Now That you have completed your song and you really like it and You don't want to change anything, You want to start recording it...There are many different methods for recording music, you choose according to your budget and target audience, quality is the main subject here, let's make a logical map...
RECORDING:
Analog audio recording:
An Analog recording can be made using an analog recorder like : Tapes, cassettes, vinyls and other similar forms.. Unless you use quality hardware (which are VERY expensive!) and know what you're doing, you can't get as much quality as other solutions can give you. so if you're a starter i guess you should stick with digital equipment.
Digital audio recording:
Some people prefer analog, but digital is now gaining more ground as it's more convenient, far more cheaper and faster. although the quality is not as good as analog for some people, but it can be very satisfying and it's only getting better and cheaper (just like computers) you can buy a sound card or an audio interface, a DAW (Digital audio Workstation), some mics and instruments and you have a decent quality home studio! and not much money spent too! (more about making a home studio will be available separately)
Getting the Pro Sound:
Everyone who makes music knows how hard it is to get the pro sound found on major recording labels' albums, it's not only the equipment, If you have the money you can buy pro equipment, it's mainly the mixing and mastering, learning how to mix involves using equalizers, effects, limiters and panning and other factors, the art comes from the ear of the audio engineer which is trained (gaining experience over time) for years on what sounds good and what makes a track better, you can find many books that will help you start mixing and mastering, but you'll need to experiment a lot to gain the knowledge that will take you're music to the next level. stay in tune to get some FREE basic mixing tips!
PUBLISHING:
Publishing to your small Community:
Your small community is all the people you know, your family, friends, colleagues..etc if you target them as your audience, then your publishing job is easy, just make some CDs or maybe upload them on a file host website then spread the links through your Facebook, Myspace or Twitter, You can make yourself a fan page on Facebook or an artist page on Myspace, and tell your people about it, You can make some backyard live performances....Choose what suits you best, Then do it.
Publishing To your Local Community:
Your local community can be you're town or a part of it, the audience is bigger...You can use the same methods stated above plus the following....Sign up for an audition to a gigging place, Communicate with other local musicians, Try to go live as often as you can..Do covers for your favourite artists and other famous ones to attract more audience then play some of your tracks.
Give your CDs to your local music store maybe someone will buy it! at least you'll get noticed.. Just showcase your music.
Publishing Online to The World:
Make a website, add Videos for your Music on Youtube or other video sites (which is a very effective way), Join online music Social networks like Reverbnation, if you want to sell your music consider itunes... Try to offer help and tips and free lessons then link to your music, Participate in as much Forums and activities as you can , the more you spread you're music , the more audience you'll get, but remember Only GOOD music will attract people.
Signing to a record Label:
That's what many artists are trying to do (Though not all). But it's hard, The first step is to do all the listed above..Try to get all the criticism you can handle, and keep searching for your sound, make creative, new Music... People enjoy good riffs, melodies and New exotic sounding Music (but don't go too Far!) Try to get heard....Local Battle of the bands can help good.. also send demos to producers... But not until you have a good amount of audience, otherwise why will these Producers be willing to sign you up? They must feel that You are Popular and Wanted.. If You're good enough you will get Noticed Fast , as people who like your music will advertise you for free! People recommend music everyday , make sure you can get recommended.
Finally, If You don't like Your Music, or aren't Passionate enough about it, People too won't like it..Music is the expression of yourself, You must be satisfied with it so you can have the confidence to Proudly say.... "Listen to my music". Yes there are people who just do music to be famous and make money, But this is not how it goes , You have to like making music because you enjoy it and so you can share your thoughts and ideas with the world..
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Making Music Guide (Part two: Composing)
Hey, How's Your Playing?, Improving? Whatever Your answer is, Keep On practicing, You'll Get There..
Now that You're Starting To Get Better At your instrument, you want to start composing, so I'll give you simple ideas to help you on your way.
Two important things to know ,
1- when you create a song try to make it have a theme not just a mix of unrelated stuff.
2- Try to have your own sound, meaning, when someone listens to your music he/she should be able to know that's this is yours..Create your one sound..but that comes later on and takes some time.
