Beyond your brain, I'd be interested in hearing what your most useful and valued music making tools/resources were/are.
Are they software? An instructor or class? Bandmates/friends? An instrument? A website? A music theory chart or diagram? A book? The works of an artist you admire?
Put another way, what resources have made the biggest positive impact on your musical journey?
For me I'd say my bass, my bass fretboard diagram, BiaB, Studio One, my digital interface and this forum.
EDIT: Add listening to professionally produced music to my list.
Last edited by Bass Thumper; 06/11/2307:35 AM.
https://soundcloud.com/user-646279677 BiaB 2024 Windows For me there’s no better place in the band than to have one leg in the harmony world and the other in the percussive. Thank you Paul Tutmarc and Leo Fender.
The instrument, to me, is moot. All instruments do the same thing. Play notes. It just takes different skills to do it. Press a key, fret a string, blow air through a brass tube...
Later on, songwriting and production classes on my way to the BA.
I would suspect that your first assertion, the brain, is #1 on everybody's list.
However, you need to be left brain strong to take in and retain the knowledge, and yet right brain strong to be creative. The left brain does logic, linear thinking and math, so you need that to use your software, take knowledge from your books, your fretboard diagram, and most importantly, retain it. The right side is all about imagination, visualization, rhythm and arts in general.
Of course you probably knew all of that, but it's just the best way I could answer.
I had this discussion once with a guy (and old bandmate so it was friendly) during a copy vs original discussion. I told him left brain people copy what others have done. Right brain people write their own. Punctuated by my telling him "Right brain people who write are right. Left brain people who copy are left out."
Deciding which rings your bells is a personal thing, but much of how we think is controlled by brain science.
Really good question.
Last edited by eddie1261; 06/11/2306:18 AM.
I am using the new 1040XTRAEZ form this year. It has just 2 lines.
1. How much did you make in 2023? 2. Send it to us.
Eddie, your answer is quite thoughtful and experienced and you can tell that mine is somewhat shallow due to me picking up music late in life.
I agree our brains should be #1 on our lists and that brain science is a vast and interesting subject. In theory, I get the right brain/left brain differences but in my brain it's all just one (musically limited but learning) brain
I can also appreciate how music theory would be high on the list for many.
https://soundcloud.com/user-646279677 BiaB 2024 Windows For me there’s no better place in the band than to have one leg in the harmony world and the other in the percussive. Thank you Paul Tutmarc and Leo Fender.
Great music instructors Music Theory My Guild Starfire V guitar (having a great guitar helps) Band in a box Presonus Studio One
...Deb
Looks like we have BiaB and S1 in common.
https://soundcloud.com/user-646279677 BiaB 2024 Windows For me there’s no better place in the band than to have one leg in the harmony world and the other in the percussive. Thank you Paul Tutmarc and Leo Fender.
Most useful tools/resources... in a general sense, not related to any specific instrument or type of music. The main ones that come to mind are:
My ears Hearing something and recognizing what I'm listening to in a musical way (the product of ear training). The most important tool... listening and making sense of what I hear.
Open Ears & Mind Kind of goes with the above. Listening to different kinds of music and different musicians playing different instruments. For example, I play guitar but I can learn something from Coleman Hawkins or Charlie Parker or Roy Eldridge. I don't play bluegrass and don't care for the sound of a banjo but I can still maybe learn something from Earl Scruggs. Heavy metal ain't my musical cup o tea, but some of the techniques and tools are kind of interesting and might be useful to me in a modified form.... maybe.
Reading Music Learned to read music when I was 10. If a 10 year old can do it anyone can. Reading music isn't required but being able to opens up a lot of resources.
A Metronome Few of us are born with the ability to keep a steady, specific tempo. Gotta learn somehow. Using a simple metronome does the trick.
A Keyboard I play guitar but when I studied music theory I found it much easier to visualize and understand if I used a keyboard or piano. For example, 1-3-5 vs 1-b3-5 vs 1-3-5-b7 are easier for me to see and understand on a keyboard. In fact, any music theory... scales, chords, intervals, progressions, etc... was easier for me to understand and apply on a keyboard. Also helps a great deal with ear training.
And now for some specific tools/resources related to my instrument (guitar) that have made the most impact...
- A good guitar Not necessarily expensive, but one that feels good to play (that first one I had played like barbed wire on a telephone pole) and sounds good to me. That also means the right string gauge and setup. Makes a difference. These days a good guitar doesn't have to be expensive.
- An electric and an acoustic Both. Its all about options. I play them differently... don't know why, just do. The electric gives me a wider sound palette. The acoustic is just me and the guitar; plain and simple... it is what it is. For electric, solid body or semi-hollow or hollow makes a difference. For some things I use a solid body, for others a hollow. Same with acoustic, different materials, different body sizes. There's always a difference from one guitar to another, sometimes slight, but options are good. I discovered that any electric plus any acoustic is the most useful base for me.
