Structure in Instrumentals

[Kalviter]

So there's quite a few instrumental artists on here. This is a question for you guys.

How do you approach structuring your pieces? Do you follow a verse chorus structure, for example, or build to drops and repeat? I'm really interested to learn about different ways people approach it. I like to build drums and synths up for a good amount of time before quickly reducing down to a small set/one instrument. It's like a more drawn out drop. I do get bored of it though, so I might steal a few of your techniques and see how they pan out ;)

[zybor]

i don't. honestly i have no idea how did i approach or organize a piece. i just do it whatever and whenever my moods give me ideas. the worst thing is probably my inept in music theory (keep mixing up between major and minor), and all i do is by ears. i just do whatever my intuition tells me.

[Everratic]

I think you should continue listening to and analyzing (reviewing other musicians' work here on NG is quite useful) instrumental music, and eventually, you'll reach a point when you have a colossal library of ideas in your mind, which you can instantly pick at while you're composing. You can also try to use a reference track while you're composing and follow the structure of that piece like you were tracing the outlines of a drawing. There's nothing wrong with deliberately copying the core elements of another artist's work at first and then making significant changes later.

[Kalviter]

At 3/30/17 12:56 PM, BlueOceans wrote: I think you should continue listening to and analyzing (reviewing other musicians' work here on NG is quite useful) instrumental music, and eventually, you'll reach a point when you have a colossal library of ideas in your mind, which you can instantly pick at while you're composing. You can also try to use a reference track while you're composing and follow the structure of that piece like you were tracing the outlines of a drawing. There's nothing wrong with deliberately copying the core elements of another artist's work at first and then making significant changes later.

You're not wrong about analysing other artists for help, I do it loads to professional producers and music I come across anywhere if it's cool. You do notice patterns, though, which I find pretty interesting. Slightly off topic but I've heard about three separate songs use the same chord progression from "Just The Two Of Us" in the last few days even, which makes me laugh.

[ADR3-N]

I like to pick a BPM around some multiple of my heartrate at whatever time I happen to be screwing around. I write basslines first, relatively simple or ornate, doesn't matter. Choosing the instrument representing what's in my head that best represents what I feel. I form an idea into a structure, be it a verse, a chorus, whatever, and finish the bass track roughly, then go to melody, rhythm, harmony, or percussion, whichever suits my fancy. If where my ear wants to go contradicts the bass, I try and switch it up a little, remembering where my phrases are. It's not all that complicated. I'm just a very bass-minded person.

Inspirations are 80's hits, 90's pop, 70's rock, classical training, and a whole lot of performance over 13 years. You get a sense for where notes feel like they should or shouldn't go, and it's up to you to follow that or rail against it. Deceptive cadences versus authentic, etc. Music theory is in everything I do but I do everything by piano roll. Helps me read the intervals, like a guitar almost.

[Kalviter]

At 3/30/17 05:10 PM, EDM364 wrote: I like to pick a BPM around some multiple of my heartrate at whatever time I happen to be screwing around.

The rest of your post was also really interesting but this bit really made me smile. I love small little quirks people put into their music like that.

A general theme here is that people do things by ear as opposed to rigidly planning. Which is comforting because that's what I do as well. I wonder how much my structure would change if I completely changed what I listened to.