Music Production 101 - Songwriting + Production Essentials - Get Started Today

1. Welcome to this Class: Hi there. It's Thomas George. And welcome to this music production 101 class. In this course, we're going to look at music production and songwriting essentials so you can learn to create your own song at home. Today in this class, I'm going to show you how you can write called progression. We're then going to look at writing a bass part, building a drumbeat, writing a melody arrangement instrumentation on much more. In this class, I will be using the software logic Pro TEM. However, the tips and techniques I teach you will be applicable for any popular digital audio workstation. So if you're brand new to music, production or sun writing and you want a quick class to teach you some essential tips and techniques that make sure you join me in this class 2. Writing a Chord Progression: Hello. Welcome to this video, where we're going to be looking at creating a song from scratch. So when you're writing a song, there's loads of different ways you can start. You can start with a core progression. You can start with the melody. You can start a drumbeat, or you can start with a baseline. I'm going to show you in this lecture how you can start writing a song from a chord progression. So called progression is basically just a Siris of chords that go together on. They can be looped round and round. The good thing about starting with the core progression is you can quickly find the notes for the melodies and for other parts of the song by just looking at the courts a lot of the time when you change a core progression or a change accord, the melody will also change with it, so the notes will fit in the next chord, their lows different chord progressions. But in modern musical popular music, often people do seem to use the same chord progressions. You can't copyright a chord progression as well. As long as the song sounds different, you can use popular chord progressions. So, actually, just Googled popular core progressions on these. The ones have come up. So here we have 1615 So when you see the Roman numerals like this, this is just the way people, right, chord progressions. So maybe just think off a Roman numeral clock. But if you're playing in C major, which you actually going to write this song in, it's basically just the white notes. It's really easy to play along with when C. Major. So this will be C, F, C and G, and then we have another call progression below, which is 1564 seven c major, if you can't get the notes 1564 and then we have over one, which is 16 to 5. I'm just playing the notes at the moment will actually need to work out how to play these chords and noticed. We have thes uppercase Roman numerals on these lower case Roman numerals, so the uppercase Roman numeral means a major chord on a lower case revenue. More like this means a minor chord, so I'm just going to quickly tell you how to work out a major chord on then a minor chord. And then we actually going to write out some of these different chord progressions and use them for a some. So in this digital audio workstation, we can open up a piano roll editor Andi in all popular digital audio workstations, you will have a piano roll editor as well. We can actually, right in the midi information. So let's actually have a look at the difference between a major called on a minor called. So let's start on the notes, See? So if you look on the keyboard here, this actually labelled C and you notice we have two of these black notes on then free of these black notes on DSI is just the white note. That's to the left off the two black notes, which is here. Yeah. Okay, So for a c chord, a major or a minor court, it will have a C and then the major and the minor called will both have the fifth off the note. So all we need to do is can top five notes and in this scale, See, Major is just the white notes. So 12345 which is this one here. G. Every major and minor chord has free notes, which is also known as a triad. And the difference between a major and the minor chord is this third note here. So let's actually play in the third for a major chord. We have a little pattern toe. Work this out. We can just count up five notes, including the first note to find the third. So 12 free for five this'll one here, which isn't a remember all the notes in C major A white. So this here is the third on then to change it to a minor court already to do this is flatten it. One step makes it a minor chord. You probably hear sounds quite moody on. If we sharpen this again back to a major chord, you can probably hear sounds a bit happier. So a simple way to actually noticed the difference between a major chord on a minor called is a minor chord sounds a bit more sad on the major chord. Sounds happier. So for this, we're going to be using a C major chord so you can see here we have a C. Remember, five notes count up 12 free for five. So this one here, this'll means that C major and for a minor, we just can't up four notes as well. So 1234 this'll be a minor or just a major court. The Fed. Flattered. Okay, so that's how we can quickly work out the difference between a major on a minor. So let's have a look at this second corps progression here. 1564 So now let's actually type in this next one, which is a five. So it's a capital V like this or a J in this case in C major. So this means a G major chord. So let's go down here to a G. You can see here. Thistles. Ajay C D E F g Just all the White Knights count up. Okay, so here is the G. That's just Suman. Okay? And remember, this is a major chord. Use that pattern used before can talk five, including the first note. 12345 That's the major third because we're in C major. Like I said, just the white notes. We know it's in key, which means the notes fit in the scale because it's a white knight. So let's just type in this be now. And also remember a major and the minor chord bay fuse. The same fifth notes because of Triad. Like I said before, is the route the third on the fifth. So let's just count up five from this G 12345 It's this note here, which is a d. So here we have two courts. We have the C major on the G. Major. Let's just hear these both back. Okay, great. Now we're going to have a look at the next chord, which is the small one here. Just a six. Also in this key is going to be in a minor. Remember, there's a difference between a major and a minor court. This will give a different kind of sound. If you're just using major calls all of the time, it's not going to sound is interesting, as if you use some other types of courts such as a minor chord. So I remember we can kinds up in the scale C d e a s g a so that she is That's not here. A uh Okay, now let's add the fifth because in a major and a minor chord, they both have the same fifth. So let's just count up five These white notes. 12345 It's not here, which is an A Let's now, Rutherford, let's count up. Five. 12345 was just this note here, which isn't a white note. This is actually the major note. So remember when you toe drop it down a step now it's minor, so we can even add the third like that, which is a major third. Then drop it down 1/2 step or just one note on the keyboard, and this will make its a minor chord. Well, we could just can't talk four nights, including the 1st 11234 That's the minor. You can't up 512345 That's Major, but this this note here thing is not in the scale were in C major, which is just the white notes. So this to me this note here, which is a C which makes it a minor. Okay, we got one more call to go in this core progression on this is on F. So I remember from before. Let's count up until we find a f C D e f. Okay, so let's have that note in. You can tell instantly that wasn't the right note in here. Doesn't quite sound right. Doesn't sound like that over chords. That's because that was an f sharp You can see here. It's the black knight, so be careful when you're typing your notes. Make sure use that right now. It's for your scale. So here we have F and then this is an F major chord. So let's put the fifth in first because the fifth is the same for the major on the minor. All we need to do is count out five notes in the scale. So 12345 Here we have a C we actually used to see before, but we can play again. It's absolutely fine. And then we have the third. Remember, this is an F major chord, so let's count five notes, including the 1st 112345 and again on here we have the third, which isn't a so this is a f major chord. Okay, so now we're actually going to play this chord progression back. I'm just going to let this So you've probably heard this core progression lows of times in popular music. One more thing I'm going to do now is actually add some inversions. Noticed. Now, when we play it back, it sounds a bit clunky. Jumps toe one court to another. It doesn't sound very smooth. So what we can do is actually just change the octaves off some of these courts. So on the piano keyboard, for example, the note see, see here to see octave above I never see and never active above and so on and so forth. So we have the same notes, but in different octaves, which is just 12 notes above or also known as an octave. So what we can do is just change some of these notes around, move them up and down the active. So the sound of it smoother because here you can see this is big jump between the sea on this G. If you move this g up here, we'll send a lot smoother and such the same notice before so you won't get that big jump. So I'm just going to change some of these octaves around, so it sounds a bit smoother when we add the baseline later run. It'll still sound like the cord on the moment we're changing something called the root note . But when we add the Baisley to run, this will reaffirm the route now as well. And the court will sound absolutely great. But for now, let's just change these octaves around so that the same note just different octaves so they don't sound is jumpy. I'm actually going toe, but this G or productive going along, I might even put this a a productive on, then. Hear this? No, definitely new skill. Productive. So this f maybe I could even put this a productive wanted Teoh. Now you can see just looks a lot smoother. Let's play this back of it. Shouldn't sound is jumpy. Okay, that sounds a lot better when we have the baseline. Next, we're gonna have a nice core progression with a solid base parts. Okay, so that's how you can start writing a some with a chord progression, a do recommend, actually going through these over called progressions as well. I've just using this one as an example. But I do recommend going into your digital audio workstation on working at the courts for this one, which is 1645 on 16 to 5 Andi z one up here, which is just major chords. Just 1415 I hope you find this lecture useful in the next lecture. We're going to look having bass part to this song. Thank you for watching. 