All Techniques: Music Solution

Thursday, November 06, 2014

Tips to Improve Your Guitar Playing

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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Things You Can Do Today to Improve Your Guitar Playing</span></b></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Most of the things you do when practicing or learning guitar will 
give your playing skills and knowledge a slight boost. Over time these 
slight boosts help you develop as a player. On the other hand there are 
things you can do that will dramatically change the way you play guitar 
forever. That’s a pretty bold statement but once you give these 7 
actions a go you’ll see the big improvement in your playing.</span></span></div>
<br />

<h1>
Action 1:</h1>
<h1>
<span style="font-size: large;">Play something you have <strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">never played before</span></strong></span></h1>
I don’t mean a new song or learn a new solo, but to play something <span style="text-decoration: underline;">completely</span> new.
 This is actually a lot harder then you may think. Just pick up your 
guitar now and spend twenty seconds improvising. Now think about what 
you just played. What position did you play in? Did you straight away 
play in a familiar position on the neck? Did you play licks that you 
normally play when you improvise? How much of what you just played was 
completely different to what you normally do?<br />

<br />

The revealing truth is that when most of us improvise, what we 
normally do is recycle ideas we have heard from other players or ideas 
we have used ourselves over and over. This happens subconsciously so 
although we may think that we’re creating something completely fresh – 
we’re not. If you don’t believe that, try playing something again then 
analyze what you just played. If you’re honest with yourself you will 
realize that we do in fact play in a ‘safe zone’ where we reuse the same
 ideas and principles over and over. When you first pick up your guitar 
and play something, it’s a pretty good bet that you automatically follow
 a certain routine and loosely play the same thing every time. This 
action will help you break that automatic process that doesn’t help you 
improve.<br />

<br />

So the challenge in our first action: really try to play something 
completely different. Throw everything you know about scales, rhythm, 
melody, phrasing, etc. out the window and try to create something 
completely different. This is an extremely tough job and it will take a 
few attempts before you start to break free of your own comfort zones. 
But once you create something that you truly know is something you have 
never done before, the ‘aha’ moment you have will open a new door to 
your playing.<br />

<br />

<strong>What will this do for your playing?</strong><br />

It will help you learn to be truly creative. As crazy as that sounds it’s true.<br />

<br />

<h1>
Action 2: </h1>
<h1>
<span style="font-size: large;">Use your guitar to mimic a singer</span></h1>
Choose a song where you love the vocals. Choose a song where you know
 the vocal parts so well you can hear them in your head without needing 
to listen to the song. Now take your guitar and try to replicate the 
vocal parts.<br />

<br />

To do this you first need to find the right notes. Start off by 
focusing on a single line. Work out the notes you need to play and play 
along with the song. Then spend some time thinking about <em>how</em> you
 need to play each note to get as close to the vocal quality as you can.
 This is tough so take your time. Listen to the line in the song over 
and over and really focus on each nuance. Try to copy each nuance using 
your guitar and really push yourself to open up your playing and match 
the singer as close as possible.<br />

<br />

<strong>What will this do for your playing?</strong><br />

It’s one thing to play the right notes. To make your guitar <em>sing</em> changes
 the game completely. When you learn to make your guitar sing as if it 
were alive, you will never look back. A guitarist like Santana (and 
countless others) can create a whole song around four notes if he can 
make those notes sing.<br />

<br />

<h1>
Action 3: </h1>
<h1>
<span style="font-size: large;">Give somebody a guitar lesson</span></h1>
You may feel like you fully understand a certain concept or principle
 until you try to explain it to a beginner. Trying to explain proper 
vibrato technique to a beginner is quite a challenge and forces you to 
really think about your own technique habits. Teaching guitar forces you
 to really make sure you demonstrate everything perfect because you 
don’t want your student to pick up on any bad habits you may have 
formed. In other words it’s a great way to put the microscope on your 
own technique and habits and really make sure you do everything perfect.<br />

It will also test how well you really know concepts such as music 
theory. How would you explain what C7 means to a beginner? Or how would 
you explain the Dorian mode? You may think you can explain it properly 
but what happens if you student doesn’t understand and you need to think
 up a different way to explain it?<br />

<br />

To complete this task all you need to do is give anybody a lesson. 
For sure one of your friends would have mentioned in the past that they 
would love to play guitar. Well give them a free lesson on the basics. 
You might be surprised how challenging it can be to properly explain the
 techniques you do automatically.<br />

<br />

<strong>What will this do for your playing?</strong><br />

Learning to explain tricky techniques and theory to somebody else 
reinforces your own skills and understanding. Teaching other people to 
use proper technique will ensure that you follow it too!<br />

<br />

<h1>
Action 4: </h1>
<h1>
<span style="font-size: large;">Write an article or lesson and submit it as a guest post on a guitar blog</span></h1>
This may seem like a strange task at first. But writing about a 
certain aspect of guitar playing opens your mind to think about how you 
play guitar in new ways. Imagine for a moment you had to write an 
article about your practice habits, what would you write? Do you 
practice in an effective way or can you think of better ways to 
practice? As soon as you put down the guitar and ponder over a topic 
like this, you start to see outside the box.<br />

<br />

Here’s a few topics you could write about to get you thinking about your playing in new ways:<br />

<ul>
<li>How to start improvising</li>
<li>Learning to transcribe music by ear</li>
<li>How to discipline yourself to perfect your techniques</li>
<li>Being creative</li>
<li>Writing melodies on guitar</li>
</ul>
<div>
There are so many different things you could write about and each 
time you do so, your level of understanding increases. Pick a topic you 
feel confident in to start with then after you write up a lesson, try 
another one on something you’re lesson confident with.</div>
<div>
Submit it to any guitar site offering it as a guest post. Ask for 
feedback on it and for them to let you know if they don’t want to use 
it. That way if they don’t want to use it (don’t take it personally) you
 can send it to a different site. Do this to hopefully get some 
constructive feedback from experienced guitar writers. They may find out
 that your understanding of the topic isn’t quite right. This challenge 
is a great way to learn something about your level of knowledge and try 
to find ways to improve it. If you send your article to a blogger and 
they like it, you may even decide to write regularly on guitar topics.</div>
<br />

<strong>What will this do for your playing?</strong><br />

This challenge will help you get a clear view of your current level 
of knowledge. You may feel like you understand a certain aspect of 
theory properly (eg: modes) but until you write about them, you won’t 
know for sure. Once you start writing on a topic you will find out how 
well you truly know the subject. This will all help you improve as a 
guitarist as it will help you refine your understanding of guitar and 
the theory involved.<br />

<br />

<h1>
Action 5: </h1>
<h1>
<span style="font-size: large;">Spend 30 minutes playing only two notes</span></h1>
When you jam with somebody or just improvise on your own, you 
probably play all over the neck or at least a fairly large section of 
the neck. Because you are so used to playing a wide range of choices, a 
challenge like this will feel incredibly difficult. The aim of this 
challenge is to get you used to making the most out of a very limited 
number of notes. By doing this task you can work your creativity and 
make the most of what you have.<br />

