Arrangement Exercises Options

[jimmynitcher]

Does anyone know where i could access exercises for sequencers that help beginners write in different styles of music?
Or if anyone has ideas of their own?
Thanks v much
j

[midiwife]

Dear jimmynitchher,

This is an interesting topic for me. I teach music technology in an adult education setting in London. Previously I worked with children and young adults using mainly Cubase and audio editors such as Cool Edit Pro (on pc). Now I use macs.
I'm of the opinion that the default settings of most sequencers - i.e., 4/4 time and 120 bpm had (and probably continues to have) a massive influence on dance music production. The challenge is to get students to experiment with time signatures and tempi. Using the mastertrack in Cubase permits the insertion of time signature and tempi changes but it's not immediately intuitive. Nor is the abilitiy to map the mastertrack to ad lib phrases where the tempo can swing about.

You could direct them to change the time sig and tempo before starting but I think a better approach is to use midi files.

I've used midi file downloads to introduce the idea of musical styles with a good deal of success. There are literally millions around and classical midi files provide a very interesting way to show how such arrangements are put together. The nice thing is that Midi files can be imported into practically any sequencer so you're not limited to any particular platform. Examination of the parts themselves is possible with graphic sequencers. Also manipulation of the parts themselves is possible. A great reference tool.

Computer music magazine used to run a series called Style Counsel which featured latin and other midi files which were also useful. You can still access these on the web at www.computermusic.co.uk where they're also hosting a disucssion on music theory for computer musicians. A good site.

I think that graphic sequencers make for one of the most powerful education tools that music teachers have ever had at their disposal due to the visual and audiitory feedback possible in what was previously often an abstract subject.

If you'd like to correspond offlist you're more than welcome. I've been teaching this for about 7 years and have a great deal of material I've accumulated that might be of less interest to those on the forum.

Kind regards, midiwife.

[dr. schoft]

cheers Jimmynitcher,
cheers Midiwife !

im looking around for learning music theory on a computer, too. i have been in music school for two years, started when i was eightteen. those classes were on such a slow pace and found place on saturdaymornings (!) that i gave up following them. its not the first time after-hours music school's been a no-no to musicians.
as far as score-reading goes i think a computer is a little too farfetched to look at as a mentor. but then what to do with ear-training - and not to mention musical dictation. i found more or less good excersises on www.good-ear.com, but the repetitiveness of prime-intervalls gets on my nerves a bit more than often ! so any advice on that aspect would be more than welcome

muchos thank yous

Dr Sghofd

[BlackHawk]

Hugh!! BlackHawk does other way. He goes to the Hoagy carmichael site at Indiana University librairy. Can't give you exact adress. Easy to find.
Many many many handscript music sheets. Great songs and beautiful music yonder. Great lessons about how to work. (Stardust, Georgia on my Mind, Lazy bones...) and no wasted time with ugly teachers.
Many songs haves different scores for diff instruments.
All songs (500 or so) by alphab. order.
You can try with :"Colorado", you can have drum part, trombone part, 2 diff trumpet parts, bass, banjo, guitare, a good exercise, and really beautiful songs. That you can turn into a TECHNOID version
If you can read parts.
Otherwise, you can make loops, with easy passage.
Have fun
Hugh!!!

[BlackHawk]

Hugh!!!
Blackhawk sorry. MIDIWIFE not ugly teacher. she good advice about tempo on master in cubase, you can hurry and slow very easy. BlackHawk agree about ready made rythmikmidifile, but he is afraid it won't de long before you have thousands of them. And looking for an old chest to store them in your parents garage.
Hugh!!!