Good starting point. Sample to keyboard beats.

Hello.
So I've been trying to combine samples with keyboard sounds, until I moved to New York. I have little time to go digging (well, that's how it looks now) so I've decided to go completely keyboard and compose my own melodies. I've been composing some shit before I even knew what sample is and I really knew nothing about music from the technical side, but I've never owned a keys until now. Everything I made was done by mouse in Matrix - Reason.
It is really hard for me to play melody I imagine 'cus I lack skills in playing anything. I made one beat I really like so I'm encouraged to do some more. I always knew it is hard, but in reality it is harder than I thought.
What advice can you give to me? I'm sure a lot of cats went the way I'm going now. It's really time consuming, but in the end I know it's gonna be worth it.
It's not that I'm starting completely from scratch, but I'm asking you for advice on what should I focus now? Maybe what plugins should I try? This is simply too much.
I'm using Logic>Reason>MPC4K. Have some interest about NI maschine, but I have much to learn anyway so I'll leave it like this.

Your situation is similar to mine. But the only thing that seperates us is that I was already fluent in music way before a lot of what's going on now was even thought about.

But I wouldn't change any of what I've gone through for something that gives you instant gratification. What I've learned has made it easier to catch on with what's happening these days and I wouldn't trade anything to try it any differently.

I know that a lot of katz go by ear, however I do the same thing but I understand the concepts of what it is I'm dealing with.

Once you obtain a certain set of standards (musical ideology) and there's products out there that fits those standards, then you'll know what to look for.

Grounding yourself with musical logic will take you a long way and make the journey that less of a pain in the a$$.

start with drums play over the top the end of it go by what sounds good it aint hard providing the work flow/equipment setup is in place to accommodate that way of working.

dabmeister wrote:Your situation is similar to mine. But the only thing that seperates us is that I was already fluent in music way before a lot of what's going on now was even thought about.

But I wouldn't change any of what I've gone through for something that gives you instant gratification. What I've learned has made it easier to catch on with what's happening these days and I wouldn't trade anything to try it any differently.

I know that a lot of katz go by ear, however I do the same thing but I understand the concepts of what it is I'm dealing with.

Once you obtain a certain set of standards (musical ideology) and there's products out there that fits those standards, then you'll know what to look for.

Grounding yourself with musical logic will take you a long way and make the journey that less of a pain in the a$$.

I`m in a similar boat when it comes to keys but somehow it feels natural to play the black keys (minor I guess) than the major keys even though I don`t know all the scales. Somehow it just sounds good. I am a avid music collector from the school of Isleys and Bar Kays as a kid. I took music lessons it didn`t stick cuz it sounds to happy. What`s your take on this?

Blue Haze wrote:I'm in a similar boat when it comes to keys but somehow it feels natural to play the black keys (minor I guess) than the major keys even though I don`t know all the scales. Somehow it just sounds good. I am a avid music collector from the school of Isleys and Bar Kays as a kid. I took music lessons it didn`t stick cuz it sounds to happy. What`s your take on this?

Well it sounds like you were exposed to some of the fundamentals. And if you start from where you left off, I'm almost certain you'd catch on rather quickly since most of it repetitive practicing.

I'd also suggest hooking up with a guitarist that knows the scales and both of you can feed from each other. Then you can take what you've learned and apply it to you challenging yourself through learning cover tunes and whatnot.

After a while you'll obtain an ear for knowing how to identify most progressions, tri ads, or whatever and you'll be on your way to piecing together some mean tracks.

dabmeister wrote:

Blue Haze wrote:I'm in a similar boat when it comes to keys but somehow it feels natural to play the black keys (minor I guess) than the major keys even though I don`t know all the scales. Somehow it just sounds good. I am a avid music collector from the school of Isleys and Bar Kays as a kid. I took music lessons it didn`t stick cuz it sounds to happy. What`s your take on this?

Well it sounds like you were exposed to some of the fundamentals. And if you start from where you left off, I'm almost certain you'd catch on rather quickly since most of it repetitious practicing.

I see I got to put in work and practice.

I'd also suggest hooking up with a guitarist that knows the scales and both of you can feed from each other. Then you can take what you've learned and apply it to you challenging yourself through learning cover tunes and whatnot.

Hmmn I would love to work with a bassist. I have to see. It is hard sometimes when all you can do is hymm the part and the guitar is going do you mean like this? I`ve down that road before too. I`m not classically trained through I have alot of musicians among my relatives into jazz and what not I rebelled and went the hip hop way.

After a while you'll obtain an ear for knowing how to identify most progressions, tri ads, or whatever and you'll be on your way to piecing together some mean tracks.

You make great points I listen and try to recreate what I hear. It is a little easier with house and hip hop as I can use synths for chord stabs and such. With R&B man is it on some next level stuff I can`t yet recreate that Isley sound, like Jame Poysner and alot of other musicians but that is what I aspire to learn. Especially the Rhodes sounds.

^^^ It'll come, just give it some time. But yeah, I find it that if you can play r-n-b, gospel, jazz, rock, you can use the elements from those genre's to help build your stuff.

And most of all, it then seems too easy to put something together because you have so many tools to work with.