What Every Electronic Dance Music Producer Needs to Know About Music Theory

A comprehensive guide to understanding the basics of music theory and how it can help you become a better EDM producer.

Introduction

In order to make great sounding electronic dance music, you need to have a strong understanding of music theory. This doesn’t mean that you need to be a classically trained musician, but you should at least know the basics of melody, harmony, and rhythm. In this article, we’ll give you a crash course in music theory so that you can start making better sounding EDM tracks.

What is electronic dance music?

Electronic dance music, also known as EDM, is a genre of music that is produced electronically. The music is typically produced with synthesizers and drum machines, and is often played in nightclubs and festivals. EDM music has its origins in the disco and house music scenes of the 1970s and 1980s.

What is music theory?

Music theory is the study of how music works. It encompasses everything from the notes on a page to the way those notes are played and heard. It covers the history of music, the physics of sound, and even the psychology of musical experience. In short, it is the systematic study of all aspects of music.

Music theory is not just for musicians. Anyone who wants to understand music better can benefit from studying theory. Even if you never plan on sitting down at a piano or picking up a guitar, learning about music theory can help you appreciate the music you listen to and better understand how it is put together.

There are many different approaches to music theory, but at its core, theory is about understanding how music works and using that knowledge to create or appreciate great music.

The Basic Elements of Music Theory

Music theory is the study of the fundamental concepts of music. It covers topics such as pitch, rhythm, harmony, and form. If you’re a producer of electronic dance music, then it’s important for you to have a basic understanding of music theory. In this article, we’ll take a look at the basic elements of music theory.

Rhythm

Rhythm is the backbone of all music, and it’s what gives a song its particular groove. In electronic dance music, rhythm is usually created by a drum machine or a drum loop. The most basic element of rhythm is the beat, which is simply a regular pulsing sound. Beats are usually organized into groups of four, called measures, or bars.

The tempo of a piece of music is the number of beats per minute (bpm). The faster the tempo, the shorter the duration of each beat. For example, if a piece of music has a tempo of 120 bpm, each beat lasts for 0.5 seconds (120 beats per minute = 2 beats per second).

The timing of the beats within each measure is what gives a piece of music its particular rhythm. In 4/4 time, which is the most common time signature in pop and dance music, there are four beats in each measure and each beat is equal in duration to one quarter note. So if a piece of music has a tempo of 120 bpm and is in 4/4 time, each measure lasts for two seconds (4 beats * 0.5 seconds per beat = 2 seconds per measure).

The placement of accentuated notes within each measure can also create interesting rhythms. For example, if every other beat is accented, the result is called an off-beat or syncopated rhythm. This type of rhythm is often used in electronic dance music to create catchy hooks or grooves.

Meter

In music, meter is the underlying pulse that gives a piece of music its steady beat. In electronic dance music (EDM), the meter is usually four beats per measure, or quarter notes. This means that each measure, or bar, has four equal beats. The tempo, or speed, of the music is measured in beats per minute (BPM), and most EDM is between 120 and 150 BPM.

The main distinction between different types of EDM is the way the four beats are divided up. For example, in 4/4 time, each beat is a quarter note, so there are four quarter notes in a measure. In 6/8 time, each beat is divided into three eighth notes, so there are six eighth notes in a measure. And in 12/8 time, each beat is divided into three triplet eighth notes, so there are twelve triplet eighth notes in a measure.

The term “meter” can also refer to the rhythmic patterns that occur within a measure. For example, if a piece of music has a strong downbeat on the first and third beats of every measure, it is said to be in “common time” or “4/4 time.” If the downbeats occur on the first and third beats of every other measure, it is said to be in “cut time” or “2/2 time.”

There are many different meters used in EDM, but the most common are 4/4, 6/8, and 12/8.

Tempo

Tempo is the speed of a piece of music and is measured in beats per minute (bpm). The faster the tempo, the higher the bpm. Slower tempos are usually around 60-80 bpm, medium tempos around 100-120 bpm, and fast tempos around 140 bpm and up.

