[EDITED!] Music Theory for Dubsteppers [Production Bible v2]

[Nunz]

I understand basic music theory, but I'm unable to apply to a song. How do the random synths come in to play with the chords I am using? For example Mord and his riffs. I can make those chords, but not add a little melodic riff or nice effects on top.

Do you understand chord scales and how they fit into a key?

Yes.

[Sonika]

I understand basic music theory, but I'm unable to apply to a song. How do the random synths come in to play with the chords I am using? For example Mord and his riffs. I can make those chords, but not add a little melodic riff or nice effects on top.

Do you understand chord scales and how they fit into a key?

Yes.

Then I don't understand your problem! Play around with the chord voicings and the notes that make them up

[extremesociety]

I understand basic music theory, but I'm unable to apply to a song. How do the random synths come in to play with the chords I am using? For example Mord and his riffs. I can make those chords, but not add a little melodic riff or nice effects on top.

Do you understand chord scales and how they fit into a key?

Yes.

Technically, there's no difference between a chord and a scale, thus the term "chord/scale relationship". If you take, say C Major, you get:

C D E F G A B

Rt 2 3 4 5 6 7

Thats the scale. If you stack C Major in 3rds, you get:

A - 13
F - 11
D - 9
B - 7
G - 5
E - 3
C - Root

You can apply this concept to every single scale that exists, though some get more complicated, especially as you think about symmetric scales and melodic minor ascending things. But, this is where color in harmony comes from in it's purest part.

Nota bene: as a general rule you'll want to avoid intervals of natural 11ths and b9s in major chords, natural 11ths in dominant chords, b9s in minor chords- they just kinda sound icky unless your going for some pure Ionian 1 4 7 type sound or whatever.

[Immerse]

ive been looking for something like this for a while now, spoon fed theory! big up it helps a lot, this ones getting tacked right above my monitor

[KONTRA]

Very good tutorial for someone like me just starting to get into music theory!

One thing i gotta say though,is instead of thinking of the formulas written out as "tone, tone, semitone, tone, tone, tone, semitone" (Major) or "tone, semitone,tone,tone,semi,tone,tone" (Minor) I find it easier to remember the formulas just as "W,W,H,W,W,W,H" and "W,H,W,W,H,W,W". (W = whole, H = half) I know it's the same thing and same formula, but it just seems easier to remember it this way at least for me.

[Aerandir]

So i am begginer and have wobbles set up to go between C3 and G3#. I can't find any scale that would include these notes, but to my inexperienced ear is just sounds good, and if I change any note to another it is complete crap! Is it because there are only 2 notes in this baseline or what?
Now I know that "if it sounds good, it is good!", but the thing is I don't really know if it sounds good to somebody else! I have really bad ear to tell these stuff, so please, help me by judging from your personal experience.

[ehbes]

in reason 6 or record open up a neptune thats not connected to anything and set what scale and root you what and it'll show you what keys are in that scale

[Aerandir]

Anything like that in Ableton?

[ehbes]

not that i know of

[Aerandir]

Could you tell me what is the highlited square doing? To which note does it change the input note (Which is C3)?

[NinjaEdit]

Broadly speaking, it is fair to say that most music is essentially based upon two crucial factors: scales and rhythm. Scales make up melodies, chords, harmonies and basslines to name but a few; whereas rhythm makes up the beat of the song.

I disagree. Melodies have rhythm, and drums play a note. You're also forgetting about the volume.

Music is time and amplitude.

[NinjaEdit]

So i am begginer and have wobbles set up to go between C3 and G3#. I can't find any scale that would include these notes, but to my inexperienced ear is just sounds good, and if I change any note to another it is complete crap! Is it because there are only 2 notes in this baseline or what?

G# is the same note as Ab. You'll find that Ab is the minor 6th above C, so C minor might be a good starting point.

Now I know that "if it sounds good, it is good!", but the thing is I don't really know if it sounds good to somebody else!

