Get your best shoes ready for the dance floor because the latest in electronic music is yet to come! With this guide you will learn how to compose dance music and produce it.
Steps
Step 1. Decide what kind of music you would listen to
The only way to do that is by listening to a lot of different music until you find the sound or style that you like best. Listen to the main ones like Trance, House, Drum n Bass, Garage, Hip Hop, UK / Happy Hardcore and other totally different types of sub-genres. Do not limit yourself to genres and hits of the moment, look for new artists and experiment.
Step 2. Start with your rhythm
The beat sustains the whole song and it is up to it how good the music will be. To get a good beat, listen to dance music and try to recognize only the characteristics of the drums. Dance music is almost always 4/4 like Galvanize by The Chemical Brothers where they play a 2/4 bar every few instrumental measures. The Hi hat sounds good with eighth or sixteenth notes. Rolls are used to accentuate and syncopate the rhythm. Try to use the electronic rolls and stay away from the clap, because it is used a lot in hip-hop.
Step 3. Create a bass line
Dance music is based on repetition and usually begins with a catchy bass line. The bass line can also be the rhythm of the harmonic progression you have created.
Step 4. Start layering
The more you advance in the song, the more action there should be. Usually some layers are rhythms in the harmonic progression, others are the same note or “riff” played over and over again despite the progression.
Step 5. Listen to how the music sounds
If something doesn't sound right then it's up to you to find out why. All music is based on theory and the same theory has been used for over 400 years. The reason it is good to study theory is to learn what musicians in the past discovered for themselves.
Step 6. After you think you have a song that sounds good, work through the changes throughout the song
You can remove the drums and bass sounds to leave a string riff, or you can let a good beat play on its own. Also, you can change styles completely. As I mentioned previously, this is your song. You must be the creative one.
Step 7. Create letters if you wish
Listen to your favorite dance songs. You may want to rap or make two lines that rhyme and sound good repeating them in certain parts of the song. Also, you can do them in rock format with a verse and a chorus. Finally, you can take out your 40 year old nursery rhymes or your favorite Robert Frost poem and read or sing it! It depends on you.
Step 8. Produce the song
Find someone who can record music or bring it to a computer unless you can do it yourself. Then make the final touches in case there are any mistakes. Then you can get an official recording studio by submitting some song demos. You need to learn the business side of music to be successful, so check out the external links.
Advice
- Be patient. Progress towards a quality product happens gradually and usually does not happen in a short period of time. Getting involved in other activities outside of production often helps prevent the dreaded "writer's block."
- Get others to listen to your music and ask for their opinions and criticisms. Those who are musically trained often give the most valuable advice.
- Make sure you are using something other than your computer's factory speakers to write your songs. Even a pair of headphones can have a wider sound range and allow you to correctly judge the relationship between bass and treble sounds.
- Be creative and believe in yourself! Anyone can write a song, it just takes practice and time to improve as with any skill!
- Criticism and applause are valuable in evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of a piece of music.