Dance music producers need to be aware of tempo for a few reasons. Firstly, because different genres of dance music have different typical tempos. For example, most techno tracks fall between 120-130 bpm, while trance tracks are often between 140-150 bpm. Knowing the typical tempo of a genre can help you when you’re starting to produce a track – it gives you a general idea of how fast the track should be.

Secondly, tempo is important for mixing purposes. When mixing two tracks together, you want to make sure that their tempos match as closely as possible. If not, one track will sound like it’s dragging while the other sounds like it’s speeding up. This can be jarring for listeners and can ruin an otherwise good mix.

Finally, tempo is something that you’ll need to take into account when designing your own drum patterns. The speed at which your drums are playing will have a big impact on the overall feel of your track, so it’s important to get it right!

Pitch

Pitch is the main element of melody and harmony, and it is one of the few musical elements that we can describe with absolute, rather than subjective, terms. In other words, we can say that one note has a higher pitch than another note without resorting to opinions or comparisons.

The pitch of a note is determined by its frequency: the number of vibrations per second that thenote produces. The higher the frequency, the higher the pitch; the lower the frequency, the lowerthe pitch.

There are two ways to measure pitch: absolute pitch and relative pitch. Absolute pitch is acalibration of musical tones to real-world objects; for example, assigning the note A4 (the A abovemiddle C) to 440 Hz (vibrations per second). Relative pitch is simply being able to identify or recreate a given musical tone without any reference point; for example, being able to sing an E even if you don’t know whatfreq

Harmony

In music, harmony is the use of simultaneous pitches (tones, notes), or chords. The study of harmony involves chords and their construction and chord progressions and the principles of connection that govern them. Harmony is often said to refer to the “vertical” aspect of music, as distinguished from melodic line, or the “horizontal” aspect. Counterpoint, which refers to the interweaving of melodic lines, is sometimes considered as a third distinct musical dimension sui generis besides melody and harmony.[1]

Simultaneous pitch combination began in the 13th century with organum; see below for earlier examples. In tonal music theory, harmonic analysis is usually done by assigning Roman numerals to harmonic functions (e.g., I–ii–V7–I).

Applying Music Theory to Electronic Dance Music Production

Whether you’re just getting started with electronic dance music production or you’ve been producing for years, it’s important to have a basic understanding of music theory. After all, music theory is the foundation of all music, and understanding it will help you create better tracks. In this article, we’ll go over some of the basics of music theory and how you can apply it to your production.

Incorporating rhythm into your productions

Incorporating rhythm into your productions
As a producer, one of the most important elements you need to understand is rhythm. In fact, rhythm is so important that it’s one of the few elements that is common to all music regardless of genre. In this article, we’ll take a look at how rhythm works and how you can use it in your electronic dance music productions.

The first thing to understand about rhythm is that it is created by the interaction of two elements: meter and tempo. Meter is the organize division of time into regular beats, while tempo is the speed at which those beats occur. Together, these two elements create the groove of a piece of music.

In order to incorporate rhythm into your productions, you’ll need to understand how meter and tempo work together. To do this, let’s take a look at a simple example: a four-beat measure. In this measure, there are four evenly-spaced beats; each beat lasts for one second. The tempo of this measure would be four beats per minute (bpm).

Now let’s say we want to add some interest to this measure by adding an eighth note on the third beat. This will create what’s called an eighth note triplet:

|| 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 ||

In order to notate this triplet, we simply write “3” above the note on the third beat:

|| 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 ||
^
|
triplet!
Now let’s say we want to make this measure even more interesting by adding some syncopation. Syncopation is when the accents in a piece of music fall on off-beats rather than on the strong beats. In our four-beat measure, there are four possible off-beats: the halfway points between each beat (sometimes called “the and of 2” or “the and of 4”). If we place an eighth note on each of these off-beats, we create a syncopated eighth note pattern:

|| 1 e & a 2 e & a 3 e & 4 ||

(where “e” stands for “eight”, “&” stands for “and”, and “a” stands for “accent”)

In order to notate this syncopation, we place accents above the notes on the off-beats:

|| 1 e & a 2 e & a 3 e & 4 ||

^ ^ ^
| | |
accents! accents!

