You are making records or something

Word by those composers. Very true. This guy was talking about passing synth or whatever sounds through manley labs preamps. That's gonna sound great. Yes! but you are making records or something right? We're scoring for Film & TV. Oh that sound so good and you can do that forever. You will miss the dead line. that's the last time you receive a pay check.

Brutal. Sometimes how busy these people are really impress me. or Just everyone driving each other nuts. Not sure where you stand but certainly how many hours you should work on something. Needs to be part of the budget. If you can get amazing stuff super quick you'll get a gig. If not someone else will. That's how it is. You might get lucky for one or two but to be consistent in this field is a serious business.

AudioMidi.com - Film & TV Composer Seminar

It was very inspiring to listen to what real professional composer have to say about composition, samples, orchestration, budget, demo, rigs, etc, etc.

Chris Stone started the event speaking about orchestral samplers being "Additive" like organs. For example for divisi passages you'd want one section to divide their section into 2 or 3 or whatever number and play a chord. Most samplers now if you double note you get that much more players in the mix. That's Hazardous. Audio Impressions has this library that's supposed to do that .. for 3500 just for strings.. Cool what they can do yes. If you have money go for it.

What's interesting though is they all use these things but still they say "Mock up sounds like sh*t"
It never sounds like a real orchestra. Doesn't work like how real orchestra work... These guys are one of the top composers right now.. can they run total 7-10 computers when they score film or TV. yes and still the real thing sound way better.

It's always debate whether you should hire real person or use samples. Depends on budget, etc etc. Emotional impact director wants. That's what you need to take care of as a film composer.

Having said this... I still want great orchestral samples. Just because I still can't write for whole orchestra on piano. I do need to hear some thing like strings to write for strings. I wish. Possibly soon.

Recognizing chords

I was with my violin teacher doing ear training and I realized I cannot recognize chords when there is not enough length.

0.3 second chord for example is much harder to recognize. What she test me on was play 3 chords consecutively in different register and tell all chords. I could only get half of them right.. pretty hard. but it is necessary to keep music that I hear for the first time in my head. Very important skill when you are trying to transcribe something into a sheet music/score.

This lets you train on that if you'd to try for free check www.majorthird.com

i did 147 bpm and 32, with sound effects (sound for correct and wrong) off pretty easy.
You can see list of short cuts by going to Help > ___Phobia Help and clicking "Keyboard Shortcuts" on the first page.

Overtone Series

I'm learning theory with a very good teacher right now (privately) and I feel always so inspired. Right now I'm learning chord substitution. Very elementary stuff. People try to find great chord against melody on the piano. But when you present a sheet music of a melody and tell them to harmonize. Often times they realize, It's not easy to harmonize without piano (or any other instrument) But this can be done.

We've started with doing every thing with I, IV, V. yes three chords to harmonize everything.
V-I progression usually is call perfect or authentic cadence. IV - I = Plagal Cad. ends on V = Half Cad. those are choices when you do this.

Next time we talked about substitutions. I had more choice to work with so it became easier but feel of this I, IV, V had to stay there. (again all in your head)

I = iii, iv
IV = ii
V = vii dim but you have to be careful. (so forget about it for now.. almost)

other than that.
you can suspend V with approaching I 64 or I with 5th on the bass. if the melody allows.

very simple but chords starts to flow really well this way. At least in the classical/pop manner.
i believe if you don't understand this very very very very well you can't play jazz or other things.

And of course later on you verify your answer on the keyboard.
When you do this I always DON'T voice lead. I play everything in root position unless it's specified. (like that 5th on the bass chord)

4 part - why you don't double third? not very many book explain that.. they all stop there?
but If you look at overtone series. Overtone series created by the root will clash with those created by the 3rd.
Although 3rd is the character, root defines the fundamental or the bass and that is the one you'd want to emphasize. not the clash created by 3rd. (like people only used parallel 5th motion in polyphonic music)

and.. if the 3rd was the Leading tone - if you double, you'll create parallel octaves. two notes that needs to resolve up a half step.

