Just a quick suggestion – learned a lot from your tutorials but I’m trying to branch out and apply the new skills to my own tracks. Having problems with things like programming a cool bassline, or coming up with a funky chord progression, etc.
Your Trance tutorial goes over a lot of good concepts like these – I especially liked the chord/pad section when you broke down several variations of chord progressions. Would you guys be able to do something like this with other genres, or within your HTSL tutorials?
Some suggestions:
How to choose good samples (and leaving the crappy ones behind)
Funky bass rhythms/lines (i.e. expound on the octave, slurred notes concepts you guys use in a lot of your HTSL tutorials)
I don’t think anyone can teach you how to pick good samples and leave the crap ones behind. You just have to play around with things and see what works together.
With regards to basslines and chord progression, you really need to look into a bit of basic musical theory, might be a bit difficult to get your head around at first but its something that will stand you in good stead.
I went on a production course a few years back that phil took and he was giving us a few tips on arrangement. He told us that one of the best ways to learn quickly is to import one of your favourite tracks into your arrangement and copy when they bring something new in, take things out, put breaks in and things like that.
Okay, well, samples I guess I’d understand, but as far as chord progressions and stuff – I know my music theory quite well, but I still can’t get my chords to “talk” to each other like I want them to. The trance course’s “pad” section helped me conceptualize a lot of chord progressions. I’d like some ideas for house progressions. Regardless, I’m reading books and have been picking up a lot.
The thing is, this stuff can be taught, concepts like arranging and basslines, and even music improvisation. I’m not asking for 5 ideas so I can use all 5 in my tracks, I’m just looking for a dance-oriented approach towards all this.
Pop books teach you to the 12-bar blues structure, the verse/chorus concept – a lot of these aren’t really used in club tracks. Getting a basic overview would, well, help a little bit =)
Theres a book called the Dance Music Manual, you should be able to get it as an e-book if you search about a bit. Theres a section in it about music theory, chord progressions, etc and also a section that breaks down different genres and talks about bass lines, lead lines and pads for these genres.
I’m not disputing at all that this stuff can’t be taught, I was taught it all while learning to play the piano and studying music. I just think that it is far too big a subject to be covered in a tutorial.