Using meter to create interesting grooves

One of the most important aspects of creating any type of groove is understanding and utilizing meter. Meter is simply the organization of beats into measures, and it’s something that we humans have been doing for centuries in almost all forms of music. In order to create a groove that people can dance to, you need to be aware of the meter you’re using and how it will dictate the flow of the music.

There are countless ways to create interesting and enjoyable grooves using different time signatures and metrics, but for the sake of this article we’re going to focus on 4/4 time. This is by far the most common meter in electronic dance music, and odds are that the vast majority of tracks you’ve heard follow this format. In 4/4 time there are four beats per measure, and each one is equal in value. This creates a very predictable and steady flow to the music which is why it’s so popular in genres like house and techno.

If you want to create a more interesting groove in 4/4 time, there are a few different things you can do. One option is to use an irregular number of elements per measure. For example, you could have three claps on beat one, followed by two on beat two, then four on beat three, etc. This creates a more syncopated feel that can be very effective when used sparingly.

Another option is to play with the placement of accents within each measure. You could place an accent on every other beat or every third beat, or even randomly throughout the measure. This will again create a more syncopated feel that can make your track sound more complex and interesting.

Finally, you can create grooves by varying the length of each element within a measure. For example, you could have four quarter note kicks on beats one and three, followed by eight eighth note hi-hats on beats two and four. This will give your track a nice swing feel that can be very pleasing to listen to.

By understanding meter and how it works, you’ll be able to create much more interesting grooves in your tracks that will keep people dancing all night long!

Varying the tempo to add excitement

One way to add excitement to your track is to vary the tempo. This can be done by speeding up or slowing down the tempo at different points in the track. You can also change the tempo gradually over time, create a stutter effect by repeating a section at a different tempo, or add other tempo-related effects.

Experiment with different ways of varying the tempo and see what works best for your track. Just remember that if you’re going to be changing the tempo, it’s important to keep the changes small so that people can still dance to your music!

Playing with pitch to create unique sounds

In electronic dance music, producers often use a technique called “pitchbending” to create unique sounds. This involves playing with the pitch of a sound to create new,Interesting timbres.

One way to pitch bend is to use a MIDI controller to manually change the pitch of a sound while it’s playing. This can be done by dragging the pitch slider up or down, or by using the pitch wheel on the controller.

Another way to pitch bend is to modulate the pitch with an oscillator. This can be done by routing an oscillator to the pitch input of a synth or sampler. By modulating the pitch with an LFO, you can create vibrato effects, or by modulating with an envelope generator, you can create portamento effects.

Pitchbending is a great way to add interest and variation to your sounds, so experiment with it and see what you can come up with!

Creating harmony in your tracks

When you’re creating a track, it’s important to create harmony between all of the elements. In other words, everything should work together to create a cohesive whole. This can be a challenge when you’re working with various instruments and sounds, but it’s important to consider how all of the elements will work together.

One way to create harmony is by using the same melody or chord progression in different parts of your track. This will help to tie everything together and make it sound like one cohesive piece. Another way to create harmony is by using contrasting elements. For example, you could use a soft piano melody in the verses and a more driving guitar riff in the chorus. This can help to add interest and keep things sounding fresh.

Whatever approach you take, always keep in mind how all of the elements in your track are working together. By creating harmony between all of the parts, you’ll end up with a track that sounds polished and professional.

Conclusion

In conclusion, music theory is a critical component of producing EDM that is often overlooked by producers. By understanding the basics of music theory, producers can create more well-rounded and professional sounding tracks. While it may take some time to master, the rewards are well worth the effort.