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Post by Bob Porter on Jul 4, 2018 13:55:36 GMT
I have always been able to harmonize. Even before any music training. Maybe not great harmonies, but they were there. Now,when I write harmony, I think in terms of a base line. I have no idea of what the intervals are. I peck it out on the computer. Simple, effective base movement does it for me. Away from my computer, I don't usually have time to jot down a melody. I've tried singing one into my phone. When I got home later, the melody wasn't worth it. I do my best work, relaxed and focused, at the computer. Of course, I have tunes going through my head all day. Sometimes I think about what I'm working on. Mostly those ideas are gone by the time I'm at the computer, and that's OK.
I can't say I've ever thought in terms of the fret board. Maybe because I'm not that great at guitar. I have fun with it, just like composing
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Post by Mike Hewer on Jul 5, 2018 13:44:56 GMT
When I was performing more frequently, my ear was definitely much better. I've always noticed that many guitar players have a really great sense of intervals and pitch, not sure why, but even "untrained" players seem to be able to "play by ear" quite well. It could be that the frets - and fret markers, where applicable - make for a handy map to overlay in your mind, whereas on something like cello the map is only in your head. And on a wind instrument, the approach is entirely different again. The intervals and patterns of a fretboard definitely factor into my writing when I approach it mentally, I can visualise to a certain extent before picking up a guitar. I'm imagining a blues solo right now, for example. Wish you could hear it. It could even be that the strings and frets form a rough approximation of a stave . . . is that too woolly? Dave, I don't think that's wooly at all, in fact when I was imagining with guitar I flitted across mental strings and even changed positions as I went. I'd say it's an excellent (oh God I nearly wrote that in capitals) metaphor. Is your imagined blues played on a particular guitar, ie do you hear the timbre too? Speaking of timbre, I do think one of the benefits of modern day samples is that they are more than good enough to use as aids for developing mental timbral imaginings. Woodwinds for example can be stacked in all the usual orchestration ways and provide reasonably accurate aural feedback. Better still, programme spacing in the DAW from scores for even more know how.
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Post by Dave Dexter on Jul 5, 2018 16:47:44 GMT
I'm always surprised that orchestral renditions sound like my mockups, more or less, except better. I still think it's like magic that I can write down these dots and then talented types turn it into music on no prior knowledge that sounds more or less how I hoped it would. Samples are a great learning tool - the less time you put into them, though, the more you're working from your internal knowledge, which I'm trying to do. I discovered one of their many drawbacks with my recent session prep, it was an older piece with close 3rd intervals in the brass. Sounded great in samples, the orchestrator recommended against it as live it could have turned to mush. Stupid oversight on my part, as my current writing seldom puts bass trombone, tuba and trombones in close harmony. As I recall you suggested a similar change in my first session piece to space out the low end.
I can hear the timbre and tone specific to that guitar, yes - approximately. And if imagining a particular guitar, the imagined solo will play out differently if it's a snappy resistant strat or a shorter-scale, dark LP.
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Post by fuguestate on Jul 19, 2018 19:28:15 GMT
I think it's standard textbook advice to avoid close intervals in the lower registers, i.e., anything more than an octave below middle C. I would also avoid filling out the octave below middle C unless you want a particularly thick texture, but that depends on your tastes and what you're trying to do. Generally, I'd stick with 4ths or 5ths in the octave below middle C, and below that, just octaves. Otherwise everything quickly turns into mud.
There are probably exceptions, but it's a good rule-of-thumb to stick to if there are no compelling reasons why not.
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