Music basics

Anything that doesn't fit into other topics goes here!
144 posts
I get some feedback on my songs, which I cant place.

Some people claim its out of tune.

Is it possible to make out of tune music with lmms ?
Is there something I am overlooking or do not know. ?

I do not think my hearing is the problem, I do sometimes sing, but I know its out of tune.
I can hear this myself, but can't correct it. ( so a singing career is not gonna happen )

Am I over lookng something about multiple tracks in a song ?

Should there be a relation, between the tracks, I do not know of yet ?

An example, its not finished yet. ( I am not saying I am am happy how it sounds, but is it out of tune ?
The middle piece does sound very bad too me.
https://soundcloud.com/user586365033/popcorn1
Hi Gps2013,
To be honest yes, it is significantly out of tune. Please do not take the following material as an insult. Have you heard of a condition called Amusia?
Perhaps you are somewhat tone deaf. As you enjoy music & recognise that you are not pitch perfect in your own singing tells me that you are not fully tone deaf. Apparently this partial tone deafness can be improved with training:

http://singwise.com/cgi-bin/main.pl?sec ... neDeafness
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/4655352.stm
This is the opposite:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Absolute_pitch

This is the original version of your track: :)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iDHrXeEItu4
popeye1234 wrote:Hi Gps2013,
To be honest yes, it is significantly out of tune. Please do not take the following material as an insult. Have you heard of a condition called Amusia?
Perhaps you are somewhat tone deaf. As you enjoy music & recognise that you are not pitch perfect in your own singing tells me that you are not fully tone deaf. Apparently this partial tone deafness can be improved with training:

http://singwise.com/cgi-bin/main.pl?sec ... neDeafness
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/4655352.stm
This is the opposite:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Absolute_pitch

This is the original version of your track: :)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iDHrXeEItu4
I won't take anything as an insult, I am asking something and want honest replies.

The problem I am having with this song, it does not sound right to me , but I do not have a clue what I am doing wrong.
Thank for the links.
That's not really the original.

This is: :P
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OSRCemf2JHc

Gershon Kingsley is the guy who wrote it.

But there are different version by him on you tube too.

This is another one, with apache and a another song I recognize but cant name.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_wy_Pr1bqM

About the tone deafness.
I might be for some part, but I know I am not 100% tone deaf.

One of my favorite house songs, proof this ( I hope)
The party - kraze
Lovely out of tune piano.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UxQQ04kN6M4

Back to my song, It does not sound right, but I don't have a clue what I am doing wrong.

I am wondering if I need to learn chords , and or if there are some rules that if you play two tracks, you cant just go up or down pitch wise, randomly.

Btw here is a version by jean michel jarrre
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XP7aNuqp_YU
( be careful with you tube, there are more popcorn versions, of which the poster claims its jarre, but its the m&H band.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cXMhKdAwLbs
Cheers for the link to the other versions.
Excuse my ignorance!, Never heard those before. I like the early version.

You do not need to learn any chords for this, just get it in the right key.
I think you will find the keyboard parts are entirely monophonic (one note at a time) keyboards, given the vintage. Although polyphonic synth's existed at the time most were monophonic until the mid 1970's.

The swinging medley version (in your list) has a few organ chords but you do not need it for Popcorn:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_wy_Pr1bqM

Talking of JMJ I have always felt that Oxygene IV has some Popcorn in its DNA!
Perhaps someone will tell us what that third part of the medley is. I do not even recognise the tune.
Usually, you'll want overlapping melodies to be in the same key and scale.

Key can be thought of as the fundamental, the lowest note of the scale.

The scale is a subset of notes from the set of 12 notes in an octave. A melody that uses only this subset of notes is said to be in that scale.

Example time!

The most basic scale, C major: C D E F G A B
A melody in C major could be like: C - C - C - E - D - D - D - F - E - E - D - D - C.

if you transpose that down by two seminotes, you get A# major: A# C D D# F G A
The same melody in A# major would be: A# - A# - A# - D - C - C - C - D# - D - D - C - C- A#.

A C minor scale is another very basic scale: C D D# F G G# A#
The same melody in C minor would be: C - C - C - D# - D - D - D - F - D# - D# - D - D - C.

