KVR Audio

blindasfcuk · Post by **blindasfcuk** » Tue Nov 22, 2011 10:18 pm

Hi guys

Im fairly remedial when it comes to playing chords and notes especially when it comes to banging out a melody to fit with a chord progression so I had what I thought was a moment of inspiration when I bought a few hundred 6mm colour coded dots. I figured I could use them to mark which keys were in which key scale so i could use it as a guide. Obviously now that I have them and I'm about to start putting them on I realised that there are more than one scale in each key so Im not sure how to go about this.

Im fairly certain Im not the only one to have attempted this so can anyone advise me on the best way to proceed before I make a balls of it myself and nore realise untill Im too far into it?

Cheers

Ogg Vorbis · Post by **Ogg Vorbis** » Wed Nov 23, 2011 1:33 pm

I can see the temptation to do some quick and dirty mapping or visual cueing for scales and intervals, etc. After all, computer users had those function key templates and there are Pro Tools keyboards with colors and beginning violinists have been putting colored tape on their fingerboards since time began.

But I think it will only hinder you rather than forward your knowledge or provide a scaffolding until you get it.

The reason is that a single note isn't a static entity in music. An E can start out being the root of a minor chord, but then become a leading tone resolving to a new temporary key of F in the very next phrase. Then that same E will be the fifth of a major chord, then a colorful 13th of a different chord two bars later.

I think taping your keyboard would be a short and fast ride to nowhere. Best to develop a mental and aural familiarity to the language of music so that you can "speak" your ideas from a position of power of expression.

wrench45us · Post by **wrench45us** » Wed Nov 23, 2011 1:40 pm

I think I tried this as a kid with masking tape

It can work temporarily for one or two keys (or songs), but trust me, it's more useful in the long run to just learn the key scales. It may be hard to believe, but the muscle memory/mind actually gets a feel for where the 'right' notes are.

Not saying little plastic dots won't help in the meantime.
But unless you bought the filter glasses to go with the color coded dots, there's just too much information to manage in the physical space allotted.

I have a dim recollection of some organ keyboard that would light up to aid keyboard learning.

I was reminded of that this week when I discovered the UK's Status Graphite guitar maker can implant LED fret markers (4 color choices). (18 volt active electronics so they have energy to spare) Given some rework and programming it's just a short distance to guitar hero.

jancivil · Post by **jancivil** » Wed Nov 23, 2011 4:50 pm

I love learning, I love getting things from trial and error, cause and effect. I don't relate to this find a crutch, look for a shortcut approach at the beginning, what's the hurry?

tapper mike · Post by **tapper mike** » Wed Nov 23, 2011 10:14 pm

I just wish I didn't look at my hands so much. I got as far away from that habit in my 20''s 30's and even 40's. Now I find myself doing it again in my 50's

Honestly one can make a crutch out of anything. Loop has become my most deadly one when learning anything new (to me) I'll be obsessed with a section that I'll loop to death just to get that two or four bar pattern down.

jancivil · Post by **jancivil** » Wed Nov 23, 2011 11:42 pm

I'm a glutton for the work. I'll copy and paste sometimes with doubling parts but often I'll just play it again to get the differences and the reality of the error which is richer anyways.

I make all the rhythm by hand, I do not paste sections off a copy of the previous. So, I'm not real prolific and I'm cutting myself out of a lot of action as a soloist, but I'll pay that price, I like the benefits on the other side too much.

blindasfcuk · Post by **blindasfcuk** » Thu Nov 24, 2011 9:59 am

Thanks for the feedback guys. I understand that everyone has their own way of doing things I just thought that it would help me starting off. Im only new world of music production and the most common piece of advice Ive been given is to just get as many tracks completed as possible so that I learn from each one. Not knowing the keys and scales is driving me bananas and holding everything up so I figured this would be a great way to learn them and speed up my productions. For me it would be like typing on my keyboard in that I used to have look down at what I was doing but after a while I just knew where all of the keys were.

So no one has done this before or seen a similar system that could help me out?

jancivil · Post by **jancivil** » Thu Nov 24, 2011 6:29 pm

to be honest that's not great advice. you're in a hurry to produce, following that kind of thing. relax and enjoy learning how to make music with your hands for a bit first.

I can't imagine any richer expenditure of time than learning music.

Colour coded keys on my midi controller?