How to match vocals and instrumentals?

[[0_0]]

Hi,

I am a beginner.

I discovered the basics of music theory already (scales, chord progression, etc.), but I can't find any information or tutorial about this issue.

What is the relation between the vocals and the main melody/chords of the instruments?

For example:
I have got:
- The acapella of a song
- The tempo of the song
- The key of the song

When I just play some chords underneath the acapella (in the same scale), it will sound awful. How do I know the chords that will match the vocals?

Where can i find some music theory articles or tutorials about this?

Thank you!

[jancivil]

Here's a tip: disabuse yourself of the notion 'I am a producer' and learn about music as a basis, before you think you can 'make music'. This post suggests that you lack the first clue about, eg., chords under a melody. Musicianship has to happen before you can write.

IE: Do you have any concrete question we can help you with? It appears that you don't. The relationship of a chord to a melody? Learn a tune and find its chords off a record, learn a tune from a fake book and sing a tune over the chords and find something out, get real with it. Don't look for 'links'... and it appears you don't understand enough basics to be looking for 'tips'.

[[0_0]]

Yes i'm sorry. I know i'm not a producer and i can't write music, but that's why i'm here.

But thanks for your reply. Do you (or someone else) know some good books or websites about this part of music theory?

[MikeInOttawa]

Do you have a copy of the melody line you can post? If so someone can probably tell you what the chords are.

However, if you know the chords, going from this to how to incorporate them into your song is what makes your song unique. You might want to start with a bass line, as it's usually only one note at a time. As for other instruments, sometimes people use chords as instrumental background; sometimes they use arpeggios. Sometimes just a couple notes. You can do ANYTHING. That is the creativity that you need to provide from within yourself. No book or site will give you creativity. I would probably suggest listening to a whole lot of other people's music. Then go for a walk in a park and think about it- maybe something will come to you.

[A.M. Gold]

Yes i'm sorry. I know i'm not a producer and i can't write music, but that's why i'm here.

But thanks for your reply. Do you (or someone else) know some good books or websites about this part of music theory?

No need to feel sorry (and if anyone here made you feel that way, I suggest to them that they should take some time out and learn to approach these things less abrasively ).

You have hit on what may be one of the first major points of musical discovery in your ongoing learning process. If you start with a melody, there is then the question of how to harmonize the melody in order to bring out what you feel is the greatest impact.

This is a tricky question---the reason being that any melody note can be supported by a variety of chords in the same key, and it is even possible to support a given note with chords from more than one key. Every relationship established between a melody note and backing harmony will describe a chord, but what note within that chord will be represented by the melody note?

It could be almost anything. In jazz or R&B the melody might be the seventh note of the backing chord, in pop it might be the third, fifth, or root. In fact, it could be a number of other things in either case.

There is no absolute way to do this, and thus we are faced with the inherent complexity of it. You can start from square one and start pouring over music theory books to try to begin to build an extensive vocabulary of different compositional devices, or you can simply keep improvising and working to improve, through trial and error, the results you achieve as you try many different things. Only you can decide if a given result is what you want, or if you want to keep searching for something that you like better.

[blueman]

Very well said A.M. I've been at this for many years, went to music school and even taught music. I STILL struggle at times to match a pre-written melody to chords. I prefer to write chord progressions first for this reason. Its more natural foe me to hear a melody evolving out of chord movement. I find that writing the melody first is more cumbersome. Writing riffs for the guitar also works best for me when starting with a drum groove. As always, ymmv so switch it around and experiment like crazy until experience becomes your guide

[A.M. Gold]

I STILL struggle at times to match a pre-written melody to chords. I prefer to write chord progressions first for this reason. Its more natural foe me to hear a melody evolving out of chord movement.

Ditto!

For one thing, when you start with a chord flow that works, you are faced with far fewer variables when adding a melody or bass line than if you do it with the melody first and the chords second.