3. Writing a Bass Part: Hello and welcome to this lecture. We're going to be looking at adding a bass part. Teoh Chord Progression. Previously, we wrote out these courts on the cold progression was 1564 on. In this key, which is C major, which is a with white notes, it's C g a minor on F. So what we did is actually rearranged some of these notes by using inversions. So it's basically just changing the operatives around the cords sound a bit smoother. Let's just have a quick listen to this core progression again. And then we're going to add a bass part. Okay, nice and simple or very common core progression. And now we're going to add a base. But now let's actually copy over this midi information to the base on Let's open this up. So you remember we did change the order of some of these notes, So going back to here, we have one. So in this case is to see and of a bass part we wanted lower than this. We want a low, solid note to make soundscape a bit fuller. So let's put this down and active on the next one. We have a G Isn't that g? Because remember, we used inversions. We changed the order of the notes. So let's find a G here. So we have C d E f g. This one here. Lets put this down to actors. Actually, what may be too low, Just one active. Here we go. I don't want to die or will just rumble and sound a bit messy. Don't want it too high because we do want that low bass sound. I'm actually just going toe mute these over notes because we might be looking at them later on. Okay, The next chord is an a minor. This note here isn't a if we can't open C c d E f g may remember we changed the order with inversions. So let's just drop this down and active, meet these other notes and then we have the court here, which is an f So go from C C D E f. This note here, drop this. Knocked him as well e meet these other notes. Now let's play this called back with these bass notes, and it should sound a lot fuller and deeper. Just make a lot more sense of the bass notes as well, because when we using inversions were swapping the order of the notes, we're kind of losing that route. Position in the base reaffirms that reposition. So you will really want a base. Just to make a court stand out stronger and sound a lot more powerful at the moment is not that much movement. The base has a few different roles. It's not just about adding of that lower note in the harmony. It's also about adding movement. The bass guitar is a rhythmical instrument, so we're going to add some rhythm here. It's a few different tricks and tips we can actually do. We can actually add something called an arpeggio data. So on our page eight a does is it plays all the different notes in the court. But when there's just one, they're like this. It just repeats the notes, and it kind of sounds like someone's playing the base of a platform or pick. So we can actually type this in in the media information like this, or we can just use in our project to most digital audio workstations will having our pejeta . I'll show you how to do this first It's a quick and easy way of adding some movement to your base notes. Then, after we have a look in this midi editor and then manually add some movement in. So in this digital audio workstation, which is logic pro, we can easily add narp educator in your d aaw. It should be a quick and easy way to Adam LPGA Tour as well. I'm actually going to change is to eighth notes, so you can instantly here now. It kind of sounds like that rock style base when the using a pick just by adding an arpeggio data that is literally just adding harp educator onto these single notes, you can add movement quickly. We can, of course, turn off this arpeggio later. I'm actually Addison manually if we wish. So that was actually playing eighth notes. So you notice in the bar Here goes 12 free fort, every beat of the bar. So 44 this time signature were in. So we have four beats want to free for in the bar on eighth notes is just two of these notes, every beat. So that's just cos over, make sure it's in the right place and If you did make a mistake with you something called Quanta Eyes, we should move the notes to the closest amount that you set. So let's play this. But now there we go. Same thing is playing the arpeggio later, but I'm actually just going to use the arpeggio tougher now because it's just a really quick and easy way. I've just added some movement to your base, so let's turn the arpeggio toe back home. Now. What we're going to do is add some passing notes to this base part. So when you're playing the bass, think of the bass guitar. When you go between one chord on another, just to make it sound a bit smoother, you can add passing notes. So if there's a big jump between the different notes, you can add notes in between. This to make send its mover and, to be honest, a lot more exciting, you might notice here there's a big jump between these two notes here between the sea on this G, so we can add a passing notes. Really, they were adding a passing notes. We can use notes that aren't in the cord or the scale as a passing note. If it's quick, but just to be safe against use one of these notes here which other notes from this first court, which is a C major. So you have this note here, which is an eight on this one here, which is a G. So the second note is a G, so I wouldn't really use a G before. But Weaken just added a beforehand, just as a passing notes at a bit more movement to make it sound a bit smoother, rather having this big jump at the start. So let's put this back Teoh about here now That's odd in this a note and just change the size you can see in the bar here. It's the second half off the quarter notes. So it's an eighth note on the arpeggio. Data is set to play eighth notes, so it's just going to play this note once. So let's play this section back and you'll be able to hear this passing notes before it goes to the note. G There you go. It makes the bass sound a bit more interesting, and it stops that big jump happening. So let's go along this here between G and A. This is quite small distance. So we don't really the passenger here here between a on deaf we could if we wanted to add a passing notes. So let's add one Here is while the jump isn't too big. But just for this example, you're gonna add one. Okay, so let's actually look at this court here, which isn't a minor. So these notes here's a C on an E. So here we only have a C. So you notice here that in this distance here would only really have a G. It could go up if you want to. To go to this note here, which is the sea. It won't make the distance own smoother, but it could make it sound a bit more interested. So let's just add a c here on. Let's just hear this section that works. But to be honest, I'm not going to have a passing that here because I just want to make the jumps of the distant sound of its mover and going back to the start. We have this see here as well. On the distance between this first known, that last night's pretty big it's the distance between the sea and this F. I would add a passenger at the end as well. So between C and F, it's a big distance. So the end going to add a passing that here as well you could add to see. But we are going to be going to the notes, see, So I might not add that because we go into that now anyway, in the court of F, you can see up here as we used before, which is the major third, which isn't a You could also add that as well. If you wanted to to do that, then we will have to jump up again, which would make the jump even bigger or weaken jumped down. So there's still a big distance, even if we have to, A were still even bigger jump. Now, if you have the A up or the A dirham active, so I'm going to do now is add another note this time, not one that's in this triad, not one that's in these free notes. Remember, we're in the scale of C major, which is all the white notes, so there are certain notes that fits better than others even though all the white notes technically do fit, some actually going to use one of the notes from the sea and major chords. We've looked at C major. We have a C. Let me have an A, then we have a G. So let's have a look at this now so we could have an A going down. But that is a semi tone difference so we can get a bit collection when you semi tones like that. So I'm actually going to jump up to the note J. We have a bit of movements, and it's not quite as high as the note. A. Let's add that now as well. That's here. What this section times like going from this last called to the first chord because for any chord progression, you want to make the loop work. You want to make it go round and round around and sound seamless. Okay, so there we added a note from the other Cord technically still fits in this court before, but we can also experiment of over notes. This is just a way of adding a bit of movement to your base part. So we added rhythm with the arpeggio data on. We've had a different notes with something called a passing note, so that's just a quick and easy way of adding a bass part. So having a bass part will add that thicker, lower harmony on will also add some movement to your song, said the next lecture. We're going to continue looking at writing a song, so thank you for watching and I'll see you in the next one. 4. Building a Drum Beat: Hello. Welcome to this lecture. Will be going to be looking at programming in a drumbeat. So previously we wrote called Progression on a Baseline. Let's just have a listen to this now, okay? Nice and simple. We have some movement from the base and they were going to actually program in a drum part . Okay, you notice on here we actually have the names are the different drums. Or