Looking for Guidance

[Wyatt Till]

Hi,

I'm a self-taught guitarist from 15 (now 22) and I have done some amount of composing over the years but in the last year or two have been unable to write or complete anything I start. I believe the original ideas I form are of substance, but I can never seem to get that next riff/section out.

 

I am looking for guidance, I'd also love to learn how to really analyse compositions and I'm guessing for that I have to be able to hear what scales are being used in a piece? Where would I learn to develop that ability?

 

I am really enjoying this forum from what I have been reading and hope to post some work when I am able to finish it.

 

Thanks,

Wyatt.

[Wyatt Till]

Yes you both make a very good point. I do 'write' everyday, I at least try to create a riff or two, but I think that's half my problem, I create a little then stop.

 

Andrew I have added it to my page, Its lower quality (192kbs) as I'm on a low download/upload quota.

[Chris Alpiar]

You have good basic musical instinct. However, my comments as a big band arranger are your lack of basic knowledge of the jazz big band leaves your rock big band sounding very thin and non grounded. I would highly recommend some courses in jazz harmony and analyzation of the great big bands like Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Bill Holman, Thad Jones/ Mel Lewis, Dizzy Gillespie Big Band, Charlie Mingus, Gil Evans, etc, etc. And I mean analyzation and transcribing onto score paper and not casual listening. That's the best I can offer in a forum setting. Keep it up!

[Nigel W]

Chris Alpiar said:

One other note is understanding rationally when something is or is not good enough. Too many 'composers' today are easily self manipulated to feeling they have created 'excellence' because the sampled instrument sound they used sounds great, or even worse because the pre made loops they used sound great. This is important to recognize and not be sated with mediocrity of composition because you are in love with that violin sound or whatever. Which is why I always recommend starting with pencil and paper, NOT an instrument, NOT a DAW, NOT a notation program that plays back instantly unless you have used pencil and paper so much that you are truly cognizant of what you are writing as opposed to what the timbres are coming out like. Writing with pencil and paper makes your imagination Tell the story and not be sucked into the pit of musical mediocrity by accepting something as being 'good music' just because the timbres played sound good

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@ Chris:

this is a very good point- it has got easier & easier to produce something which "sounds" good, even though the content and ideas may be quite thin. It's important to have an intention when composing, and having fun with "sounds" can distract from that. The tools and materials available today can be very seductive. But:I don't think pencil and paper has to be the only way: "many roads lead to Rome". A piece can start in your head, or on an instrument - including in your DAW. Music *is* about timbre just as much as it is about form or harmony. Sometimes, the timbre is the thing which sets the whole mood and inspires the piece, and few people can imagine a particular timbre or express it with notation (kudos to those who can, of course). So there is a legitimate compositional process IMO which can take place without pencil or paper and without notation. The pitfalls are perhaps the same whatever the approach. Finding the discipline and commitment to focus the ideas is the real challenge, and in that respect any kind of sincere effort and study: writing music down, mastering an instrument, learning a genre - will most likely bring progress. 

[SEDstar]

I'm self taught (or self NOT taught, to ask around here, lol) and its an od thing, to me...

 

I found wikipedia an invaluable resource getting started, and as some others mentioned, "mentoring" on the internet. Befriend someone, and they generally answer questions, I have found. No one is "stingy" with their education here, I dont think, as long as you understand the answer to the question your asking so it doesnt impose on their time.

 

I found scale helpful at the beginning, and I gravitated towards the "sonata" form, to get my stuff moving forwards for the "progressive" sound I wanted... counterpoint is pretty cool too... wikipedia has a good basic explanation of it...

 

I kinda "bypassed" harmony theory while I was learning to get started with other stuff, and it is coming back to haunt me, lol... now theres no getting out of it, ha ha...

 

now let me go hear that piece you posted... I love hearing guitar chops...

 

well... *you can play guitar* in my opinion, I can hear that... it sounds like, well, a "big band" number scaled down to a "pop" thing for the everyman to hear... kinda, a , uh, "introduction" to big band...

 

but, you can definitely play well... I cant WAIT to hear what you sound like after you get into composition and learn whatever it is you want to learn... (and I'm gooing to listen in on any mentoring, as I need it too, and dont always know what I need...)

good show, old sod!

[Wyatt Till]

Thanks SEDstar!

 

I'm enrolled in a Sound and Production (midi stuff) at school to make up an extra unit, I've come into the class late but basically the first assessment is to have a 1-2 minuet peace. I've started it today and I wanted to know what people thought before I hand it in. Things to note are I'm still tracking the drums and the last part especially needs work. I'm not meant to change any of the presets in reason 4 so the sounds aren't great and I only have the one crash cymbal (I usually use 3+china etc). The criteria of the assessment is more about the techs used in reason rather than the composition but it is still important to me.

 

I don't think it transitions between the peaces very well at all. What do you guys think? It's upload on My Page as Till_W. Assessment 1.

 

Thanks,

Wyatt.

[Wyatt Till]

Well there's something wrong with me and uploading at the moment;

 

The mp3 is available here: http://download813.mediafire.com/rrcc5nallvxg/vwlfk7fc2adah6i/Till_...

 

Thanks,

Wyatt

[Chris Alpiar]

minuet peace, i often find peace in a good minuet

 

LOL

[Jake Bowkett]

I'm also a self taught guitarist (started around 15ish, now 19) and I also use Guitar Pro 5 for scoring. In regards to tab I think it really depends on where you plan to go with music. Sure, there's tabs of plenty of stuff out there, even classical stuff. However, if you're planning to be, say, a studio musician you'll need to be able to read standard notation. You'll need to see the piece is in the key of G major with a progression going I, IV, V, I - and know what to play. Even if you never plan to be in a situation like that it's still very useful for analyzing your own and others pieces.

In Guitar Pro 5 you can turn off the tab section leaving only the standard notation, I'd suggest you try that ;) Even though I'm personally more used to tab, I can recognize that it's actually simpler that way (plus you have more room on your screen!). For example, with tab the same note is represented several times, eg: the open high e string is the same as the 5th fret on the B string, 9th on the G string, 14th on the D string, 19th on the A string, and 24th on the low E string. Where as the note has one FIXED place in standard notation (on the same clefs anyway). Of course, it can still be played in any of those positions, but it is always represented the same. I mention this because in terms of analysis it makes things easier. Furthermore, the patterns you see in tab are screwed up when you get to the G string because it's tuned a half step different than the others. The patterns in standard notation are constant; the tuning doesn't affect them.

 

I wasn't able to listen to your stuff Wyatt, the player in your profile page won't work for me, nor did any of the links you posted :-S So if any of my suggestions are redundant, that's why! I hope something I said helps :D

[Mikolaj Holowko]

Turn off your mind, relax and flow down the streem :)

[Wyatt Till]

@Jake

 

I have used G5 with both tab and standard notation (in fact I have become very use to it). I feel that overtime I'll naturally pick-up the standard notation. And I can read it, I know the notes, I know the key etc but I just feel tab for guitar is easier to read.

 

I've had problems with uploading of late - on crap internet.

 

Thanks,

Wyatt.