Composing Music By Ear:
For some people It's hard to get all these music theory things memorized, and if they already have a good ear for music, what a person like them would do, is to use this great tool (Their Trained Ears) To start making their tracks, They may have a certain song idea , riff or a chord progression in their minds, they transfer it to the instrument, and then continue building on it, For some people this is easier than music theory, It may not do well critically (as it may not employ music theory well so it can have some errors which decrease depending on how good their ears are) but it can be popular with listeners, but even these composers know about music theory a good deal.
Composing to another Song:
If you listen to a song you like, it could inspire you to make a song of your own, It may give you a musical idea or a certain beat or melody to start with, it's a very easy way to help you start making your first tracks, just listen to the music and get inspired, think of things you can add to it or a change you can make, it may turn down a completely different song! you can change the key of the song (you'll need to know more about key signatures) , change the beat....etc , the point is to experiment with it.
Composing to a sample:
You can find many online sites that offers samples or loops like a drum beat or a riff, try some out maybe one of them can trigger your musical head to action!
Composing to a riff:
Scales are the best ways to make riffs, if you jam with a scale you can come up with a riff, then use this riff as the base for your song , many artist make riff based songs, especially rock artists, even hip hop can contain a repeated guitar riff or bass loop.. try it.
Composing to a Scene or a situation:
Imagine you were asked to make the soundtrack for a movie, and then imagine that movie, the scenes, the story , the atmosphere, what kind of feel does it give you?, try to express that in music..
Composing by Lyrics:
If you experienced a situation that you want to express, write it, then rewrite it but try to get it more into phrases and try to make these phrases equal in length (musically) then you can try to put similar ending words...that's it, you have a basic lyric form! what you want to do now , is to give it a melody, descend and ascend with them words, if you can make a musical phrase with them....Great! just get them feel like a song to your ears. then you might want to experiment with a chord progression, find a one that suits these words and the mood you want them to sound like, Happy (major), Sad (minor).
Building it Up:
Now that you have some ideas , start thinking of the song's structure, the very basic can be
intro, verse, chorus, verse, chorus, bridge or solo, chorus, outro
you can make it simpler , be creative, you can make a song with no chorus, give it a strong structure, if you feel a part is weakening the song, remove it, add bridges and mini bridges, some variations of the verse and chorus will make it more exciting , the small things can be greatly useful, some mini riffs and melodies makes it more emotional. Don't forget the hook, It's the part of the song that keeps on reminding you of the songs even when you're not listening to it, it can be vocals or an instrument that makes the hook.
some of the websites listed here can help you.
Keep it simple, Your composing abilities will get better by trying and listening..keep it up.
Now that You're Starting To Get Better At your instrument, you want to start composing, so I'll give you simple ideas to help you on your way.
Two important things to know ,
1- when you create a song try to make it have a theme not just a mix of unrelated stuff.
2- Try to have your own sound, meaning, when someone listens to your music he/she should be able to know that's this is yours..Create your one sound..but that comes later on and takes some time.
Composing Music By Ear:
For some people It's hard to get all these music theory things memorized, and if they already have a good ear for music, what a person like them would do, is to use this great tool (Their Trained Ears) To start making their tracks, They may have a certain song idea , riff or a chord progression in their minds, they transfer it to the instrument, and then continue building on it, For some people this is easier than music theory, It may not do well critically (as it may not employ music theory well so it can have some errors which decrease depending on how good their ears are) but it can be popular with listeners, but even these composers know about music theory a good deal.
Composing to another Song:
If you listen to a song you like, it could inspire you to make a song of your own, It may give you a musical idea or a certain beat or melody to start with, it's a very easy way to help you start making your first tracks, just listen to the music and get inspired, think of things you can add to it or a change you can make, it may turn down a completely different song! you can change the key of the song (you'll need to know more about key signatures) , change the beat....etc , the point is to experiment with it.
Composing to a sample:
You can find many online sites that offers samples or loops like a drum beat or a riff, try some out maybe one of them can trigger your musical head to action!
Composing to a riff:
Scales are the best ways to make riffs, if you jam with a scale you can come up with a riff, then use this riff as the base for your song , many artist make riff based songs, especially rock artists, even hip hop can contain a repeated guitar riff or bass loop.. try it.
Composing to a Scene or a situation:
Imagine you were asked to make the soundtrack for a movie, and then imagine that movie, the scenes, the story , the atmosphere, what kind of feel does it give you?, try to express that in music..
