The Music Theory Behind Trance?, anyone know anything about it Options

[slowintrepid]

Ok recently I've been trying to produce my own tracks (mostly trance)
I've been a guitar player since I was 9 years old so I know theory in genral. but the reason I got into trance was because the genre eludes me and seem quite complex (when in reality it's pretty simple I hear??)

anyways can someone gimme some info on what goes into a trance song (theory wise that is)

thanks alot

[surrealka]

Ok, I've got to chime in here. I'm a classically-trained pianist and composer. I write in a number of styles and genres, some electronic some acoustic. And I love trance music. More specifically, I love psychedelic/goa trance music. Over the past year, I've been working on learning to write good psy trance, and I think it is a very complex, and at times elusive form of music to compose.
Here's my tips on composing trance.

1. Listen to some good trance music. I highly reccomend groups like Infected Mushroom, Hallucinogen, Shpongle, GMS, Hux-Flux, Astral Projection. Listen to it with a critical ear, and try to analyze what they're doing. And listen to different styles; even within psy-trance, there is a wide variety of stlyes.

2. Arpegiators are your friend. Look, I hear what you're saying about it seeming like cheating, but really what it does is give you more tools that you can push even further. Yes, a standard up-down arpeg pattern can be boring, but there are many programs and hardware synths out there that enable you to do very elaborite arpeg patterns. My main synth for writing trance is an Access Virus, which has quite a few patterns that it comes with, all of which are highly variable. Many sequencers, such as Digital Performer, allow you to create your own arpeg patterns from midi tracks.

3. Tweak, record, analyze and cut up. Whatever instruments you're using, spend some time, just playing, fooling around, making interesting sounds. Record everything (MIDI and audio). Then go back and listen to it and find bits you like. You can chop them up for use as loops, or recreate what you did and develop it. The main drawback with trance music is that it can be kind of rigid and monotonous. By playing and recording live improvisation to find starting points for songs, you can create much more flowing mixes.

4. Analyze a trance song you like. Sit down with a piece you really like, and try to chart out what's happening on paper. Trance almost invariably develops in 16 measure phrases, with new elements often coming up every 4 measures. These elements can be subtle. Try to break down what changes in each subdivision. To take this concept even further, you can actually try to recreate a mix using your own equipment (though this is much more involved).

5. General principles: steady, repettitive 4/4 kick with fill every 16 measures. Bass line deep, complementing kick, often filling in betweeen beats as well. Hi hat on odd beats, best with short decay time (it's very easy to overdo the hi hat). Melodies that build in complexity, layering multiple rhythmic patterns. I've read research that says that it is the combination of four or more simulatneous rhythms that induces a trance state in the brain. Tweak filters and LFO's. Ultimately, it's all about good sounds, and there's no absolute standard for that. Also, make sure that your various parts occupy their own niches in the frequency spectrum. This is an important principle of music in general. You can use eq to do this, as well as multiband compression. Most trance music goes through some degree of multiband compression in the mastering.

I hope this helps.
Jim
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