<br />

To accomplish this challenge, simply play the two notes below in as many different ways you can for 30 minutes.<br />
<br />
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<br />
Set a stopwatch or countdown timer for 30 minutes and only play those
 two notes. You can only play the two notes shown, you can’t play D or E
 anywhere else on the neck. The two notes you play have to be on the 
seventh and ninth frets on the G string (as shown). The reason for this 
is to limit your choices down to actually using the notes rather than 
thinking about where else you could play.<br />

When you start this challenge, depending on your current skill level 
you will start to run out of ideas after the two minute mark. If you 
give up at this point you will completely miss the point. By continuing 
past this two minute mark you will force yourself to come up with fresh 
new ways to play these two notes that you haven’t tried before.<br />
<br />

The longer you can last without repeating your ideas the more your 
creativity will grow. The reason this challenge is so difficult is 
because we are all used to having a wide range of choices and the 
ability to freely play in different positions and choose different 
notes. When you are forced to actually think about how you will use the 
notes instead of thinking about what the next note will be, you start to
 learn to really <span style="text-decoration: underline;">play.</span> You probably won’t last 30 minutes but the longer you do last the more you will learn and improve.<br />

<strong>What will this do for your playing?</strong><br />

If you can successfully play these two notes for 30 minutes without 
getting stuck for new ideas, imagine what you can do with three notes. 
Imagine what you can do with a whole fretboard! After the grueling 30 
minutes of struggling to come up with fresh ideas, you will really start
 to think about making each note count. This effect is obvious when you 
compare the jamming of an intermediate player versus an expert player. 
The intermediate play will shred like crazy, filling their playing with 
lightning fast scale runs. The expert play may play some shred and 
include scale runs, but they will do so only when it’s suitable, and 
they will choose very selectively which notes they play. They make each 
note count.<br />

This challenge will change your playing forever because it will get you stuck out of the rut you didn’t even know you were in. <em>It will teach you to make each note count.</em><br />

<br />

<h1>
Action 6: </h1>
<h1>
<span style="font-size: large;">Transcribe a lick or riff by ear</span></h1>
In the past when a guitarist wanted to learn how to play a song they 
would either buy a sheet music book, or if they were unavailable as they
 often were they would learn by ear. This is a skill which is quickly 
dying off as countless TABs are available in an instant online. It’s a 
bit of a learning curve to figure something out by ear and when it’s so 
easy to download a TAB instead, well it’s no wonder people prefer the 
instant option. This challenge is to get you used to using your ears and
 learning to hear the music rather than read it.<br />

<br />

Choose a song where you haven’t seen the TAB before and choose an 
interesting lick or riff you would like to learn. It’s best to do this 
at a computer so you can easily playback the lick or riff over and over 
without having to fiddle around with rewind on a CD player or iPod. 
Listen to the lick a few times in a row then try to play it on your 
guitar. Just give it a go and fish for the notes that sound about right.
 Listen to the lick again a few times and make adjustments to what you 
played. Continue the pattern of finding the right notes, listening to 
the lick, then making adjustments. Keep on making adjustments until 
you’re certain that the notes you are playing are exactly the same as 
what you’re hearing.<br />

Once you complete this challenge and manage to figure out an entire 
lick or riff by ear, you can choose to keep going and learn an entire 
solo, or an entire song. But even if you just learn a single lick or 
riff by ear, it puts you miles ahead of so many other guitarists.<br />

<br />

<strong>What will this do for your playing?</strong><br />

Very few guitarists starting to learn today will learn this skill. 
Not because they are lazy, but because TABs are so accessible it never 
occurs to them that this skill is important. Learning to develop your 
listening skills is paramount to becoming a great <span style="text-decoration: underline;">musician</span>. You may already be a great <em>guitarist</em> but with this skill you can become a great <em>musician</em> as well.<br />

<br />

<h1>
Action 7: </h1>
<h1>
<span style="font-size: large;">Jam with other musicians</span></h1>
This will have a huge impact on your abilities especially if you have
 never done it before. If you do regularly jam with other musicians, we 
can change this action to jam with other musicians playing an instrument
 you have never jammed with before. So if you have never jammed with 
somebody playing a Trumpet, try to find somebody who plays it then jam 
with them.<br />

The reason jamming with other musicians is so powerful is because it 
helps you gain a new perspective on music. Seeing how another musician 
improvises and uses your ideas to come up with new variations is a great
 way to improve your creativity. You will be able to bounce ideas back 
and forth and try things new you haven’t done before (see action 1).<br />

The more different the musician you jam with is to you the better. If
 you’re a metal player and jam with another metal player, you may learn a
 bit but it won’t be anything compared to what you would learn if you 
jammed with a jazz player or a player who plays something else 
completely different to metal. The idea here is to break out of your 
comfort zone and try something new.<br />

<br />

<strong>What will this do for your playing?</strong><br />

Every single musician you jam with will teach you something 
regardless of their level of expertise. Even a beginner will teach you 
something (often what <em>not</em> to do). Whenever you have the 
opportunity to jam with another musician, make sure you take full 
advantage and go for it. Even if the musician plays a style you don’t 
like, just keep an open mind and you may still learn something. One of 
the easiest ways to kill any progress you make as a musician is to have a
 closed mind. Jamming with other musicians with an open mind could 
possibly have the biggest effect on your playing out of these seven 
actions.<br />

<br />

<h2>
What next?</h2>
You may notice that some of these actions you have done before and 
some you haven’t. The whole point is to try something completely new to 
you to grow your comfort zone and learn new skills. So after you try 
these seven actions, you can keep going by finding new ways to challenge
 yourself. Whenever you come across a guitar lesson or anything else 
that you haven’t done before, give it a go. It’s the only way to make 
real progress as a guitarist. If we keep doing the same things over and 
over, we might gradually increase our skills and abilities but they 
won’t dramatically change in new ways. These seven actions will each 
give your development a massive boost in very different ways.<br />

<br />

These seven actions were chosen because you can do them again and 
again and still learn from them. Make it a personal goal to try to play 
something completely different (action 1) every time you practice. Next 
time you hear a nice lick or riff that you want to learn, don’t just go 
find the TAB, try to work it out on your own (action 6). Whenever you 
meet a musician ask them if you can jam with them some time (action 7). 
Every time you repeat these actions you will learn new things and become
 a better guitarist <strong>and a better musician</strong>. </div>

Tips to Improve Your Guitar Playing

Things You Can Do Today to Improve Your Guitar Playing Most of the things you do when practicing or learning guitar will give y...

Tuesday, October 28, 2014

End less Music Playlist

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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Never Ending Music Playlist</span></b></div>
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbfHWPxpSDOgGoc0thp9hMppdr35CE-_YKeEDaA9642Ne8jpNnKW10vjS5ZygdwQWP4SO1yRfPSinGUMFa4E4GWGc1jX4e7-4410OgLS7MKE7ScWY8lXKx5Dp4MF9bhSQen5f3QtfGSyA/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbfHWPxpSDOgGoc0thp9hMppdr35CE-_YKeEDaA9642Ne8jpNnKW10vjS5ZygdwQWP4SO1yRfPSinGUMFa4E4GWGc1jX4e7-4410OgLS7MKE7ScWY8lXKx5Dp4MF9bhSQen5f3QtfGSyA/s1600/image.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
u want to listen to and will constantly stream music from that artist or
 genre. Some of it you might already know and others you will discover.<br />
<br />
The way it works is incredibly simple. It grabs YouTube videos of the 
song/artist/genre you have in mind and plays it back for you.<br />
<br />
What are you waiting for? Go ahead and give <a href="http://neverendingplaylist.com/">Never Ending Playlist</a> a go and enjoy the music.
</div>

End less Music Playlist

Never Ending Music Playlist u want to listen to and will constantly stream music from that artist or genre. Some of it you might alr...

