Scary Music

In honor of Halloween, class today will be dedicated to the scary side of music and the use of Sound FX in your beats. To start with we will watch a classic moment of scariness in pop music...

So adding FX can be an easy way to add more interesting elements to your music. Reason already has some FX in it (check in the folder for the NNXT). But there are also lots of websites that offer free FX to download. Since it is Halloween today, we will use a website that offers scary FX - click here.

So, to hear what each one sounds like, just click on it. When you find one you like, do the following:

1. Hold Control on your keyboard and click on the name of the effect in the list.
2. Select "Download Linked File" from the list. The file will be saved to your Desktop.

Here is your assignment:

Make me a SCARY beat using 3-4 sound FX from the website!

1. First download 3-4 FX from the website.
2. Open Reason and start a new file.
3. Create a Redrum and one NN19 for every effect that you downloaded.
4. To load your FX into the NN19, click on the Browse Sample button and find the sample on your Desktop.
5. Make a beat using the Redrum and whatever other instruments you want. 
6. Record yourself playing the samples from the keyboard. Note how you can make them play at different pitches by playing different keys.
7. Save your beat as "(your name)_scary.rns".
8. Put a copy in the dropoff folder for extra credit.

Happy Halloween!

Song Structure (part 3) - The Bridge

So today is the last day for us to finish up our projects. Remember, that to get full credit, you must have these elements:

1. A basic song structure including an Intro, Verses (at least 2), and Choruses (at least 2)
2. At least 6 different instruments (only 1 Dr. Rex!)

Now, if you have all the requirements met and want to try to pick up some extra credit, you can add in a PreChorus, which we discussed on Tuesday, or a Bridge...

A Bridge is a musical/lyrical change in a song that comes in after a couple of verses and choruses. Its purpose is to switch things up for the listener and keep things from getting too repetitive. A bridge is typically 8 bars long.

So, before I let you get back to working on your songs, let's listen to the song, "The Instrumental" by Lupe Fiasco and analyze the structure. Besides counting the numbers of verses and choruses, I want you to try to pick out where the bridge comes in...

Song Structure (pt. 2) - Intro & Prechorus

Yesterday we started focusing on building our songs around Verses and Choruses.

Recap:
- What is a verse and how long is it usually?
- What is a chorus and how long is it usually?

New question: How many verses and choruses do you usually have in a song?

To help us get a general idea about this, everyone is going to listen on headphones to the T.I. song, "Whatever You Like" and count the number of verses and choruses. Before we start this though, let's identify together what the chorus in this song is...

» Get your own FREE music player

So there are two more parts of this song that I want you to pay attention to. The first one is the very beginning of the song, aka...

The Intro is the start of the song. Its purpose is to build suspense for the listener so that there is more excitement when the Verse or Chorus kicks in. There are lots of ways to make an intro; two really easy ones are to have the song start with either no drums or only the drums. An Intro is usually 2-4 bars long.

A little bit more complicated is something called a Prechorus...

A PreChorus is a little section that goes in between the Verse and the Chorus. Its purpose is to connect the two and make the transition between them a little smoother, or help create suspense so that the Chorus hits harder. Sometimes this is like a whole new musical section, other times it can just be the last part of the verse that always gets repeated along with the Chorus. The PreChorus is usually about 4 bars long. 

In "Whatever You Like",  the PreChorus is the part where he says "I want your body, need your body etc."  What else is happening the beat in this section? Any new instruments?

So, the whole song could be broken down like this...

Intro - Ch - V1 - (PreCh) Ch - V2 - (PreCh) Ch - V3 - (PreCh) Ch - V4 - (PreCh) Ch

How can you use this formula to apply to your songs?

Song Project - due 10/30

For the next 3 days (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday) you will be working on putting together a complete song and then turn it in for a grade.  Your song must include all the following elements to get full credit:

1. A Pop song structure, including an Intro, Verse, Chorus and Outro
2. At least 6 instruments - but only 1 Dr. Rex please!
3. Extra credit for including a Bridge or Pre Chorus.

This project will count as a DOUBLE QUIZ (20 points), so please be sure to get it in by the end of class on Thursday 10/30.

Song Structure (pt. 1) - Verse & Chorus

Alright, so we have been working hard learning all the main functions of Reason and how to put together really good loops. Now it's time to take all this information to start creating really polished pieces of music, aka SONGS!!!

