Does having classical music knowledge improve our skills ?

[NotreDame]

Or how to improve our skills in a specific genre ?

After studying theory/harmony and listening to classical music, I never felt that it helped me to make Trance mucic.
Of course, theory is very important, but 4 voices harmony does not help me to make what I want, like listening to classical composers, except for pleasure and curiosity, does not bring me anything in a technical way.


I just wonder how you are doing to improve your musical styles.
People say that we have to be open minded and to listen to other genres.


I completely agree with that, and I think it is very important to listen to classical music.

BUT, I believe that, the most effective way to improve our capacity in a genre of music, is to listen as much as possible to this genre, and to analyse the structures etc.

I am a novice, and I am questionning, so if you don't agree with me, don't take any offense.

Thanks for answering !

[thecontrolcentre]

I prefer to make music my own way, rather than fitting into styles (or genres). Obviously, the more music you listen to in certain genres, the more that style will affect your own output (imho), but I think just making/ writing / recording music has the greatest effect so far as improving your knowledge and ability.

[dark water]

I prefer to make music my own way, rather than fitting into styles (or genres). Obviously, the more music you listen to in certain genres, the more that style will affect your own output (imho), but I think just making/ writing / recording music has the greatest effect so far as improving your knowledge and ability.

+1
However, I'd probably put a caveat on that with regards to how a beginner in particular may benefit from analyzing in detail some tracks made within their favourite genres or made by their favourite artists (and even copying arrangement concepts and musical themes) to generate ideas which are fresh to them. Naturally, more experienced musicians could also benefit from such detailed analysis of other musicians' work but I imagine many ideas may not be so fresh to them compared to how these appear first time to the beginner.

In terms of the thread question, yes definitely a knowledge of classical music can improve our musical skills. Arrangements which include flow and contrast, choice of (different octave) instruments, dynamics and harmony are just some of the features contained within many popular classical works. However, I wouldn't recommend just listening to classical music as the best way to improve our music skills.
Ultimately the more music we listen to, the more ideas we gain. However, as TCC aludes to, we need at some point to have the confidence to move away from what others have done and just make music which represents us and our ambitions.
Finally, whilst classical music for example may not appeal to us at certain parts of our lives, we may well find later on that our musical tastes change as our lives and values change. To that end we may find a (fresh) knowledge of certain genres more appealing and reflective of ourselves than we find now.

[Richard deHove]

Music that has survived and is appreciated by a large audience after a century or in some cases many centuries is a strong starting point for interest. Of the classical composers that are popular today - and sometimes composers are forgotten for many years - quite a few were child prodigies, or incredibly prolific, writing major works in their early teens.

The way many of these composers were trained is also interesting: talent was identified at a young age and many then received what was almost an exclusively musical education. Does anyone have such intense focus now? Popular composers would also take and train students. For example Saint-Saens taught Faure who in turn taught Ravel.

Also consider that many composers never heard their work performed as they scored it. It was composition on paper or with a single instrument. It's sad how many requiem masses were played for the first time at their composers' own funeral.

Then there's the role of churches: a musical career would often start with the position of church organist. In a big parish this could be very lucrative with fees for every wedding and funeral. Some big churches also acted as music venues and competed with each other in the quality of their organ, choir and compositions. From organist the career might then move to one of the orchestras or composer positions sponsored by the aristocracy. Works might be directly commissioned or dedicated to a nobleman.

Great anecdote is how the Austrian Baron Weber would invite Joseph Haydn to one of his somewhat remote castles to play, and wanted to hear some new music. The only other musicians near the castle were three string players - so Haydn developed a new genre of music: the string quartet.

Most of this is not an argument why classical music is important, just interesting to consider the environment and context in which some of it was written.

I think a symphony orchestra playing one of the great classical works is one of the highest forms of musical expression on the planet: a large group of talented individuals performing a perfectly synchronized, emotional, live interpretation of past genius. The master conductor Sergu Celibidache was strongly opposed to any recordings of his performances as he considered the impact relied on listeners being emotional involved in the live event.

Today a lot of music is composed for a much different purpose than just sitting to listen to the music. It's not designed as the primary focus. It's accompaniment to other tasks, or to help people sleep, or enhance synthetic experiences, or drink cocktails, or watch movies. Of course all that can still be fantastic music, but the focus is different.