- A good modelling amp Played through a JC-120 for decades. Never thought of anything else until recently I picked up a Boss Katana. Opens a huge sonic palette and that's really useful and interesting. Its pushed me in new directions.
- Band in a Box I find it to be quite valuable. I use it to set up backing tracks in various styles. These I use to maintain and improve my improvisational skills. Its tough to improvise to silence.
- The Public Library They have a huge collection of CDs. I can check out and listen to any kind of music for free. They also have a decent collection of printed music. Great resource.
- Every guitar player I've ever heard and quite a few horn players too. I think I've learned at least a little something from everyone. I can't think of any particular guitar player I admire most, but the most influential for me during my formative years were Charlie Christian, Wes Montgomery, Doc Watson, Bert Jansch, Merle Travis, BB King and Leo Kottke.
- One night in February 1964 The Ed Sullivan TV show. Those four guys from Liverpool looked like they were having so much fun that I thought "I gotta do THAT. Right now right away."
A Keyboard I play guitar but when I studied music theory I found it much easier to visualize and understand if I used a keyboard or piano. For example, 1-3-5 vs 1-b3-5 vs 1-3-5-b7 are easier for me to see and understand on a keyboard. In fact, any music theory... scales, chords, intervals, progressions, etc... was easier for me to understand and apply on a keyboard. Also helps a great deal with ear training.
This. It is SO much easier to see intervals when those intervals are next to each other key to key than on frets where you also factor in playing the same notes by changing strings. I have tried to explain half steps and whole steps to a friend who owns 6 guitars but can't play a note and to try to explain how the open 2nd string is the same as the 3rd string on fret 4 (And why I say learn the next in a planar fashion rather than top to bottom. Learn where every A is, then every B. And so on.) is like speaking Swahili to a deaf person. Then I had him put on a guitar and stand behind me while I showed him that moving from one fret to the next is the same as moving from one key to the next key with no regard for white or black. Just "next". But as soon as the talk turned to half steps and whole steps on the guitar and scales he got lost.
I left him with "Learn what WWHWWWH means and you can play a major scale. That's step one."
And this is where I get frustrated with him. He says often that he gets bored because there isn't much to do. And I tell him "THAT is when you pick up your guitar and learn how to play it."
I am using the new 1040XTRAEZ form this year. It has just 2 lines.
1. How much did you make in 2023? 2. Send it to us.
Reading Music Learned to read music when I was 10. If a 10 year old can do it anyone can. Reading music isn't required but being able to opens up a lot of resources.
All good points jdew. What jumped out to me is reading music. If I could turn back time I would have spent my paper route money on music lessons and learning to read music. That said, I'm beginning to learn TAB now and find it very useful. Maybe some day I'll learn to read sheet.
https://soundcloud.com/user-646279677 BiaB 2024 Windows For me there’s no better place in the band than to have one leg in the harmony world and the other in the percussive. Thank you Paul Tutmarc and Leo Fender.
Difficult one to answer. Besides brain and inborn talent (and in no particular order).
Education, from school—to private lessons—to music education books—to other musicians willing to share tips and tricks—to self discovery—to experience performing for live audiences to make a living for decades. This includes theory, performance, arranging and learning how to sing and play sax, wind synth, flute, bass, guitar, drums, and keyboard synth.
The physical instruments themselves. When I learned to play more than one, I found that each instrument tells you how it wants to be played. They all have different ways of expressing themselves. In other words, I don't play the instruments, I let the instruments play me.
Even different instruments of the same genre. I don't play the tenor sax like the alto, soprano, or baritone, nor do I play the acoustic guitar like I do the electric.
Software: MIDI sequencer/DAW, Band-in-a-Box, Notation apps. And I must mention the ever-improving hardware that makes these apps work so well.
Learning how to listen to music. I credit my father and my first band director for getting me started with this. My ears are my most important musical instrument.
Listening and playing a variety of genres. Like musical instruments, each genre has its way of expressing itself. I started with Classical and added rock (from Elvis to Metallica), pop, blues, jazz, country, Latin American types, Caribbean types, and many others. It takes listening and practicing being authentic in each genre. But each experience teaches me something new about music, and makes me play the other genres better.
I think one of the most interesting things about music, is that no matter how much you know, there is always something new to learn around the next corner.
I'm sure I missed something else. Later in the day it'll probably just pop into my head
Difficult one to answer. Besides brain and inborn talent (and in no particular order).
Education, from school—to private lessons—to music education books—to other musicians willing to share tips and tricks—to self discovery—to experience performing for live audiences to make a living for decades. This includes theory, performance, arranging and learning how to sing and play sax, wind synth, flute, bass, guitar, drums, and keyboard synth.