Before we can really create songs though, it is probably a good idea to take a minute to think about how songs are put together. If you've never thought about it before, songs can seem like these big mysterious things, but the truth is that 95% of what we listen to follows a very consistent structure and formula, which you already know just from being a music listener.

A song is basically like telling a story. It has to have a certain flow to keep the listener's interest. There are

The Core

The core of most songs is just two parts switching off. These parts are:

1. The Verse
2. The Chorus (aka "the Hook")

The verse is where the main part of the song gets sung or rapped; it's where the singer/MC tells a story or lays out what he/she is trying to say. Normally, there aren't very many instruments in this part because you don't want the singer for the listener's attention. A verse is typically 16 bars long.

The chorus is the part that repeats several times throughout the song. It usually the most exciting part where people can sing along. Part of what usually makes a chorus exciting is that you have lots of instruments come in and everything gets louder. A chorus is typically 8 bars long.

So let's take a minute to analyze the song, "Disturbia" by Rihanna. Pay attention to where the verse and chorus switch up, and what goes on with the beat when they switch.
Rihanna - Disturbia by lcskier247

Friday Quiz 10/24

In today's quiz you will be remixing a sample from a popular TV show's theme song.

This will test your ability to change Dr. Rex sample loops using both PITCH and TIME. And in creating a 32 step Redrum drum beat that goes with the sample.

1. Go into the Pickupdropoff folder and find the Dr. Rex file called Dora.rx2. (Pickupdropoff>Runde>Pickup>Samples>Dora.rx2). Drag a copy to your folder.
   
2. Open Reason
3. Create a Dr. Rex
4. Click on the "Folder" in the upper left hand corner.
5. Select the Dora sample from your folder.
6. Click "TO TRACK"
7. Now we want to adjust the PITCH and TIME of the sample.
8. To do this we need to change two things:  To change the Time, change your Tempo. Set it to anything except what it says on the Dr. Rex.
9. To change the Pitch, use the keyboard on the Dr. Rex to change the pitch of your sample up or down.
10. Now create a Redrum and make a 32 step drum pattern using a Clap/Snare, Bass Drum, Hi Hat, and Percussion. 
11. Create a Dr. Rex. Load a Percussion Loop and adjust the PITCH. Put it "TO TRACK."
12. Save your beat as "(your name)_Quiz 10-24"
13. Put a copy in the Dropoff folder to get credit!!!  (Pickupdropoff>Runde>Dropoff>Period 5)

Have a great weekend!

Dr. Rex - working with slices

It seems like everyone is pretty comfortable these days with using the Dr. Rex and putting loops into their songs. Now let's take this all a step further and check out another way to work with Dr. Rex...slices!

Take a look at the main window of the Dr. Rex. What you are seeing is a waveform or picture of the actual sound wave of the sample you are using. If you look closely, you will see that this waveform is broken up into different sections. Each of these sections is called a slice.

When you hit the To Track button, Reason puts all of these slices into your song in order, so the whole sample plays back. BUT, if you want to, you can just play back the slices that you like using your keyboard.

When you load a sample into the Dr. Rex, the keys starting with C will all each have a slice assigned to them. You can play them the same way you would play the notes of another instrument.

So, today you're going to make a beat by playing the sounds from a Dr. Rex loop live. This is sort of complicated to explain, so we're going to work in a couple of steps.

Step 1

1. Start a new Reason file.
2. Create a Redrum drum machine
3. Make a SIMPLE drum beat using only a bass and a snare/clap.
4. Use Copy Pattern to Track to put the beat into your song for 2 bars (L marker on Bar 1, R marker on Bar 3)

Step 2

1. Now create a Dr. Rex
2. Find a drum loop that has some sounds you like and load it into the Dr. Rex (Reason Factory Sound Bank>Dr Rex Drum Loops)
3. Now find the keys on your keyboard that play the kick and snare from this loop.
4. Hit play and listen to your original Redrum beat.
5. Practice playing the kick and snare from the Dr. Rex along with the Redrum. The idea here is to play your drums at the same time as the ones in the Redrum.
   
6. When you've got it down, Record yourself playing along for 2 bars.
7. Quantize your performance to fix the timing.
8. Now MUTE the Redrum so that you only hear the Dr. Rex playing.

