the pauses, a couple are ok.  A drum and bass drop out usually happen on the last measure of a verse, or chorus, to give a feeling or suspense, or warn the listener something new is going to happen.

 

The phrasing of the vocals is fine.. You pause in the right places.. But the other instruments are not following natural convention..  The bass and drums, lay down a solid groundwork for the other instruments.  Additional instruments might play less, with some being like 'spice' you just use a sprinkle.   

 

You can learn a world of knowledge by downloading MIDI songs, and setting them up in your DAW.. In fact, a great learning exercise ( I do it a fair amount) is to take a decent downloaded midi file.. and use it as the basis for writing your own tune. Do this in your DAW a few times.. "Google" chord progressions- you can find a lot.  Use that as a tool. 

 

With SPF, it's extremely easy to modify a midi file beyond recognition, so you don't have to worry about copyright. With the MIDI - study what each instrument does.. (how many distinct parts does it play, does it play the same riff transposed to a different chord event, or play something different?  Listen to your favorite music, and take notice of what each instrument is playing.. If you have a good ear, pick it out.  Or at least sing the part.  

 

Notice that most instruments may have 4 or more seperate riffs, and they jump around between them.. the chorus part will usually be the same, as the song progresses an individual instrument may start to add more variation.  You need to have repetition so the listener can 'latch' on to the song.  But not so repetitious, that he loses instruments.. There are not really any strict rules, only 'tools'.  But it helps greatly to learn the rules, so that when you break them, you are doing so for a purpose, (to draw attention to something, make sure the listener's mind isn't 'wandering' when listening to your masterpiece). 

 

When I was a kid,  I took the chords to "She Loves You" by the Beatles, and wrote a great song.. No one recognized it. 

Here is a link to a song I did which I used George Michaels' song "Careless Whisper". My song is called "Moments"

 

here is the song:

(https://app.box.com/s/lw1d68km6chwmyyr0nku)

here is the score:

(https://app.box.com/s/mv9q2vbjgpbt2udy0sb2)

 

Notice it has the same emotion and flavor, but only a few would recognize the similar feeling.

 

This song uses the exact same chords as "The Thrill is Gone" by BB King. Most people never get it. (I laugh to myself)

I call mine "Bitch"

 

(https://app.box.com/s/ioh5f3y9txynsrnuuo2y)

 

In fact John Lennon's 'Imagine' is Moonlight sonata chords played backwards.. He heard Yoko playing the classical piece one day, wrote down the chords, reversed them, and wrote a truly brilliant song. 

 

If you listen to some of John Legend's early work, you see how much he directly ripped off others ideas..  The point is by dissecting and analyzing a song, you start to make some of those processes yours, and they will come forward later, and not sound like someone else..

 

If you can't read music.. Write up a detailed analysis of a lot of songs.. Take some graph paper, create a row for each instrument.  Count out the measures and mark them at the top.  Draw in lines where each instrument plays, make it slant up for ascending lines, wavy lines for a unique riff.

 

Do this for each instrument.  It takes time, but you will get a grasp of how things are done..

 

I often write out an analysis of the song too.  for each section, what the lyrics are saying and how the music is reflecting that etc.. 

 

There are a ton of 'free music lessons' online.. 

 

Currently I'm studing this one.

 

(https://class.coursera.org/songwriting-002/wiki/view?page=resources)

 

It is a free songwriting course.. Pat Patterson, teaches at Berklee, and is a brilliant master when it comes to songwriting. I've taken several online courses at Berklee Music in Boston, they are great but expensive..

 

There are a lot of free ones, that are very valuable too..  

 

I break my musical time to working on a song, sometimes just jamming or goofing off, and also studying or learning something new about music. (also practise scales)

 

Andre has given us an incredible tool,  but just like a fancy high priced car, you have to know some basics before you can begin to use it efficiently. 

 

You're making good headway Edwardo - keep at it.. and continue to post your results. 

 

 

Mi., 24.07.2013 - 23:40 Permalink

Thanks Mark for the very specific advise. I will definitevely continue learning. I appreciate the link you posted for the class.

The drums and bass drop because of the processing. not enough cpu power.

I am good at melody writing and lyrics, but not arranging, so I see what I can do to improve.

I really like reading about John Lennon and Yoko. You are so well verse in music history!

Thanks again for your honest feedback!

Eduardo

Mi., 24.07.2013 - 23:56 Permalink

You can assemble every chord progression you like if you follow the functional harmony rules
The harmony templates are some common examples of them.
Did you extract midi notes from your voice ?--> than you can harmonize your voice
There are the "chordal instruments" : instruments capable of playing chords on themself: piano , gitar , ..
For example A flute is not a chordal instrument, but suitable only for melody
A guitar on its own is to use to play chordal accompaniment  together with a bass for instance.

( you can study midi (yamaha) styles for that .. )(load them in Synfire too)

With SABT chords you can combine different instruments for these type of chords.