Friday, October 10, 2014

RECOMMENDED EQUALIZATION FREQUENCIES

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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: red; font-family: Arial; font-size: large;"><strong>RECOMMENDED
        EQUALIZATION FREQUENCIES</strong></span></div>
<div align="center">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><strong>BY
        ROBERT DENNIS</strong></span></div>
<div align="center">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><strong>ADMINISTRATOR,
          RECORDING INSTITUTE OF DETROIT</strong></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<table border="0" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></td>
      </tr>
<tr align="center">
        <td><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></td>
      </tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: small;">
    
      </span><table bgcolor="#004040" border="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: left; width: 83%px;"><tbody>
<tr>
        <td width="29%"><div align="center">
<span style="color: white; font-family: Arial Narrow; font-size: small;"><strong>FREQUENCY:</strong></span></div>
</td>
        <td width="71%"><div align="center">
<span style="color: white; font-family: Arial Narrow; font-size: small;"><strong>USES:</strong></span></div>
</td>
      </tr>
<tr>
        <td><div align="center">
<span style="color: white; font-family: Arial Narrow; font-size: small;"><strong>50Hz</strong></span></div>
</td>
        <td><div align="left">
<table border="0">
          <tbody>
<tr>
            <td><span style="color: white; font-family: Arial Narrow; font-size: small;"><strong>1. Increase to add more
            fullness to lowest frequency instruments like foot, floor tom, and the bass.</strong></span></td>
          </tr>
<tr>
            <td><span style="color: white; font-family: Arial Narrow; font-size: small;"><strong>2. Reduce to decrease the
            "boom" of the bass and will increase overtones and the recognition of bass line
            in the mix. This is most often used on loud bass lines like rock.</strong></span></td>
          </tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
</td>
      </tr>
<tr>
        <td><div align="center">
<span style="color: white; font-family: Arial Narrow; font-size: small;"><strong>100Hz</strong></span></div>
</td>
        <td><div align="left">
<table border="0">
          <tbody>
<tr>
            <td><span style="color: white; font-family: Arial Narrow; font-size: small;"><strong>1. Increase to add a harder
            bass sound to lowest frequency instruments.</strong></span></td>
          </tr>
<tr>
            <td><span style="color: white; font-family: Arial Narrow; font-size: small;"><strong>2. Increase to add fullness
            to guitars, snare.</strong></span></td>
          </tr>
<tr>
            <td><span style="color: white; font-family: Arial Narrow; font-size: small;"><strong>3. Increase to add warmth
            to piano and horns.</strong></span></td>
          </tr>
<tr>
            <td><span style="color: white; font-family: Arial Narrow; font-size: small;"><strong>4. Reduce to remove boom on
            guitars & increase clarity.</strong></span></td>
          </tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
</td>
      </tr>
<tr>
        <td><div align="center">
<span style="color: white; font-family: Arial Narrow; font-size: small;"><strong>200Hz</strong></span></div>
</td>
        <td><div align="left">
<table border="0">
          <tbody>
<tr>
            <td><span style="color: white; font-family: Arial Narrow; font-size: small;"><strong>1. Increase to add fullness
            to vocals.</strong></span></td>
          </tr>
<tr>
            <td><span style="color: white; font-family: Arial Narrow; font-size: small;"><strong>2. Increase to add fullness
            to snare and guitar ( harder sound ).</strong></span></td>
          </tr>
<tr>
            <td><span style="color: white; font-family: Arial Narrow; font-size: small;"><strong>3. Reduce to decrease
            muddiness of vocals or mid-range instruments.</strong></span></td>
          </tr>
<tr>
            <td><span style="color: white; font-family: Arial Narrow; font-size: small;"><strong>4. Reduce to decrease gong
            sound of cymbals.</strong></span></td>
          </tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
</td>
      </tr>
<tr>
        <td><div align="center">
<span style="color: white; font-family: Arial Narrow; font-size: small;"><strong>400Hz</strong></span></div>
</td>
        <td><div align="left">
<table border="0">
          <tbody>
<tr>
            <td><span style="color: white; font-family: Arial Narrow; font-size: small;"><strong>1. Increase to add clarity
            to bass lines especially when speakers are at low volume.</strong></span></td>
          </tr>
<tr>
            <td><span style="color: white; font-family: Arial Narrow; font-size: small;"><strong>2. Reduce to decrease
            "cardboard" sound of lower drums (foot and toms).</strong></span></td>
          </tr>
<tr>
            <td><span style="color: white; font-family: Arial Narrow; font-size: small;"><strong>3. Reduce to decrease
            ambiance on cymbals.</strong></span></td>
          </tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
</td>
      </tr>
<tr>
        <td><div align="center">
<span style="color: white; font-family: Arial Narrow; font-size: small;"><strong>800Hz</strong></span></div>
</td>
        <td><div align="left">
<table border="0">
          <tbody>
<tr>
            <td><span style="color: white; font-family: Arial Narrow; font-size: small;"><strong>1. Increase for clarity and
            "punch" of bass.</strong></span></td>
          </tr>
<tr>
            <td><span style="color: white; font-family: Arial Narrow; font-size: small;"><strong>2. Reduce to remove
            "cheap" sound of guitars.</strong></span></td>
          </tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
</td>
      </tr>
<tr>
        <td><div align="center">
<span style="color: white; font-family: Arial Narrow; font-size: small;"><strong>1.5KHz</strong></span></div>
</td>
        <td><div align="left">
<table border="0">
          <tbody>
<tr>
            <td><span style="color: white; font-family: Arial Narrow; font-size: small;"><strong>1. Increase for
            "clarity" and "pluck" of bass.</strong></span></td>
          </tr>
<tr>
            <td><span style="color: white; font-family: Arial Narrow; font-size: small;"><strong>2. Reduce to remove
            dullness of guitars.</strong></span></td>
          </tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
</td>
      </tr>
<tr>
        <td><div align="center">
<span style="color: white; font-family: Arial Narrow; font-size: small;"><strong>3KHz</strong></span></div>
</td>
        <td><div align="left">
<table border="0">
          <tbody>
<tr>
            <td><span style="color: white; font-family: Arial Narrow; font-size: small;"><strong>1. Increase for more
            "pluck" of bass.</strong></span></td>
          </tr>
<tr>
            <td><span style="color: white; font-family: Arial Narrow; font-size: small;"><strong>2. Increase for more attack
            of electric / acoustic guitar.</strong></span></td>
          </tr>
<tr>
            <td><span style="color: white; font-family: Arial Narrow; font-size: small;"><strong>3. Increase for more attack
            on low piano parts.</strong></span></td>
          </tr>
<tr>
            <td><span style="color: white; font-family: Arial Narrow; font-size: small;"><strong>4. Increase for more
            clarity / hardness on voice.</strong></span></td>
          </tr>
<tr>
            <td><span style="color: white; font-family: Arial Narrow; font-size: small;"><strong>5. Reduce to increase
            breathy, soft sound on background vocals.</strong></span></td>
          </tr>
<tr>
            <td><span style="color: white; font-family: Arial Narrow; font-size: small;"><strong>6. Reduce to disguise
            out-of-tune vocals / guitars.</strong></span></td>
          </tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
</td>
      </tr>
<tr>
        <td><div align="center">
<span style="color: white; font-family: Arial Narrow; font-size: small;"><strong>5KHz</strong></span></div>
</td>
        <td><div align="left">
<table border="0">
          <tbody>
<tr>
            <td><span style="color: white; font-family: Arial Narrow; font-size: small;"><strong>1. Increase for vocal
            presence.</strong></span></td>
          </tr>
<tr>
            <td><span style="color: white; font-family: Arial Narrow; font-size: small;"><strong>2. Increase low frequency
            drum attack ( foot / toms).</strong></span></td>
          </tr>
<tr>
            <td><span style="color: white; font-family: Arial Narrow; font-size: small;"><strong>3. Increase for more
            "finger sound" on bass.</strong></span></td>
          </tr>
<tr>
            <td><span style="color: white; font-family: Arial Narrow; font-size: small;"><strong>4. Increase attack of
            piano, acoustic guitar and brightness on guitars (especially rock guitars).</strong></span></td>
          </tr>
<tr>
            <td><span style="color: white; font-family: Arial Narrow; font-size: small;"><strong>5. Reduce to make
            background parts more distant.</strong></span></td>
          </tr>
<tr>
            <td><span style="color: white; font-family: Arial Narrow; font-size: small;"><strong>6. Reduce to soften
            "thin" guitar.</strong></span></td>
          </tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
</td>
      </tr>
<tr>
        <td><div align="center">
<span style="color: white; font-family: Arial Narrow; font-size: small;"><strong>7KHz</strong></span></div>
</td>
        <td><div align="left">
<table border="0">
          <tbody>
<tr>
            <td><span style="color: white; font-family: Arial Narrow; font-size: small;"><strong>1. Increase to add attack
            on low frequency drums ( more metallic sound ).</strong></span></td>
          </tr>
<tr>
            <td><span style="color: white; font-family: Arial Narrow; font-size: small;"><strong>2. Increase to add attack
            to percussion instruments.</strong></span></td>
          </tr>
<tr>
            <td><span style="color: white; font-family: Arial Narrow; font-size: small;"><strong>3. Increase on dull singer.</strong></span></td>
          </tr>
<tr>
            <td><span style="color: white; font-family: Arial Narrow; font-size: small;"><strong>4. Increase for more
            "finger sound" on acoustic bass.</strong></span></td>
          </tr>
<tr>
            <td><span style="color: white; font-family: Arial Narrow; font-size: small;"><strong>5. Reduce to decrease
            "s" sound on singers.</strong></span></td>
          </tr>
<tr>
            <td><span style="color: white; font-family: Arial Narrow; font-size: small;"><strong>6. Increase to add
            sharpness to synthesizers, rock guitars, acoustic guitar and piano.</strong></span></td>
          </tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
</td>
      </tr>
<tr>
        <td width="29%"><div align="center">
<span style="font-size: small;">  <span style="color: white; font-family: Arial Narrow;"><strong>10KHz</strong></span></span></div>
</td>
        <td width="71%"><div align="left">
<table border="0">
          <tbody>
<tr>
            <td><span style="color: white; font-family: Arial Narrow; font-size: small;"><strong>1. Increase to brighten
            vocals.</strong></span></td>
          </tr>
<tr>
            <td><span style="color: white; font-family: Arial Narrow; font-size: small;"><strong>2. Increase for "light
            brightness" in acoustic guitar and piano.</strong></span></td>
          </tr>
<tr>
            <td><span style="color: white; font-family: Arial Narrow; font-size: small;"><strong>3. Increase for hardness on
            cymbals.</strong></span></td>
          </tr>
<tr>
            <td><span style="color: white; font-family: Arial Narrow; font-size: small;"><strong>4. Reduce to decrease
            "s" sound on singers.</strong></span></td>
          </tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
</td>
      </tr>
<tr>
        <td><div align="center">
<span style="color: white; font-family: Arial Narrow; font-size: small;"><strong>15KHz</strong></span></div>
</td>
        <td><div align="left">
<table border="0">
          <tbody>
<tr>
            <td><span style="color: white; font-family: Arial Narrow; font-size: small;"><strong>1. Increase to brighten
            vocals (breath sound).</strong></span></td>
          </tr>
<tr>
            <td><span style="color: white; font-family: Arial Narrow; font-size: small;"><strong>2. Increase to brighten
            cymbals, string instruments and flutes.</strong></span></td>
          </tr>
<tr>
            <td><span style="color: white; font-family: Arial Narrow; font-size: small;"><strong>3. Increase to make sampled
            synthesizer sound more real.</strong></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>

