Music Forum / Reason

So I got Reason recently and have been messing around with it quite a bit. I've got the basics down and made a few songs. The cheesy one doesn't need lyrics, but the other one could use some (I want to find an a capella version of You Make Me Feel Like Charity by The Knife and put those over it). Check it, tell me what you think: http://www.myspace.com/primmmusic

It's the equivelent of people building an entrance gate to a park and posting a picture of it. You've got a drum beat, and a chord (a term I'm using loosely here) every 2-3 beats.

...

Thanks for saying that, honestly. What can I do to make it more than the chord change every so often? Is it more of a get to terms with the song, visualize it, form out harmonies and melodies as well as song structure and make it feel less 'plopped out?' I've been working on a shoegaze one for a while, it's for the most part done, but without any real melody or 'actual' hooks--which I guess would be a huge part of it. I'm new to actual songwriting, not helping with it or playing it--it's a different feeling I guess.

Edited by penguinBOB, 17 August 2007 - 11:58 PM.

what is reason?

it's like fruity loops mixed with pro tools or some shit.

those drums hurt me inside. too much reverb, no bass presence. really bad recording, if it was one. but yeah, MA is right.

Basic music theory would help, honestly. If you know what makes a complete sounding phrase, you can make a song sound like it has some motion to it. And yes, a melody would help.

all you need to know: I - V - I. The roman numerals stand for the number of the scale and the chord built off of it.Since guitar players like D, that would be a D chord, an A chord, and then a D chord. Makes a complete phrase, although uninteresting.

So for a C scale, the roman numerals would be:

I- C
ii- d minor
iii- e minor
IV- F
V - G
vi- a minor
vii- b minor
I- C

Common musical phrases:
I-V-I
I-IV-V- I
I-ii-V-I
I-vii-I
I-vi-ii-V-I

If you want to hve two musical phrases interacting, like a question and answer, have the first end on V, and the second end on I.
I-ii-V, I-ii-V-I

Just fool around with a keyboard, and you'll hear it soon enough.

I tried to make the Got To Have You Babe song sound like it was underwater and horribly faded, that's why it was like that.
I knew the roman numerals and what the chords they correspond to, but didn't know anything about the common phrases. I found out that chord phrase at the beginning of the song is the same as those to Octopus's Garden and a ton of mushy pop songs from the 50's and 60's. I put that song together as quick as possible to get a feel of the program... I like the other one better, but there's not too much to it.

where can you get this program?

Found my old music theory notebook. This shows all the somewhat normal chord progressions. iii is almost never used, and I wouldn't suggest it. I can lead to any chord.

Also, for the question answer type thing I mentioned before, you can also end the first phrase on vi.

So I have a new song. It's a bit of a remix of Chopin's Prelude no. 20 (the one in Cmin that's in the John Thompson level 3 piano books). I also remixed a song my friend was working on.