Goa/Psytrance And Music Theory??

Chords, scales, harmony, melody, etc.
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Hello guys, sry for my bad english

It's been awhile that i produce Goa Trance music but i don't have any music theory background and only know some scales and working notes for building my tracks for example phrygian and minor scales and use all notes in one scales and some times on one track i switch from c prhygian scale to f phrygian. that's all !! now i have these question

1. do i need more music theory so struggle with chords and chords progressions? or pay more attention to sound design instead of theory?

2. all parts of a song have to be in one scale?? or if i want to change scale/key (for example from phrygian) what's will be the next scale/key?

3. how to change a key in a 2 or 4 bars blocks to make creativity and have better melodic parts and arps?

here's my soundcloud account to check some of my tracks http://soundcloud.com/persiavibe

best regards

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It will be good to know some basics, circle of fifths in order to know close relations of keys vs distant and the like, if you must have key changes. A DJ mixing, if there are different tracks/different keys, it's good to know.

BUT:

You appear to be at a stage where there is a danger of thinking that, because there are principles you've noticed, that you should use them as if through them you'll get something better:
how to change a key in a 2 or 4 bars blocks to make creativity and have better melodic parts
Have you noticed that working somewhere, does that genre demand a lot of change in key?

Your music seems to want to capture a 'persian' vibe and use modes, which I think is going to be detracted from by change of key and chord progressions, you see? That 'modal' thing is the opposite of 'chord changes' kind of music; it sits there happily, as your music does, on one 'key note', sticking to the one 'phrygian' for the duration and everybody's good with it.

A Persian classical musician is not concerned with that particular area of Western 'music theory' and in fact it's antithetical to the thought in it, for instance.

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All you need is one note for 7 minutes and 25 instances of Razor.

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The idea being, the mode has a lot of character and color and personality in itself, rather than needing help from outside. These notes in relationship to the fundamental note or 'tonic' is enough. Even where chords and a strong modal melody co-exist, the chords are not many, a couple maybe three does a lot and you don't want to do too much. There are perils in certain usages where the mode is obliterated. IE: A mode, 'phrygian', has a coincidence with the major mode; E Phrygian vis a vis C Major and there are chords which push the C now and your E is lost.

In the track I heard from you, that isn't going to be helped, only marred by introducing chords. Don't be unduly influenced by reading. Do what you feel, what you hear. You're modeling things after something that doesn't do chord changes. If you want to model after things that do, model it with your ear and find out along with that what the information can provide. Don't ask a cart to pull the horse.

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Here's an example of some classic old school Goa trance from the mid 90's. The production quality is not quite up to todays standard, but the keyboard solos are played live:



@OP - check out this recent Gearsltuz thread about Goa production tips n tricks:

http://www.gearslutz.com/board/electron ... hread.html

Peace,
Andy.
... space is the place ...

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Thank you all !! i got good tips from the replies

as you said it's better i have to work with my feelings to make parts of a song so i don't need some useless theory stuffs because in my genre not use too much. i can see too chord changes occur on other electronic styles but on psytrance at least the focus is on effects , sound design and 16th midi melodic parts that maybe sits even on 2 3 notes all time of a song from a music mode. although on breakbeat and ambient spaces good chords progression cause track be more beautiful. but on other parts only i say from other producers works is some arpeggios and simple melodic parts in 2 or 4 bars. that's all...

i will try to learn relation between of keys by circle of fifth rules if i want to change the musical way of my tracks.

sometimes i choose my notes only by ear and if they will sound good i use them but i hear from others this make the tracks cheesy and bad. i don't know what i need to do to be in a better way of producing.

on goa trance focus on melodies is more than psy tracks. for example i put a link from a track of my favorite producer of NitzhoGoa style. i love this track and wonder how he make his phrases and beautiful changes on his tracks as song move to forward. i don't think he is pro on music theory but after all he implemented a good connection between all parts of this track

http://soundcloud.com/goalien/goalien-hathor-1

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