RECOMMENDED EQUALIZATION FREQUENCIES

RECOMMENDED EQUALIZATION FREQUENCIES BY ROBERT DENNIS ADMINISTRATOR, RECORDING INSTITUTE OF DETROIT ...

Thursday, October 09, 2014

Magic Frequencies

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #0b5394;"><b><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span class="headline">Magic Frequencies</span></span></span></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #0b5394;"><b><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span class="headline"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="subhead">Excerpted from <i>The Mixing Engineer's Handbook</i></span><br />
<span class="byline">by Bobby Owsinski</span><br />
<span class="pagenumber">Page 1 of 1</span> 
</span></span></span></span></b></span></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span class="story"><img align="left" border="0" hspace="2" src="http://images.digitalmedianet.com/2002/03_mar/tutorials/mixing_excerpt1/Mixing-Engineers_150.jpg" vspace="2" width="150" /><b>Editors' Note:</b> <i>The
 following excerpt from "The Mixing Engineer's Handbook" by engineer 
Bobby Owsinski discusses how EQ can affect different frequencies in an 
audio mix. A Tips and Tricks section at the the end features various 
professional engineers offering their perspective on EQ techniques. </i>
<br />

<br />
Before we examine some methods of equalizing, it’s important to note the
 areas of the audio band and what effect  they have on what we hear. The
 audio band can effectively be broken down into six distinct ranges, 
each one having enormous impact on the total sound.
<br />

<br />
• Sub-Bass — The very low bass between 16Hz and 60Hz that encompasses 
sounds that are often felt more than  heard, such as thunder in the 
distance. These frequencies give the music a sense of power even if they
 occur  infrequently. Too much emphasis on this range makes the music 
sound muddy.
<br />

<br />
• Bass — The bass between 60Hz and 250Hz contains the fundamental notes 
of the rhythm section, so EQing this range can change the musical 
balance, making it fat or thin. Too much boost in this range can make 
the music sound  boomy.
<br />

