Any help playing notes?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Raydio
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Raydio

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Whatsup everybody, first off I have to say that this whole site is nice. My quesiton is that a lot of producers such as Dr. Dre don't play their own instruments but have the ideas in their heads to be great producers... Well I use Nuendo, Fruity Loops, Akoff Midi Composer, and some other stuff to do beats; is there any other programs or tips you might have to help me play those notes in my head? I mean, Akoff Midi composer lets you hum tunes into it, but sometimes it picks up notes you dont want it to. How can I get past this problem? Please list any tips you may have other than paying hundreds for piano lessons. Thanks!
 
If you can't play an instrument you are pretty much limited to sampling loops and (gasp) getting real musicians to record parts for you. If you can wait about 20yrs they are working on Mind to Midi interfaces and they may work by then.
 
Skip the lessons. Sit down with yo cheap-ass Casio, stick out yo index finger, and learn to plunk out the melodies you hear in yo head. You'll be glad you did & it'll pay off big-time in the long run.
 
Raydio, I understand your question but I have to say as someone who has spent the better part of my life in the pursuit of perfecting my abilities to play musical instruments, I just want to scream when I read questions like this. If you have no talent as a musician, then you're not a musician. Why would anyone pay for your CD to listen to some swell software play beats? It'll be a cold day in hell. If it was easy, everyone would be a star. Learn to play, pay your dues, learn all you can and do your own material. Don't be a musical shoplifter.
 
TexRoadkill said:
If you can't play an instrument you are pretty much limited to sampling loops and (gasp) getting real musicians to record parts for you. If you can wait about 20yrs they are working on Mind to Midi interfaces and they may work by then.
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Quite right there Tex. Mind me that there are several Dance 'producers' over here who don't know shit about notes, but they know what is cool amongst a young dance audience and make dance productions just drawing simple melodies in the piano roll.


You can idd record some stuff that way, but that you made relevant or valuable music is another thing.

Be honest: as a producer you are extremely limited not being able to read or play a single note.
 
...I've been there before. My case, when I was 17, my musical abilities ain't doin' much of my musical idea. I kept learning, practising, and did the best that I could, but seems like my idea was few step ahead my fingers. My mind hearing something I couldn't play, not yet. I wanted to write these songs... and I had to... So in order to -not to waste- this good idea, I took Cakewalk lesson in about 1995, I learn to put/draw note by note in the Piano Roll view. I knew I didn't think to make a serious recording that way. But it was pretty good to capturing idea, while I still learn how to play 'em handy. Some of my nowday songs were made because I never lost the idea captured in the past 7 years. Other way, Track Rat was right... If it easy, everyone would be a star.
 
jitteringjim said:
Skip the lessons. Sit down with yo cheap-ass Casio, stick out yo index finger, and learn to plunk out the melodies you hear in yo head. You'll be glad you did & it'll pay off big-time in the long run.
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I disagree.
Don't be afraid to learn from someone that knows. Lesson's will keep you from developing bad habits that are almost impossible to break later on, and you'll have a much better understanding of things like the Chord/Scale relationship, theory, and improvisation techniques as well as proper ear training. You can only go so far with self instruction and books, do it right from the start, learn from a pro. Then you pay your dues in the practice room! There is no "short-cut" to playing a musical instrument, especially one as delicate and magical as a piano!

Then you'll be able to sit down with some blank script and truly write, or should I say notate, the music you hear in your head!
 
Wow, could you guys possible be any more condescending, discouraging, and obnoxious? If all dude wants to do is pick out simple melodies for his songs, then jitteringjim's advice is fine. Telling someone that they aren't going to be able to produce worthwhile music until they pay hundreds of dollars on equipment and lessons and spend 10 years practicing is NOT the way to encourage someone to be creative.
 
Raydio said:
My quesiton is that a lot of producers such as Dr. Dre don't play their own instruments but have the ideas in their heads to be great producers... Well I use Nuendo, Fruity Loops, Akoff Midi Composer, and some other stuff to do beats; is there any other programs or tips you might have to help me play those notes in my head?
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Pirateking, I assure you, I wasn't trying to be obnoxious at all. Maybe I'm confused here. If we're musicians at a musician's discussion board and someone asks how they can be a musician without going through the motions the rest of us had to go through, well maybe I just missed something here. I believe I'm giving a straight up answer; you wanna be a musician, learn how to play something and then learn how to record it.
 
If we're musicians at a musician's discussion board and someone asks how they can be a musician without going through the motions the rest of us had to go through, well maybe I just missed something here. I believe I'm giving a straight up answer; you wanna be a musician, learn how to play something and then learn how to record it.
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"Well I use Nuendo, Fruity Loops, Akoff Midi Composer, and some other stuff to do beats..."
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That's funny, to me, it sounds like he's already a musician, like he knows how to play something, and possibly already knows how to record it.
 
Pirateking said:
Wow, could you guys possible be any more condescending, discouraging, and obnoxious? If all dude wants to do is pick out simple melodies for his songs, then jitteringjim's advice is fine. Telling someone that they aren't going to be able to produce worthwhile music until they pay hundreds of dollars on equipment and lessons and spend 10 years practicing is NOT the way to encourage someone to be creative.
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I'm not trying be condescending. Jim stated his opinion, I stated mine. I do however, firmly believe, that there is no short-cut to learning how to play a musical instrument. It takes time, dedication and knowledge. That knowledge is best learned from a professional.
 
