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What's a good way to start learning to make music?
 
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CallmeCicada said:
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What's a good way to start learning to make music?
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It helps that you understand the basics of songs and music (including theories) first before you start going out there and making shit. In school I took a Chorus class and I learned things like EGBDF Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge)(/FACE and major/minor keys, so that helped a bit.

it also helps if you're really into music, doesn't even matter what genre it is. I mean this can be said with any art, but the more of a passion you have for it, the more likely you're creative side will start to come out and flow.

if you're looking for software to use to dick around with sounds, then you're going to want to find the most minimalist thing you can use, as music programs tend to shove every setting/feature in your face. For example, I started out using Music2000/MTVMusicGenerator on the PS1, and that's as minimalist as you can get. FruityLoops was the big one back in the day, and I remember GarageBand being the one MAC users used, but idk what everyone else is using now.
 
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I've practiced with my bass four times and I can’t play like les claypool or bootsy collins, should I just give up and also kill myself?
 
Brenda Holiday said:
I've practiced with my bass four times and I can’t play like les claypool or bootsy collins, should I just give up and also kill myself?
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Probably not a popular opinion, but I've always found Les Claypool goes a bit too far for me to take seriously.

When he plays sensibly then he's, what I'd rate as, a good bass player.
His timing is pretty much spot on, he knows he can throw a chord or two into the piece and is comfortable to insert pops that aren't limited to the G string.

Where he loses me is when he goes off on a weird little journey making random noises or decides that a 10 minute bass solo is in someway a good idea.
 
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Nero Fiddled said:
Probably not a popular opinion, but I've always found Les Claypool goes a bit too far for me to take seriously.

When he plays sensibly then he's, what I'd rate as, a good bass player.
His timing is pretty much spot on, he knows he can throw a chord or two into the piece and is comfortable to insert pops that aren't limited to the G string.

Where he loses me is when he goes off on a weird little journey making random noises or decides that a 10 minute bass solo is in someway a good idea.
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I just picked the two that first came to mind although I've wondered how impressive his playing is to people who know what they're doing. At my level just making a coherent sound is impressive to me.
 
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Two Dollars said:
Is there a preferred way to learn how to quickly recognize notes, or is it just repetition and studying sheet music? I want to be able to listen to a song and say “if I want to play this on a piano, the notes are F F A A E C D …”
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By far the easiest way to recognize notes would be from focused repetition of scales (Scales are probably the most important tool to learning an instrument). Studying sheet music will make you better at reading sheet music for that clef but really the only way to develop how to read sheet music is to play sheet music. The best instrument to train recognizing the most possible notes would be piano/keyboard but that is quite a bit of work for a complete beginner (two hands + two different clefs = playing two instruments at the same time) compared to the vast major of other instruments that don't perfectly occupy the middle of the clef range. I would still recommend buying a keyboard becasuse playing can be incredible easy when you understand tones and semi tones, they're usally cheap (quality too) and you don't learn to use both hands at the same time you learn both separately then balance them together. Naturally over time you develop an understanding of how you as a player would play a song from listening alone by having a foundational understanding of the instrument itself. you can play anything by ear on any instrument, you just have to understand (play alot) the instrument.
 
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Rot Pocket Dentata said:
If I'm interested in 80s and 90s synthesizers is keyboard/piano where I should start as a completely inexperienced newbie that's been putting this off for a decade and a half
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I think some else can tell you what to look for better but definitely a keyboard. Check this thread out for some software to dabble with.This thread too has some good references.
 
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I always keep thinking about trying to pick up an instrument, but never act on it due to a lack of money and because I feel like being a 'sperg means I'm not able to be creative. I'm also not very patient. I would say I'm bad with my fingers, but as a kid I was required to play a plastic recorder for a year and did alright. I also sometimes regret not learning another instrument as a kid when I had the choice to do so (I took the easy way out and just did the class where you pretty much watch musicales most of the time)

That said if it's not to late to consider it, what would be a good start? I tend to think about playing the flute a lot. Other instruments I've considered were bass guitar, keyboard, or even a drum machine (as in programmed drums).
 