<br />
• Low Mids — The midrange between 250Hz and 2000Hz contains the low 
order harmonics of most musical  instruments and can introduce a 
telephone-like quality to the music if boosted too much. Boosting the 
500Hz to  1000Hz octave makes the instruments sound horn-like, while 
boosting the 1kHz to 2kHz octave makes them sound tinny. Excess output 
in this range can cause listening fatigue.
<br />
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<br />
• High Mids — The upper midrange between 2kHz and 4kHz can mask the 
important speech recognition sounds if  boosted, introducing a lisping 
quality into a voice and making sounds formed with the lips such as “m,”
 “b” and “v”  indistinguishable. Too much boost in this range — 
especially at 3kHz — can also cause listening fatigue. Dipping  the 3kHz
 range on instrument backgrounds and slightly peaking 3kHz on vocals can
 make the vocals audible  without having to decrease the instrumental 
level in mixes where the voice would otherwise seem buried.
<br />

<br />
• Presence — The presence range between 4kHz and 6kHz is responsible for
 the clarity and definition of voices and  instruments. Boosting this 
range can make the music seem closer to the listener. Reducing the 5kHz 
content of a  mix makes the sound more distant and transparent.
<br />

<br />
• Brilliance — The 6kHz to 16kHz range controls the brilliance and 
clarity of sounds. Too much emphasis in this  range, however, can 
produce sibilance on the vocals.
<br />

<br />
<span>Leo di Gar Kulka  — “Equalization - The Highest, Most 
Sustained Expression of the Recordist’s Heart,” Recording  
Engineer/Producer, Vol. 3, Number 6, November/December, 1972</span>
<br />

<br />
<table border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="2" style="width: 100%px;"><tbody>
<tr bgcolor="#FFCC99"> <td colspan="2" valign="top"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">For
 those of you who have an easier time visualizing the audio spectrum in 
one-octave increments (like those found on a graphic equalizer), here’s 
an octave look at the same chart.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></td><td rowspan="13" valign="top"><div align="center">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: medium;"> <span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Easy-To-Remember Golden Rules Of EQ</b></span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"> <br />1. If it sounds muddy, cut some at 250Hz.<br /><br />2. If it sounds honky, cut some at 500Hz.<br /><br />3. Cut if you’re trying to make things sound <br />better.<br /><br />4. Boost if you’re trying to make things sound<br />different.<br /><br />5. You can’t boost something that’s not there<br />in the first place.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"> </span></div>
</td></tr>
<tr bgcolor="#FFCC99"> <td rowspan="2" valign="top"> <div align="center">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">31Hz </span></div>
</td><td rowspan="2" valign="top"> <div align="center">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Rumble, "chest"</span></div>
</td></tr>
<tr> </tr>
<tr bgcolor="#FFCC99"> <td height="18" valign="top"> <div align="center">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">63 Hz</span></div>
</td><td height="18" valign="top"> <div align="center">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Bottom</span></div>
</td></tr>
<tr bgcolor="#FFCC99"> <td valign="top"> <div align="center">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">125Hz</span></div>
</td><td valign="top"> <div align="center">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Boom, thump, warmth</span></div>
</td></tr>
<tr bgcolor="#FFCC99"> <td valign="top"> <div align="center">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">250Hz</span></div>
</td><td valign="top"> <div align="center">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Fullness or mud</span></div>
</td></tr>
<tr bgcolor="#FFCC99"> <td valign="top"> <div align="center">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">500Hz</span></div>
</td><td valign="top"> <div align="center">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Honk</span></div>
</td></tr>
<tr bgcolor="#FFCC99"> <td valign="top"> <div align="center">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">1KHz</span></div>
</td><td valign="top"> <div align="center">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Whack</span></div>
</td></tr>
<tr bgcolor="#FFCC99"> <td valign="top"> <div align="center">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">2KHz</span></div>
</td><td valign="top"> <div align="center">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Crunch</span></div>
</td></tr>
<tr bgcolor="#FFCC99"> <td valign="top"> <div align="center">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">4KHz</span></div>
</td><td valign="top"> <div align="center">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Edge</span></div>
</td></tr>
<tr bgcolor="#FFCC99"> <td valign="top"> <div align="center">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">8KHz</span></div>
</td><td valign="top"> <div align="center">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Sibilance, definition, "ouch!"</span></div>
</td></tr>
<tr bgcolor="#FFCC99"> <td height="23" rowspan="2" valign="top"> <div align="center">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">16 KHz</span></div>
</td><td height="23" rowspan="2" valign="top"> <div align="center">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Air</span></div>
</td></tr>
<tr> </tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
      
<br />
<table align="right" style="height: 1px; width: 1px;"><tbody>
<tr><td><img border="0" hspace="2" src="http://images.digitalmedianet.com/2002/03_mar/tutorials/mixing_excerpt1/fig5.gif" vspace="2" width="441" /></td></tr>
<tr><td><span><b>Figure 5</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Tricks and Tips</b></span>
<br />
<b><i> General Tips</i></b> 
<br />
Use a narrow Q (bandwidth) when cutting; use wide Q’s when boosting
<br />
If you want something to stick out, roll off the bottom; if you want it to blend in, roll off the top
<br />

<br />
<b><i>For Snare</i></b> —
<br />

<br />
To find the “point” on the snare, boost the upper midrange starting at 
about +5 or 6dB at 2kHz or  so. Open up the bandwidth (if that parameter
 is available) until you get the snare to jump out, then tighten the  
bandwidth until you get only the part of the snare sound that you want 
most. Then fine-tune the frequency until you  need the least amount of 
boost in order to make it jump out of the mix.
<br />

<br />
<b><i>For Drums</i></b>— 
<br />

<br />
<b>Dave Pensado:</b> A lot of the music I do has samples in it and that 
gives the producer the luxury of  pretty much getting the sound he 
wanted from the start. In the old days you always pulled out a little 
400 on the  kick drum. You always added a little 3 and 6 to the toms. 
That just doesn’t happen as much any more because when  I get the tape, 
even with live bands, the producer’s already triggered the sound he 
wanted off the live performance  and the drums are closer.
<br />

<br />
The ratio between the low bass (80–120Hz) and the mid-bass (130Hz–200Hz)
 is important. Try using two fairly narrow peaking bands, one at 100Hz 
and another at 140Hz and boost one and cut the other. If the bass is  
too warm, sometimes reducing the upper band can make it more distinct 
without removing the deeper fundamentals  that live in the 100Hz band. 
Also, try boosting some of the 1kHz area since this is where a lot of 
the sound of the  Fender bass lives.
<br />

<br />
<b><i>For Fatter Guitars</i></b> — 
<br />

<br />
Boost midrange a lot (9dB or so) and sweep the frequencies until you 
hear the range where the guitar sounds thick but yet still bright enough
 to cut through. Now, back the boost down to about +4 or so until  the 
guitar cuts through the mix without being too bright.
<br />

