Too often I’m too busy to play. And it’s not healthy. Usually all I need to get started is the right toy.
Around ten years ago I found a toy that I couldn’t resist: the Roland PMA-5, a personal musical assistant modeled on the idea of the Palm PDA, but not quite as portable. I’d fiddle with it for hours, composing music in a Band in a Box type of way, playing its tiny on-screen keyboard with a stylus, and sometimes plugging my Yamaha KX5 keyboard into its single MIDI port.
There’s something about a portable music gadget that you can actually make music with that makes me want to play. And I had that feeling this week when I heard of a Moog synthesizer that you can play on a Nintendo DS. I want to play! And it got me wondering about all the other toys around that I’m missing out on.
Here are 5 music gadgets that are tempting me to put down my work and start playing.
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We’ve introduced a new feature at AudioJungle: you can now sell your source files and make even more money as a stock author.
Buyers want the ability to modify the content they purchase to suit their purposes; they like your track, but perhaps it would suit their presentation more if one of the instruments was swapped out for another (assuming you’ve used MIDI), or the reverbs were backed off a bit. Perhaps they don’t want to purchase full songs, but starter project files that enable them to dabble in a particular genre or style of music. (more…)
I can be a cerebral sort of guy. When I was a kid, I’d sometimes spend more time reading about a new toy than playing with it. As much as I’m embarrassed to admit it, it’s true.
So when I started to learn music around the age of twenty, I thought that understanding music would help me play it better. I started looking around for a book that explained how music worked. Although I did finally find my music “Bible” (Making Music compiled by George Martin, which I may talk about in a future post), there is no book that can explain music in the way that I wanted. I discovered that in many ways music is arbitrary and man-made.
So I kept on practicing my scales, learning how to read music, working out how synthesizers worked, and bought a portastudio. I got to know the ingredients of music, how to put them together, and how they related to each other.
And I learned about one of the ingredients of melody: intervals. (more…)
The tune, or melody, is probably the most important and identifying aspect of a song. It’s what we seem to relate to and remember most easily. It’s what we sing, hum or whistle.
Paul McCartney once related the satisfaction he experienced one morning as he was going to bed late after a gig. As he was getting into bed he heard the milkman whistling the tune to “Is There Anything That You Want?” McCartney recalls the great feeling of being on the same wavelength as the milkman, and relates, “I think that was one of the best compliments I’ve ever been paid to this day.” That’s the power of a memorable tune.
Not all music today focuses on the melody. A lot of music is rhythm based, being driven by the groove of the drums and guitar, with the singer swimming around in there somewhere. Other music is most memorable for the riffs and licks the guitars or other instruments are making. In an interview, the Corrs once attributed their success in Australia to their music being so melodic. They felt that Australians relate well to songs with a strong tune, and that a lot of music today lacks a strong melodic component.
Whatever style of music you write, your composition is likely to benefit from having a memorable tune. Here are ten hints for creating one. (more…)
Looking back on last year, Envato had a pretty big 2008 by any measure. We jumped from 4 sites to 13, a million monthly visitors to 5 million, and while our team began the year numbering 12, we ended it totalling 55 talented reviewers, editors, managers, developers, writers and support staff. With such a crazy year in the rearview mirror, it is with no small excitement that I can say that 2009 is going to make 2008 pale in comparison. And today I’m here to make a huge announcement for all the authors of our marketplaces, give beta invites for a major new site, and give sneak previews for some of our Envato plans!
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Last week’s article, 5 Ways to Notate Your Music, talked about the importance of music notation to musicians and composers. The article mentioned that reading music is a skill that is well worth learning. In response, reader Jon commented, “I definitely want to read and write music fluently.” So for Jon and the rest of us who have made a New Year’s resolution to learn to read (and write) music, here are seven websites that can help.
I’ve only included lessons that can be done online without needing to download or subscribe to anything, where the training is free of charge, and the sites don’t overwhelm you with ads. Learning to read music involves both knowledge and skill. While reference sites about learning to read music are valuable, I’ve also included some sites with tutorials and exercises where you can practice and improve our reading skills. (more…)
You have a new tune in your head and don’t want to lose it. What do you do? You’re thinking hard about how to structure your new masterpiece, and want to preserve your ideas. How do you keep track of them? You’re noodling on your piano, and have come up with a new bassline. What is the most effective way of passing that on to the bass player?
People have been notating music for four thousand years now, and it’s all we have of music that was written before recording was invented. Today it remains an essential tool for every musician, and the ability to read and write some sort of notation is a skill well worth learning. (more…)