Any of these answers:
a) If it sounds good to you, it probably sounds good to somebody else.
b) Who gives a shit what somebody else thinks?
c) Ask somebody else.
d) Somebody will like it, somebody won't.
e) You know what you like and you don't know what somebody else likes. The best you can go with is what you like.

Just a reminder that the meaning of life, the universe and everything in it is "whatever sounds best."

[The Aseity Paradox]

Preety good guide. But The minor's are wrong. They are actually harmonic minors and not natural minors. The seventh note in each of those minor scales should be a semitone lower then they are. Heres an example

A minor ( C Major Aeolian Mode)
- A B C D E F G A

A Harmonic Minor
- A B C D E F G# A

Further more notice how A Minor consist of the same notes as C major. That is because the natural minor scale is just a mode of the major scale. (The sixth mode to be exact aka Aeolian) All this means is that You take the major scale and make the sixth note the tonic.

[crunkedxup]

So i am begginer and have wobbles set up to go between C3 and G3#. I can't find any scale that would include these notes, but to my inexperienced ear is just sounds good, and if I change any note to another it is complete crap! Is it because there are only 2 notes in this baseline or what?
Now I know that "if it sounds good, it is good!", but the thing is I don't really know if it sounds good to somebody else! I have really bad ear to tell these stuff, so please, help me by judging from your personal experience.

C,D, D#, F, G, G#, A#

C minor (pentatonic)

[audiowaves]

There's an ableton project file available called tonys chords. If you open it you can see which chords belong to which scale. You can also easily drag them through the library into an open project.

[The Aseity Paradox]

So i am begginer and have wobbles set up to go between C3 and G3#. I can't find any scale that would include these notes, but to my inexperienced ear is just sounds good, and if I change any note to another it is complete crap! Is it because there are only 2 notes in this baseline or what?
Now I know that "if it sounds good, it is good!", but the thing is I don't really know if it sounds good to somebody else! I have really bad ear to tell these stuff, so please, help me by judging from your personal experience.

C minor
C Harmonic Minor
E flat major
A Flat Major
F Minor
F Harmonic Minor
D flat Major
B flat Minor

lol theirs more but im lazy

[Mad_EP]

So i am begginer and have wobbles set up to go between C3 and G3#. I can't find any scale that would include these notes, but to my inexperienced ear is just sounds good, and if I change any note to another it is complete crap! Is it because there are only 2 notes in this baseline or what?
Now I know that "if it sounds good, it is good!", but the thing is I don't really know if it sounds good to somebody else! I have really bad ear to tell these stuff, so please, help me by judging from your personal experience.

C,D, D#, F, G, G#, A#

C minor (pentatonic)

That is a C minor scale, but you spelled it wrong. It would be like spelling Dubstep = ddahbztehp

A C minor scale is C D E♭ F G A♭ B♭

Also - it is not pentatonic. Pentatonic means 5 notes per octave.


So pretty much everything you said is wrong.

[NinjaEdit]

Specifically, C minor pentatonic is C Eb F G Bb so it doesn't include Ab.

[extremesociety]

So i am begginer and have wobbles set up to go between C3 and G3#. I can't find any scale that would include these notes, but to my inexperienced ear is just sounds good, and if I change any note to another it is complete crap! Is it because there are only 2 notes in this baseline or what?
Now I know that "if it sounds good, it is good!", but the thing is I don't really know if it sounds good to somebody else! I have really bad ear to tell these stuff, so please, help me by judging from your personal experience.

C,D, D#, F, G, G#, A#

C minor (pentatonic)

That is a C minor scale, but you spelled it wrong. It would be like spelling Dubstep = ddahbztehp

A C minor scale is C D E♭ F G A♭ B♭

Also - it is not pentatonic. Pentatonic means 5 notes per octave.


So pretty much everything you said is wrong.

Had to chime in, just to reiterate your point: C minor does not have a D#, G#, or A#...it has an Eb, Ab, and a Bb (<---enharmonics matter!).