Hey guys I was wondering whether you could help advise me...

[DIGITAL SCREAMS]

Im kinda stuck in my playing style. Perhaps some of you can relate to this....

I play 80's power chords and catchy monophonic stuff (perhaps some of you aspire to this! If not...why not!!). Im not a piano player (although I sometimes wish I was). My point is......I have a self taught style which is cool....but at the same time its restricted. Im scared that if I take piano and theory lessons...im going to loose my cool retro style. Ive heared horror stories of little old grannies taking keyboard players and making them into boring players. Am I just paranoid or do you guys think it would help me greatly to further improve my own style?

Cheers guys...

DS

[Wandering Kid]

its always good to approach music from a different perspective every once in a while. music theory i found very useful for when i was stuck for something to play, i could improvise alot more easily because i knew what chords and scales i was playing. what key changes i could make without it sounding pie eyed. like anything theres a tendancy to overdo it and produce utter wank. i went through a phase of rattling off scales on guitar like there was no tommorow to make up for the fact i was a pretty uninspired guitarist. so i got bored with that and got interested in industrial music which is, essentially noise. had a go at writing that, but it became a cliche. then i started producing. dissected a few trance songs like for an angel and salt water and cafe del mar. 90% of the stuff i write now is trance. or i start something with the intention of not writing trance and it somehow ends up as trance. thats only because it has been occupying my mind alot lately and in the past year ive invested a lot of time and effort into what goes into making that trance sound. if i get stuck for an idea, i can always twist it into a generic trance tune, because i know alot of the ins and outs of making very generic trance - ive practically ate slept and breathed it for the past year.

my advice, music theory is a wonderful thing to learn if you can afford to get classical training. or if you cant its worth learning anyway by whatever means you can. whats not so good is to let it dominate your view of what music can and should be. as long as you dont let your knowledge of musical theory narrow your creative horizons i cant see how it could be detrimental to you in any way. its easy to let things narrow your creativity though, particularly if you like a certain style of music or a certain way of writing music and if you let these become steadfast rules for making music. keep in mind, there are no rules. and never lose touch with your musical roots. you'll be fine. and you'll be able to wank that keyboard when you cant think of what to play next. which has its advantages in tricky situations.

[blay]

Im kinda stuck in my playing style.

my advice - if you already have solid theory and it is just that you are in a bit of a rut - pull out some records/cds of some music you havent listened to for a while, listen with some fresh ears and then try a little improvisation over the track - you generally will find yourself playing a style that varies to your own, or at least in a different key :wink:

thats my RUT-BUSTER for today (available at all good audio retail outlets)

:D

[Onkel Dunkel]

Watch those old grandmas or you?ll be playing f?r elise for the rest of your days :D No seriously, i take piano lessons and i find it very helpfull learn about theory and it improves my playingskills and creativity but it?s also time-consuming since you have to practice (more piano, less tweaking around). I have a real cool teacher who makes me play all sorts of musical genres. Much of it cool stuff 8) And then he?s a synth-lover too :D

[DIGITAL SCREAMS]

Wow guys.....inspiring responses.

Wandering Kid......thx alot for taking the time to right that. I think its applicable to me and alot of others. I think I will go for classical training....and at the same time Ill make it very clear to the instructer that I have my own style and I want to improve upon it...not detract from it. Perhaps Ill look into getting a jazz pianist to teach me. They often understand the need for individuality. The old granny across the road tend to manufacter

Cheers bLay.....good advice. Funny enough ive done that with some of my fav 80's songs. Love it! But, it doesnt always help me to progress my own original ideas :cry:

DS

[saba]

But what if you listen to drone ambient? How do you practice that? :(
________
E-class (http://www.dodge-wiki.com/wiki/Chrysler_E-Class)

[Wandering Kid]

i guess you just...you know...make shit up. over at tranceaddict.com there was this guy who just popped into the production forum a few weeks back. wanted feedback on a tune he wrote. all the comments were bad. REALLY bad. so i got curious. the song doesnt really have any coherant structure. alot of drone instruments. sounded like it was written completely autonymously. it was essentially gamelin music although the person who wrote it had no knowledge of gamelin and wrote it quite accidentally on his own admission. i think it was just me and 1 other guy that kept telling him 'dont touch a phucking thing! try and refine that kind of sound.' it was definitely very rough around the edges. but it was heading in a direction that not many people try and push forward in. all those tranceheads were saying 'you gotta give it a phat beat like this...and have some hihats like this...have a rolling bassline like this...' the list of corrections can basically be summed up like this:

K---K---K---K---
--O---O---O---O-
-h-h-h-h-h-h-h-h

--B---B---B---B-
bb--bb--bb--bb-

that was a real smack yourself on the forehead moment. at least for me and that one other dude. that guy is probably producing horrendous, generic TARNCE!!!11 right now. that in itself though, isnt a complete waste of time. its just another way of writing music and evoke a certain feeling in doing so. whats a shame is that hes been persuaded that theres a right and wrong way to write music and that to write good music you gotta have 4 beats per measure and all instruments have to start with the same key note. GAH.