<br />
<b>Don Smith:</b> I use EQ different from some people. I don’t just use 
it to brighten or fatten  something up; I use it to make an instrument 
feel better. Like on a guitar, making sure that all the strings on a 
guitar  can be heard. Instead of just brightening up the high strings 
and adding mud to the low strings, I may look for a  certain chord to 
hear more of the A string. If the D string is missing in a chord, I like
 to EQ and boost it way up to  +8 or +10 and then just dial through the 
different frequencies until I hear what they’re doing to the guitar. So 
I’m  trying to make things more balanced in the way they lay with other 
instruments.
<br />

<br />
<b><i>For Vocals</i></b>—
<br />

<br />
Boost a little at 125Hz to 250Hz to accentuate the voice fundamental and
 make it more “chesty”-sounding. The  2kHz to 4kHz range accentuates the
 consonants and makes the vocal seem closer to the listener.
<br />

<br />
<b>Ed Seay:</b> On a vocal sometimes I think, “Does this vocal need a 
diet plan? Does he need to lose some  flab down there?” Or sometimes, 
“We need some weight on this guy so let’s add some 300 cycles and make 
him  sound a little more important.”
<br />

<br />
<b>David Sussman:</b> If I’m recording vocals, I like to roll off quite a
 bit on the bottom end so the  compressor doesn’t start kicking in and 
bringing up any low end rumble or noise. If I’m EQing a piano or 
something  that’s already been recorded, I sometimes roll off a lot of 
the bottom so I leave a lot of room for the bass and the  kick drum to 
occupy. A lot of times I don’t need anything under probably 100Hz. I’ll 
do some rolling off with the  filters and then I may take a bell curve 
and zone in on a couple of other woofy areas on certain instruments.
<br />

<br />
<b>Dave Pensado:</b> I think of EQ as an effect much the same way you 
would add chorus or reverb to  a particular instrument or vocal. Like, I
 might have a vocal where I think it’s really EQed nicely and then I’ll 
add a  little more 3k just to get it to bite a little more. Then it just
 makes me feel like the singer was trying harder and it  brings out a 
little bit of passion in his or her voice. So I tend to be most 
effective when I do the standard equalizing,  then take it to the next 
level, thinking of it as an effect.</span><br />
Source: ArtistPro</div>

Magic Frequencies

Magic Frequencies Excerpted from The Mixing Engineer's Handbook by Bobby Owsinski Page 1 of 1 Editors' Note: The fol...