you could just go along even with your midi keyboard. Find a different drums, or you can just hit the piano keys on the side or type in the media information to find a different drum parts. So but this began to actually start off with the kick drum, which is down here. See, one which is kicked normally. The kick will be on C one experiment round. Find yourself a nice sounding kick. Do you want to find a kick sample or a drum kit that really fits with the songs? So if you're making maybe a dance music song, find yourself inappropriate kick. If you're making more of a pop or rock son similar to this, perhaps find a more organic sounding kick. But it really depends on what you're after. So let's just Suman let's go down to see one kick here. I'm just gonna type in a really, really simple drumbeat to start with. We can always go through an experiment and change the drumbeat around later on. But for now, I'm going to keep it super simple. So this I'm gonna have the kick on every beat. So in 44 here on in 44 we have four crutches or 4/4 notes in a bar, so I'm just going to add a kick drum, every single beat. Let's just play this back. There you go. Really simple kick on every beat and I'm going to add the snare on to before toe one snare free snare. So the two and the four will have a snack on the kick. Really? Really simple way of doing this. Of course, we're gonna change this around later. Run. But for now, let's just have this now on two and four. Normally the snap will be on a d one. We can also use a hand clap as well, if you want. It was different types of snares, but go through, find the right snap for this I'm actually going to use it. Snare on the hand, clap at the same time. So in two and four, we have the snap on the club. Let's play this buck. Okay? Very, very simple. And now, in between this, we want some high hats who can have open high hat or closed high hat. So this one, we have two different types of clothes. High hats on open Hi hats. If this I'm just going to use a close high hat on, then open high hat. With this, I'm going to have the closed high her arm every eighth note and then open high at the end. Just add a bit variation and this one here, just an open high up. So this is just a really, really simple drumbeat. Will change this later on, make it a bit more interesting, but for now, let's hear the super simple drumbeat as you remember, kick on every beat, snap on two and four, then high hats. Every eight notes on the last high hat is an open Hi. Hats on this last high hat will actually be choked, which means you'll hear this open sound. But soon as it loops round and you hear this Closed high, Hap. You won't hear the open sound anymore. So let's just create a loop and then you hear the choking off this high hat. So now we're actually going to continue with the drumbeat, but the second time around, we're going to make it a little bit different. So what we can do is just select all this on, then paste it. But this time we're gonna change it slightly. So I'm going to do is move this kick drum and then actually add another kick drum. Not on the big, just to make it sound a bit different. So let's just hear the second part. Have a little bit more variation, a little bit more movements. We can even add a never snare at the end go big variations. It's not just the same all the way through. I'm actually going to add the high hat again because we seem to have lost that while we're editing. So make sure you go through on just check that everything is in the right place. Okay, so I'm going to copy over these two sections again. This time, I'm actually going to add a different, Phil on the fourth bar. So by one, we have this simple drumbeat about two. We have the variation off this drumbeat bar free. We have a simple drum be again and before I'm going to change this again just to make it even more interesting, you may have noticed before, when I added this open high hat, we heard a Tom sound. So we have a few different Tom sounds of this midterm. No. Hi, Tom. Never. Hi, Tom. I'm actually going to use some high Tom's had a fill. So just every eight notes I'm gonna add sometimes. And we're going to get rid of this open Hi hats. I'm going to use a low Tom here and then back to the hotel. So we have two different high times low Tom on going to actually get rid of this now as well. And also, when we finish this loop, I wanna have a crash symbol. So we know it's started the loop. So I'm going to go back to the first loop this time. Instead of the high hat closed, I'm gonna add a symbol. So let's go up here and find a symbol. So we have a ride. Cymbal. I have a crush. Crashed. I really want Let's get to the crash So people know it's to start the loop. Let's actually here Bar four of this new Tom Tom Phil. And then I'm going to turn on the loop and you hear the crash on a loop back to the first bar. Okay, Great. Now what I'm going to do is just make this first on the third leap. A little bit different now. I think it's just too simple and too boring. I'm just going toe. I had a kick drum move around slightly. Then I may add another open high hat right about here. Okay, so we just got open high hat and have added another kick drum. Just add a bit more movements. I'm going to have this almost the same for bar free. Remember extra kick drum on open high hat. I'm beat free, so let's go to bar free. This was I opened high hat. This time it's going to change this a little bit. Move this kick here just so it's slightly different, so it sounds similar. The listener thinks it's almost the same, but it's a very slight variation just to make it sound more interesting, because if we have the same drums over and over again, it's gonna sound a bit boring and repetitive. However, if they're completely crazy and different all of the time, the listener maker a bit confused because you do want consistency in your music as well. So this way we have it a bit more interesting, but it also sounds like a consistent, solid drumbeat. So let's have a listen to this loop now of all of the different parts. Okay, Now we can just go through and tweak some sounds around. I'm actually going to change this open high hat to maybe to Tom Sam instead just to make it a bit more interesting and, um, bar free. I'm going to change this two tons as well. Slightly different Tom drums. So it sounds a little different, but the river is the same. Okay, some happy of this drumbeat. Now it works of the song. It sounds consistent. That's not the same all the way through. I do recommend going through and experimenting. You can use this drumbeat. Copy this drumbeat if you want on, then go through and change parts around, make it sound a bit more interesting and try and make it sound unique. Okay, so let's have a listen to this loop now. The drums, the cords on the baseball. Okay, great. So that's how you can quickly, right? A drum beats. Thanks for watching on. I'll see in the next video. 5. Writing a Melody: Hello. Welcome to this video. We're going to be looking adding a melody And now we have the core progression The baseline on the drumbeat. What we really want is a melody. When people listen to music, there really catch on to the melody. That's the stuff they're going to remember in the head. That's the thing they're gonna be humming later Run so catchy melody that people will remember However, we don't want it to repetitive. We do want some variation and our music. We do want to music to be interesting, but the same time you want a nice, memorable melody So I've got a synthesizer here You could write a melody on the same guitar , piano vocals, lows, different instruments you can write a melody on. But for this example, I'm just going to use a synthesizer. But before we write the melody, let's just have a listen to the loop, Okay, so one thing to do is to actually have a look at the chords that you wrote previously. So if you remember, we used the core progression 156 and four. So really, for a melody who wanted to fit with the notes of the chord. We don't necessarily have to use the exact notes of the court. We wanted to fit in key, wanted to fit in scale. We wanted to sound right. So a good starting point is to actually use the notes from the court. So what I'm going to do now is just copy over this MIDI information off the courts and then added to the synthesizer we don't want, though. Is all of these calls playing at the same time? We just want one there at the same time for this melody. So a starting point could be just playing one of the notes from the court. So just for this example, I'm just going to mute some of these other notes. So we're starting off this out here, which is an A. So from accord, this will be the third from the Triad. We have free notes on the is the third them of a melody. Want people to sing along? We don't want too many big jumps. So we're going to go down to this note here, which is one of the next notes from the court now, so going back to our core progression the next chord is a G. So this we're going to go to a day, which is the fifth of the chord progression. So if you count up from J 12345 of this note here, which is a J. Now, for the next chord, we can go up to this note here, which is an A, which is the fifth off this a So a 12345 Or we can go down to this one, which is the third I'm gonna go down to the for because previously we used the fifth on it to sound a little bit different. Let's go to the efforts. I'm going to meet these two here, so we have the next called, which is the F. So I'm actually going to use this note here, but down an octave. So let's just shift this down. Knocked over on the mutiny, averted. So all I'm really doing it's just picking some of the notes from the cords just as a starting point on later on, we're gonna make this a bit more interesting. It might not be the most exciting right now for a starting point. I do recommend just using some of the notes from the court so it works. Not the most exciting, but it works. You'll notice that a big jump between the last night, the melody on the first notes of the melody. So what I'm going to do now it was, Just add a few notes to make it the melody Go up again. Good idea to think of your melody as a shape going up and down the linking going around. It just goes down along the