there's a way to learn music by myself?

[Mr.Night404]

Hello there, im new to this forum so I am counting on your help ^^
Well, i always wanted to learn music, but its really hard yea im total noob in this area xD dont judge me. (i just know a little about this, i've played with FL studio but i dont knwo what the hell i was doing)

After discovering awesomeness of MLP:FIM and cheeking out all work made by community, i was amazed.
Now I feel a great need to contribute and also be part of this of this great comunity.

So there's a real question:
-Can I learn this MAGIC of music making, alone with help of internet?
I dont know if there's other ppl with the same story, but im really want to learn this.

how should I begin this adventure?
what i need to learn?
Software, tutorials, tools?

thanks for spending time here

[Interrobang Pie]

Yes, I taught myself. It can take a very long time though, so be prepared. A good way of learning is to look at the editable files of other people's work, then try to take one element from that track and remake it (not copy it) in your own piece.

Software-wise, anything. Most people here use FL Studio, Ableton and so on. Try a few and see what best suits you. Of course, learning how to use DAWs takes a while too.

Just be prepared for a long journey. And don't give up.

[Mr.Night404]

I am already feeling motivated to start
But i have one question, there's any tutorial about basic note thing, for example piano has those A#5, F5, B5....
well if i dont know how notes work i cant make music, right?

[bartekko]

There was a thread for that earlier.but something broke and a whole category is missing.


I will link to my larger post later, but one advice: Dive in without any experience with something idiotproof like MAGIX music maker, and never ever give up.

unless you're already famous and are leaving because this community is full of jerks.


EDIT:

Of course there are tuts on basic notes, but I'd recommend getting to a music school to learn playing piano and all things theory.

For now, you only need to know basic note lengths (1, 1/2, 1/4,1/8,1/16,1/32)

and the C Major and A minor diatonic scales (CDEFGAB) and (ABCDEFG). To me, both came naturally with simply jamming on a guitar and a Casio keyboard.

and the numbers after the letter are either octave numbers, or intervals.

You can read wikipedia on these:

Scale
Note
MIDI
Chord
Interval

and so on. If you try hard enough, you'll learn quite a bit. But I still recommend going to school

[Dr_Dissonance]

I am already feeling motivated to start
But i have one question, there's any tutorial about basic note thing, for example piano has those A#5, F5, B5....
well if i dont know how notes work i cant make music, right?

http://www.musictheory.net/

GO HERE! I send anyone wanting to learn theory without my wacky interpretations here!

[Mr.Night404]

I'll never do that, I love this community too much
Music schools are expensive, and I think I can handle this, i have lots of free time this holidays.
With lots of persistence and love for what I do, i'm sure I will get over this.
just gimme the books

[Mr.Night404]

http://www.musictheory.net/

GO HERE! I send anyone wanting to learn theory without my wacky interpretations here!

Thank you is just what i was looking for!

[Bronytech]

You do not need to know anything about music theory. There are two types of musician IMO, the type how technically know how to make music, and the type who just can hear out a song by ear. ( I just hear everything out) I can tell you that you won't need any gear, schools, or books. They help, but practice and experimentation, supplemented by help from others/reading online will be the key to your improvement.

I would say there are a few areas to learn, composition, sound design ( not needed for music with real instruments ), and mixing. And when I say "composition" I don't mean chord transitions, scales etc, I just mean understanding the basic ideas behind the building blocks of a track, ( Riffs, Solos, Beats ) and how to put them together. Even if it's classical music these kinds of ideas will still hold true.

I think the first place to start is learning how to make a drum beat, and fills. ( It gets a little tricky after that ) And learning how to make riffs that sound good in terms of the keys played. It really helps a great deal to have an actual piano/keyboard or guitar or other instrument to work out ideas for this kind of thing and understand them. Otherwise it will be a little harder to understand just entering stuff into the computer, as humans tend to like having something physical to use. You can definitely do it with just a mouse though.

[Bronytech]

Okay, also,

One of the key things I see a lot of people brand new to making music is in the creation of patterns and how they organize them throughout the track. For this, I would highly recommend listening to a lot of music of the type you want to make. But don't just sit back and enjoy it, you need to really start listening to each part of the song, pay note to what kind of changes happen, what it sounds like, start looking at the structure of the tracks and seeing the common patterns that emerge from track to track. It will be kind of invisible to you at first, but after awhile you should be able to pick out everything the producer did in the song.

This is why people who have been DJ-ing for a long time have a little bit easier of a time getting into this kind of stuff. They know what they want to hear. They play tracks almost everyday. You get a real feel for when things are going to happen and when stuff will start/end.

[Icky]

I taught myself most things I know through trial and error. Altough Youtube tutorials are really really helpful!

I find it pretty hard to give you pointers because Im unsure what kind of music you'd like to make, making orchestral music is very different from electronic music for example. Is there any type of music you'd like to make?

