At a certain point, you want to expand beyond the standard guitar chords such as C, D, E minor and the like. You may get out on the web and read about chords that have letter names with numbers after them, like G 13, C 9, or A augmented. I’m referring to these chords as…… Continue reading The “no music theory” introduction to exotic chords and how to use them
In the world of music psychology, you often hear discussion about our sense of aesthetics, our perception of musical beauty. People offer various theories as to why we find certain aspects of music attractive or not. Often, for instance, it’s postulated that appealing melodies duplicate the human manner of speaking. These melodies don’t just offer…… Continue reading Are music aesthetics learned or innate?
Reddit, if you don;t know, is a useful site where people discuss all sorts of topics. I just stumbled across this great collection of links to all the reddits related to creating music. How to get the most out of reddit as a musician.
Warning: this is a rather philosophical post with limited practical value. đ In the world of music psychology and such you often see music compared and contrasted to language. This makes sense as both music and language use sound. Some would argue that they both use sound to communicate. In language, we know if a statement…… Continue reading Emotional meaning in music
While bumbling around on Twitter I came across this article. Hypercreators Own The Music Industry & You Need To Become One The article seeks to answer the question: how does one succeed in the music creation business? The short answer is: work harder (e.g create more.) The article is about all kinds of music but its…… Continue reading Hypercreators
Amper Music, an AI music composition tool I mentioned a while back, recently announced a four million dollar investment. Forbes took the opportunity to post an article about the AI music space in general. If you’re curious about this sort of thing (as I am) it’s worth a look. In particular I was interested in this…… Continue reading Forbes on AI Music
In previous posts here I’ve talked about the idea of computers and AI composing music. Today I’d like to consider the possibility of computers aiding in human composition. Specifically I ask: can we envision a software that works with humans, particularly non-musicians, to create music? One might ask, âwhy would we even try?â I think…… Continue reading Software that helps humans compose
In a previous post, I pointed to my “Star Wars” theory of guitar solos. This is the idea that solos should be like stories; they should offer a variety of dynamic levels, from mellow to exciting. To build the solo effectively, the first half should have more mellow sections and the last half should have…… Continue reading Creating dynamics in guitar solos
I’ve occasionally stumbled unto the advice that a guitar solo should tell a story. But what is really meant by that? Let’s take a look a great story: Star Wars. What happens in that movie? Well, Luke Skywalker stumbles across some lost droids belonging to the old nomad, Ben Kenobi. Upon receiving the droids, Ben tells…… Continue reading What can Star Wars teach us about writing a great guitar solo?
I’ve been writing lately about the rise of computer songwriting/composition and how that could affect the job market for musicians. There’s another concern tied to all this, a more philosophical concern. How does the rise of creative software affect our notion of what it is to be human? This question really transcends music and applies…… Continue reading How could creative computers affect human psychology?
Wil Forbis Music 