Advanced Music Theory for Electronic Dance Music Production in Ableton Piano Roll

If you’re looking to take your music production skills to the next level, then this blog post is for you. Learn advanced music theory concepts that will help you create better melodies and chord progressions in your electronic dance music. We’ll also show you how to apply these concepts using Ableton’s Piano Roll.

Introduction

In this guide, we’ll be covering some advanced music theory concepts that can be applied to electronic dance music production in Ableton’s piano roll. We’ll start with a review of basic musical concepts like pitch, rhythm, and meter, before moving on to more advanced topics like chord progressions and harmonization. By the end of this guide, you should have a better understanding of how to apply music theory concepts in your own productions.

The Basics

In this article, we’re going to be discussing some advanced music theory for electronic dance music production in Ableton. We’ll be talking about the piano roll, and how you can use it to create interesting and unique melodies.

Notes

In music, a note is a symbol that represents a musical sound. In English, the word “note” can be used to refer to two different things: a pitch and a duration. Pitches are measured in hertz (Hz), with the pitch of middle C being around 261 Hz. Durations are usually measured in beats, with one beat being equal to one quarter note.

There are two main types of notes: whole notes and half notes. Whole notes are worth four beats, while half notes are worth two beats. There are also quarter notes (1 beat), eighth notes (1/2 beat), sixteenth notes (1/4 beat), thirty-second notes (1/8 beat), and so on. In addition to whole and half notes, there are also dotted notes. A dotted note is simply a note with a dot next to it, which means that the duration of the note is lengthened by half. For example, a dotted quarter note is worth 1 1/2 beats.

Notes can also be tied together. When two or more notes are tied together, it means that they should be played for the combined duration of all the tied notes. For example, if you have two quarter notes that are tied together, you would play them for a total of two beats.

Finally, it’s important to know that there are different octaves in music. Octaves simply refer to the range of pitches that an instrument can play. For example, most pianos have 88 keys, which covers 7 octaves plus a few extra keys at the end (which we won’t get into here).

Key

In music, the key is the tonal center or home base. This starting note gives its name to the key and serves as the starting note of the scale that forms the basis of the composition. The key also serves as the starting point for chord progressions and melodic phrases.

A piece of music in a particular key will oftenues feature predominately major or minor chords and scales built on the notes of that key. This gives the music its characteristic sound and feel. To change keys, a composer or producer will often use a process called transposition.

In electronic dance music, keys are often thought of in terms of energy level, with lower keys being more laid back and higher keys being more energetic. Keys can also be thought of in terms of emotion, with minor keys often being associated with sadness or anger and major keys often being associated with happiness or joy.

The choice of key is an important part of creating a particular mood or feeling in a track, and it’s something that all producers should experiment with to find what works best for them.

Chords

In music, a chord is simply two or more notes played together. Chords can be as simple as two notes (known as dyads), three notes (known as triads), or even four notes (known as tetrads). These days, producers often use even more complex chords with 5, 6, 7, 8, or 9 notes.

Chords can be constructed from any combination of intervals, but the most common chords are built from 3rds and 5ths. For example, a major chord is made up of a root note, a 3rd above that root, and a 5th above that 3rd. In the key of C, this would give us thenotes C-E-G.

There are four main types of chords: major, minor, diminished, and augmented. Major and minor chords are by far the most common type of chord you’ll encounter in EDM. Major chords have a bright and happy sound, while minor chords have a sad and gloomy sound. Diminished and augmented chords are less common, but you’ll still hear them from time to time. Diminished chords have a very tense and unstable sound, while augmented chords have a very excited and broad sound.

Scales

In music, a scale is a set of notes that are organized in ascending or descending order. In Western music, there are 12 different notes in an octave. An octave is the distance between two notes with the same name. For example, the note A is the same as the note A, but it is one octave higher than the first A. The note B is one note higher than A, and so on.

Scales are made up of a series of whole steps and half steps. A whole step is two notes that are next to each other on the piano (like C and D). A half step is one note away from the next note (like C and C#).

There are many different types of scales, but some of the most common ones include major scales, minor scales, pentatonic scales, and chromatic scales.