[Calamus_Dash]

Yes, I taught myself. It can take a very long time though, so be prepared. A good way of learning is to look at the editable files of other people's work, then try to take one element from that track and remake it (not copy it) in your own piece.

Software-wise, anything. Most people here use FL Studio, Ableton and so on. Try a few and see what best suits you. Of course, learning how to use DAWs takes a while too.

Just be prepared for a long journey. And don't give up.

Yep, it's true! With the help of the internet, and a little practice, you too can become a master troll great musician like I pie!

[Mr.Night404]

Okay, also,

One of the key things I see a lot of people brand new to making music is in the creation of patterns and how they organize them throughout the track. For this, I would highly recommend listening to a lot of music of the type you want to make. But don't just sit back and enjoy it, you need to really start listening to each part of the song, pay note to what kind of changes happen, what it sounds like, start looking at the structure of the tracks and seeing the common patterns that emerge from track to track. It will be kind of invisible to you at first, but after awhile you should be able to pick out everything the producer did in the song.

This is why people who have been DJ-ing for a long time have a little bit easier of a time getting into this kind of stuff. They know what they want to hear. They play tracks almost everyday. You get a real feel for when things are going to happen and when stuff will start/end.

Yeah, when I hear music I try to understand how it was done, I always think scientifically. xD

Is there any type of music you'd like to make?

Well im not very good at reading or writing sheets so i prefer modern music like, techno/dubstep.
but I like it and also hear a lot of instrumental

[Overkillius]

Yes, I taught myself. It can take a very long time though, so be prepared. A good way of learning is to look at the editable files of other people's work, then try to take one element from that track and remake it (not copy it) in your own piece.

Software-wise, anything. Most people here use FL Studio, Ableton and so on. Try a few and see what best suits you. Of course, learning how to use DAWs takes a while too.

Just be prepared for a long journey. And don't give up.

This^, this^, and this^.

Even if you know technical stuff like theory, you still have to learn how to apply it to compositions.

There are two types of musician IMO, the type how technically know how to make music, and the type who just can hear out a song by ear.

As someone who would be the first type you described, I would disagree. Wooden Toaster does so much stuff correctly according to theory. When I tell him this he replies,

[12/12/2011 1:47:48 PM] Glaze: STOP CALLING ME THINGS I DON'T KNOW THE MEANING OF

Which brings me to my first point.

Don't get too caught up in theory; theory is derived from good music, not the other way around.

Secondly, if you want to make music, always listen to it analytically.

[Versilaryan]

^ To add to the above, I'm going to say: The people who know how to technically make music tend to be the types who can hear out a song by ear the best. Yeah, you can understand the technicalities of music theory, but unless you can hear everything that you know and understand aurally why these things make sense, it won't mean anything to you. You might as well be spouting memorized nonsense -- which means that you don't know the technicalities at all.

That being said, use music theory just to augment what you already understand about music. When you learn theory, make sure you play things on a piano or guitar and understand why it is the way it is. That way, you'll have a better understanding of what you're doing when you do it, and you'll be far more efficient at analyzing music and figuring out what about a song makes it so awesome.

[Bronytech]

I honestly think it just works the same both ways. Two people can figure out the same way of doing things and come to the same conclusion. One person has a technically correct name for it, and another has their own name for it. Same difference.

I would of course recommend learning music theory first for anything classical, or realistic, if that's your goal. It's definitely something you should know first with certain kinds of music. But 90% of electronic music well, I'm pretty sure 50 cent or Skrillex is not too concerned with complex, sweeping changes in scale, timing, and chords. And as for understanding of a track, like I said, a DJ could probably never made a song in their life, but they listen to music so often that they develop an exact sense of what's going to happen before it even happens. This is an example of coming to understand music theory, without having studied it.

In fact I would definitely say that certain types of electronic music, in their own right create a very unique situation where the design of your sounds and patterns accounts for the required complexity of the song. Take for example your average dubstep, or electro-house. The extensive synthesis and design of your basslines, and it's interplay with the beat create the dynamic, driving force of the track. You could create an interesting track just by using a few notes over and over. Or also take for example jungle and breaks, which can rely heavily on intense drum manipulations to create interest in the track progression. Or what about rap, which uses beats and minimal instruments to create excitement, and vocals to drive the track home. Not to mention experimental genres, like atonalism, drone, etc. None of those things require a musical understanding in the classic, technical sense.

But like you guys said, it helps. I honestly just think learning by mousing things in, or generally sitting at a piano randomly figuring it out is a good way to start. Probably cause that's how I started.

Hey.... But come to think of it.... I still do that...

[Mr.Night404]

Thanks for all replies .You guys don't even realize how much this encouraged me to study music seriously.
I spent last night looking at how music theory works, and I'm starting to understand the basics: notes CDEFGAB, scales, melodies... Now the piano doesn't seem so scary as before

I know this is only the begging, but i can´t wait to make my own beats. ^_^

[SoaringFlight]

Im a couple of days late, but it certainly is possible to learn by yourself - if it wasn't then i would not be here. I started a month ago myself and even made my own track.

