We are back again with week six of Point Blank Online’s Electronic Music Composition course. Having already spent weeks building a strong foundation in musical theory and arrangement tips, this week focuses on taking those elements to the next level and applying some extra flair to your tracks. If you need to catch up on some previous weeks of the course, head over to week one’s post here.
Adding those extra musical touches to a track can be one of the hardest parts in composing electronic music. Locking in a harmony that perfect intertwines with the lead melody or adding a subtle motif can be one of the hardest mysteries to unravel as a new producer. Even finding a way to take the energy of your first drop, and take it just up one more notch for the finale can be a tough puzzle to piece together.
This week we covered ideas such as writing different sections of the song, so that it does not seem to be a handful of loops thrown against a wall and hoping one of the sticks. The main concern when going over these types of ideas is contrast and juxtaposition. Creating variety and tension by doing this is going to make your tracks come alive, and really have your listen crave more.
Adding little touches like high strings or well placed effects can also help increase this contrast between sections. It is these small little details that can often go overlooked, especially when you’re slamming your head against a wall trying to figure how to close out your tune. When producers get stuck in a similar rut as this, PBO provided a handful of resources to approach your compositions in a rather oblique way. When in doubt, you can head over to this site here and cycle through countless different abstract ways of putting together creative ideas. Often times, simply taking a different approach to the creative process is enough to spark the juices enough to get something out of the studio session.
That’s all for this week producers. If any of this interests you, head over to Point Blank’s website to check out their full range of courses. Until then, happy producing.