[Juho L]

whats a shame is that hes been persuaded that theres a right and wrong way to write music and that to write good music you gotta have 4 beats per measure and all instruments have to start with the same key note. GAH.

Yup. We (I, hoho) have had loooong discussions about this thing. Seems like experimenting and doing different is criminal on some genres. Everyone is forced into the same mould. "If you want to make this type of music, you'll have to it this way" - Why not "If you want to make this type of music, feel free to experiment and make it sound like you".

[Juho L]

But what if you listen to drone ambient? How do you practice that? :(

This reminds me of the april's fool joke on Sound-on-sound (or was it Future Music?). That one key Novation synth for hard house producers. Buahaha! That was ultimate classic! I'd like to give a medal for the bloke(s) that invented the whole thing.

[Juho L]

To the original subject: There are good teachers and there are bad teachers, but fixing a style of play is not a bad thing. With better technique you can still play the same stuff you do now, but in addition to that you can play lot more. You don't loose anything if someone fixes your crappy 80's technique. Hoho.

I'd recommend piano/keyboard and theory lessons for everybody, even for you trance boys. It helps you to make music. It's a common "urban legend" that theory destroys creativity. The truth is opposite. When you know theory, you know more ways to create melodies, chordprogressions, etc. And remember kids: Theory of music is not a set of rules, it's more like a guideline. For example when you teach child to mix water colours to create new colours, do you destroy the creativity? Is the child now a dumb robot when he/she knows how to mix colours properly?

Choosing between classical and pop/jazz education is really a matter of a preference. Both of them teach you to play well. Pop/jazz has more weight on theory and improvisation. Classical is more focused on playing technique and score reading. If you want to learn good technique and prima vista, choose classical. If you want to learn improvisation and theory, choose pop/jazz. Of course both teach you all the things, but the weighting is different. I'd prefer pop/jazz because theory and improvisation are great tools for making music.

[DIGITAL SCREAMS]

Thx Juho great response. Im looking into it.......im tempted to go get lessons with a local jazz pianist......ive seen him play live in my town. He can play!

Onkel your a lucky man! A teacher who loves synths too! If only I could find one :)

Just another question......If I do go for classical lessons.....should I tell them that I like to do 80's and modern music?

DS

[jasedee]

If I do go for classical lessons.....should I tell them that I like to do 80's and modern music?
Im surprised you admit it on here ;)

Take the lessons, and choose which bits you will take in, and which bits you leave for another life....

You will not like/enjoy everything, but there will be some bits that you will get alot out of, and you will find that you will be able to refine and improve on what you can do already. It is very hard to do something another way, if you are used to doing things your own way, and in the end, you need to be comfortable with how you are playing, which will in turn inspire more creativity

[DIGITAL SCREAMS]

Cheers Jase.....that sounds great!

Well ive just emailed the guy.....I await his response. Hopefully Ill be able to meet him over the xmas holidays......

Thx for your input guys

DS

[Juho L]

Just another question......If I do go for classical lessons.....should I tell them that I like to do 80's and modern music?

And this should affect the lessons somehow? The idea of classical piano lessons is to learn classical piano. You should take the pop/jazz lessons. Trust me. You probably won't learn the technique as fast as on classical lessons, but you learn more about music in general, which helps you making music and you can pick more freely the songs you want to play.

Classical is classical and pop/jazz is pop/jazz.

[DIGITAL SCREAMS]

Cheers Juho...im inclined to agree with ya :wink:

DS

[Onkel Dunkel]

Even though you have to play things you don?t like you will still (with an open mind) learn from it and be able to use it.
About my piano teacher; yeah, i?m a lucky guy. I showed him my theremin one day. He had only heard of them and he was like "whow, how does it work, i gotta have one of these things" and when i told him that i have a Virus he became jealous and wanted one too :mrgreen:

[jasedee]

Even though you have to play things you don?t like you will still (with an open mind) learn from it and be able to use it.
About my piano teacher; yeah, i?m a lucky guy. I showed him my theremin one day. He had only heard of them and he was like "whow, how does it work, i gotta have one of these things" and when i told him that i have a Virus he became jealous and wanted one too :mrgreen:
Have you told us this story before? Im either having serious De jevu or I am going crazy :?