way. It will sound a bit boring if it goes up all the way. Well, same boring as well. You want movement and shape in your melody? Let's zoom in to this last part. And remember, you're in this court here, which is an F major. So if you go back to the chord progression, you can see the last called Here is the fourth, which is an F on. If you remember, the notes of an F is the root, which is F the fifth, which is a C so 12345 and the third accounting got five notes, including the 1st 112345 Give us the third a major effort, which isn't a so just to be really simple. I'm just going to use this free. So I'm going to type in a new note now that shoes to see, um and we go toe have this starting from beat free. And now let's add the sea. Just one example I'm going to add, Never see going down. So we have a bit more of a shape. Now that's trim these notes, so it's a bit neater. Now let's have a listen to the last section Bar four. And now let's have a listen to this with the loop, because when we creating loops who want the last section, the first section that fit together so loops round and round. Okay, so we're getting somewhere. It's still a bit boring, really still just too simple. But what we just did that the end makes a bit more interesting. So now we're starting to get a pattern, so let's use a similar kind of pattern. So I'm making a loop. The most important part is the end of a loop on the start of the loop, so it fits well together. Something else to think of when you're making a melody is Is this singable? Or people sing this melody So maybe hum it Maybe think of people listening to your song Is this catchy? Says something that people want to hear We just having notes for the sake of it. So don't just add notes of the chords here and there Think Will this be a catchy melody? Will people want to hit us? Will people remember this melody after they've heard the song? So let's now go to the first section and I'm going to use a similar kind of pattern here to the second half. I'm gonna add some movement so you can see here it goes up and then back down to the second note. I'm going to actually have a reverse of this. So step going up about down, going to go down and back up. So we're going to start off with same notes of the chord and then have the pattern going down. So the pattern is kind of in versed. Okay, so we have this note here, which is a G. We have this note here, which is a C. I'm just going to rearrange days, a case that this time we're going to use the same shape, go down staff up. So use this note here. See, also we have a G in this chord. So let's get down to it. You can see in the side. Here's a J Safety a FJ and then go back up to this note here. So now let's hear before on by one, you can see it's kind of similar, but flipped on its side says come work to add some familiarity to your song, but also to add a bit variation. Okay, great. So it's starting to sound more like a melody Now, However, I don't want to have this pattern all the way through, even if it's different nose. So I flipped upside down or changed around. I still want to unique pattern now. So for about two on free, let's add something different. Let's make it a bit more unique. So instead of having this long note with star and to have a short note, but just this example to keep it simple, I'm going to use notes from the court. So the second, called here, if you remember, was a G major, so going back to a core progression The 2nd 1 is the fifth, which is a G major on in G Major. We have a g a be on the day so that she is those notes Gonna start off short on and get to this, Be now and actually repeat this and you'll see here it doesn't start on the beat, moved it around a bit just to make sound a bit different. We're gonna have a different rhythmical element here. Even gonna repeat that again with a different rhythmical elements and then go back to this note here just a day and then go to a last night here, which is a G down here we have a short a section that so we have something different here, doesn't land exactly on the beat. So let's hear what bar one going to bar to Sounds like now, that didn't really sound too good repeating that note. So let's move this upwards on going to move this over to the second half because that wasn't bang on the beat. It didn't quite sound right. If you have this halfway through the beat, sound a bit more suit, so let's move over slightly. So it's hard for through the beat. So this way it's on eighth notes rather than in between on 16th notes. So if you have a look at the grid here, stepped into four beats each one of these is 1/16 notes. It's two of these is an eighth note for these is 1/4. Eight of these is 1/2 on all of these. All 16 is a whole note. So you may hear terms like 16 8/4. That's really just a different beat divisions off these grits. So let's have a listen to this again. Okay? Starting to sound more like humility. It just sound a bit too choppy. So becomes drag these notes over so it sounds smoother. Oh, and I might even get rid of this. Now, here on at this gea. Make it longer. So let's have a listen again. Okay. Great. That sounds more like a melody. Now, on going to use a similar pattern for this next section here, bar free. So what I'm going to do is just copy and paste this over there, move the notes. So the fit with the next court, which is on a minor. So remember the next one is called six in this case and a minor. So let's just copy this over on. Remember a minor that's used the notes that fit in a minor. So we have this note here, which is a d which isn't in these free nights of a minor. So with this, we can even move it up to a down to a C. Some actually going to make this a pound to A and e uh, number a minor has name the 5th 12345 Is this A? And in between we have this city. So the minor you can't for 1234 to make it a minor or can't five notes from the route 12345 That's a major than drop it down 1/2 step for this. See here. So we have these notes a c on e a case the next night Here. Is it be that's not really going to work. We can move this up to see on the next night. Here. Is this G two there anything there is this Actually, it's the same note as the next sequence. I'm actually going to add a passing, though just to make it flow to the next part of the melody that's not too repetitive and also to make it stand out from the section before, just before here to drag it back and repeat this note here, which is a C. And you noticed the C fits in the next chord sequences. Well, the person that should fit really well. Now let's have a listen to bar two and bar free. Okay, great. Now I'm not too happy of this loan out here. Just going to change this up on Active. Now we're gonna have a lot more variation. This may be too high. This may be too much of a jump or it could work write melodies. A lot of it is about experimentation. So let's just hear if this higher note fits great. I think that's starting to sound good. Now. Want to change this note here to make this fit of flow with this higher note? So the last quarter's remember it was an F. So number four. So even after we have the notes f and see which is upper fifth on 2345 f major so we can talk 512345 So we have f and see. So let's move this up to now. Let's move this down in a case of a different kind of shape. So let's hear. But free in Buffalo, anything there is, it could have a bit more movement. So I'm just going to have a bit more movement here on use. Never. Night sounds a bit slow at the end, though, because we're getting all this speed from bar to bar free that slows down too much bar four . Then we're going to add this over now as well. Which is the sea, which is the fifth off this called F. So let's have a listen again from bar free. So when you're making a melody is important to keep going back, seeing if it fits, don't get stuck on one part. You can improve it, always go back and improve it. So let's have a listen to buff free on Buffalo. Great. Now let's have a listen to the whole loop, okay? There's just a couple of notes that don't make too catchy, So all works all fits. If you heard this in a song, you wouldn't think it's bad but there's a couple of notes that I think could improve. I'm just going to have a listen back on our point out. Which ones? I don't think it quite right. This not here. I think this could be higher. That note to me just doesn't sound too interest in. So let's actually change this. I remember this is bar free and going back to our core progression. This is an A minor. So let's changes to our higher notes. A minor. You can change us to even a. That may be a bit boring because repeating that note So let's changes to right that and there's nothing out here, I think because we're jumping up this a we want to jump up again, even more towards the end, to make it bit more exciting. So he Oh, quickly. So we've got high passenger to make it more in. Dressed in on this note is a big jump there so much you're going to change this notes that fits bit better. Remember, the last chord is Neff. We owe change. Okay, let's hear bar free. And for now, okay, that's a bit more interesting to me. Now I'm actually going to change this one, to see the reason I did this, to make it sound more like a shape, to make it sound a bit smoother and to make it sound a bit more memorable so you can go back and have a look at the pattern. We're going up and we're going back down again so you can see we start in the middle range . Then we drop down. And then he jumped on high range and jump back up again. And then we go back down. So we're taking the list on a bit more of a journey with this melody that shaped this movement. But it's also repetition. You can see we using similar kind of rhythms using similar kind of shapes, but is different. It's not too boring. There is movement. There is stuff going on because any kind of melody needs to be repetitive. So the listener remembers it in their head later run but not too repetitive. Not exactly the same. You want to use different tricks, twists and different movements to make your melody stand out, but also be repetitive. So let's have a listen to this again. Okay, great. So I think that melody works. Obviously we could make more melodies. We can make this longer change it. We have different sections. We could have different melodies. I could even sing this vocal melody or plays on a different instrument, such as a guitar, saxophone, maybe even the piano. But this just one way. A writer melodies how to quickly write something catchy, memorable and repetitive at the same time by just using the notes from the court. So let's have one more listen and then I'll see you in the next video. 6. Arrangement - Part 1: hello and welcome to this video where we're going to be arranging their sung. So right now we've got a loop with a core progression of a spark. A drum beats on a melody. However, we want to change this and make it more of a song. We can't just have this same lip. Going round and round with listeners will get very, very bored fast. Let's have a listen to this loop and then I'm going to give you some tips and techniques for arranging this into more for song. Okay, so one thing we can do is just not start with certain instruments. We can add instruments later on. So what we going to do now? It's just move some of these instruments around, so I'm not actually going to start with the drums or the lead, so we're just going to start with the piano on the base. If you do add different instruments, such as vocals, you could always add this at the start on, then wait for the drums and the symptom. Enter another thing we can do. It's not used. This full court progression. We're just going to use the first half so going back to our cords. We have C on G the's loop together. Absolutely fine. Just the first on the fifth. And then when the drums and the synth enter, we can add the a minor on the F we can add the minor six on the fourth. So I'm just going to have proper this over. And then for the first part, I'm just going to trim this. So it's just the first half of the loop. Okay, so what I just did there is I looked the first half off the cords on off the base. So I'm going to do now is actually just add the kick drum. I'm going to copy over the drums. Let's open up this midi information, and I'm just going to mute everything in there. Apart from the drunks, you can delete it. I like to mute it so I can always go back and add it later on, if I wish. So just drag all this information and then you tit and I would just have the kick the base on the courts. I'm actually going to make this even simple. I'm just going to have the kick drum playing quarter notes so on every beat. So we just go through and adjust this just on quarter nets. We just have it really simple to start with surface, Ayman, you notice on every beat. So in each bar we have four beats 12 free before with kick plane on every beat. So let's have a listen now just to make it simpler. So when the drums do come in later on, when we do have different parts, it will stand there and sound a bit different. Okay, great. Now we're going to do is actually continue of this. Had some more movement to the drums. So let's just copy over the cords on the bass part and then copy over the drums. This time we're gonna change. It's not just going to be the kick drum playing every quarter note. Now we're going to add the high hats and began to have more interesting kick drum pattern. So let's click on the drums that we don't want to add. I'm just meet these guys and get rid of snares. I'm going to get rid of the toms and also the crash. So let's leave the hi hats and then just make sure you get rid of all the other drums. This just a way to slowly build your song up. Now let's have a listen to this next section, which will be the high hats on the more interesting kick drum pattern. One thing of Gangsters actually changed instrument of the drums. So previously we had the kick drum playing this pattern. I want a low Tom or floor Tom playing this pattern. So if you move this up to West is low, Tom. So we have a different instrument playing. So let's hear this. But now So what I'm going to do now is combined the two together. So when start off with a part just made in the next section, it's going to have the kick drum. So just adding some variation into our drumbeat so I'm going to do now is added Kick drum playing on the quarter notes. Remember the bar? We have four notes 12 free before you just type in. Of course, you can copy and paste and drag stuff around. Sometimes it's just simple, just a type just going to scan for quickly. Make sure everything's in the right place. So now we have this past some of the high hats on the floor, Tom. And then we continue, but with the kick drum. So add in movie making stuff happen. We're making stuff build. So let's hear this from the stop. This time we're going to continue one ad. The collapse on this nests were just building, slowly, building in the drums up, making it a bit more interesting. So we're just going to a mute snares on the collapse. Let's hear this. But now, however, I'm going to continue. Just using these two chords were going to save these four chords for the course. When the chorus comes in, it sounds different. Sounds similar because we have the 1st 2 chords that sounds different. So let's drag this section over and just copy over the 1st 2 chords. Let's delete this drumbeat here on a copy over the previous one, and then we just a mute. Some information. Now we're going to add everything, so we're going to meet the floor. Tom's going to a meet the midterms, and there's never high time here. Andi even start. There is a symbol, so that's a mute. This have a quick scan over this. Now we have some more movement in the drums, and it gradually builds up on when everything enters. That's when we're going to have the four chords, and that's when we're going to have the melody as well. Mostly going to drag over this section to the chorus is eight bars long. There is certain stuff is why you can dio color different sections if you wish to know what you're doing. So I'm just going. So I'm just going to call this slightly different so we know it's the course. So let's have a listen to the start so we gradually building up the drums and then we have the chorus. Where fixing Okay , great never technique we can do is actually start with the chorus and then break down into the verse. So let's try this now. We're going to drag over all the verse information after, of course, and then we're going to select all and drag it back. So it's starting with the core issue. Call was build up to the course. We can start with a course than break it down in many different ways you can arrange. This is just another example. Another thing I'm going to try just for this example is used. The second half of the court's not the first half of the courts, so you can try that as well. I just want to give you a few different examples. So let's copy over the piano chords. Let's get rid of this loop on. We've been to trim their so it's just the second half of the courts on lip this section. Instead, let's do the same of the bass part. Copy over the chorus. Andi, get rid of this loop and trim there. So it's the second half of the cords. This is just another technique. I do recommend experimenting with this with your arrangement. And to be honest, when you're writing music, a lot of it is about arranging. You may have a few parts that you right, but you will have to spend a lot of time arranging. Let's just call it this different as well, so we don't get too confused. Now let's hear this from the start, so we'll start with the chorus. They were gonna break it down to this first section that uses the second half of the courts and then builds up the drums. - Okay , great. What we can do as well as use this for the chorus section this first bit. So let's copy this over then. We actually going to trap this and 1/2 and just have this is four bars to start with. We don't want to give away too much of the song straight away, so they want to much of the chorus, but you can have a nice four bar chorus, so that's actually drug this around on. One more thing I'm going to mention now is something called a pre course. So this is a section before the chorus, so it's a good idea to break it down even further. So when the chorus comes in, bang hits you harder. So going to drive this back and we're just going to have a full bar pre course. So we're going to go back to the start of the first rums. Put these here. So now we're going to get rid of the base, and this time we're just going to have the last chord playing. So let's just copy this over and trim it to the last chord of the chorus or the last chord of the verse and just leave this now This should break it down and make it sound even more simple. And then when the chorus hits, it should be a bit more impactful in the mix as well. It won't sound, is rich. It won't sound is full because we've got rid of the base when the chorus comes in. We have that base up here as well. So let's have a listen to the end of the verse and then going to the pre chorus and then the chorus. I'm also going to color the pretty course slightly different, so we know it's a different section, and there we want the course winter so we don't always have to have stuff. Four bars. You can have this just two bars long, if you wish. Just a small section just to make the course stand that a bit more on. Break down even further. So that's trying this course back on. This pre chorus is just a small section, this time just two bars long. I'll make the chorus stand out even further. - You could also add stuff like a buildup or a symbol in the pre chorus, so you can feel that something's come in and then the chorus enters, Boom said. So how many loops are maybe reverse symbol or a kind of riser? He can add this in the pre course, so I'm just going to find a loop off a riser. So I've just found a rise a leap, going to drag this here and then just trim this decides and then one trick I like to do. It's not actually have the riser or the sample stop a beat or two just before the chorus kicks him so it stops and you could feel like it's gonna kick it. So going to drive this back to you beats like here. Let's have a listen to this with the riser. Most experiment and try maybe a bar before that works as well. So we have a few beats or even a bar before with a riser, just so we know that something's happening. So right now we start off with half a chorus. Then we have a verse, and then we have a pre chorus, and then we actually have a chorus coming in as well. You can, of course, add melodies for the verse as well. But later on I will be singing in a vocal melody. But for this I'm just going to keep the melody for the chorus. There is other things we can do, such as a bridge on the breakdown on. We'll explain that in the second half of this lecture. So thanks for watching. And I'll see in the next half where we're going to be looking at creating another verse, a bridge and then, of course, on the Outro. 