Step 3

Now I want you to fill out your song using the Dr. Rex. You can do this in a couple of different ways:

• You can make a more complicated beat from the drum loop you've been working with
• You can Create another Dr. Rex and load an Instrument Loop. Try playing different parts of the loop with your keyboard.

Save this as (your name)_drrexbeat.rns.  Put a copy in the Dropoff folder. 

Dr. Rex Remix

Today we're going to continue working with the Dr. Rex to make a remix of a song that uses a famous sample. First, let's learn a new function available on the Dr. Rex, pitch change.

Changing pitch is pretty easy. You basically just change the note in this part of the Dr Rex:

What you will hear is the sample playing in a lower or higher pitch, but at the same speed. This means that you can take a sample and then adjust it so that it is in the same key as the rest of your song.

So today, you are going to make a remix that uses a sample from a Michael Jackson song, PYT. Have you heard this sample used in any other songs?

Listen.

Assignment:

1. Copy the sample to your folder. Get it at: Pickupdropoff>Runde>Period5>PYT.rx2
2. Open Reason and Create a Dr Rex loop player
3. Load PYT.rx2 into the Dr Rex
4. Lower the tempo to 100 BPMs
5. Change the note on the Dr Rex to Bflat
6. Put the L marker on Bar 1 and the R marker on Bar 5.
7. Click the To Track button on the Dr.Rex.
   
8. Create a Redrum and make a beat to go under it.
9. Create a Malstrom or Subtractor and load an instrument that sounds good with the sample.
   
10. Play notes until you find the one that matches up with the very first part of the sample. Now you know what key the song is in! Do you think this song uses the Major or Minor scale?
    
11. Find some notes that go along with the sample and record a melody.
12. Save your file as "(your name)_Good Life.rns" and put a copy in the Dropoff folder (Pickupdropoff>Runde>Dropoff>Period 5).

If you are stuck on what to play, here are a few tips...

• Remember that the easiest way to figure out notes that work are to figure out the steps of the scale you're working with:

• Major Scale: W-W-H-W-W-W-H
• Minor Scale: W-H-W-W-H-W-W
• Listen to what Kanye is playing in the song...He is playing the same notes as the chipmunk singing part. The notes are: E-D-E-A-C-E-D.
  
• A good Subtractor sound is a Mono Synth patch called Detune Lead.zyp.

Dr. Rex assignment

Today you are going to continue working with the Dr. Rex and practice using it to enhance your own original beats. Basically, what I want you to do is to make an original beat with the Redrum and another instrument (NN19/Subtractor/Malstrom).

This assignment will be graded as a quiz, so be sure to turn it in!

Here is your assignment:

1. Open Reason and make a new file (File>New)
2. Create a Redrum and quickly make a new drum pattern
3. Create an NN19/Subtractor/Malstrom and record a simple melody or bass line over the drums.
4. Now copy both the drums and the melody so that they end on Bar 17.
5. Create a Dr. Rex and load a loop from the Percussion loops that sounds good with your beat. (Reason Factory Soundbank>Dr Rex Percussion loops)
6. Move your markers so that the L marker is on Bar 13 and the R marker is on Bar 17.
7. Click the To Track button on your Dr. Rex to put the loop into your song.
8. Now move the L marker to Bar 17 and the R marker to Bar 25.
9. Create another Dr. Rex and load a loop from the Drum Loops folder (Reason Factory Soundbank>Dr Rex Drum Loops).
10. Click the To Track button on your Dr. Rex to put the loop into your song.
11. Create one more Dr. Rex and load a loop from the Instrument Loops folder (Reason Factory Soundbank>Dr Rex Instrument Loops)
12. Click the To Track button on your Dr. Rex to put the loop into your song.
13. Move the L marker to Bar 1 and hit play. Listen to how the beat changes up.
14. If you like it, save it to your folder as "(your name)_Dr Rex2.rns".
15. To turn this in, drag a copy of your file to the Dropoff folder: Pickupdropoff>Runde>Dropoff>Period 5.

Have a great weekend!

Introducing the Dr. REX (part 1)

Today we're going to start working with a new instrument called the Dr. REX loop player.

Basically, the Dr. REX is a sampler like the NN19 that you've been working with. Both of these instruments let you load sounds into them and play them back. There are some important differences that we'll get into next time, but for now you will see that the Dr. REX plays pre-made loops of music.

A loop is a short piece of music that can be played over and over. You have already been learning how to make your own loops in this class!