So my long-winded answer is yes, surely there's things to learn from the classical tradition. Not to necessarily attempt to emulate it, but to consider what our own music is for and what we want it to do.

[Zexila]

If you want to improve your trance tunes, than go to the parties more often, you will do more in half an hour in your studio after the party with fresh inspiration from the floor, than sitting in studio and listening to classical music.

[k-tronix]

Classical training helps immensely with keyboard technique. I can play difficult arpeggios without breaking a sweat. Then again, I often prefer to program them in using MIDI--so there's that.

However, having a classical background can help get one toward jazz. The two are useful but not a requirement. It just makes composing quicker but trance is not nearly as challenging in terms of technical playing (where classical would help) and not nearly as advanced in chordal voicing (where jazz theory would help).

I have to work like mad to get classical or jazz sounding good these days and instead prefer to just have fun when in the studio.

To get better in a genre, I like to re-create everything from scratch (sounds especially). My struggle is getting the mixing/mastering. I'd like to take some courses on this subject to get a more polished sound. In trance, the timbres and mixing/mastering seem to be the vast majority battle.

[ghettosynth]

If you want to improve your trance tunes, than go to the parties more often, you will do more in half an hour in your studio after the party with fresh inspiration from the floor, than sitting in studio and listening to classical music.

^^this

Also, do you DJ? I'm assuming that you do, but, if you don't, then you need to start, and I don't just mean in your bedroom. You need to play for dancing crowds.

[incubus]

Well, considering I have no music skills and I wasn't classically trained, I'd say the odds are decent

[foosnark]

Classical helps (in the many different forms that are lumped together as "classical" though some of them have very little in common).

Jazz also helps, particularly if you've played it. Improvisation is a great skill for composition even when you're step-sequencing everything.

Rock also helps. Particularly study how drums and bass work. I find that useful and I mostly make ambient anymore.

Folk music from all over the world helps. Turkish and Japanese and Greek and Irish and Finnish and Balinese and Appalachian and Senegalese and whatever you can find that is different from what you're used to.

Obviously listening to a lot of the kind of music you want to make and every related genre helps.

Architecutre, geometry, mythology, physics, electrical engineering, hiking, martial arts, science fiction, drugs if you're so inclined...

[Hink]

Well, considering I have no music skills and I wasn't classically trained, I'd say the odds are decent

that's not true

[Aloysius]

NO

[Bombadil]

I'd say 'it depends.' I'm a musical auto-didact, though my former recording partner had theory and practical training. He could not improvise. He needed the sheet music in front of him. So, when we'd record an original song, I'd basically have to come up with his piano parts myself. I've noted this weakness in other classically-trained musicians, as well. Don't want to over-generalize on that one, but it is 'a thing.'

[thecontrolcentre]

I'd say 'it depends.' I'm a musical auto-didact, though my former recording partner had theory and practical training. He could not improvise. He needed the sheet music in front of him. So, when we'd record an original song, I'd basically have to come up with his piano parts myself. I've noted this weakness in other classically-trained musicians, as well. Don't want to over-generalize on that one, but it is 'a thing.'

Same experience here. I know some awesome players who cant jam or write for shit. I'm self taught, pretty much, and have an excess of musical ideas.

[RichieWitch]

Listening to classical music didn't help that much. Taking classes on the classical composers and deconstructions/analysis of their music and style helped me immensely!

There are some great free, online classes on Beethoven's sonatas. Probably others as well. I found them to really be really ear-opening and mind-expanding.

[Numanoid]

After studying theory/harmony and listening to classical music, I never felt that it helped me to make Trance mucic.

I think it helped Cosmic Baby a lot

Harald Blüchel was born at 19/Feb/1963 in Nuremberg, a classically trained concert pianist who began at the Nuremberg Conservatory at the tender age of 7, he has been composing pieces for synthesizer since discovering Tangerine Dream and Kraftwerk in 1980. In 1987, continuing musical studies, Cosmic Baby moved to Berlin and entered the Art Academy, composing experimental music on a Fairlight computer. At the Technical University, he studied sound engineering, learning the technical side of music production.

All that knowledge gave result to a trance masterpiece like Perfect Day ('92), to pick but one of his many fine discs as an example.