This tutorial is the fourth and final installment in a series of tutorials on composition - specifically composition that might be appropriate for film, television, etc. The intention with this series of tutorials is to walk you through the process of one of my compositions. It is intended to offer some new ideas and perspectives and hopefully give a bit of creative inspiration, but by no means should it be considered definitive - even for my own personal compositional process.
The Process of Score Composition, Pt 3
May 25th in Composition by West LattaThis tutorial is the third in a series of tutorials on composition - specifically composition that might be appropriate for film, television, etc. The intention with this series of tutorials is to walk you through the process of one of my compositions. It is intended to offer some new ideas and perspectives and hopefully give a bit of creative inspiration, but by no means should it be considered definitive - even for my own personal compositional process.
The Rule of Three and Music
May 11th in Composition by Ryan LeachThe Rule of Three is a popular concept used in many art forms such as writing and photography to achieve a balance of elements and structure. There is little discussion of The Rule of Three being applied to music, however, though the same concept can be applied to just about every aspect of our craft. From the first sketches of a composition to the production of a final mix, we can use this simple device to achieve a balance of interest and clarity so that our ideas are clearly expressed and heard.
The Process of Score Composition, Pt 2
May 1st in Composition by West LattaThis tutorial is the second in a series of tutorials on composition - specifically composition that might be appropriate for film, television, etc. The intention with this series of tutorials is to walk you through the process of one of my compositions. It is intended to offer some new ideas and perspectives and hopefully give a bit of creative inspiration, but by no means should it be considered definitive - even for my own personal compositional process.
The Process of Score Composition, Pt 1
Apr 20th in Composition by West LattaThis tutorial marks the first in a series of tutorials on composition - specifically composition that might be appropriate for film and television. In this piece, we’ll talk a bit about the philosophy behind this particular series of tutorials, and get into the process of composition itself.
Play Chords with One Finger Using Logic Pro’s Chord Memorizer
Jan 4th in Composition by Toby PitmanReally bad at playing keyboards? Lost that creative spark? Here’s a tutorial showing you how to create some cool ideas using a little known object in Logic called the Chord Memorizer. Buried inside the dreaded Environment, this MIDI tool can help you build anything from new musical ideas to complex layered sounds — with one finger!
How to Add the Experimental to Electronica, Part 1
Nov 10th in Composition by Paul TaylorIt’s a bit of a shame that the abstract electronica genre isn’t thriving commercially the way it used to be. The heyday of labels like Warp Records and Planet Mu has long gone, and very few experimental electronica producers are making a living from their music.
That said, there’s a great wealth of absolutely amazing free electronica out there. I’d recommend any fan of electronic music to take a listen to the brilliant Bleepshow podcast for many fantastic examples. It’s a highly creative area, and one which needs a constant supply of fresh talent, so it’s a good time to get started!
How to Create a Compelling Ostinato
Sep 26th in Composition by Ryan LeachThe ostinato pattern is a staple of modern music; across every genre you’ll find countless examples of pieces that at their core revolve around a single repeating ostinato pattern.
In this tutorial we’ll look at how to create an ostinato pattern from a simple outline, give it a unique and intriguing sound, and use this pattern as a basic building block for creating your own original compositions.
How to Add Interest to Your Chord Progression
Aug 25th in Composition by Joel FalconerSometimes we spend hours, days, even months, struggling to find the perfect chord progression to suit the lyrics we’ve written. And then we find it, only to get bored sick of the same chords being repeated over, and over, and over again.
If you listen to some of the great songwriters, you’ll notice that the chorus progressions, if not all progressions in the song, are constantly being varied in both subtle and obvious ways. This tutorial will take you through a bunch of ways to vary up your chord progressions to retain not only your own interest, but your listeners’ interest as well.
11 Totally Free VST Synthesizers That Sound Great
Aug 22nd in Composition by Joel FalconerIt can be hard to find a good synth plug-in, and there are plenty on the market that will have you wondering why you ever parted with your money. Fortunately, this list offers no such disappointments, because everything on it is totally free!
These are all VST synths—while some developers may offer ports for other plug-in architectures, most don’t, so if your workstation of choice doesn’t support VST you might have a hard time finding something you can use here. That said, flick through the list and to each developer’s website and see if they have something that’ll work for you.
