Ray Harmony's Blog, page 2

Making Music is Hard. Why Bother?

 

Making Music is Hard. Why Bother?

 

 

I never thought this day would come. But here it is.

 

After 30 years of teaching music to thousands of students, I’m facing a previously unimagined challenge: convincing people who want to make music that they should learn how to do it.

 

Never in human history has there been any other option. But now, there are robots that can make “your” music for you. Is it yours if you didn’t write it? No, but the masses embracing AI-generated music don’t seem bothered by that fact.

 

There are only 12 notes in music, so it’s relatively easy to understand. But making music is not as easy. And making good music is rather hard. That’s because there are infinite ways to combine those 12 notes melodically and harmonically. And then there’s the eternal world of rhythm. Infinity x eternity. That’s a lot of options!

 

Yet despite the never-ending options, for a beginner songwriter it usually feels like every combination they choose ends up sounding a bit rubbish. Where are all those great combinations hiding? Only years of exploring will begin to reveal them.

 

Photo by Gerd Altmann

 

And therein lies the problem. In the good ol’ days before AI, if someone wanted to make music, there was only one option: learn how. But in this brave new world, why bother spending years learning and practising, when you can just get a robot to do it for you? No need for learning, practising, or even patience. A complete beginner can use AI to make a song (and the cover art too), then upload it to Spotify. All before breakfast.

 

And that brings me back to my new challenge of convincing people that learning how to make good music is worth the effort. That is my new passion. Because, we know from history that it only takes one generation to lose a skill. If humans can’t be convinced that making music is a skill worth preserving, it will be lost forever.

 

Just another fossil from those less “civilized” people of a bygone era. You know, those poor people who had to walk everywhere, grow their own food, and make their own music. Yeah those people. Wow, sucked to be them! Yes they were much happier and healthier than us, but still, no smart phones? Sucked to be them!

 

Photo by RDNE Stock project

 

So, why bother writing your own music? Because the process is what’s valuable, not the end result. The process of expressing ourselves by making music improves our mental health, our spiritual health, and even our physical health. And sharing our music in-person connects us to our fellow humans in a way that nothing else does. If all that’s not enough, how about this: making music is playful and fun! Remember those things? It’s what we used to do before smart phones were invented.

 

There’s one caveat, though. It’s only fun if you know how to do it. If you don’t, then it’s frustrating. And I suspect that’s the main reason why people are turning to AI. But AI is not the solution. The solution is learning and practising. And the more you learn and practice, the more fun the songwriting process becomes.

 

It’s like exercising. When we first start, it’s horrible. Our muscles burn, our lungs burn, and every fibre of our being shouts “STOP!” Sadly, most people do. But for the ones who persevere, something magical happens. Each week the burning gets less, and the shouting gets softer. Then one day right in the middle of an exercise session, we suddenly realize our inner voice is shouting: “GO! GO! GO!” It usually takes a few months to break through that barrier, but when we do, the fun makes it all worthwhile.

 

Photo by Barbara Olsen

 

I want you to enjoy that post-breakthrough fun with your music. There’s no better feeling. But it requires trust. And I’m not asking you to trust me. I’m asking you to trust yourself, and to trust the journey. Until you reach that breakthrough, it’s hard. But if you give up before then, you’ll never reap the health rewards. And you’ll miss out on a ton of fun, too!

 

With this new challenge in mind, I’m now visualizing Hack Music Theory as a Songwriter’s Ark, where all the music making skills are being preserved through this global AI flood. The flood shall pass. The skills will last.

 

So, if you’re feeling inspired to get onboard, I recommend reading my free book 12 Music Theory Hacks to Learn Scales & Chords. And if you’re already making music but it’s not as good as you’d like, I recommend my online apprenticeship course.

 

Happy learning, and welcome aboard the Songwriter’s Ark.

 

Ray Harmony :)

 

Photo by Wout Nes

 

 

Outro music by Ray Harmony, based on the music theory from GoGo Penguin "Everything Is Going to Be OK".

 

 

 

Podcast.

Listen below, or on any podcast app.

The ​Art of Arranging​

Every song is a musical story. When we read a story, we don't want a timeline of events. We want an unfolding narrative with scene setting, emotional dynamics, and exciting twists in the journey. In music, this is the ​Art of Arranging​ (video).

Ray & Kate :)

 

PS: To learn how to arrange a whole song, plus every other step of the music making process, sign up for ​Apprenticeship #1​ (online course).

Smooth Chord Changes

If your chord changes sound disjointed, you probably need to use inversions. That's just the fancy word for re-ordering the notes of a chord. For example, Am can be A C E, or C E A, or E A C. So, if your progression is jumping around from one chord to the next, re-order some of the notes to smooth the changes.

Ray & Kate :)

PS: For more on this hack and others, read our Songwriting & Producing PDF. It contains everything you need to know for making good music, all in one PDF.

Melodic Motifs

If your melody is sounding boring, it probably lacks a motif. A motif is a short idea that's repeated to give the melody structure.

So, play your melody and listen for the catchiest bit. Next, delete the boring bit. Now, copy & paste that catchy bit into the gap. If you need to change the notes to fit a different chord, that's ok, but don't change the rhythm.

Ray & Kate :)

PS: This hack is from our Songwriting & Producing Course which gives you all the music making essentials in one hour!

Extend Your Melody's Range

Got a boring melody? It may be due to a small range, i.e. the distance between its lowest and highest note. This should be around a 7th or an octave. If it's not, extend the range and add some passing notes to smooth the contour.

Ray & Kate :)

PS: This hack is from our Songwriting & Producing Course which gives you all the music making essentials in one hour!

Spice Up Your Drums

If your beats all sound kinda similar, here's a hack to spice 'em up. Copy & paste your bass line into your drum track. Then divide those notes between the kick and snare, to make a pattern you like. Now, add 1/8 note hats. Enjoy!

Ray & Kate :)

PS: This hack is from our Songwriting & Producing Course which gives you all the music making essentials in only one hour!

Want Epic Bass? Do This.

An epic bass line needs 2 things: root notes to make it solid, and non-root notes to make it interesting.

So, start by playing the root of each chord. Then towards the end of each chord, add one or two shorter non-root notes that link to the next chord's root.

Simple, but epic!

Ray & Kate :)

PS: Download our Epic Music Guide for more.

Want Epic Chords? Do This.

To write an epic chord progression, you need common notes. For example, Am and Em both contain the note E, so E is a common note. It creates a strong link between those chords, which sounds powerful. If every chord in your progression has a common note with the chord after it, it'll sound EPIC.

Ray & Kate :)

PS: Download our Epic Music Guide for more.

Want Epic Melodies? Do This.

To write an epic melody, start with a phrase of small intervals (i.e. 2nds and 3rds). Then, jump straight to a high note using a big interval (i.e. 6th or 7th). This dramatic climax will give your melody that epic "mountain top" sound.

Ray & Kate :)

PS: Download our Epic Music Guide for more.

Use Toms for Better Beats

It's rare to hear toms in drum beats. They're usually only in fills. That's a shame, because toms can add variety to your beats in a way that nothing else can. So to spice up any drum beat, simply move a few kicks in the pattern over to toms. Same groove, but a way more creative vibe!

Ray & Kate :)

PS: For all our drum tips, visit Hack Drums​