At 11/19/08 06:37 PM, BlurrySound wrote:
Hello, I have started to listen to a lot of trance and started to make some. I've gone around online and have seen that many people write their basslines first, but I usually get a melody and then add a bassline, but which is better and more effective? If you don't start with a bassline then what do you start with? A chord progression or just a brief melody and then keep adding on?
sorry for all the questions, but I just want to make sure that I'm going on the right way and can actually write songs.
Personally, I have never had much luck for making a good track when I've had an idea in my head already, but that's just me. My composition method involves laying out some simple drums, get it to sound "quality", if you will, then plod about with a bassline until something just clicks and i feel me head start to nod a little.
This can take days. Sometimes months.
I often sit for an hour playing with something and then I just toss the whole thing. Apple-Q, "Don't Save". But, when I find that magical pattern that I'm starting to get into, I listen over and over, try to picture how to build on it. If you listen hard enough (I know this sounds funny), you can just about *hear* what needs to be added, or more correctly, what you want to add.
The next step is the hardest: the technical know-how to get the result you desire without losing that momentum. This is where many hours of working with your program of choice can't be replaced. Do you need a supersaw that can wow and flutter like a Reese? How about a stuttering Hoover with a stereo filter-delay? Maybe you need to vocode some violin sounds with a bullfrog to get what you need, the point is that the best way to write good electronic music is to not only be inspired but to be able to get the technology out of your way so you can pour your ideas out when they happen, however the happen. That's the biggest hurdle and once you can clear that, you'll be well on your way.
Hope that helps...somehow :-)