The Dr. REX comes with a whole bunch of loops that you can load into it the same way you load a sound into any of the other instrument. There are three main types of loops that you can load:

• Drum Loops
• Instrument Loops
• Percussion Loops

Once you've loaded a loop, there are two main buttons on the Dr. REX that you need to know so that you can work with it in an actual song. The first one is the Preview button, which lets you listen to the loop.

The second one is the To Track button, which will actually put the loop into the Sequencer Window. The To Track button is basically like the Copy Pattern to Track button in the Redrum. When you press this button, Reason will put the loop in between the L and R Markers as many times as will fit.

Assignment:
1. Open Reason and create a new file.

2. Set the Tempo to 100 BPMs.
2. Create a Dr. REX loop player.
3. Load the following loop: Reason Factory Sound Bank>Dr. REX Instrument Loops>Various Hip Hop Loops>Hhp_Basstarr_093_Chronic.rx2
4. Set the L marker to Bar 1 and the R marker to Bar 9.
5. Click the To Track button.
6. Hit Play and listen to the loop.
7. Now create 2 more Dr. REX players .
8. In the first one, load a sound from the Dr Rex Drum Loops folder that sounds good with the melody.
9. In the 2nd one, load a sound from the Dr Rex Percussion Loops folder that adds more rhythm to the song.
10. Save the file to your folder as "(your name)_DrRex1.rns".
11. If you have time, try doing any of the following:

• Add a Redrum and make your own drum beat to go under your Dr. Rex loops.
• Add a Malstrom/NN19/Subtractor and come up with an original bassline or melody.
• Start copying and pasting the Dr. REX loops to extend your song out to at least 16 bars. Try having the Percussion loop only come in at certain parts (e.g. Bar 5-9, 13-17)

Original Beat Assignment - 10/10

Today, instead of a quiz, you are going to work on creating an original beat where you will apply the things we have been learned so far. Here is what you need to do...

1. First, spend 15 min. creating a 32-step drum pattern with the Redrum.
2. Pick a scale that you want to work with (Major/Minor) and the key that you want that scale to start with. Write out the notes of the scale on a piece of paper.
   
3. Using just 3-4 notes from the scale you picked, create an original bass line using a Malstrom or Subtractor synthesizer.
4. Create one more instrument (NN19, Subtractor or Malstrom) and add at least a few more notes to go with the bass.

When you have finished, save your beat as "(your name)_original beat.rns" and have Mr. Runde save it to his jump drive.

Have a great long weekend!

Makeup Day

Due to the EXTREME number of absences in this first marking period and the low grades that some students currently have, I have decided to give folks a chance to make up quizzes that have not been turned in. Everyone will be receiving a piece of paper that shows their current grade in the class and the quizzes that I have not received from that person. 

Today is your chance to make up any work for *FULL CREDIT*. As always, you are also welcome to come in during lunch at any point in the term to make up quizzes/classwork, but I will take off two points unless you had an excused absence. Today that rule will not apply, so please take advantage of it.

If you finish all your work, you can ask Mr. Runde for a keyboard and headphones. You may then do one of the following:

1. Finish your "Blow the Whistle" remix.
2. Work on your own original music in Reason.
3. Explore Garageband and see how that program is different from Reason.

As always, you may not surf the internet, listen to other music, talk with your friends, or text. Please use the time productively to raise your grade and make good music!

Exploring the Malstrom

Today we're going to get acquainted with a new instrument, the Malstrom.

The Malstrom is another kind of synthesizer, like the Subtractor is. For our purposes it even works in the same way and has all the same categories of sounds - Bass, FX, Monosynths, Pads, Polysynths, plus an extra one called Rhythmic. The difference, I would say, is that the sounds are richer and more modern sounding. The Subtractor has more of an old school sound. They're both cool, it just depends on what kind of sound you are looking for.

Your Assignment:
Working with the file you started with last time ("Blow the Whistle"), add the following elements:

1. Create a Malstrom and copy your Subtractor bass line to that track. Now load a sound from the Bass or Poly Synth folders that sounds good with the original bass.
2. Now create a second Malstrom. Look in the Pads folder to find a sound that sounds good when you hold down a note. Record yourself playing and holding this note right at the start of the loop. What note do you think you should play?
   
3. If you haven't done so already, create a Redrum and create a 32-step drum pattern.
   
4. Copy and paste the different parts you have recorded to make a song that is at least 24 bars long. Try having different parts come in and out at different times. Feel free to add more instruments!
5. Save this as your name_Blow the Whistle and turn it in to the Dropoff folder.
   