Composing by Lyrics:
If you experienced a situation that you want to express, write it, then rewrite it but try to get it more into phrases and try to make these phrases equal in length (musically) then you can try to put similar ending words...that's it, you have a basic lyric form! what you want to do now , is to give it a melody, descend and ascend with them words, if you can make a musical phrase with them....Great! just get them feel like a song to your ears. then you might want to experiment with a chord progression, find a one that suits these words and the mood you want them to sound like, Happy (major), Sad (minor).
Building it Up:
Now that you have some ideas , start thinking of the song's structure, the very basic can be
intro, verse, chorus, verse, chorus, bridge or solo, chorus, outro
you can make it simpler , be creative, you can make a song with no chorus, give it a strong structure, if you feel a part is weakening the song, remove it, add bridges and mini bridges, some variations of the verse and chorus will make it more exciting , the small things can be greatly useful, some mini riffs and melodies makes it more emotional. Don't forget the hook, It's the part of the song that keeps on reminding you of the songs even when you're not listening to it, it can be vocals or an instrument that makes the hook.
some of the websites listed here can help you.
Keep it simple, Your composing abilities will get better by trying and listening..keep it up.
Friday, September 25, 2009
Making Music Guide (Part one: Getting Started)
Do You dream of Creating your own music? a lot of people do, but not all of them fulfil this Fabulous dream.
There are 3 types of musicians : Musicians that want to go pro, others who want to impress their small community and the ones who just want to make music for self enjoyment. Now, They all start at the same point and travel together until they complete some tracks the difference comes from the audience they target so the differences are small , here I'll talk about going pro, as it's the hardest way and from it you can deduce what you can do if you have other ideas.
I'm not a pro Myself, but I just wanted to give beginners a quick good start, this blog is result of months of surfing websites and reading books so i try to help with the most useful items I've read.This may not be the best Guide, But it's the most logical method that i think would help everyone, You can't go wrong With Logic! here we go...
Creating Music requires:
1- The Patience and Passion to learn.
2- A good musical ear (Can be acquired by practice). You can search for some Ear training software.
3- Familiarity with a musical instrument and some music theory.
4- Some Talent.
5-Time.
There are many ways for Creating music , and many roads to take your music to, If you do not intend to work and practice, read and learn , You will hardly reach the level you want with this musical journey, This will not be much of a help if you want to make electronic music, info about making electronic music will be added separately.
First tip is to Listen, the more music you listen to the more inspiration you'll get the more creative you can be. I guess if you want to make music you already listen to loads, but diversity is another cool thing that will make your music more appealing and exciting, listen to as many genres and artists as you can, Listening to more music makes your mind ready and can help you complete a 3 note pattern to a riff, it greatly enhances you internal metronome which is one of the most important things a musician should have, also by having a broad musical knowledge you can easily attract more audience as music is a matter of subconscious as it is a matter of emotions. so You need to get your subconscious musically adapted!
Choosing an instrument:
Start with an instrument you like, don't look for "easy instruments", there is no such thing, any instrument requires frequent practice and study, Choose the instrument that best suits the genre you want to go with, Piano and Guitar are great for many genres and are very popular songwriting tools so you can easily find lessons online and start practicing (I'm a guitarist so maybe I'll be posting a guitar guide too). So Choose your instruments, Don't spend a lot of money, it's not wise to spend a lot on something that you may not want to continue, Set a budget, buy a nicely built affordable instrument , if you have a friend who plays this instrument you may want him\her to try it for you he\she can tell you if it has something wrong, research before buying, if you have a certain instrument that you like and suits your budget, keep on researching for days and weeks for more info , reviews, demos about it and it's alternatives, google it, YouTube it, look it up at musical stores' websites, as much as you can be patient so that you can be sure you've got the best that suits your budget and don't regret buying this and not buying that instead.Enjoy!
Learning Your Instrument:
Learning a musical instrument is like anything, It requires patience and the key to mastering it is nothing but Practice , Practice as much as you can and if you practice daily for at least 15 mins everyday you'll get better results than only practicing 3 hours one day and not practicing others, so practice regularly.
