Quote:
Originally Posted by mimicry
Understanding theory doesn't mean you stop using your ears. With theory, you can plan your actions ahead a bit, analyse other's work and learn from it, get the stuff from your head into the real world faster etc. It gives you a structure to make your thinking more efficient.
Of course, every structure has limits, but if you have a creative mind, you'll start rebelling against every "rule" you learn as soon as you learn it.
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Ye I agree. but you also dont need a single idea of the concept of theory to make music.
ears can do all the work. As if good music evolved through the application of theory and not of just going with what sounds good? Theory says what sounds good but it came from someone just using their ears. Theory wasn't first. Trying the keys out in different combinations on a piano isnt that hard. If you know what sound you want in what order then how you need theory? why not just use ears 100%. You can ofc make awesome music totally deaf if you know your theory and how it all sounds. But you can also make awesome music with no concept of theory and just using your ears.
I started to totally not care about chords and scales now cause I feels it limits me. I started not trying to make crazy sounds. Just layer melodies and harmonies together with bass and guitar as they are so expressive tuning wise. When I start a session for example I tune my guitar without a tuner helper. I pick one note I like. Then I tune the guitar around this note. And I test the notes in pairs then try and make it sit well together all of them. I end up with a nice tuning in the end not far off the normal tuning. When I'm done I start recording. Absolutely no concept of what scale Im in. If its detuned 20cent it doesn't matter. I barely know what the notes are on the frets, I have a very basic concept been playing guitar for maybe 2-4 weeks in total effective time.
But I pick what I think sounds good.
Then I add other parts. And tune them in until it feels right. I improvise with "chords". 2 or 3 white notes at the time. Since i detuned to fit guitar scale it I can play the root note on C or A and play only white keys and know Im in key with guitar more or less. I dont know what the real notes I play are. Maybe the fact that Im playing a Amin chord on my keyboard right now really means I do play a Cmin. It doesnt matter what sounds good sounds good
I never quantize anymore. Ruins the swing I record.
Made this just this afternoon this way. No tune helper, no concept of what notes I play, no quantize. A few tweaks to the audio ofc here and there where needed. Now its far from finished and I allowed myself to not play this so tight. But it doesnt matter that much in reggae I think.
