What should I do?

[Claire]

Hi! I wan't to start making music. I've been reading sheet music for the last 10 years and I know pretty much about music theory.

I wonder what program I should buy for making music. Shall I create music with sheets or how do you do it otherways? I don't understand how people that don't know sheet music can created songs, can someone explain that for me?
I'm into metal and classical if that matters..

Greetings from Finland

 

[goz211]

Hello over there in Finland from the other side of the North Sea.

Do you play an instrument or can you sing?

Join a band (or form a band). You don't need to write "sheet music" to notate your songs. They're just a set of instructions anyway. You could record some audio and build it up - sound on sound - a track at a time.

Heavy Metal - AFAIK it's common to come up with some memorable riffs - then just "glue" them together, Metallica style, until you want to call it a song.

Good luck.

 

[goz211]

Software suggestions - never used it but lots of poster find Garageband easy to get to grips with.

I now use a very basic version of Cubase - I just use it as a glorified multitrack tape recorder.

If you like notating your melodies and are looking for something to fill it out with drums/chords - Finale have software called Songwriter (I think) - never used it but I do use Finale Printmusic when I need an arrangement that is scored out.

 

[Claire]

I've been playing piano for 11 years.
I have been composing a little bit by just typing sheets (I have a software called Sibelius)
But I wonder if there is a easier way to make music, using another software.
I would like to sit in front of the computer and compose songs, if that's possible.
Also, that makes it easier to see what every instrument should play, because otherways I can't make the harmonies fit togehter.

 

[goz211]

Sibelius and those Garritan sounds - if you're a "score it all out note by note" composer - there are only alternatives out there, nothing better than what you have. I suppose the next step is printing them out and trying to get an ensemble to play them for you - hear what your stuff sounds like with real players and instruments.

You said "metal and classical" - I wondered if were you another "violin scales on a guitar" Malmsteen type.

Go with the software you have - and good luck.

 

[Chris_Huebner]

I use Sonar. (Sonar 7 Home Studio xl)

With Sonar, you can record Audio or Midi. You can also enter in each note by hand with a computer.

Hope this info is helpful.

Good luck

 

[Claire]

goz211 I want to learn how to make music other ways than just typing in sheets, because I already know how to do that.
For example, I read that a singer in band made all the piano parts in each song, and he didn't even know how to play the piano/or reading sheet music so I was thinking how can that be possible?
If I want to compose by myself, without being in a band, it's pretty hard to record something because the only instrument I can play is piano.

 

[goz211]

If I want to compose by myself, without being in a band, it's pretty hard to record something because the only instrument I can play is piano.

I don't believe that's true - but making music is great as a communal activity. AFAIK keyboard players are in short supply just about everywhere other than a piano conservetoire or one of those expensive USA Berklee keyboard classes.

Unless you're in the woods miles from anyone - or above the snow line - get along and jam with some musicians. Keyboards fit in just about all styles of music.

Find a band - or a singer - or a metal head and play some chords while they do their thing. It's great. Maybe ease off on telling them about the modes of the harmonic minor - though the metal headz might like it.

 

[Claire]

I don't believe that's true - but making music is great as a communal activity. AFAIK keyboard players are in short supply just about everywhere other than a piano conservetoire or one of those expensive USA Berklee keyboard classes.

Unless you're in the woods miles from anyone - or above the snow line - get along and jam with some musicians. Keyboards fit in just about all styles of music.

Find a band - or a singer - or a metal head and play some chords while they do their thing. It's great. Maybe ease off on telling them about the modes of the harmonic minor - though the metal headz might like it.

haha, I don't want to be in a band! (Don't even have time to join a band, practising piano 2h everyday is enough for me!)
And I'm not a keyboard player, I don't even own a keyboard
Just want to learn how to be a better composer, I have arranged songs in Sibelius (homeworks from school) but I never really done anything by myself, so I want to learn how to start composing , which softwares are the easiest to use and so on.
For example, what did Zack Hemsey use for composing this? I bet he didn't record it at home lol.

 

[goz211]

Lots of film stuff is scored out and arranged in Finale - it's a program very like Sibelius. Virtual instruments are used to mock up an audio representation of the music. A real orchestra might be used to replace some or all of the instruments on the mock up.

I use manuscript paper and pencil for stuff like this (I haven't scored any Hollywood movies) - work out a basic structure and arrangement - sometimes at the piano. Next stage depends on whether you are getting someone to play the parts - it'll need scored out properly and in full. If someone has just asked for audio - I'll play it into a DAW using a keyboard to control the sounds (virtual instruments).

Google DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) and have a look on Youtube for Cubase or ProTools. Sonar is popular in the US. Cubase is the biggie everywhere else. ProTools is the industry standard

If you have a piano at home and something to record it with - get going. You'll need a microphone and something to record into. See if you can find someone at school that does this already - it can be a steep learning curve when you're starting out.

Good luck with whatever you end up doing.

 

[Iain]

Hi saw this thread ... my son uses fruity loops ... free trial software available to download and he spends hours layering up harmonies etc.... I've had a go ... but would rather just thump the keys and use my workstation sequencer to write.. ..

 

[3stripern]

Hello. I use Printmusic, which is a simple, cheap software and with satisfying features. I prefer computers when I compose, because the program can play the music for you. And to write manually on sheet paper would probably require many sheets... Hope I helped you in some way.

 

[Vctor]

You just need a keyboard or a midi controller. Connect it to the computer, start Sibelius and just play the piano for all the instrument parts.
This way you won't have to write the sheets by hand, just play them.
You can export the sheets or midi file.
The midi file can be used with virtual instruments in a DAW that can create beautiful sounds.