03-05-2018, 06:13 PM
The best way to understand your own music and the general overview of how it is made is to look at it as if someone else made your music. However, the problem with me is that I have a bunch of composition styles, or at least I think I do. That's why in the introduction to this thread, I'll separate the sequences I want to feature in different categories. Also, most of these styles are a result of me improving myself in terms of composition, and not a simple change of attitude toward composing music. But what each song has in common is that I don't plan them out. Usually I'll place a few random notes until I feel like they sound good. For me, this works really well, but it does have the drawback of some songs having a seemingly erratic pattern or sub-par progression.
Note: If a song may seem out of place, it's because it has parts of the song that contain more than one type of style. Listen to more of the song until you find it. The style's there!
With that, here's my first styles which I call the "repeating chords," and "4-step."
Back in 2015-2016, I had a limited experience using low notes in my songs. So, to achieve a good song with low notes, I placed one, two chords and composed the higher notes after. The result can be a repetitive song until one changes the chords and a difficulty progressing from the set of chords to a new set. When there is some progression, it can sound awkward at times. Songs under both of these types have a common characteristic where there is a pause between parts of the song where there is a different chord progression. The same thing went with the "4-step" style, which I picked in yet another effort to figure out a way to make a song seem less empty.
Repeating Chords songs:
4-step songs:
Notice how in most of these 4-steps, one of the notes (usually the second) is repeated again. The reason that was common was because I didn't know where else that note would go. I still use this technique sometimes, but much less often than I usually do. Either that, or another note is put an octave up.
My next style is the "repeating arpeggio."
I made it a little further in terms of learning what notes go where, but I stopped. This is still a common style for me and I do refer to it much more often than I need to. However, I'm beginning to stray away from the style as I experiment with more ways to make a song. (The first song in in this listing also applies to the "4-step" category, too. The arpeggios start at bar 25.) However, a lot of the newer songs I made have more varied repeating arpeggios.
Repeating Arpeggio songs:
In the complete opposite direction, is the "octave-octave down," or "note-note down."
This is characterized easily by a 2-note base line where it starts with one note, then the same note an octave lower. Previous styles didn't work for slow songs. My reasoning? I think it has something to do with giving more tones for the brain to process, giving it a murky sound. With a "note-note down" style, that wouldn't happen. It also gave me an opportunity as a composer to place more notes in the lead section and have them sound good. It makes an easy listening song.
Note-note down songs:
These are the styles I can look back on and categorize with confidence. I'm sure by the time we've reached a million sequences, I'll be able to look again and put a style on the songs I made. What styles of composition do you have?
Note: If a song may seem out of place, it's because it has parts of the song that contain more than one type of style. Listen to more of the song until you find it. The style's there!
With that, here's my first styles which I call the "repeating chords," and "4-step."
Back in 2015-2016, I had a limited experience using low notes in my songs. So, to achieve a good song with low notes, I placed one, two chords and composed the higher notes after. The result can be a repetitive song until one changes the chords and a difficulty progressing from the set of chords to a new set. When there is some progression, it can sound awkward at times. Songs under both of these types have a common characteristic where there is a pause between parts of the song where there is a different chord progression. The same thing went with the "4-step" style, which I picked in yet another effort to figure out a way to make a song seem less empty.
Repeating Chords songs:
4-step songs:
Notice how in most of these 4-steps, one of the notes (usually the second) is repeated again. The reason that was common was because I didn't know where else that note would go. I still use this technique sometimes, but much less often than I usually do. Either that, or another note is put an octave up.
My next style is the "repeating arpeggio."
I made it a little further in terms of learning what notes go where, but I stopped. This is still a common style for me and I do refer to it much more often than I need to. However, I'm beginning to stray away from the style as I experiment with more ways to make a song. (The first song in in this listing also applies to the "4-step" category, too. The arpeggios start at bar 25.) However, a lot of the newer songs I made have more varied repeating arpeggios.
Repeating Arpeggio songs:
In the complete opposite direction, is the "octave-octave down," or "note-note down."
This is characterized easily by a 2-note base line where it starts with one note, then the same note an octave lower. Previous styles didn't work for slow songs. My reasoning? I think it has something to do with giving more tones for the brain to process, giving it a murky sound. With a "note-note down" style, that wouldn't happen. It also gave me an opportunity as a composer to place more notes in the lead section and have them sound good. It makes an easy listening song.
Note-note down songs:
These are the styles I can look back on and categorize with confidence. I'm sure by the time we've reached a million sequences, I'll be able to look again and put a style on the songs I made. What styles of composition do you have?