7. Arrangement - Part 2: hello and welcome to this part to lecture where we're going to continue arranging this song . So previously we went through and created a chorus verse on a pre course. Now we're going to have a second verse on another chorus and then actually a bridge or breakdown and then finish with a chorus and outrage. So lots of popular songs will start kind of with this formula. There are, of course, variations, but typical one will be a verse chorus, verse, chorus, bridge chorus. I've added a couple of variations with a pre course and starting the song off of a chorus. But rangers really about taking your listener on a journey. I want to be listening to your music and fill out there on a journey with you so you don't want stuff to be too formulaic, all too repetitive. You want a less not to feel and experience when they hear your music. And also remember that arranging is important and could take a very long time. Obviously, I'm doing this quite fast just for this tutorial, but at home, when you're arranging your music, take your time, don't rush things. And if something doesn't quite seem right, Go back and keep on going until you think it's the best it could be. So let's continue now. We're going tohave a never verse. So this 1st 1st started off building up. This time we're gonna continue with the drums built up because we've built up all this momentum into the chorus willing to keep this momentum there on when we get to the breakdown, we're going to bring it all the way down the strip it right back, but also for the next verse and the chorus, we're going to keep that momentum there. From the bridge comes it be even more impactful. We break it all down and then the second chorus, we're going to add even more elements to the drumbeat so it could copy over the drumbeat from the verse. But if you remember, of course, have the high tom drums as well and want to keep that going, I wanna keep this momentum here, so let's just continue this loop over for now. I'm also going to make the next first shorter so you can see here we have free of these blocks. Each one is four bus. First verse is 12 miles long the second verse wanna have it shorter than have this eight bars. So it's just two of these blocks. So I'm actually going to copy of the baseball on the cords from the first verse. It's and trim these loops toe eight bus. I'm not going to have a lead part of the verse. We will have vocals, though, for the verses eventually, Okay, and then I'm going to have the second chorus. So let's copy this over and then I'm going to trim this drum loop to size. But this time you want something definitely want this to build. Like I said before, we want the momentum to continue. I'm actually going to add a new element on the second verse, and then on the second chorus we're going to add another element as well. I'm actually going to add another instrument onto the second verse. This time we're going to add some strengths. We're not going to have it playing exactly the same as the piano courts, but we will have something very similar. So I'm just going to add some string sounds now. So I've decided to add Tello's this'll. It's not too low. It's not going to clash with the bass sound, but it's not going to be too high. They will clash with a vocal melody that we're going to add later run. So for now, I'm just going to copy over the information from the piano chords and then just go into these and changed them slightly. Okay, so I opened up this mini information, and you can see here there's only two notes that actually changed. Ever. Notes are the same. So I'm going to delete these. Just have two notes that changing of wise. We're just going to be bulking up the cords for the sake of it. I just want a small bit of movement. So let's hear this cello part in the mix. Okay, so the cords don't change. It's just the last two chords, but that doesn't mean we can't have the cello part changing. So going back to the notes, the last two calls were a minor and F. So let's have a look at some of the court from a minor and F and change this cello parts and make this cello part four bars long, even though it's just a two bar loop safe. Remember it was a minor and F and what is to gradually go up and then go down. So create kind of a pyramid pat enough going up and then down. But we don't want to move too much when a nice, gradual strings out. If it's too much, if it jumps too much, it will stand out in the mix. We want this string sound to really blend him off the song. Remember a minor on then f So let's actually move this F to an a minor. Then we go down to enough. So we're getting some movement with the strings now. So we've got this to cord loop, but the strings is now a four bar loop that say this. We can even continue this. Make the string Part eight Bar loop. We've got different notes going gone over this to bar loop. So remember, it's just the same chords before a minor and F. So let's add over notes that Finn, a minor and F we're gonna continue this kind of pyramid shape but change some of the notes who have a similar shape. So Lessner doesn't feel like it's changing too much, but the notes is still changing to make it sound a bit interesting. Uh, and then a minute. We complain E, which is the fifth off the court, a minor 12345 and African plain, which is a root or the first note of the F major triad. Okay, let's continue the shape. So we're going to get up and then down again. Let's continue the shape. Let's have an A, which is the root off the court? A minor. Remember, we're just looping the last two chords, a mine on F, and then the last one. We're going to keep this a minor going. In fact, I'm going to delete this note in drag over the last ones. That sounds like a string pleasures continually holding that note. Remember that A is the major third of the F. So if you can take five from the F 12345 gets a this note of fit on both of these, it's the first time we hear this note. It will be the root no off the court. So be the first note of the A monocle in the second time, even though it's the same note it would give a different feeling because the court behind it changes the court changes to an F major, replaying the major third off the note. Even though it's the same note, it was sound different. So now let's have a listen to this eight bar cello phrase against to Bar Loop and then the second chorus enters. So what wants to do now is continue using this cello part, but we can change the notes even further because the chorus has four courts on diverse house to courts. So we're going to copy over this cello part to the course. Now we're going to adjust these notes to make sure they fit with the cords off the course. So going back to our notes here we have a C on the first note isn't a on A is the third or the major Fed of C next one? Is this not here, which isn't f okay, And that's called It's a G. We don't really want the death that's not in the triad. The triad for Jay is a J. A major third member Council 512345 Obey and then the fifth, which is the day so that's made this up to a J. Now it fits next one. Is that a minor? This isn't a which is the first night off the god okay. And then going down we have deaf which will fit because it's Lefcourt. Okay, going along the loop continues way. Haven't a soon see a fits that is the major 3rd 12345 Major Third Going along. We have the next note, which is an f. So having a look we have G. So that doesn't fit as well. Let's move this to G again. Then we have this note here, which is an A which fits in both a minor. I remember F because A is the major third off the F. Now we've slightly adapted this cello part to fit over the chorus as well. Let's just change the color of this because we have changed the part slightly. Okay, one more thing. I'm going to add to the course just a build up, even more so when the breakdown happens, when the bridge happens, we can really strip it back on. That is to actually add some more percussion elements. So let's go back to the drums. We're gonna add another element here. This time I'm going to add a ride Cymbal. It's going to be very subtle. People may not hear this ride Cymbal, but that might be able to hear There's a bit more movement in this course. So every eight notes, so two per beats, I'm gonna have a right simple. So let's just copy over this ride Cymbal. So every eighth we can hear a ride on this. Just add a little bit more movement for this chorus. I'm just going to color this again slightly different because it is a different part. Now let's hear the second verse getting into. - Okay , great. So we have a bit more movement in this second chorus, and now we're gonna break it all down. We're gonna have a breakdown or bridge, and then we're gonna gradually build up to a final chorus. So, actually, just going to have one chord to start with. I'm just going to use the last chord and just repeat that. Keep it ever so simple. I'm just going to turn off the loop for this and dragged us back to just the last chord, and then we're going to make a loop of just the last core, then build this up and also we're just going to add a kick drum. So if you go back to the drums, I'm just going to take this part here on. I'm just going to have a kick drum. So let's go into the drums. I'm just going to meet all these other sections because I always go back and add them. No to run. So I do that meeting. Okay, so now we just have a kick drum on the last chord of a lute playing. Let's now hear this back. Okay, so now I'm actually going to add a new instrument. We're going to add a new instrument into this mix, and that is going to be on arpeggio hated synth so began to have simply playing the notes of the chord to gradually add some movement. So let's add a sin finch mint