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Brenda Holiday said:
I just picked the two that first came to mind although I've wondered how impressive his playing is to people who know what they're doing. At my level just making a coherent sound is impressive to me.
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I can give you a good starter on bass.
Look up Bass Guitar for Dummies by Patrick Pfeiffer. It was my first foray into bass and it assumes that you know nothing about bass, so it's easy for beginners to pick up and learn at their own pace. It will get into intermediate stuff in later chapters, it'll also teach you how to maintain your instrument and introduce you to players that revolutionized bass playing. Maybe you can find a pirated pdf if you don't want to pay the money. It comes with a play along CD so you know you're getting the examples right. I'd start there.
Lone Wandering Courier said:
I always keep thinking about trying to pick up an instrument, but never act on it due to a lack of money and because I feel like being a 'sperg means I'm not able to be creative. I'm also not very patient. I would say I'm bad with my fingers, but as a kid I was required to play a plastic recorder for a year and did alright. I also sometimes regret not learning another instrument as a kid when I had the choice to do so (I took the easy way out and just did the class where you pretty much watch musicales most of the time)

That said if it's not to late to consider it, what would be a good start? I tend to think about playing the flute a lot. Other instruments I've considered were bass guitar, keyboard, or even a drum machine (as in programmed drums).
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Bass is easy to pick up and play early on, then when you hit the intermediate to master level playing it becomes super difficult.
With the keyboard, it's not too bad the hardest thing is getting your hands to play two separate things at the same time.
And programming drum machines, well I couldn't tell you
 
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How the hell do I read sheet music and how do I know what fret and string I’m supposed to play the notes on?
I really enjoy my new mandola but it’s not exactly like there’s a massive collection of tablature to draw on for it like with guitar or even mandolin, and I’ve literally never done anything with regular sheet music before so I have no clue where to start to figure it out.
 
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VeteranOfTheRetardWars said:
How the hell do I read sheet music and how do I know what fret and string I’m supposed to play the notes on?
I really enjoy my new mandola but it’s not exactly like there’s a massive collection of tablature to draw on for it like with guitar or even mandolin, and I’ve literally never done anything with regular sheet music before so I have no clue where to start to figure it out.
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I play mandolin, and I deal with both the Treble clef and the alto clef. Which with the Mandola you'll be using the Alto clef. It's kinda a little lower than the treble clef.

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You would be playing the notes in red.


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The top clef is the Alto clef these are the notes compared to the treble. If I were you and wanted to follow sheet music. Just feel your way around as if it requires a low note then play that note on a low fret. If it's up high then play it on a high string and fret. But there will be the same note in different places so it's up to you to find the best way to get from note to note. That's the problem with sheet music when it comes to string and fretted instruments because you can play the same note in different areas and sheet music doesn't tell you which one is the best to play.
I'd look around for a book on the mandola, so you can learn it at your own pace.
 
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Rot Pocket Dentata said:
I was gifted FL studio paid for christmas so I should use that specifically.
I will look into reaper too though.
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Thats a good gift, there are plenty of tutorials on YouTube on how to use FL studio. I got Reaper because I didn't want to pay the price lol. Cakewalk by Bandlab is free and I've messed around in it. It's pretty robust for a free DAW
 
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Butwhythough2 said:
Thats a good gift, there are plenty of tutorials on YouTube on how to use FL studio. I got Reaper because I didn't want to pay the price lol. Cakewalk by Bandlab is free and I've messed around in it. It's pretty robust for a free DAW
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I played around with cakewalk 5.0 on dosbox recently but that and some really shitty free phone tools to make loops with are all I have experience with. Can I just go to anyone randomly for FL studio tutorials or are there any that are specifically recommended?
 
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