How do I learn music?

[Agent 42]

Hello all. I'm just getting into producing now. I'm equipped with a PC, midi keyboard, Reason and Cubase. I was just wondering how I can learn music theory? I want a better understanding of music before I attempt to make some of my own. I have read Computer Music's "Music Theory For Beginners" 1, 2 and 3. I found that very helpful but i'm looking for something that can build from that foundation and go on.
Does anyone know a good reference that can teach me the foundations of music? I'm interested in doing everything through the keyboard but i'm not really concerned about being able to really play because you can always fix/program notes in the sequencer.
So in a nutshell. Can anyone recommend a "How to play the keyboard" book. I don't want some kiddy book either. I'm also not interested in classical jumbo and history, just facts, scales or whatever I need to be able to write with an idea, not play live.

Regards, Agent 42.

[djneo]

on the contrary!

you DO want some kiddy book ;)

Go to any music store and ask for a grade one piano book... when you've finished it, go on to grade 2, and so on...

you really do need to know the basics and learn from scratch if you wanna end up writing melodies...

That said, dance and techno music can sometimes be about ANTI music... throwing away the rules and working on sound manipulation... in which case, don't bother, just play around until you hear something you like...

[jj_pleeza]

I had the same problem...

i bought a book called "Total keyboard" by Terry Burrows.
Fucking excellent book for this kinda stuff. Heavily based for dance music producers etc... Has things like history of synths/keyboards, sequencing, effects, midi plus a huge section for theory and step by step lessons.
I got it at a book shop in Chatswood Chase.
Score if you can still find it!!

[kaossproject]

Music is magic.

Step 1: Learn the practical things first, like how an instrument works (technically).

Step 2: Spend the rest of your life pursuing the connection music has with the soul and our emotions. Try to put this connection into your music...........and.............PRESTO!! you have music.

Seriously though, it is a very rewarding and challenging pursuit and if you are serious and have the right intent then you will find these things out as you go along. It is a long road but and a very "deep" ocean (zen).

I do agree with what djneo said in reference to producing dance music. Dance music tends to throw the rule book out the window and is more about experimentation. You will figure this out when you try to find a book about how to play a drum-machine or a modelling synth (Roland MC-505, Korg Electribe or Jomox etc). There is no hard and fast way - just twiddle with the nobs and see what you find. (you will need to know the theory of how wave-forms are generated and manipulated in a synth). Developing a network of people you can communicate with about such things is wise too.

Peace:)

[phunkdust]

i've never had any musical training, i've just learnt it progressively over the years... I can't read sheet music at all, but i understand the theory of beats, bars, patterns, etc etc etc...

I just started playing my parents' piano one day (when I was about 6) and slowly learnt about music, how to play a keyboard and form note patterns, chords, etc... When I got my first synthesiser I translated all this learnt knowledge to it, and just started playing.

If you weren't 'born into music' like I was, you'd probably find teaching yourself a bit harder

jj_pleeza's book sounds like a good way to go...

[kaossproject]

Phunkdust's post is an example of what I'm talkin about. There needs to be a life long inner instinct tending towards music as the basis for following its road.

(Phunkdust - I too can remember playing on Mum's piano when I was younger, just makin sounds etc. Mum always wanted to teach me, coz she is a piano teacher, but I always refused. To this day I can't read music but just seem to know how it goes).

Ahh......the memories.....no different to what I'm doing now really.

[Spectrum]

Stumbled across this @ Planet Books during the week...

http://www.elderly.com/images/books/830/02-8380.jpg

Gonna have to get it me thinks as there's some really good stuff in there that's more relevant to me now since finally getting my primary school recorder lessons under my belt.

[Skerik]

Dulcie Holland - Master Your Theory

[THEHEATH]

One cannot simply "learn to music".

[Tank F]

can so

[toilet trained]

*if i was neo and it was the matrix there would be no problem

* reference purposely as old school as thread

[SlicyDicer]

So in a nutshell. Can anyone recommend a "How to play the keyboard" book. I don't want some kiddy book either. I'm also not interested in classical jumbo and history, just facts, scales or whatever I need to be able to write with an idea, not play live.

Regards, Agent 42.

Imo without the history and classical mumbo jumbo you won't understand why chords sound good and why certain chord structures / key progressions are used

But I guess if you wanna just learn the hard facts then just google whatever it is you want to know, otherwise I'd be recommending some piano lessons, probably the best way to learn is from someone teaching you hands on.

[johnjay]

but if you learn music you will sound like everyone else

do everything out of key, fukd up etc and you will be classified as cutting edgee

[klassik]

If he adds 44 to his user name he will be one of Melbourne/Australia's best DJ's!

[DSILVR]

^^ Agent 86 is so good

[johnjay]

yeh a dj that actually knows how to dj rather then press buttons

fkn 2000's back in the day when even suprstar djs played like him

[becy]

Dulcie Holland - Master Your Theory



hahaha i learned with that book when i studied music as a kid.


Good old Dulcie.

[SlicyDicer]

Bored me to tears when I was a kid

but if you learn music you will sound like everyone else

do everything out of key, fukd up etc and you will be classified as cutting edgee

Horses for courses

[Tank F]

but if you learn music you will sound like everyone else

do everything out of key, fukd up etc and you will be classified as cutting edgee

Learning music theory makes it easier to get down the musical ideas/melodies you have in your head. That includes the fucked up out of key ones too.

[becy]

but if you learn music you will sound like everyone else

do everything out of key, fukd up etc and you will be classified as cutting edgee



haha sorry but that's a total crock of shit.

[v904]

^ Agreed. Its all about massive overcompression and clipping these days

[becy]

^

Quite.

Find a vst limiter and whack it on the master out.

Who needs to learn sound engineering?

[johnjay]

haha sorry but that's a total crock of shit.

do ppl not get it when im joking?

[toilet trained]

^^^

although, you were probably more than half right.

as i dont have a keyboard nowadays, i get most of my musical 'ideas', from using the pen tool and randomly drawing notes.

do that with a good dose of auto-chord and you are set

[johnjay]

^ even if it sounds good thats a fkn headfuk,

how can you be fuked penciling in shit?

[becy]

do ppl not get it when im joking?



lol oh woops