Yikes, you certainly have a bunch of resources that run a large gamut. I doubt I have the time to explore all this but maybe that's what it takes to really master the domain.
https://soundcloud.com/user-646279677 BiaB 2024 Windows For me there’s no better place in the band than to have one leg in the harmony world and the other in the percussive. Thank you Paul Tutmarc and Leo Fender.
Reading Music Learned to read music when I was 10. If a 10 year old can do it anyone can. Reading music isn't required but being able to opens up a lot of resources.
A Metronome Few of us are born with the ability to keep a steady, specific tempo. Gotta learn somehow. Using a simple metronome does the trick.
.............................
I also started to read music around 10 plus I have taken some theory courses. I agree being able to read music opens up a lot of doors. Plus a lot of my friends whom didn't learn to read music quit playing.
I also agree that you must learn to keep a steady tempo.
You know you're getting old when a recliner and a heating pad is your idea of a hot date!
64 bit Win 10 Pro, the latest BiaB/RB, Roland Octa-Capture audio interface, a ton of software/hardware
................. What jumped out to me is reading music. If I could turn back time I would have spent my paper route money on music lessons and learning to read music. That said, I'm beginning to learn TAB now and find it very useful. Maybe some day I'll learn to read sheet.
I didn't have tabs back when I started to play guitar. I learned to play guitar with the only source available at the time, the Mel Bay guitar course. So today tabs without notation is totally useless to me. Most all of the time when I am using tabs with notation I am mostly reading the notation and using a little of the tabs to put me in the right starting position fret wise. I can not play using just tabs. Note that I played the trumpet prior to picking up the guitar so I did have a head start as I could already read the treble clef.
My advice is to start learning to read music today! You already have your fingers working on that bass so all you need to learn is where to put your fingers when you see a note and how long to keep it there. It really isn't that hard.
{edit} This is the course I used when I was teaching bass guitar:
This is quite a software list. BiaB and Reaper are the only 2 I'm familiar with. If you don't mind me asking, how do you use Scaler2 in your workflow or study time?
https://soundcloud.com/user-646279677 BiaB 2024 Windows For me there’s no better place in the band than to have one leg in the harmony world and the other in the percussive. Thank you Paul Tutmarc and Leo Fender.
If you don't mind me asking, how do you use Scaler2 in your workflow or study time?
Don't mind at all. thanks for asking. Simply put, Scaler2 impacts, in one way or another, every chord progression I write. Like BIAB it is a boundless source of inspiration for constructing the core of my music. It outputs the chord progession as midi along with accompiament when needed.
However, before I attempt to detail my workflow, you first have to read this past thread...
I have to warn you, it is what I believe to be the second most viewed threads in forum history. Second only to Don Glover's joke thread. But should have background to explain Scalers role.
After you have perused the thread I will be glad to expand on any element.
Difficult one to answer. Besides brain and inborn talent (and in no particular order).
Education, from school—to private lessons—to music education books—to other musicians willing to share tips and tricks—to self discovery—to experience performing for live audiences to make a living for decades. This includes theory, performance, arranging and learning how to sing and play sax, wind synth, flute, bass, guitar, drums, and keyboard synth.
Yikes, you certainly have a bunch of resources that run a large gamut. I doubt I have the time to explore all this but maybe that's what it takes to really master the domain.
The more you involve yourself, the more you learn.
I haven't figured out how to master music yet. The more I learn, and the better I get, the more I see that I want to learn to make what I do even better. Plus, I have several instruments to learn new skills on.
I have some recommendations for every musician who plays in a modern, pop music of any kind.
Learn how to read music
Learn basic music theory
Learn to play drums, at least the first dozen or so rudiments. That will tell you how to listen to drums, which will help you play all other instruments in a group
Learn to play and memorize at least these scales and their arpeggios on your chosen non-drum instrument: major, natural minor, harmonic minor, melodic minor, major pentatonic and minor pentatonic. If you are not playing a transposing instrument like a guitar, learn them in all 12 keys. Since music is made from segments of these, when playing, your fingers will find these without a lot of brain work from you.
Listen to singers in all genres of music. Not the words but the inflections, pitch bends, dynamics and so on. This will teach you how to sing on your instrument.
Listen to different genres of music.
Listen to each instrument in a great song from start to finish. When you have that down, listen to how the parts each musician plays interacts with each other.
Find a good teacher when starting out, who will teach you the right (easy) way to play your instrument. Learning bad habits is a lot easier than breaking bad habits so you can play better.
Have fun when playing. OK, practice is not work, but it's repetition and not nearly as much fun as playing the song. But once you learn the song, and it's 'under your fingers', turn the language part of your brain off, and just have fun. If you are having fun, the audience will hear that. They don't call it playing music for nothing.
All this makes the beginning of learning slower, but once down, everything from then on will go much, much quicker, and in the long run, you will be farther ahead of yourself if you didn't learn these basics first.
