Vanilla chord progressions suck, etc.

[the_nihilist]

It's so damn boring just playing a typical chord progression in a song... when I'm making something, I can't help but use something that has some inv's/sus'/aug's/7th's/9th's/add's or what have you.

I have the same problem with drum beats. I can't just put drums in a repetive 4/4 tarnce beat. I always feel compelled to program in way more complicated breakbeats and use different time signatures.

And then I don't even feel like making stuff in a normal scale. So I keep on picking weird scales and modes, Gb spanish gypsy, or phrygian. I would just hate myself for putting stuff in a major or minor scale.

And for synths, well, I couldn't forgive myself if I didn't program all my own patches from scratch. If I'm using samples, I heavily edit them so you can't tell where they came from or what they were.

And I play this music I made for all my non-musician friends, and I get that oh-so familiar slightly scared look when I ask for their opinions. Then the traditional vague but polite response. They totally hate it, of course.

This isn't really a rant or some sort of holier than thou postmodern irony thing... just some guy who's up at 4:17 AM making music.

[vurt]

cheer up,its armageddon soon

[lavoll]

2012

[Kingston]

Why not try some kenian finger pianos for those not so vanilla chord progressions and melodies. This store I found had a good collection of them and every single one had its own scale, but still perfectly in tune with itself. Inspiring stuff.

[bluedad]

This isn't really a rant or some sort of holier than thou postmodern irony thing....

sure could have fooled me!

[robenestobenz]

It's so damn boring just playing a typical chord progression in a song... when I'm making something, I can't help but use something that has some inv's/sus'/aug's/7th's/9th's/add's or what have you.

I seem to hear suspended and 7th chords used a lot in all kinds of music, so I wouldn't call them unusual.

In any case, I think pretty much all chords and scales can be used to good effect and have their harmonic place. Except for 11ths and 13ths, which I hate in forms unadulterated by subtracted notes.

I'm the same with patches though. God knows why - I think it's stupid and shortsighted but at the same time I am compelled to use my own.

[Lunatique]

I personally feel that it's far more important to write good music instead of trying to reinvent the wheel, or make odd-shaped wheels. But what is good music? I guess if you are making the kind of music you would personally fall in love with as a fanboy (if someone else made it instead of you--but I supposed you could love your own music as well), then you are making good music according to your standard.

[DWb]

I personally feel that it's far more important to write good music instead of trying to reinvent the wheel, or make odd-shaped wheels.

Agree!

One chord wonders, all the way...

[foosnark]

I have the same problem with drum beats. I can't just put drums in a repetive 4/4 tarnce beat. I always feel compelled to program in way more complicated breakbeats and use different time signatures.

I'm with you there. But then, I'm really tired of that basic House beat. I can tolerate very few tracks where that 4/4 kick/hi-hat dominate the mix.

I often don't bother with chords. Fifths maybe, or clusters... whatever happens to sound good at the time.

As for patches, I'm not quite so concerned with that. Sometimes I'll roll my own, very often I'll randomize, usually I'll tweak, but not always. I think where I have the most fun with sound design is turning one sound into something completely different -- Delay Lama into tinkly sparkly stuff that gets layered with a pad made from distorted mda ePiano, that sort of thing

[Amberience]

You sound like me. I've been trying to teach my brain they, "Hey! It's ok to use standardised methods to create music!"