Tuesday, October 22, 2013

How to Compose a Song

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<h2 class="firstHeading" itemprop="name" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #073763;">Easy Way to Compose a Song</span></span></h2>
<div class="firstHeading" itemprop="name" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="color: #073763;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"> </span></span>Do you want to write your own music? Do you dream of being a 
singer-songwriter? Follow this tutorial to start your musical journey. 
Songs are (by definition) a piece of music which is meant to be sung, so
 this would normally mean that it includes words. However, "song" tends 
to be used with a much broader meaning these days, so we will take an 
equally broad approach and discuss methods which can be used to write a 
wide variety of musical styles and types. </span></div>
<div class="firstHeading" itemprop="name" style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="firstHeading" itemprop="name" style="text-align: left;">
<b><span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="font-size: large;">6 Ways to Compose a Song </span></span></b></div>
<div class="firstHeading" itemprop="name" style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<h3 class="">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Method 1 of 6: Starting Out</span></span></h3>
<h3 class="">
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://pad1.whstatic.com/images/thumb/a/a9/Compose-a-Song-Step-1-Version-2.jpg/670px-Compose-a-Song-Step-1-Version-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://pad1.whstatic.com/images/thumb/a/a9/Compose-a-Song-Step-1-Version-2.jpg/670px-Compose-a-Song-Step-1-Version-2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
</span></h3>
<h3 class="">
<br /></h3>
<div class="step_num">
1.<b class="whb">Consider what it is for.</b> </div>
<div class="step_num">
 </div>
<div class="step_num">
 Before you begin composing your song, you will need to consider what it
 is for. What the purpose of the song is, what type of song it is, will 
significantly impact the writing process. You should plan accordingly.
</div>
<ul>
<li>If you will be writing a song with lyrics, you will need to consider
 that while you are writing the song. There are many different ways to 
go about incorporating lyrics into a song. You can begin with lyrics or 
words which you set the music to, write the lyrics after writing the 
melody, or you can try to write both together. It will depend on your 
skill and style. You will also want to consider the style of music and 
be sure that it fits the lyrics you are working with and vice versa.</li>
<li>If you will be writing background music, theme music, or some other 
type of instrumental music, you will need to plan this accordingly as 
well. Think about what you are writing the music for and what mood you 
want to convey. Appropriate instruments and music styles will be needed 
to create the necessary mood, since words won’t be used.</li>
</ul>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://pad1.whstatic.com/images/thumb/0/03/Compose-a-Song-Step-2-Version-2.jpg/670px-Compose-a-Song-Step-2-Version-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://pad1.whstatic.com/images/thumb/0/03/Compose-a-Song-Step-2-Version-2.jpg/670px-Compose-a-Song-Step-2-Version-2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="step_num">
2.<b class="whb">Consider what instruments, if any, you will use to write it.</b> </div>
<div class="step_num">
 </div>
<div class="step_num">
 Some people will compose entirely from their own mind and will only 
sing or hum a part if they need to get an idea of how it sounds. Others,
 especially when writing a piece to be played on a specific instrument, 
will use that instrument while composing in order to try out how certain
 things sounds. Think about if you want or need an instrument with you 
in order to compose and plan accordingly.
</div>
<ul>
<li>Common types of instruments used while composing songs include 
guitars and pianos, though some people will use certain string or band 
instruments.</li>
</ul>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://pad3.whstatic.com/images/thumb/6/68/Compose-a-Song-Step-3-Version-2.jpg/670px-Compose-a-Song-Step-3-Version-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://pad3.whstatic.com/images/thumb/6/68/Compose-a-Song-Step-3-Version-2.jpg/670px-Compose-a-Song-Step-3-Version-2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="step_num">
3.<b class="whb">Consider your method of documentation.</b></div>
<div class="step_num">
<b class="whb"> </b></div>
<div class="step_num">
<b class="whb"> </b>
 Consider how you will be writing the music down, in both final format 
and while you are working. Those with more musical training will want to
 write sheet music, whereas those who have less may want to write out 
tabs or chords. If you are writing only for yourself and have a very 
good memory, it may be possible not to write anything at all (but this 
is not recommended).</div>
<div class="step_num">
 </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://pad3.whstatic.com/images/thumb/f/f0/Compose-a-Song-Step-6-Version-2.jpg/670px-Compose-a-Song-Step-6-Version-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://pad3.whstatic.com/images/thumb/f/f0/Compose-a-Song-Step-6-Version-2.jpg/670px-Compose-a-Song-Step-6-Version-2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="step_num">
<h3 class="" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span>Method 2 of 6: Creating a Basic Structure and Form</span></span></span></h3>
<h3 class="" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div class="step_num">
1.<b class="whb">Create a starting tune.</b></div>
<div class="step_num">
<b class="whb"> </b></div>
<div class="step_num">
<b class="whb"> </b> 
Before you can begin to compose a song, you will need to have a basic 
idea of how the song should sound. This tune should be the essence of 
the song and will be what you build everything else off of.
</div>
<ul>
<li>One starting point would be the melody. This is the basic line of 
music, usually thought of as the “singable” part of a song. This is a 
tune which you can easily write lyrics to and build off of.</li>
<li>Another method would be to start with a chord progression. This is a
 series of chords which will give the overall feel of the song. This may
 be a better place to start if you don’t have a very good idea of the 
melody or are having trouble coming up with one.</li>
</ul>
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<div class="step_num">
2.<b class="whb">Create a hook or riff.</b></div>
<div class="step_num">
<b class="whb"> </b></div>
<div class="step_num">
<b class="whb"> </b> A
 hook is a memorable line or series of lines in a song. Think of it as 
the part that gets stuck in your head. This catchy bit of tune and 
lyrics is what will grab your listener's attention and keep them 
thinking about the song later. A riff serves a similar purpose: it is a 
noticeable and memorable instrumental piece which is separate from the 
melody.
</div>
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</div>
<div class="step_num">
 </div>
<div class="step_num">
<div class="step_num">
3.<b class="whb">Understand popular song structures.</b> </div>
<div class="step_num">
 </div>
<div class="step_num">
If you want to write song, it is important to understand the basic song
 structures or forms which dominate popular music. Using these forms 
will give you a comfortable model on which to build but it will also 
create a song more in keeping with what your audience is used to 
hearing. A song too outside of the norm can be off-putting for the 
majority of audience members, even if it is otherwise good or well 
performed.
</div>
<ul>
<li>AAA: This is the title given to song forms in which each verse is 
musically the same but differs in lyrics. Though uncommon in mainstream 
music, it can still be found readily elsewhere. A solid example of this 
song structure is “Amazing Grace”, a common American traditional song.</li>
<li>AABA: This is considered the most common form for popular music 
today. It comes an a number of variations and can be observed across 
most genres. In its most basic form, the AABA structure begins with two 
musically similar verses, breaks for a bridge (the "B" in the formula), 
and then returns for another verse. There are many examples of such a 
song but a good one is “Something” by The Beatles.
<ul>
<li>AABABA is probably the most common variant of the overall structure.
 ABAB, is another variant but less common. ABCD (which is a progressive,
 non-repeating form) is also sometimes used.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Verse-Chorus: This form is not so common as it once was, but many 
songs from the first half of the 20th century used it widely. It was 
still common well into the 1960’s. With this form, the verse takes a 
backseat to the chorus, which is repeated frequently. A perfect example 
would be “All You Need is Love” by The Beatles.
<ul>
<li>There are two major variants of the form: simple and contrasting. In
 the contrasting form, the music for the verse will be different from 
the music for the chorus. The simple form, then, is obviously one in 
which the music is the same.</li>
<li>There is an additional variant, termed Verse-Chorus-Bridge, which 
adds two or more bars as a small break between choruses. This bridge is 
always shorter than the verse, and often is followed with a key or tempo
 change.</li>
</ul>
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<div class="step_num">
4.<b class="whb">Understand classical song structures.</b></div>
<div class="step_num">
<b class="whb"> </b></div>
<div class="step_num">
For composing, it can also be helpful to understand classical song 
forms. These can be used to inspire newer style songs, or they can be 
used as the basis for more instrumental pieces.
</div>
</li>
<li>A canon is a song form in which an imitation or repetition of the 
melody is played after the main melody has begun. It makes use of 
several layered, echoing “voices” to create its unique sound. A canon in
 which all of the voices are identical is called a round. An example of 
this is the song “Row, Row, Row Your Boat”.</li>
<li>The sonata begins with the exposition, which is an introduction to 
the theme. It is then followed by a section called the development, 
which explores the themes of the piece. The last section is called the 
recapitulation, which returns to the theme (usually with a key change) 
and provides a sense of closure.</li>
</ul>
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<h3 class="" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span>Method 3 of 6: Making Genre Considerations</span></span></span></h3>
<h3 class="" style="text-align: left;">
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</span></span></span></h3>
<div class="step_num">
1.<b class="whb">Consider pop and rock music.</b></div>
<div class="step_num">
<b class="whb"> </b></div>
<div class="step_num">
Pop music is a complicated genre because it really isn’t a genre: it’s 
just whatever is the predominant form of music at the time. For now, pop
 music is heavily influenced by rock. To write songs like what we 
consider pop now, you will need to take certain things into 
consideration.
</div>
<ul>
<li>Form: Pop and rock songs are both very formulaic and but a heavy 
emphasis on the chorus, which will usually be repeated several times. 
Choruses also tend to be shorter and catchier, so try to capture those 