Bass Lines

Last week we started to work on creating bass lines. Today we're going to practice some more so that we can have a really good understanding of what a bass line is doing in a song.

A bass line is the low sounding part of a song that works with the drums to create a rhythmic pulse.

Before people started using electronic instruments (like Reason) to make music, the bass line was usually played on a bass guitar:

It used to be that the bass line was just a supporting part of the song, not the main thing that people were listening to. But then in the 70's when music styles like soul, funk and reggae started becoming popular, the bass started to play a bigger role. Then by the time hip hop became really big in the 1980's, artists started putting a LOT of bass in their songs so that sometimes it was the main part of the music that people were listening to.

So, to get a better understanding of what bass lines do and how we can use them in our own music, we are going to remake the bass line from Too Short's single "Blow the Whistle" then recreate the drum beat. Too Short- Blow The Whistle (instrumental) uploaded by beanycastillo

1. Create a new Reason file.
2. Set Tempo at 100 bpm
3. Create a Subtractor
4. On The Subtractor, click on the folder in the upper left hand corner.
5. Go to Reason Factory Sound Bank>Subtractor Patches> Bass>Dodger Bass.zyp
6. Now let's add the Bass line from Blow the Whistle, which is in Eb Minor!
7. Move your Right Marker to Bar 3.
8. I'll show you how to play the bass line. You will be playing the following keys: C, Eb and Gb.
9. After you feel like you have the part under your fingers, record it and quantize it.
   
10. Create a Redrum.
11. Listen to the Instrumental of Blow the Whistle.
    
12. What sounds do they use?
13. What boxes do you think they go on?
14. Recreate the drum beat from Blow the Whistle.
15. Copy Pattern To Track.
16. Save as "(Your Name)_Blow the Whistle.rns".

Quiz 10/3/08

Today you have two things you need to do:

1. Take the quiz.
2. Finish the Extra Credit assignment from Monday. To find it, look under the blog entry called "Exploring the Subtractor".

If you have finished and turned in both of these, you are free to work on your own music in Reason (or Garageband if you prefer).

This is not free time to go on the internet, text, listen to your iPod, or just chat with your friends. 

Please use the time productively and try to apply all the things we've been working on for the past month to making your own amazing music.

Have a great weekend!

Using the Minor Scale - bass/melody in A Minor

Today we're going to see how knowing the Minor Scale actually helps us in making our own music.

We're going to be working with a file that I created for you to work with. It has two things on it already: drums and some strings.

Your job today is to add two more elements to this song:
1) a bass line
2) a melody

Now before we even start to do anything, I'm going to tell you an important piece of information...this song is in the key of A Minor.

Now all that really means is that we are using a Minor Scale that starts on the key of A. So, if we figure out what notes are in A Minor, then we will already have a pretty good idea of what notes will sound good in this song.

How do we know what keys are in A Minor? I'm so glad you asked! Put your finger on A on your keyboard and follow the formula I gave you last time:

W-H-W-W-H-W-W

Now I'm going to give you the key information for completing the assignment below...

The notes you will be working with are the 1st, 4th and 5th keys of the A Minor scale. 

What notes are they?

Your Assignment:

1. Go to the Pickupdropoff folder and copy the file called "Minor Bass.rns" to your folder.
2. Open the file and let the beat play.
3. To hear the strings, look on the Mixer and raise the fader next to where it says Orchestra. Raise it up to a level that you think sounds good with the drums.
4. Now you're going to add a bassline. Create either a Subtractor or an NN19 and find a Bass sound that goes well with the strings.
5. Practice playing the bass with the strings. The easiest thing to do is to just play the 1st, 4th and 5th notes in time with the strings. If you want to get fancier, then come up with your own rhythm for playing. When you are ready, hit Record and record your part.
6. When you feel good about the bass line, move on to making a making a melody: create another Subtractor or NN19 and find a instrument sound that goes good with the other sounds. Mess around with playing different notes from the A Minor scale that work well with the music. Record your part.
7. When you have both a bass line and a melody, start copying and pasting the parts to make a longer song.
8. If you have a solid song structure completed, make another drum part to switch things up, especially at the parts where the beat drops out.
9. Save the beat as "(your name)_Minor Bass.rns"