Making Music

[Jacob__mybb_import1]

I've been trying to figure out how to compose songs for about a year now. I have a good sense of rhythm, and I can create some decent synth instruments, but I just cannot come up with a melody that does not sound like crap.

For those that make music, is it a skill you're born with, or did you learn it by practicing, or take a class?

[Ming-Yan]

You keep randomly pressing piano keys of the same octave in a certain order until you hear something catchy. Or I do that...when I am using something like mixcraft I hear the kits and mess around with what goes with what.

Also practicing your favorite songs on the piano helps too.

[Qwertygiy]

I've always been able to play by ear -- and figure out how to play just about any instument.

However, I have your problem -- I cannot create a new melody entirely without spending all day at the keyboard pressing random notes until something sounds good and then developing on that.

A good idea in my opinion is to take a good other song, most likely a non-copyrighted one, and tweak a few notes. There are dozens of versions of the song Crying Soul on Newgrounds... and most of the remixes are better than the original.

I'd suggest listening to several original songs, then tweak the melody, rather than try to make a melody from scratch.

[Fish]

I learned the gutair but quit. I was bad at first then I became good. Remember the notes and things. I think it is a skill you learn. Well it was with me..

[Ming-Yan]

Guitar chords are easy to memorize IMO. It's not muffling the sound and up strum that is hard. But if you are gonna make a new tune, go with the piano.

If you don't have a piano with you hum it and try to memorize it, then try to transfer it to piano. Why piano? Because piano is easy to tell what notes you just played.

I play by ear but I do not attach sounds to notes so I will know how to play, lets say the intro to numb on the piano, but I cannot tell you the notes.

[toast]

I've been trying to figure out how to compose songs for about a year now. I have a good sense of rhythm, and I can create some decent synth instruments, but I just cannot come up with a melody that does not sound like crap.

For those that make music, is it a skill you're born with, or did you learn it by practicing, or take a class?

Some of it probably is a skill you're born with, but you can learn about things like how chords work like relations between chords. Knowing scales and how they work is also supah vital

Knowing piano would probably make it easier since a C and Am scale is very simple.

[Qwertygiy]

Piano/keyboard is the way to go if you want to mess around with notes -- plus, it's often easier than trying to play it on other instruments, like the guitar.

Axel F on the acoustic guitar sounds awsome... but it's quite difficult to move your fingers into the right spots fast enough.

Axel F on the piano sounds equally awsome... and there's not much of a problem positioning your fingers.

[Duck]

I start with a nice catchy rythm and then mess about with pitch until I get something good.

[toast]

Piano/keyboard is the way to go if you want to mess around with notes -- plus, it's often easier than trying to play it on other instruments, like the guitar.

Axel F on the acoustic guitar sounds awsome... but it's quite difficult to move your fingers into the right spots fast enough.

Axel F on the piano sounds equally awsome... and there's not much of a problem positioning your fingers.

If you're gunna be making electronic music I think you should steer a little bit away from Axel F... just saying

[Qwertygiy]

If you mean the Crazy Frog version, yeah, that's uber-annoying... but the original is nice.