Advanced Topics

In this section, we’re going to be diving into some more advanced topics in music theory. We’ll be covering how to create chord progressions, how to use the circle of fifths, and how to create melodies using the pentatonic scale. If you’re new to music theory, or if you’re just getting started with production, this section is for you.

Arpeggios

An arpeggio is a group of notes played in succession, typically on one instrument. The word comes from the Italian word “arpeggiare,” which means “to play on a harp.” Arpeggios are often used in electronic dance music as fills or soloing elements. They can be played on any instrument, but are commonly heard on piano or synthesizer.

Arpeggios can be played in any order, but the most common order is 1-3-5-7-9-11-13. This gives the arpeggio a major sound. To make an arpeggio sound minor, you would play 1-3b-5-7b-9b-11b-13b. You can also play an arpeggio in reverse, which is called an “inverted” arpeggio. The most common inverted arpeggio is 7-5-3-1.

Arpeggios can be played as fast or as slow as you like, but they are usually played relatively fast. To make an arpeggio sound more musical, try adding some notes in between the main notes of the arpeggio. For example, if you’re playing a C major arpeggio (C-E-G), you could add a D between the C and E, and an F between the E and G. This will give the arpeggio a broader range and a more complex sound.

Arpeggios can also be played with different rhythms. The most common rhythm is eighth notes, but quarter notes, triplets, and sixteenth notes are also common. Arpeggios can even be played with irregular rhythms, such as 7/8 or 5/4 time signatures.

When soloing with an arpeggio, it’s important to note that each note in the arpeggio will want to resolve to the root note (in this case, C). This means that each note in the arpeg

Melodic Phrasing

In music, phrasing is the way a performer shapes a sequence of notes in time, giving it a distinctive character and “feel”. Listeners will perceive phrases as answers to musical “questions” posed by the preceding phrase.

In melodic phrases, you can think of the notes as “steps” in a journey; each note leads logically to the next, until the phrase reaches its destination. The best melodic phrases are those that sound “natural” and “unforced”, as if the musician is simply speaking through their instrument.

Here are some tips for creating great melodic phrases:

– Make sure your phrases have a clear beginning, middle, and end.
– Use dynamics (loudness and softness) to add interest and variety.
– Vary the lengths of your phrases; don’t make them all the same length.
– Use different rhythms within your phrases to create forward momentum.
– Experiment with different melodic shapes; avoid always using simple straight lines.
– Start your phrases on strong beats for more impact.
– Syncopate (accent off-beats) for more energy and excitement.
– Use rests judiciously to create suspense and tension.

Chord Progressions

Chord progressions are the foundation of any good song. They provide the backbone that the melody and other elements can build off of. A chord progression is simply a series of chords played in a certain order. The most common chord progressions use triads, which are three-note chords. However, progressions can also use seventh chords (four-note chords), ninth chords (five-note chords), and so on.

Chord progressions can be created by starting with any given chord and then moving to any other chord that sounds good with it. There is no one right way to do this – it’s all about trial and error and using your ear to find what sounds good. However, there are some general guidelines that can help you get started.

In major keys, the most common chord progression is I-IV-V (one-four-five). This means that the first chord in the progression is a major chord, the fourth chord is a minor chord, and the fifth chord is a major chord. You can start on any note of the scale to create this progression – for example, in C major, you could start on C (I), F (IV), or G (V).

In minor keys, the most common progression is i-VII-III-VI (one-seven-three-six). This means that the first chord is a minor chord, the seventh chord is a major chord, the third chord is a minor chord, and the sixth chord is a major chord. As with major keys, you can start on any note of the scale to create this progression – for example, in A minor, you could start on A (i), G (VII), C (III), or F (VI).

There are many other possible progressions beyond these two basic ones. Experiment with different combinations of chords to see what sounds good to you!

Conclusion

We’ve now come to the end of our look at music theory for electronic dance music production in Ableton Live’s piano roll. We hope you’ve found this guide helpful and that it’s given you some ideas of how you can start incorporating more complex harmonic ideas into your productions. Remember, there are no hard and fast rules when it comes to music production, so don’t be afraid to experiment and find what works best for you.