If you can afford to have a private teacher do it, it the best thing as everyone can have a different experience with the instrument a teacher will prevent you from acquiring bad habits and can solve your problems, Joining a music class is also a good choice, You can also Look for lessons on the Internet , make an email account (a precaution) and join free newsletters of sites that offer lessons for free, read and watch, if you can pay, after checking the free lessons go with what you feel best helps you, one important thing.... NEVER GIVE UP! there are time when you'll feel that you are not progressing, all musicians had this feeling, but don't let this get you down, listen to some music it may re inspire you to keep practicing! hang out with musicians go to concerts, watch videos for your favourite artist, all good to motivate you, just keep practicing, challenge yourself and try new ideas don't bore yourself you must enjoy it, isn't this your passion?! be sure that the more you work the more you'll get in return.
Part 2 soon.
There are 3 types of musicians : Musicians that want to go pro, others who want to impress their small community and the ones who just want to make music for self enjoyment. Now, They all start at the same point and travel together until they complete some tracks the difference comes from the audience they target so the differences are small , here I'll talk about going pro, as it's the hardest way and from it you can deduce what you can do if you have other ideas.
I'm not a pro Myself, but I just wanted to give beginners a quick good start, this blog is result of months of surfing websites and reading books so i try to help with the most useful items I've read.This may not be the best Guide, But it's the most logical method that i think would help everyone, You can't go wrong With Logic! here we go...
Creating Music requires:
1- The Patience and Passion to learn.
2- A good musical ear (Can be acquired by practice). You can search for some Ear training software.
3- Familiarity with a musical instrument and some music theory.
4- Some Talent.
5-Time.
There are many ways for Creating music , and many roads to take your music to, If you do not intend to work and practice, read and learn , You will hardly reach the level you want with this musical journey, This will not be much of a help if you want to make electronic music, info about making electronic music will be added separately.
First tip is to Listen, the more music you listen to the more inspiration you'll get the more creative you can be. I guess if you want to make music you already listen to loads, but diversity is another cool thing that will make your music more appealing and exciting, listen to as many genres and artists as you can, Listening to more music makes your mind ready and can help you complete a 3 note pattern to a riff, it greatly enhances you internal metronome which is one of the most important things a musician should have, also by having a broad musical knowledge you can easily attract more audience as music is a matter of subconscious as it is a matter of emotions. so You need to get your subconscious musically adapted!
Choosing an instrument:
Start with an instrument you like, don't look for "easy instruments", there is no such thing, any instrument requires frequent practice and study, Choose the instrument that best suits the genre you want to go with, Piano and Guitar are great for many genres and are very popular songwriting tools so you can easily find lessons online and start practicing (I'm a guitarist so maybe I'll be posting a guitar guide too). So Choose your instruments, Don't spend a lot of money, it's not wise to spend a lot on something that you may not want to continue, Set a budget, buy a nicely built affordable instrument , if you have a friend who plays this instrument you may want him\her to try it for you he\she can tell you if it has something wrong, research before buying, if you have a certain instrument that you like and suits your budget, keep on researching for days and weeks for more info , reviews, demos about it and it's alternatives, google it, YouTube it, look it up at musical stores' websites, as much as you can be patient so that you can be sure you've got the best that suits your budget and don't regret buying this and not buying that instead.Enjoy!
Learning Your Instrument:
Learning a musical instrument is like anything, It requires patience and the key to mastering it is nothing but Practice , Practice as much as you can and if you practice daily for at least 15 mins everyday you'll get better results than only practicing 3 hours one day and not practicing others, so practice regularly.
If you can afford to have a private teacher do it, it the best thing as everyone can have a different experience with the instrument a teacher will prevent you from acquiring bad habits and can solve your problems, Joining a music class is also a good choice, You can also Look for lessons on the Internet , make an email account (a precaution) and join free newsletters of sites that offer lessons for free, read and watch, if you can pay, after checking the free lessons go with what you feel best helps you, one important thing.... NEVER GIVE UP! there are time when you'll feel that you are not progressing, all musicians had this feeling, but don't let this get you down, listen to some music it may re inspire you to keep practicing! hang out with musicians go to concerts, watch videos for your favourite artist, all good to motivate you, just keep practicing, challenge yourself and try new ideas don't bore yourself you must enjoy it, isn't this your passion?! be sure that the more you work the more you'll get in return.
Part 2 soon.
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