aspects.</li>
<li>Instrument choice: Many of the same instruments are popularly used 
in rock and pop. Examples would include guitars (though many pop songs 
will make use of acoustic rather than or in addition to electric 
guitars), bass, drums, and occasionally pianos. Some pop and rock songs 
will use classical string instruments in the background to add dramatic 
effect.</li>
<li>Tempo: The tempo associated with pop and rock music will largely 
depend on the emotion meant to be conveyed in the song. Sadder or more 
heartfelt songs will need to use a slower tempo, while ones meant to 
rouse your audience should be faster.</li>
</ul>
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<div class="step_num">
2.<b class="whb">Consider country and folk music.</b></div>
<div class="step_num">
<b class="whb"> </b></div>
<div class="step_num">
Country and folk music are related genres which use very similar 
instrumentation. These genres place a heavy importance on live shows, 
local musicians, and reasonably low levels of audio editing (preferring 
the “acoustic” sound and using little autotuning).
</div>
<ul>
<li>Form: The song forms tend to be the same as with more popular music,
 with an emphasis on the AABA structure. Folk music usually uses more 
complex, complicated lyrics, however.</li>
<li>Instrument choice: There are a number of instruments which are 
common to both genres. These include the heavy use of acoustic guitar, 
dobro, mandolin, a single classical string instrument as backup (such as
 a fiddle or bass), autoharps and pianos.</li>
<li>Tempo. As with pop and rock, the tempo will largely be determined by
 the mood of the song. Country music tends to be faster than average 
while folk tends to be slower than average.</li>
</ul>
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<br />
<div class="step_num">
3.<b class="whb">Consider rap and hip-hop music.</b></div>
<div class="step_num">
<b class="whb"> </b></div>
<div class="step_num">
These related genres are different from the previous ones in that they 
tend to use different instrumentation and tempo. Forms vary widely, 
however. Be sure that you are taking these things into consideration 
when writing this type of song.
</div>
<ul>
<li>Form: While hip-hop and rap both make use of the verse-chorus 
dynamic, it is much more common to see the AAA structure in these genres
 than it is in the others. Emphasis is certainly placed on verse, rather
 than any type of chorus which may be included.</li>
<li>Instruments: Both rap and hip-hop focus very heavily on percussion, 
rather than instruments like guitars. Certainly, the emphasis is placed 
on digital methods of making the musical backup to the more central 
focus on the lyrics. Turntables, samplers, and computers are frequently 
used, in addition to synths, snares, cymbals, and drums.</li>
<li>Tempo: The tempo for rap and hip-hop music is generally in the range
 of 90-100 beats per minute. Slower songs are generally categorized as 
more lyrical and is more commonly seen in hip-hop, while faster songs 
are considered better for dancing and are more commonly played in clubs.</li>
</ul>
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<br />
<div class="step_num">
4.<b class="whb">Consider jazz music.</b></div>
<div class="step_num">
<b class="whb"> </b></div>
<div class="step_num">
<b class="whb"> </b> 
Jazz music is extremely complex to play, though technically simple to 
write. Tempos tend to be slow and the form can vary widely. What is, 
however, definitive about the genre is the use of call and response and 
improvisation. When writing a jazz song you will need to leave in room 
for both of these aspects.
</div>
<ul>
<li>Instruments: Jazz makes more use of brass and wind instruments than 
the other genres do, often soloing saxophones or oboes. It will also 
make use of pianos, bass, drums, and guitar.</li>
</ul>
<br />
<h3 class="">
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span>Method 4 of 6: Adding Lyrics</span></span></span></h3>
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<h3 class="">
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span> </span></span></span></h3>
<div class="step_num">
1.<b class="whb">Work with a lyricist.</b></div>
<div class="step_num">
<b class="whb"> </b></div>
<div class="step_num">
<b class="whb"> </b> 
The easiest way to get lyrics for music you have written will be to work
 with a lyricist. You can work with a friend or you can hire a 
professional, depending on what you’re trying to achieve. A lyricist can
 put words to your song after you have written it, work with you while 
you are writing it, or give you lyrics to work with before you begin.
</div>
<ul>
<li>You will want to ensure that their style meshes with your song. 
Someone who writes Shakespearean love songs may not write the best heavy
 metal lyrics. Find someone who gets your song, style, and the feelings 
associated with it.</li>
</ul>
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<br />
<br />
<div class="step_num">
2.<b class="whb">Write lyrics yourself.</b> </div>
<div class="step_num">
 </div>
<div class="step_num">
 You can write the lyrics yourself, as well. This may require some skill,
 as it is easy for lyrics to sound cheesy, strange, or silly. Don’t be 
afraid to work hard at it and take your time.
</div>
<ul>
<li>Try to sing the lyrics as you’re writing them. This will make sure 
that they sound natural with the melody and there are no strange pauses 
or mismatched syllables.</li>
<li>Before you begin writing the lyrics, try to determine if you want to
 use rhyming or non-rhyming words. Knowing how you want the structure of
 your lyrics to work will go a long way towards helping you write them. 
Rhyming words will need to be placed at reasonable intervals, which 
means planning ahead.</li>
</ul>
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<br />
<div class="step_num">
3.<b class="whb">Set existing words to music.</b> </div>
<div class="step_num">
 </div>
<div class="step_num">
 Another option would be to set existing words to music. This can be 
words from a play, poem, a speech, or anything that you feel would make 
an excellent song. Choose something that has meaning to you! Your 
audience will be able to tell when you’re expressing real emotion in 
your music.
</div>
<ul>
<li>The best way to start setting existing words to music is to find the
 natural rhythm of the words. Pay attention to how they fit together. 
Natural speech contains pauses, emphasis, and rhythm. This is what makes
 it sound natural. Exploit this natural rhythm to make your song.</li>
<li>If you’re having trouble or you want to give your song an edgier 
feel, experiment with breaking up phrases to emphasize particular words.
 This can help you overcome awkwardly long sentences or a melody that 
doesn’t entirely fit the text you’ve chosen.</li>
<li>Don’t forget that you can always omit words or phrases to preserve 
the flow of your song. If a particular word is throwing off your 
syllable count and it isn’t necessary, just leave it out or rearrange 
the words if necessary.</li>
</ul>
<br />
<h3 class="" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span>Method 5 of 6: Adding Depth</span></span></span></h3>
<h3 class="" style="text-align: left;">
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</span></span></span></h3>
<h3 class="" style="text-align: left;">
<br /></h3>
<div class="step_num">
1.<b class="whb">Improvise.</b> </div>
<div class="step_num">
 </div>
<div class="step_num">
 You might 
want your song to be more than just your voice and a piano. If you do, 
you’ll need to add depth to your song by elaborating on what you already
 have. The most basic way to do this is to improvise. Listen to your 
song and add things where they seem to be needed.</div>
<div class="step_num">
 </div>
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<div class="step_num">
 </div>
<div class="step_num">
 </div>
<div class="step_num">
<div class="step_num">
2.<b class="whb">Collaborate.</b> </div>
<div class="step_num">
 </div>
<div class="step_num">
 If your own
 improvisation doesn’t seem to be enough, you can get friends and fellow
 musicians together to see what a fresh set of eyes (and ears!) can 
bring to your work.</div>
<div class="step_num">
 </div>
<div class="step_num">
 <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div>
<div class="step_num">
 </div>
<div class="step_num">
<div class="step_num">
3.<b class="whb">Introduce counter-melody and harmony.</b></div>
<div class="step_num">
<b class="whb"> </b></div>
<div class="step_num">
<b class="whb"> </b>
 These are variations of the main melody which can be added to give the 
melody a more fleshed-out feel. A counter-melody is best thought of as a
 separate melody which fits between the gaps of the first, where a 
harmony is meant to work in conjunction with the main melody line. </div>
</div>
</div>
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<br />
<br />
<div class="step_num">
4.<b class="whb">Add percussion and embellishments.</b> </div>
<div class="step_num">
 </div>
<div class="step_num">
 Add more instruments to the background to give your song more depth. 
You can do this by adding percussion like drums, a small string quartet,
 chimes or flutes...the possibilities are almost endless! You can even 
add in sound effects like wind, thunder, or street noise. Just be sure 
that the style of the additional sound is in keeping with the style of 
song you have written.
</div>
<br />
<br />
<h3 class="">
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span>Method 6 of 6: Documenting and Recording</span></span></span></h3>
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<h3 class="">
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span> </span></span></span></h3>
<div class="step_num">
1.<b class="whb">Do your notation by hand</b>.</div>
<div class="step_num">
 </div>
<div class="step_num">
 You will probably want to write down the music you are writing so that 
it can be played again, especially if you want it to be played by other 
people. One way will be for you to write the music down by hand. You can
 write as little or as much as you want to. Doing this will require a 
certain understanding of music theory, however.
</div>
<ul>
<li>Lead-sheets are a form of sheet music which include only the most 
basic notation, usually the melody and harmony. These are common for 
jazz and improvisational music, as well as with popular musicians who 
have little musical theory training.</li>
</ul>
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<br />
<br />
<div class="step_num">
2.<b class="whb">Use a DAW (digital audio workstation).</b> </div>
<div class="step_num">
 </div>
<div class="step_num">
 These are computer programs which are designed for music composers and 
audio workers. They allow you to mix and record music and will also have
 a certain level of music notation functionality. These can be 
expensive, however, and should only be considered by serious musicians.</div>
<div class="step_num">
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3.<b class="whb">Record audio directly.</b> </div>
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 Another way would be to record yourself playing and singing the music. 
From this you can write down the notation or have someone else do so at a
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How to Compose a Song

Easy Way to Compose a Song Do you want to write your own music? Do you dream of being a singer-songwriter? Follow this tutorial to st...