I think it makes sense to start with the more complex stuff first (at least for me) because you are inherently more free when you start with a clean slate (other than maybe having laid down a drum groove). When you start from a free standpoint and create a chord foundation, I think you are going to struggle less in establishing the chord structure than you often will if you try to "match" the chords to a pre-established melody.

That also gives you the opportunity to explore many different melodic possibilities in order to really create some melodic punch against the chord progression you've written.

[tapper mike]

One think I learned by studying the beatles. Look at the accents. Find the strong (most emphasized) note and harmonize to it. The strong note can be the last note of a phrase or the first.

If the strong note is at the end of a phrase then use the rest of the melody to lead into the bar/chord.

[jancivil]

Yes i'm sorry. I know i'm not a producer and i can't write music, but that's why i'm here.

But thanks for your reply. Do you (or someone else) know some good books or websites about this part of music theory?

No need to feel sorry (and if anyone here made you feel that way, I suggest to them that they should take some time out and learn to approach these things less abrasively ).

You have hit on what may be one of the first major points of musical discovery in your ongoing learning process. If you start with a melody, there is then the question of how to harmonize the melody in order to bring out what you feel is the greatest impact.

The post I actually replied to is no longer visible, but edited to remove the fact the OP cited himself as a 'novice producer' (now that reads so humbly, 'a beginner'), asking for 'tips' and 'links'.
There was no particular music theory question to answer and there still isn't. 'This chord jars with this tune at this spot here, can you tell me about why' is a real question that can be addressed.

I stand by my post and the reason for it. There is a key step that cannot be bypassed, that is to gain some experience with tunes that someone did before, some Beatles, something and you'll find out some things about a tune with some chords for real.

You learn some tunes, off the record, off a fake book, get someone to show you it, something, and look at what happens as you work them, you do an *actual* process of discovery for a while before you decide to write.
It seems so obvious to me. Does someone decide to write a play having no experience with actors reading lines, or never having analyzed a play? A book, having never done a book report...

A book or a website simply isn't going to be an adequate substitute for the real life experience.

[jancivil]

When you start from a free standpoint and create a chord foundation, I think you are going to struggle less in establishing the chord structure than you often will if you try to "match" the chords to a pre-established melody.

That also gives you the opportunity to explore many different melodic possibilities in order to really create some melodic punch against the chord progression you've written.

Do you imagine projecting your own technical limitations (and congratulating another for having the same ones) helps the OP better than my general advice?

[trimph1]

I actually find that learning from a person who knows these things is a lot better than trying to learn it off a computer...a computer is nothing more than an aid to that process...not the be-all-and-end-all like some make it out to be...

[jlocri]

Read the second and third chapters of William Russo's "Composing: a New approach." What you're talking about is pretty beginner's stuff. The exact subject is called harmony and the basics aren't all that confronting, so don't fear the theory. It won't always be a problem. I can't give you a direct link for obvious reasons, but I can tell you that searching that in google along with some other buzzwords gets you some pretty useful results. It's not an uncommon book.

The jist of it is that the notes of your melody must bear some resemblance to the notes of the chord underneath. So if your chord underneath was Am, then the main, important notes of your melody must be an A, a C or an E. Not so important notes are things like passing tones and neighbor tones (which you'll find partially explained here). Over A minor, these tones could be B, D, F or G.

The only hard part is picking out which notes in your melody are "important." A quick tip is that if it appears on the down beats (where the kick hits), it probably should be considered a chord tone. The same is true for upbeats (where the snare hits) for busier melodies.

Don't mind me, just trying to answer OP. Carry on.

I actually find that learning from a person who knows these things is a lot better than trying to learn it off a computer

I actually find that said people are rarer than guys not wasting their time on forums.

On that note, I have my midsem assignment to complete, which was due 5 hours ago.

[A.M. Gold]

Do you imagine projecting your own technical limitations (and congratulating another for having the same ones) helps the OP better than my general advice?

No, I imagine, and know for a fact, that belittling people, as I've seen you do before on this forum, will never help anyone do anything. Most of all, it will not help you.

[Brassman]

I have some problems with sync acapella too.
This took me most of the time .