It might seem hard at first, even scary, but whatever you do, don't give up. Everyone has to start somewhere and determination will get you further.

[Mr.Night404]

Hey guys, I just made my first music (sorry its not pony, but I really suck at vocals in music...I will do it later)

so...theres a little dubstep track I've made :3, I think it's pretty good for 1st music


I NEED OPINIONS

[bartekko]

Where the hell is drop
the drums are not dubsteppy.
909 hat? k
I would recommend doing something more classical, try trance because dubstep is one of hardest genres to do right.

but as for first song, similar quality to MY first song. now learn some more about sound synthesis because I'm pretty sure I already heard those presets

everyone has to start somewhere, and you have made something decent for something first.

remember: it's all about the bass

[bartekko]

OH LOOK I JUST FOUND SOMETHING

[Mr.Night404]

btw thanks for feedback it means alot for me
And that text is just beautiful, so true...damn I must do my best

[randomblockfilms]

you can make music by ear which is what i used to do. but after learning some music theory, you will look back and go "whoa! didnt know i used that type of chord progression" and it might help you add spice to some of you tracks. oh and ear training is good too. try to figure out chords and notes that song play so that you may use that idea in your own song. cause nothing is really original. everything is basically a remix.

oh and i have a big copy and paste thing i found that might help you. tell me and ill post it. its kinda long

[Supersaw Hoover]

As somepony who throws normal conventions out the window while making music, I implore you to use your naivety to your advantage and do random crazy shit. In other words, throw sounds to the wall and see what sticks. You'll make like 50 bad tracks, yeah, but it's worth it for the 1 or 2 that are good and will pave the way to the type of music you were destined to make or something.

Yeah.

[Mr.Night404]

oh and i have a big copy and paste thing i found that might help you. tell me and ill post it. its kinda long

Sure! I will appreciate any help to improve my skills

[randomblockfilms]

oh and i have a big copy and paste thing i found that might help you. tell me and ill post it. its kinda long

Sure! I will appreciate any help to improve my skills

ok well i found this on reddit. all of it may not apply to you cause it depends kinda on how you see things. here goes nothing *holds breath*


OK so first, realize the following things:
There is no best software, there is just the best software for you.
You're going to suck.... for a long time
There is a TON of stuff to learn before you can make anything decent
This 'hobby' (its a hobby until you can make some money off of it) takes a TON of time
This 'hobby' takes at least a little bit of money
You're going to suck.... for a long time (twice for emphasis)
So, with that said. Start off with some of the basics in terms of tutorials:
Music theory
EQing
Mixing & Mastering
Music theory
Scales
Chord Progression
The basic and intermediate tactics of whatever DAW you decide to use
Ear training
Feel free to join some of the forums to just lurk, or contribute. Most have a TON of great content for learning. Many of these are great for getting track reviews:
idmforums.com: http://www.idmforums.com
serious-sounds.net: http://www.serious-sounds.net
dubstepforum.com: http://www.dubstepforum.com
tranceaddict.com forums: http://www.tranceaddict.com/forums

Youtube is a useful resource for tutorials:

Tom Cosm: http://www.youtube.com/user/cosmcosm
Kev Willow: http://www.youtube.com/user/KevWillow7
DJ Vespers: http://www.youtube.com/user/DJVespers

There's a ton more
As for the equipment, there's the obvious:
[/i]A computer
A digital audio workstation (I prefer Ableton myself)
some vsts or vstis (NI Massive for Bass, Sylenth for synths)[/i]

If you want your mixes to sound good, you'll need to be able to listen to them over equipment that is going to give you a true idea of what your songs sound like. Many normal speakers have really unbalanced EQ curves, that will make songs sound better than the actually sound. You can start off with studio monitor headphones, but you'll need some real monitors eventually:

Studio Monitor Headphones (I love my Audio Technica ATH M50s)
Studio Monitors (I love my Yamaha HS 80 Ms)
External Sound Card to plug into the monitors (Preferably firewire)

Now for the fun/hard part:
Practice
Practice
Practice
Practice
Oh, and... you guessed it... Practice
I find its better to make goals for myself with each given project. I.E. Make a trance song, get a sound I like, Work on EQing etc etc. It is a good idea to listen to a lot of the music you want to emulate, but not in a normal way. Try to pick it apart to see what its made of. Pay attention to each of the different aspects of the track, and how they change throughout the track. Pay attention to the details, they make the track. Most of all, enjoy yourself! What's the point if you aren't having fun?


ok so its not as long as i though but its just some info to throw out there. you can follow it, ignore it, or do whatever with. some of it may not apply to you or all of it might apply to you. just remember to follow you heart and intuition.