and this time against, add more of a simple pluck sound. Okay, so here we have a synthesizer sound, So I'm just going to drag over this cord on add on arpeggio later. So we're going to leave this finale to find the right arpeggio two settings. So most dear W's will have enough. Educator, you can manually type in the midi notes. Using an AARP educator is just much simpler. E like this one here. 16th notes were not going to start with this. We want to build up. So the first part isn't going to have this arpeggio to Simpson. But we're going to add this arpeggio that sound after a bar on the bar after this as well We're going to add the base. So that's just copy over the base. Turn off this loop, then just use last court and let this again. I'm actually going to change the color of this section as well. Just so come quickly tell it's the bridge. Okay, let's have a listen to this now and then I'm going to add the string part. So I'm actually just going to have that one note that a no on the string cause if you remember the last part, of course, was just that a note which fits on this last chord, which is a F major because the in F major is the major third, that's just open the information here. You can see here this a is the major third of F 12345 There you go. So let's trim this on. Just use this last note. So we're gonna have the string parts well to notice. We just gradually building up with Start off with the piano, playing the last chord with the kick drum. Then we have the AARP agitated simp sound. Then we have the base. Then we have the cello sounds. And then after this, I'm going to build up the drums even further. We're going toe loop all this as well. And then after this, I'm gonna build up the drums even further. So that's actually copy over these drums. Then we're going out the snap on the clap just to build this up even further. I'm not going to have this last lap here. I'm just going to have a collapse in this now on Beats two on beats four. Okay, so I've actually gone through, and I trim this bridge section. I'm going to copy the chorus over from before, But what? You're going to make it twice as long? We're going to have a longer chorus here. However, also going to have this arpeggio to going. So I'm going toe copy over the courts to the AARP educated simp. I do want to add one more thing the last chorus here just to make it stand out from before on what I'm going to add here is actually an octave for the Chelios. So you had the cello notes from before. So much you're going to copy this open aka tips for the first night here isn't a so I'm just going to copy this up on add another A just to make it sound a bit fella. And I'm just going to turn the string part down slightly on now let's have a listen to this song. There's only one more thing we really to add after this and this is an outrage. But for now, let's have a listen to this middle eight section the bridge and then the last double chorus at the end. - Okay , great. I'm just going to add an actress, but before I do that, I'm just going to turn everything down a little bit because we get a little bit hard in the act book. So whatever digital audio workstation, you're working way if you don't want to exceed zero db You don't want to clip or you can ruin the song. So an easy way to do that it's just to turn everything down a little bit. You can always turn your I put monitors on headphones up later on. Okay, great. And I'm just going to add outro and for the Outro. I'm just going to have the cords from the vests, just these piano chords and that set just once for you. Just these two chords at the ends. That's it. So when you hear the reverb tail, so when you hear symbols finish or when you hear the river from certain instruments, you'll be able to hear these, cause Playas. Well, just a nice way to finish the song machine. Just going to finish on this fared called here. The reason I did that is, if you look at the third called, It's actually a miner. This doesn't actually resolve This leaves is a bit of a question at the end. If you really want to resolve, we could finish on the sea, so you want more of a standard pop song. We could finish on the sea. We don't want it to resolve we can have it on the A minus. That sounds like an unanswered question. Just this example. I'm just going to get the sea and the A might. Let's start of the A minor. The question unanswered. Sounds a bit moody. A Sounds unanswered. Now let's finish on the sea there go, the questions answered. It really depends what you want. Do want. The question is answered to resolve. We want an unanswered question. I personally prefer the unanswered question to make a bit mysterious at the end. It really depends on what you want. Okay, there we go. We've arranged a song. We start off with half a chorus. Then we have a verse. Then we have a pre chorus. Then we have the main course. One first to course to bridge will break down, and then this big double chorus at the ends. I'm a natural 8. Vocal Demo Melodies: Hello. Welcome to this lecture where we're going to be looking at lyrics. So previously we actually arranged our song. So we have a bit more of a structure now for the chorus. I really wanted some vocals, I wonder now I'm not really a singer, but I have sung in some of vocals just for this example. So also in the right here we have the lyrics for the chorus. So lyrics about really flying up into the sky with someone and being together. I think of any kind of lyrics you want to tell a story, and this is kind of the main hook of the story. Is flying together with someone and being together love songs, one of the most, if not the most popular genre. So just this example. I just wanted to make a kind of a love song, also a Wet said the notes that I wanted to sing on the piano. But unfortunately, because I'm not a singer, I couldn't actually hit the higher notes that wanted this vocal melody for, But I've got them there just in case. So if I waas to release the song, if wants to record this properly I would actually get singer to sing this in for me because I can't sing the high notes in the register. It is important when you're singing not to try and stretch yourself, Not strong growth. There's really high notes. If you can't hit them, just try and sing in your range is better to sing a few notes in range than lots of different notes, really out of range and really out of pitch. So I'm going to play in there the vocal melody that I wrote on the keyboard on. Then I'll show you the recording. One more thing to know is when you're thinking of a vocal melody, you want to have different patterns in different shapes. Seven. That's when we looked at melodies previously, but obviously sing with your voice. I'm just before I play this melody back, I'm going to meet the audio recording and also the lead parts on the chorus, because I'm singing a slight, different melody. Now I'll even have to adjust the melody on the synth or only have this melody weather and no vocals, but for now, I'm just going to meet this on Let's have a listen to the piano melody. So that's the kind of melody I wanted for the vocals. I think it's a good idea to write out the kind of thing you want, and then you can sing along and improvised. As long as you're playing similar notes and they fit in the court, that should say, I'm fine. You might have noticed that round here it gets quite high. So in my head that's what I want the singer to sing. But unfortunately, I can't sing that high. So I'm just going to mute the piano melody night. We have a listen to what? I saw him. Uh, obviously, it's not a very good vocal performance. I'm not singer at all, but still a good idea. If you do want to recording the vocals to sing it in yourself, get some ideas down, and then you can always find a professional singer two singing and like to run. Or if you have a decent voice, sing it in yourself and you can always mix that later on. Another thing I'm going to do is I'm actually going to a mute their SIM parts on wherever the vocal melody is. I'm not going to have this simple part plane. And whenever I don't have the vocal melody there, I'm going to have the simple plain. So if this last chorus here the first time, I'm going to have the vocals the second time, I'm going to have the simple melody on for this course before I'm going to have the vocal melody on the first chorus here. I'm going to have the vocal melody on the introduction at the start. I'm going to have the synth parts, and I'm just going to now meet the same parts when I have this vocal melody. So when you're recording vocals, I do recommend using an external microphone on an audio interface. You can record ideas on the built in mic on your Mac book or computer, but if you do want to record anything professionally, or at least for a demo, you will want to use external microphone. But even if you're not singer like May, it's still a good idea to sing your ideas in. Then, if you present your work to a singer, they understand the kind of thing you want to get, an idea of the thing you have in your mind. I hope you find this lecture useful, and I'll see in the next one 9. Instrumentation: Hello. Welcome to this lecture will be going to be looking at instrumentation. So previously we had the look at creating the different parts and actually writing the song that we looked at a little bit off vocal recording. But now we're going to look at changing the instruments, making it sound a bit more professional. Right now, we've been using the free stop plug ins that come of this digital audio workstation logic pro for using a different D aaw or dished audio X stations. You'll probably have a few different stop plug ins there. These are okay there, find. Start with their absolutely fine for getting ideas down. But this lecture I'm going to show you some of my favorite instruments for writing music. So let's start off with the drums. I'm just going to so this drum track. So let's play these drums back now. These are quite natural sounding drums, and for this summer, I want a more Elektronik song, to be honest, so well, actually replace this with more electronic drum kit. But for now, I'm also going to keep this original instrument and just muted and then actually copy over the media information so Let's actually hit