Etc. there are more but i'll stop for now..

http://hucbald.blogspot.com/2006/10/musical-implications-of-harmonic.html


Physics of music is another interesting topic. Overtone series and their connection with chords and music of course. There are so many other thing you can come up with or try to apply when you think about BEST sounding BEST AMAZING music. You can just feel them if you are genius or if you want to be genius of one particular thing or genre..

Logic Pro Keyboard Shortcuts Tips

When you start working on different platforms - Pro Tools and Logic Pro for example - you will need quick way to remind yourself of what keys you had to press. Even know if you were once an expert if you don't use them your memory can't keep up with you sometimes...

Or you know other software pretty well and you want to quickly get to know other software.. You can read books. .yes but that takes lots of time and energy..

so What do you do? For logic pro it's pretty easy.. Go to keyboard shortcuts, that lists almost all the things you can do. Basic editing skills remains the same but HOW and HOW FAST is often the question right? and key is Shortcut.
Shortcuts to auditioning, navigating, making edits, etc etc. those are the thing you need to know and I thought I'd compile a list of keywords you can search with.

Navigating:
zoom
marker
locator
go to

Editing:
split
nudge
play



(I'll keep adding to the list, bookmark if you liked it, or send me request to add something to the list)

SHOULDER OPENER yoga exercise for anyone

I have very stiff shoulders and I think many of you have same problem.

Hours of sitting in front of the computer without watching your posture and things like that really disorient your joints, messes your blood flow.

This exercise seems to be really great. Simple and just gives sense of freedom to your shoulder. To it slowly, breath deeply as well. That's what you need to do.

Piano Technique (10A of 38): Your Fingers

Here is youtube.com video of describing sort of what i've been talking about through out couple of post.

You have to do every motion like you should...Very hard to do.

All you have to do is relax and do nothing.
But you are playing the piano but you are doing nothing. Very hard to understand.

or only the absolute least energy is used. Highly concentrated energy where you need them..

You have to be aware of your whole body..

Maybe it's like Thai Chi. You have to feel everything. Very hard to achieve that.

But now you have it and you can practice that habit or new way of thinking.

try watching all videos: he has playlist for you so you can just let it roll.

http://www.youtube.com/pianoologist

Maria Joao Pires gives piano masterclass (2)

Continued from previous post

Maria Joao Pires gives piano masterclass (1)

This clearly show piano playing is more than a technical practice.

Technical accuracy can certainly improve your playing. But You have to get passed that stage to express music. There is more fun doing that than practicing technique anyways. You will not need a CD or something to listen to music. They can all come out of your hand. Gotta be very amazing feeling.

Metronome - Electronic? Wood? Plastic?

I've been buying alot of different kinds of metronome but wooden one seems to be the best.

It just the acoustic warmth that is there seems to be very musical.

Beep that those electric one produce seems too rigid or cold for me. Especially if you are playing classical or any acoustic instrument you would want to invest in plastice one or wooden one. (one with blade that is)

Unless of course you need the resolution of 1 bpm or less but for practice purpose that shouldn't really matter. 2-4 bpm per notch is enough.

Because unless you are playing with a computer there is virtually no way you will be playing at the same tempo throughout the song. Music is much more than that.
Push and pull that drummer creates.. or pianist does feel that too.

Music is not math. It's continuous flow. There should be some degree of order but absolute spacing between notes but you don't play music as written on the sheet music.

each 8th note, quarter note, 16th note, dotted, triplets has their meaning and appropriate timings. (i don't mean you should play 16th notes as dotted 8th notes of course)

Your interpretation or composers intention is much more important that keeping a solid mechanical tempo. Dynamics, expressions they all depend on how they are put together.

People who can purposefully decide which speed they should go or they want to make it go and put them all together are the one who play amazing music.

Try to keep those two different things in mind.
When you practice you can aim for rhythmical accuracy so you will be executing all action you need to do when you play. It's very hard to be able to do what you really want to do. Solid technique will give that freedom everyone wants.