Learning WOOOP

Ok, so I want to learn music theory, or at least improve my understanding of it, if that is a more correct way of describing my intention.

I have tried before and always found it difficult. Not in a 'my brain can't handle it kind of way'. Just in a 'there so much where do I start'.

So this post is going to be something for me to base my future learnings off.

So let us start with a definition from Wikipedia :

"Music theory is the study of how music works. It examines the language and notation of music. It seeks to identify patterns and structures in composers' techniques, across or within genres, styles, or historical periods. In a grand sense, music theory distills and analyzes the fundamental parameters or elements of music — rhythm, harmony (harmonic function), melody, structure, form, texture, etc.

So essentially, music came first, then music theory came afterwards to explain it. So music theory isn't a set of rules, merely explanations. You don't need to use music theory to create music, but afterwards you could use music theory to analyse why it works.


This is essentially why I am interested in it, I can write music without it, but I would like to understand how it works so that, when i have an idea in my head, I understand how it works and can therefore recreate it in 'real world'

Ok, so I have explained to myself what it is. All that is left is a list of things/aspects to learn and then on to the learning!

So first there will be basic terms and concepts, I have a fairly good understanding of most of these. ie Time signatures, notes, note lengths. Perhaps a good way to describe it would be the language of theory. Seeing as how I understand the majority of these terms, I won't focus on this specifically and just cover it as I go along, when new things pop up.

Then we have the music theory (this bit is going to be short and sweet, because the post is getting long and I am confusing myself):

Chords
Scales/Key Signatures
Rhythm/Meter (time signatures etc)
Chord Progressions

Weirdly when you write it as a few core ideas, it seems simple. Alas it is not, this post shall end now as I want to get on to thinking about how I am going to teach myself and where to start.

Musical Improvements

So another thing I want to improve is my music production/songwriting etc.

I use Logic 9 mainly now but have used Reason, Fruity Loops, Cubase, Sibelius and Guitar Pro to create music previously.

Not really knowing where to start I thought that I should just do something random and then go from there.

I figured a good way to get the ball rolling with posting stuff about music is to set myself a task to create a song using XXXX limitations.

So I shall create a song(some music) using the following limitations and then post a link.

It will be 1m 30s, I will probably keep it at 120 bpm to keep things simple for now. I will not use any synthesised sounds (by this I mean I will use a sampler with samples) and will only set the levels and panning. I will not use any other effects etc. I will create it in Logic 9.

Metal music (cont)

I love metal music and have found that a lot of people do not seem to understand why. I often hear people trashing the style and frequently end up in discussions with people who want to know what I like about it, what I see in it. People have a lot of misconceptions about it and about the people who listen to it. So i decided to attempt to write about it and hopefully inform ;-). Please note that I am using the term metal loosely, not as a very specific sub genre. (So I am talking about its variations as well... You know what I mean!)

I have thought about the reasons why I (*People*) listen to metal a lot. Mostly because I can understand why somebody wouldn't like it. Even though I love it, I realise that it is not exactly an easy style of music to get into and I can imagine that from the outside looking in it could easily seem like a whole lot of noise. I remember when I used to hear metal music when I was younger I couldn’t imagine

I would say that metal music is very much a form of escapism. It is all about larger than life expression. It takes a normal everyday experience or emotion and makes something bigger out of it. Think back to when you were a kid, all you wanted were excitement and adventure. When you looked to the future you assumed that it was going to be full of amazing things, you thought you were going to make an impression on the world. As you get older you start to realise that this isn't necessarily true. After all between your 9-5, paying your taxes and feeding yourself there isn't much time left over to be adventurous.

This is where metal comes in. It almost a world of its own. A world where people scream and shout, where weird things happen. Its full of strong characters and stronger emotions. It is accepting of anybody that is being truthful. It allows you to indulge your broken heart without somebody telling you to stop feeling sorry for yourself and you can release your anger without ever actually ever hurting somebody. I would liken listening to music like this to reading a fantasy novel or playing a computer game.

Other reasons for enjoying it would be for the virtuosity of the musicians themselves. Many people that play within this style have developed their skills on their chosen instrument to amazing standards and sometimes the sheer difficulty of the individual parts can be a wonder to behold. Especially if it is on an instrument you yourself play.

The metal world (or culture if you will) is also a place where unlike the real world, odd things are often celebrated. So I believe that it attracts people that perhaps aren’t accepted, or at least do not feel a part of, mainstream culture.

Lastly, I think that I should mention that the type of music you listen to is not really a conscious decision, you do not weigh up the pro's and cons of a genre of music and then decide whether you want to listen to it. Rather I guess you could call it an evolution of your thoughts and feelings. A montage of your experiences. Everyone has songs that remind them of specific times, feelings and even other people. Some people grew up and experienced things with metal music around them and so some people are obviously going to associate a lot of good experiences with the sounds associated with it.

On that note I shall end, I hope I have made some sense and that it hasn’t been too much of a chore to read through this.