Let me explain about the drums. We moved to a then small town when I was midterm in the 6th grade. In the 7th, I joined the band. All the instruments were already rented, so the new people got a practice pad and a pair of drumsticks. How disappointing, because I wanted to play baritone horn (Euphonium).
Then the tenor sax player's family moved, and the band director asked who would like to play sax. I had already moved up the drum ranks, and was so enthusiastic about any melodic instrument, the band director picked me.
In retrospect, both were the best things that could have happened to me. (1) since drums are the foundation of most pop music forms, it gave me that and (2) saxophone is much more commercial than Baritone Horn. Not too many baritone players get gigs.
I've played sax and drums in band but also learned flute, wind synthesizer, bass, guitar, and keyboard synths plus I learned to sing lead vocals. I've played all of these in bands, too.
With my theory, and music arranging classes, it all primed me to make user styles for Band-in-a-Box. That started as a hobby and with the help of Peter Gannon turned into a business.
If I live to be 200 years old, I figure there will still be new musical adventures to learn around the next corner.
Somewhere when I was studying composition and arrangement I also started to listen critically to music. That, along with furthering my understanding of compositional structures and harmony, is what I would attribute the most important steps towards becoming proficient in composing. Learning to play a vast amount of music was also immensely impactful as it brought me closer to the work and allowed me to pick up on a lot of tricks. I suppose neither of those are really tools per se, but it did provide me with the tools needed later in life.
I also started to read music around 10 plus I have taken some theory courses. I agree being able to read music opens up a lot of doors. Plus a lot of my friends whom didn't learn to read music quit playing.
I also agree that you must learn to keep a steady tempo.
Mario, thanks for your inputs. I can see that starting at age 10 is a real advantage. Those that are multi-lingual (able to fluently speak multiple languages) quite often learn those languages at an early age. Most of us don't seem to be particularly wired for that later in life.
That said, I'm realizing that Tab is a good jumping-in "language" that hopefully can serve as a stepping stone to sheet music. Plus I have observed bass Tabs are available at the Ultimate Guitar site for many songs.
https://soundcloud.com/user-646279677 BiaB 2024 Windows For me there’s no better place in the band than to have one leg in the harmony world and the other in the percussive. Thank you Paul Tutmarc and Leo Fender.
User Video: Band-in-a-Box® + ChatGPT = Impressed the BOSS!
Since AI is now readily available online as a resource for many things, we recently put together and shared a video where we demonstrated how to create a song using Band-in-a-Box®, ChatGPT, and Synth V; we've also shared a Bob Doyle Media video, Convert MIDI Chords into AI Vocal Harmonies with ACE Studio and Band in A Box, showing how they utilize AI for their song projects. Now it's time to share Henry's video, Band-in-a-Box + ChatGPT = Impressed the BOSS!, where he demonstrates how to use ChatGPT and Band-in-a-Box to whip a song project together in only 3-4 hours.
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If you've reviewed our Support page, you've probably noticed the Videos page, which separates our Band-in-a-Box® tutorial videos by category: Overview, VST DAW Plugin, Setup, Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced, and there's even an Archive category to go down memory lane... (You'll also find these videos on our YouTube Channel.)
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Band-in-a-Box® 2024 apporte plus de 50 fonctions nouvelles ainsi qu'une importante de contenus nouveaux à savoir : 222 RealTracks, des RealStyles nouveaux, des SuperTracks MIDI, des Etudes d'Instruments, des Prestations d'Artistes, des "Morceaux avec Choeurs", un Set 3 de Tracks Jouables, un Set 2 de RealDrums Jouables, deux nouveaux Sets de "RealDrums Stems", des Styles XPro PAK 6, des Xtra Styles PAK 17 et bien plus encore!
Video: Making a Song with Band-in-a-Box®, ChatGPT, and Synth V
Take your Band-in-a-Box® project to a whole new level when you incorporate ChatGPT and Synth V to add lyrics and vocals to your song!
We wanted to demonstrate how this is done with our video, where we show you how to go from nothing to a finished "radio ready" modern pop song by combining the features of Band-in-a-Box®, ChatGPT, and Synth V!
User Video: Convert MIDI Chords into AI Vocal Harmonies with ACE Studio and Band-in-a-Box®
The Bob Doyle Media YouTube channel is known for demonstrating how you can creatively incorporate AI into your projects - from your song projects to avatar building to face swapping, and more!
His latest video, Convert MIDI Chords into AI Vocal Harmonies with ACE Studio and Band-in-a-Box, he explains in detail how you can use the Melodist feature in Band-in-a-Box with ACE Studio. Follow along as he goes from "nothing" to "something" with his Band-in-a-Box MIDI Melodist track, using ACE Studio to turn it into a vocal track (or tracks, you'll see) by adding lyrics for those notes that will trigger some amazing AI vocals!
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