these Trump's. I actually like that drum side. I think it sounds pretty decent, but for this song, I want something a bit more electronic. I'm actually going to use a drum instrument or drum sample of called battery. So this is by Native Instruments, unfortunately, is a paid product, but I think it's an amazing instrument. Okay, so I've actually got a lot of different battery kits and samples here. If you do have this battery drum sample that you may not have as many as May. But I just want to show you kind of my process on some sample sounds I like. So for this, I want something a bit more electronic. So let's tried typing in electro and see what comes up. So here we have electoral souls drum kit. Let's hear that. And now that she's just going Teoh, drag this many information down and so this new one so you can hear instantly. It's very, very different. This isn't the kind of thing I'm after, but I'm sure you can hear it Sounds very different already. Okay, so I've just had a search for the different kits here on I'm a fun of this one. Call flask, Oak it. Let's hear the soloed and then in the mix. And let's actually meet this of a drum kit on. Let's hear this new drum kit in the mix. This doesn't fit perfectly now with the current instruments, but I will be changing this to make it a bit more Elektronik. And I'm going to show you a few more things we can do in battery. So here we have the kick. Quite powerful. Sound and kick. I'm actually going to take out some of the highs of the kicks. We just get a lower sounding kick. Some of this filter you can cut out some of the house. Maybe not that much. Just a bit more. Okay, nice way of this Congress sound. So the Tom sounds now become a conga. How did she want this sound instead? So I'm going to go back into the media information and change the conga to this Tom sound. Is this Tom's sound right here you can see is e free. So let's go back into the midi information and change this to be free to freeze up here. Okay, Great. There's also this high hat not to find that Assad can change it to this mawr. Typical closed high hat sound. We always go through and choose different drum hits If you want the MIDI information or in the drum sampler. I do prefer the one before, So let's move this back down to every and then go back inside. Battery on. Let's add some effects. This as well. So here we can add some delay course of rehab. You can also change the tune. And you noticed we can also tune the drum over here as well. Okay, I'm liking that with some delay and a much higher pitch the case. Let's just have quick look at the snap. You have this. Now, on this one, I'm gonna add a lot of rehab on one of them. I'm actually going to filter out the lows of this as well. So just got higher reverberated sound on one of the snap e that I'm also going to compress this. Just turn the level down as well. Okay, so it's starting to sound a lot more electronic. Now it's starting to sound more like a club song. Then more of a rock song with the drums that we had before, which is kind of what I'm after. It really depends on what you want to do. I just want to show you a few ideas for this. Let's now have a look at the base. This sounds pretty cool for a base. However, if you want to get a really bass sound, we cannot use something called Contact. So I'm going to bring up contact now. And here we actually have a Rickenbacker bass. So this, in my opinion, is a better based sample from when we have before. And let's hear this with the drums. It is a better bass sound, but to be honest, I want something a bit more Elektronik. So I'm actually going to use a synthesizer called Serum, and this is a very powerful synthesizer for marrow. I'm just going to choose a preset and just tweak it slightly so you can hear what it sounds like with this third party said. Okay, so I've just found this preset here on certain we have a sub us later annoys us later and two main oscillators. Let's just hear the sub us later. It's going to increase the operative to minus one. Obviously, it has to lower. Let's put zero. I'm not actually going to use a soapbox later. I don't find it useful in this certain scenario. Let's try Haslett A now that sounds cool to May. So serum is a wave table synth. So their space, it means it has lots of different samples and weaken scroll between them with this wave table position. So you can kind of go through and find exactly what you want in your Simpson. Okay, I'm going to try the over us late tonight, so that's more acting like the sober lower oscillator. And also, we have effects in here as well, so we cannot. Some distortion, for example. Okay, that sounds more like whether one this sounds more like a synth bass to may. I can't leaving. Gone. Let's have a look at the other instruments. Let's have a look at the piano sound here. Okay, so we have this pianist and here, and it sounds fine, to be honest, but I'm going to open up contact again. Now I want to show you another pianist, and this one is a contact sample library on. It's called the Gentleman. So upright Piano on. This is one of my favorite piano samples. So let's hear this. No way can change the tone to make it harder. Ah, a brighter sound softer sound can change The dynamic range also changed the space. So the reverb really way could even choose the room for the reverb emulation I got you going to use this piano sound and then I'm going to have a pad sound as well playing in the same part just to make it sound a bit fuller and a bit more interesting. So this I'm going to use serum again on that Just copied all of the MIDI information from this piano parts to the serum. Simple. So for this, I'm just going to actually, uh, find a presets iPod sound. Okay, this one sounds great. So we have a filter on sumas. Well, so I'm actually going toe, add some effects onto this filter, trying to get a bit movement, so I'm going to use an LFO, so we can really just change the rate of this filter. You can make it move of this telephone. Okay, So I'm going to use that sound just to create a bit movement. Also going to try adding the sub this time. Thanks for this. I'm actually just going to only use the sub sound the sine wave, which is a wave type. I'm just going to use this now. We have some LFO modulation on the field, so basically, we're going to make this filter sound move. That sounds pretty cool. I'm actually going to add some distortion. Well, there's hit one that said Post. So just kind. Add some distortion and change some of the effects here. Let's hear this in the mixed night. Okay, great. So I just won't show the process, Really? And now we're going to change the synthesizer so you can hear there's a pluck sound at the end. I actually like that sound. I'm going to leave it like that. I think that sounds good. So sometimes, when working of stock instruments, instruments that come of your digital audio workstation, some other stop ones and actually sounds really good, there's no reason to go out and buy loads of stuff. If you don't need Teoh, for example, I'm happy of this sound here. That's a great sound. Let's just change one more thing for this example. Let's change the string sound string sounds, in my opinion, do sound a lot better on contact rather than the built in one's for this software. So I'm going to use this contacted, Do have some amazing string samples. In my opinion, if you're just new to music production, there don't go and spend lots of money on different Fed Party things. Just practice writing music on mixing and produce him, however, once jumped that next step there, you could always have a look at some of a sense or of a plug ins. So here we have some Tello's. You can change the attack, the bright nurse stuff like that thistle on for May sound a little bit too classical. I want something that could suit um, or electronic song. I thought the last sample sounded a bit to classical. I'm going to use this one here called Session Strings Pro, too. We can choose some Tello's. I'm going to choose Tello's Modern on one more thing just before we go. Is this synthesizer here? I do want to change this synth, to be honest, so just this example I'm going to use serum again. Okay, so I've just found this pluck preset for the synthesizer sound. Let's now hear this in the mix. Okay, we'll start to get somewhere with this style of music, though I probably would speed it up a bit, so I'm actually going to look at increasing the tempo. Obviously, we did record some audio before said, This will put the audio out of time, so just be careful. If you do increase the tempo or decrease the tempo, the audio, it's not going to snap in time. You kind, Of course she's time Stretch if you want to adjust the audio. But with this, I'm actually going to try at 122 beats per minutes and hear what it sounds like a little bit faster. Okay, so I think that works a little bit faster. Still, a lot more I could do with this track. This is really just the tip of the ice bag, but I hope it gives you some ideas about changing the sounds. Different synthesizers you could use, and also that the stock stepped can sound pretty decent. Really depends on what San draft. It depends on what you have in your head on trying to find the best way to actually put that down in your digital audio workstation. I hope you find the last few lectures useful. I hope you now understand the basics off writing a song. So thank you for watching and we'll see you in the next video. 10. Let's hear what we've created in the class: Okay, so now let's have a listen back to the song. Of course there is a lot more we can do, however, have written a lot of the essentials and hope you find these videos useful most again, to meet the drums, we just added an unmute the ones from before because I have the whole part written here. So let's now hit this song back. Oh, no. Oh well, all right. 11. Thank you for Watching this Class!: Okay, so that's the end of this course. I hope you found this class useful. Remember, music production and son writing is a very complex subject on in this class. We've only really scratched the surface. However, I hope have taught you some tips and techniques that you can use today for creating your own song from scratch. So thanks again for watching this class and I'll talk to you soon.