Now you can see, that the relative pitch differences between the two major scales are the same, as they are both major scales, the melody is simply transponated two steps down. But on the minor scale, they are different, because it's a different scale.

Usually, if you have two melodies going at the same time, you'll want them in the same key and scale, because otherwise you'll get disharmony. Sometimes, you may actually want disharmony, but that's very complicated and hard to know when to use, so you should concentrate on the basics first.
No need for excuse, you're trying to help me, that all that matters. :)

And if I find out I am tone deaf to some degree, it might not make me happy, but I will most likely take music lessons.
Because what I learned form you're links, if I am tone deaf, it's at least the type that can be fixed by practice.

I think I am gonna try to select all notes in one piano role and move them up and down, to listen if the sound improves for me.

When I started this song, I thought I was one of the first to cover it, boy was I wrong. :lol:

From the popcorn wiki:
Most can be found on you tube:

Afrosound
Anarchic System, with vocal version
Arthur Fiedler and the Boston Pops
Caustic Window AKA Richard D. James
Crazy Frog
Denki Groove
DJ Fantomas
DJ Voyager
Edvard Simoni (with using pan flute)
Frederik (Finnish singer), Porn on pop (Porno is pop)
Gigi D'Agostino
Goodiepal
Guru Josh
Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass
Hexstatic (remix)
Hot Butter
James Last
Jean Michel Jarre (under the pseudonyms of The Popcorn Orchestra and Jamie Jefferson)
La Strana Società (Italian pop band)
Liars
Los Pekenikes (Spanish rock band)
M&H Band
Marsheaux
Mister K
Muse
Norrie Paramor & the Midland Radio Orchestra
Parana (South African Psytrance act)
Pattie Brooks (disco version as part of a medley that also included Black is Black & Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye)
Richi M (Swedish DJ)
Ronnie Aldrich
Seidat (Finnish band)
Shadmehr Aghili
Shadowy Men On A Shadowy Planet
Showey (Irish DJ)
Space Penguins
Swedish Chef
The Boomtang Boys
The Muppets
The Time Frequency (TTF)
The Treble Spankers
Unter Null
Victor Zinchuk (Russian virtuoso guitar player)
Vyacheslav Mescherin's Orchestra
diiz wrote:Usually, you'll want overlapping melodies to be in the same key and scale.

Key can be thought of as the fundamental, the lowest note of the scale.

The scale is a subset of notes from the set of 12 notes in an octave. A melody that uses only this subset of notes is said to be in that scale.

Example time!

The most basic scale, C major: C D E F G A B
A melody in C major could be like: C - C - C - E - D - D - D - F - E - E - D - D - C.

if you transpose that down by two seminotes, you get A# major: A# C D D# F G A
The same melody in A# major would be: A# - A# - A# - D - C - C - C - D# - D - D - C - C- A#.

A C minor scale is another very basic scale: C D D# F G G# A#
The same melody in C minor would be: C - C - C - D# - D - D - D - F - D# - D# - D - D - C.

Now you can see, that the relative pitch differences between the two major scales are the same, as they are both major scales, the melody is simply transponated two steps down. But on the minor scale, they are different, because it's a different scale.

Usually, if you have two melodies going at the same time, you'll want them in the same key and scale, because otherwise you'll get disharmony. Sometimes, you may actually want disharmony, but that's very complicated and hard to know when to use, so you should concentrate on the basics first.
Thank you :D

This must be what I am doing wrong.
And all web-pages I have read, only confuse me, because of the part you mention too. ( it's not always wrong to deviate from it )
I am sure my tracks have different relative pitches. ( because I never knew it mattered :lol: )
Now I am starting to understand why my middle piece sounds so awefull.
How about an easy option, watch:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sgp1a1ZweIo

If you are using 64bit windows take care that your midi keyboard is playing the right pitch (if in doubt read my thread in troubleshooting regarding Vestige). LMMS doesn't currently do this with 64bit or 32bit version if you have 64bit windows it seems.

Compare notes on keyboard with Vestige VSTs and the Triple Osc Synth in LMMS. In 64bit Windows these will differ, unless using Synth1 (that VST is fine!). It is a very odd bug.
144 posts