[Blank]

I swear...some of these posts sound like repeats of what i have said b4...thats good tho show a similar thought process...DS your style in the long run will change...that is regardless of whether you learn theory or not...dont be scared of it...you will never force yourself to make music you hate...because you have the choice!! classical piano lesson would be good but honestly you should take theory classes...you wont learn how to play piano but you will learn about music...youre like me...right now im teaching myself...starting from the beginning...but with the help of the theory i have taken in college its coming quicker then when i tried to learn at a younger age...classical piano lessons will not teach you full out theory, only how to read music and play some awesome pieces...hell if anything take both...as for pop/jazz personally i got lucky my teacher taught both...i hear it all the time tho...there must be some pretty strict teachers out there to only teach classical theory or modern theory...

peace
Blank

[Onkel Dunkel]

Even though you have to play things you don?t like you will still (with an open mind) learn from it and be able to use it.
About my piano teacher; yeah, i?m a lucky guy. I showed him my theremin one day. He had only heard of them and he was like "whow, how does it work, i gotta have one of these things" and when i told him that i have a Virus he became jealous and wanted one too :mrgreen:
Have you told us this story before? Im either having serious De jevu or I am going crazy :?

Belive me; you?r going crazy :mrgreen: Maybe you have some sort of a Virus :lol: Either that or i?m going crazy. No wait, i am crazy :twisted:

[jasedee]

Must have been spooky deja vu or something...or I have dreamt it before

I had that same feeling today when looking at the Ti forum...

:?

[blay]

I had that same feeling today when looking at the Ti forum...

i thought i was experiencing deja vu reading your response here jase.

this is about the 5th or 6th negative comment from you aimed at ti forums - if you wish to talk about other forums i suggest you got to the relevant threads about those forums that were moved to 'off topic' for a reason.

if you cant contribute in a positive manner then please dont bother doing so at all. you will not find any underhanded remarks on ti forum about the virusforum, and as a member of both you could show a little more respect, and possibly maturity in reference to this matter.

thanks

blay

[jasedee]

I had that same feeling today when looking at the Ti forum...

i thought i was experiencing deja vu reading your response here jase.

this is about the 5th or 6th negative comment from you aimed at ti forums - if you wish to talk about other forums i suggest you got to the relevant threads about those forums that were moved to 'off topic' for a reason.

if you cant contribute in a positive manner then please dont bother doing so at all. you will not find any underhanded remarks on ti forum about the virusforum, and as a member of both you could show a little more respect, and possibly maturity in reference to this matter.

thanks

blay
Dude......I was actually being serious. When I was on the Ti forum earlier today, I had that same feeling of Deja Vu.

Point taken though mate.....didnt mean to offend

[blay]

Dude......I was actually being serious.

at no point in my response did i suggest you weren't.

Point taken though mate.....didnt mean to offend

no offense taken.
feel free to express any opinion you may have about TI Forum - but do it in the relevant threads within the off-topic section.
thanks Jase :D

[jasedee]

Dude......I was actually being serious.

at no point in my response did i suggest you weren't.
this is about the 5th or 6th negative comment from you aimed at ti forums - if you wish to talk about other forums i suggest you got to the relevant threads about those forums that were moved to 'off topic' for a reason.
So how was this a negative remark about the Ti forum?????

[jasedee]

Must have been spooky deja vu or something...or I have dreamt it before

I had that same feeling today when looking at the Ti forum...

:?

this is about the 5th or 6th negative comment from you aimed at ti forums
So....where is the negative comment?????

[jasedee]

Blay?

[blay]

Point taken though mate.....didnt mean to offend

if you understood my point here, then why do i have to point it out again?

its all good jase - like i said there was no offense taken :wink:

you are a valued member on both forums and i hope you continue to be.

(and for your support you will soon be in the running for an access t-shirt :wink: )

[jasedee]

Point taken though mate.....didnt mean to offend

if you understood my point here, then why do i have to point it out again?
The thing is, although I understood that you were getting frustrated by me taking the piss out of the Ti Forum, the comment I made in no way did this, yet you seemed to think it did
Must have been spooky deja vu or something...or I have dreamt it before

I had that same feeling today when looking at the Ti forum...

So, from that comment I made, which somehow you decided was a negative comment about the Ti Forum, which you then used as a platform to launch a 'blay tirade'....

SO, although I understand that you have the shits, was it right to crack it over that original comment, which in no way was demeaning or aiming insult towards the Ti Forum?

Bottom line - You went on a rant over a comment you misinterpreted and still no apology....

[blay]

jase i do apologise for saying your comments were negative. i just found it funny that you made a quite few comments about that forum here on threads that were irrelevant.
at no point did i 'crack the shits' jase - and to call this a 'tirade' and to lay out 'bottom lines' is a little condescending.
it is quite obvious there has been a misunderstanding by both parties here, but you dont see me demanding any apologies...

are we all good here jase?

[jasedee]

are we all good here jase?
Yeah mate....must be my time of month or something? :)

[blay]

prob mine too mate :wink:

my girl doesnt get back till the 12th of jan and neither will my TI probably :( i think this is starting to get to me....

[jasedee]

No girl.....no Ti......can it get any worse????? Well, at least you have us :)

[blay]

:lol: :wink:

[3o3]

Atleast you got Jase to play with blay if you ever feel lonely. bwahaha. I am on the 'sunny side up'-part of the world. bwahahaha

[jasedee]

Do you prefer scrabble, or chess?

[blay]

connect 4. :roll:

:wink: