Electrolysis

Hey everyone! I've been a fan of electronic music ever since I first listened to Kraftwerk and all of those famous synth-based pop music in the 80s. I've always wanted to create my own electronic music, but I don't know where to start. I do know basic music theory (reading sheet music, time signatures, all of those basic stuff) and really basic piano (still having trouble with the fingers... especially the ring and pinky fingers) but I want to play the synthesizer, not the piano.

I've always wondered how musicians know what notes sound good together, how long to play them, etc. I mean, how do you know those stuff? I'm sorry if that doesn't make much sense, it just seems that making music is so intimidating and daunting... Do I still need to learn piano in electronic music? I think I'm pretty much covered on the technical stuff, I just don't know where to start in actually composing electronic music. Again, sorry if this post is too vague or doesn't have much sense, it's just that music is so broad and there's so much to learn!

 

MusicMan

Knowing what notes sound good together and how long to play certain notes and general rhythm is part of music theory. Theory is a very deep subject to study. A good place to start would be to learn intervals, key signatures, circle of fifths, and then to learn rhythms, that will mostly come from practice and getting a feel for various note lengths, and patterns such as the waltz, march, basic rock, half-time, double time, and even specific rhythm components such as triplets, gallops, etc... But to learn rhythm, you first need to make sure you understand all of the symbols, definitions, and lingo. Then you have to apply mathematics to it, to make sure that everything conforms to the time signature. Then you practice until it becomes second nature. The same applies to theory related to notes and key signatures.

__________________
Rules! A definite must-read

The Music Showcase is the best place to share your music here, you can even embed Youtube videos.

Send me a PM if you need any help with anything.

Electrolysis

Thank you for the info! Looks like I have to find a metronome and get my toes tappin'!

mdsmithson

download fruityloops, and discover trial and error.
good luck!

Electrolysis

Thanks for all the tips. I've been practicing piano to get a feel for the keys and I'm about halfway through Minuet in G Major. I also got FL Studio and I've been messing around a bit. I've also been playing around with VST synths to get a feel for them. Hopefully I can hammer out a song in a month or two so I can convince my parents to get me a decent MIDI keyboard.

MattLeParkour

find some tutorials on you-tube and practice practice practice

rub-a-dub-out

Get reason and watch tutorials. Most of the learning process is trial and error.

Flex Blur

Yep, tutorials dude! Try some various Digital Audio Workstations such as Ableton Live, Propellerhead Reason, Sony Acid Pro 6, Renoise, Fruity Loops. And find the one with which you feel comfortable to play with, then try some tutorials!

Thisday

Knowing how to play the piano will ony help you more! and learning what notes sounds good togheter is just about trying things out! i would suggest to get a music program like cubase. cubase is easy and fast to understand and there are plenty of tutorials on youtube. good luck, and post a track when you have tried!!