Are There Rules to Writing Music?

[Piplodocus]

Make it sound nice.
Make it sound interesting.

There's a few rules that can help you do that a lot easier, which HELP you to make songs. If you can do the first 2 above without them then fair game!

[regretfullySaid]

A motto that stuck with me that a veteran engineer told me is:

There are no rules; only guidelines.

[LoopStationZebra]

BTW Loopstation I have a good friend who lives near me that does pretty well with his 12 string Chapman Stick.

If you would like to listen to some his stuff look at the link below.

http://robmartino.com/

He also writes software for Wave Arts and Camel Audio. Cool guy, great Chapman chops.

Yeah, I'm familiar with Rob's playing. Incredible stuff. Didn't know he wrote software for Camel, though.

[DJVespers]

A motto that stuck with me that a veteran engineer told me is:

There are no rules; only guidelines.

I think perhaps that you didn't watch the video...

[macmurphy]

no rules, just other peoples expectations. whether you pander to them or not is your business.

[Saxer]

lot of rules...

just a few:

- don´t invite a recorder player as a special guest in a metal band
- do not mix rhythms and scales from more than five continents
- don´t make unplugged syntheziser music
- don´t play the bass more than one octave above the melody for more than one hour
- do not expect others to listen to your stuff by choice - force them!

[macmurphy]

lot of rules...

just a few:

- don´t invite a recorder player as a special guest in a metal band
- do not mix rhythms and scales from more than five continents
- don´t make unplugged syntheziser music
- don´t play the bass more than one octave above the melody for more than one hour
- do not expect others to listen to your stuff by choice - force them!

these are special rules though. rules that break the rules of rule making. and they rule.

[Tarekith]

Good video man, I liked that. You need a lapel mic though

[Moody]

No rules, only theory. (Academic answer. )

[H20nly]

lot of rules...

just a few:

- don´t invite a recorder player as a special guest in a metal band
- do not mix rhythms and scales from more than five continents
- don´t make unplugged syntheziser music
- don´t play the bass more than one octave above the melody for more than one hour
- do not expect others to listen to your stuff by choice - force them!

these are special rules though. rules that break the rules of rule making. and they rule.

right but when it comes to the rules of ruling there are no rules or are there?
regardless, those some pretty good rules saxer!



@ vespers... +1 for lapel mic... however, i did watch your vid where you first got that mic. i don't blame you for wanting to use it

[Valiumdupeuple]

There's only one rule: Break the fucking rules!!!

[miercoles]

I think a lot of artists seek comfort in the idea that their music doesn't require knowledge of "rules" since they prefer to "break" them and be super creative and original.

Beethoven, Mozart, Schoenberg were all incredibly revolutionary. They basically rewrote the entire concept of music. In their time, there was nothing in the least bit conservative or traditional about what they were doing.

I guess my point is that you can't really "break" or even "bend" any rules if you don't know and understand what they are. IMHO, if you really want to get into songwriting as a craft itself, its best to learn (at the least) some music theory. Remember, its called music "theory" for a reason - do with those ideas whatever you may wish.

[Khazul]

Anyone notice the increasing number of tracks and remixes that are evidently done by someone who is completely tone death?

I guess that whats happens when DJs with not even the most basic idea of musical scales, harmony etc (ie some fundamental rules) start to get hold of live and butcher something with it.
Then audience hear these butchering in all the right places and think it must be right and they all end up tone death too - so it all just gets worse.

In my fascist world - authorization of live would require three things:
1. Proof that you have at least a vague idea of scales and harmony (a test in the unlock process)
2. Proof that you at least have a reasonable idea of mixing concept (another test in the unlock process)
3. Some random questions from the manual (as proof that yoru note going to p[ost stupid RTFM questions here instead)
4. That subject to 1, 2 and 3, you get your auth key, else the money you paid gets donated to futhering the causes of 1 and 2 and you go without with a suggestion that you find something else entirely to do with your free time - ie fly posting for someone else who did make the effort with 1-3.

[Tarekith]

There's only one rule: Break the fucking rules!!!

IF you were to break that rule, wouldn't that mean following the rules?

[AceLuby]

There definitely are 'rules', but more on the fundamentals of music side and not on the creation of tracks side. There are musical rules we all follow, regardless if we know it or not. Most of the 'if it sounds good, it is good' can be explained using musical theory, but it doesn't necessarily mean you need to know that musical theory, but typically you do follow the rules.