Pirateking- The lone defender of the absurd.

But who are we to judge? Obviously PuffDaddy proved you can make top ten hits with no musical or songwriting ability. I just don't understand why somebody would want to get into music and not be driven to actually learn the basic theory behind it. It's like wanting to be a painter without learning about perspective or lighting, or being a pilot and not learning anything about physics.


Of course this brings us back to the universal question -
Is a DJ a musician? :rolleyes:
 
History, or something

Time was when most people (me, anyway) thought of recording as a sort of ancillary activity to playing an instrument ... you know, if you learned how to play an instrument, you might one day see if you could figure out a way to record what you're playing for fun or education.

I guess actually producing "the notes" is now considered an ancillary activity to recording.
 
Jimi Hendrix couldn't read any notes either but he could play his instrument like a genius.

So when you are not able to read notes or play any musical instrument, you may try to be that 'genius' on your computer, and use that as kind of an 'instrument'. It is a possibility which few can really make true, and you stay LIMITED. There's nothing wrong or discoraging about saying that.
 
TexRoadkill said:
...Is a DJ a musician? :rolleyes:
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Hmmmm.....

Daniel Webster had this to say:

mu·si·cian Pronunciation Key (my-zshn)
n.
One who composes, conducts, or performs music, especially instrumental music.

If I took a Rembrandt or van Gogh painting, and cut it up in a hundred pieces, then pasted it back together in a different way, would I be an artist?
 
BrettB said:
Jimi Hendrix couldn't read any notes either but he could play his instrument like a genius.

So when you are not able to read notes or play any musical instrument, you may try to be that 'genius' on your computer, and use that as kind of an 'instrument'. It is a possibility which few can really make true, and you stay LIMITED. There's nothing wrong or discoraging about saying that.
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There's no rule that says you have to read music to play music. Yanni can't read a note either, but he can sure play.
To me, the two go hand-in-hand.

I suppose you could memorize every single word in the english language, but it'd be a lot easier to memorize the alphabet, and a few rules of syntax, then you could put together your own words.

You know the old addage, give a man a fish, feed him for a day... teach a man to fish....
 
Things need to be answered here...

Is DJ a musician ?

No... they're...
...they're just...
...just a DJ. That's it. Just a DJ. Period.

If I took a Rembrandt or van Gogh painting, and cut it up in a hundred pieces, then pasted it back together in a different way, would I be an artist?

Once I broke an old Grand Piano thousand pieces, and rebuild it back piece by piece so you can play it upside down, Am I Mozart ?

Jimi Hendrix couldn't read any notes either but he could play his instrument like a genius.

That's because he learnt from his master, Jhonny B Good, who never ever learnt to read and write so well but he could play his guitar just like a ringing a bell... Go...go jhonny go...

give a man a fish, feed him for a day... teach a man to fish....

He'll become a fish...:eek:
 
give a man a fish, feed him for a day... teach a man to fish...
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and he'll drink beer all afternoon.

I can't imagine anyone wanting to be, or calling themselves a musician without learning to play an instrument.

That's just fucked up.
 
Raydio, seriously though, guys like Dr. Dre put together teams of DJs, musicians and engineers to create their tracks. If you can't play at all then you need to find guys who can and will play what you ask.
 
Damn, folks...

Give the guy a break. He's not asking how to perform live on the 'boards, just searching for a way to get his melodic ideas across. I would even venture to say that if you choose a plastic comb wrapped in wax paper to be your instrument, then you're a musician (or, dare I say it, composer) if you can articulate your intentions even moderately well. As far as the actual tools one chooses to use be it a kazoo, clarinet, guitar, spoons, washboard, that's where the actual "practice" would come into play.

I'm willing to bet my chops, and I have them - I play several instruments well enough to not be shamed by any of you, though I STILL don't call myself a musician - that there are loads of people with more music in their heads than many so-called and self-proclaimed musicians.

Track Rat, the guy may have talent in conceptualizing & constructing musical ideas very well for all we know. One of the instruments I don't play is guitar, but if I have someone do a session for me, 7 out of 10 times he/she plays ONLY what I ask them too. I may sing it, play it on the keyboard, burp it, whatever, but it's my ideas that are simply being translated to another medium by a technician with the skill to do so. Just cuz they play guitar doesn't mean that they can come up with better licks, chord progressions, or solos than me.

There are loads of technically proficient, artistically shitty musicians out there.

And, a composer doesn't have to know how to play shit, simply (or not so simply) compose it.

I write string arrangements, but I don't play a stringed instrument (and piano doesn't count since I only own midi gear).

And why make "excuses" for Jimi Hendrix and "The Master?" They practiced, they played. So what if they couldn't read music, right? Turns out that they played better than most guitarists both before and after them.

Dude didn't say he wanted to be called a musician. He just asked for suggestions as to how he can get his ideas across better than he does now. He can learn a lot on h is own provided he has the discipline and direction. None of us can give him discipline, but we can surely give him direction. Maybe he will learn some theory as he learns enough to realize that there's a lot more to plincking out notes than meets the eye. Who knows? He was just asking for a clue...

Raydio, don't let the haters fade you. Maybe you should take serious note of what I said to you in the other thread you started in the hip-hop forum (that I've noticed you deleted). Seek and... well, you know the rest. Keep doin' your thing.

Oh, and try not to cross post to different forums. If you think some people have been shitty with you now, you haven't seen the kind of heat you could be feeling.

Good luck.

Flo' Dolo
 
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