I know nothing about sound or music -- how can I learn?

[dabansotu]

Hi guys,

So I've been trying to use or learn LMMS for some time because I like electronic music and I'd like to create something that would sound good, but I really don't know where to start or how to make music... I've never really had any classes or anything. I've been trying a few videos on YouTube and elsewhere, but most videos seem to assume that I know what a melody is, or what a hihat is, but I don't...

I guess my problem isn't LMMS-specific; I'd have the same problem if I were to use Ableton or FL Studio or whatever else exists out there. How did you guys learn how to make music? Did you guys start from scratch like I am, or did you have some type of "musical background"? Is there some resource that really helped you figure things out?

Thanks a bunch in advance!!

[musikbear]

Hi guys,

So I've been trying to use or learn LMMS for some time because I like electronic music and I'd like to create something that would sound good, but I really don't know where to start or how to make music... I've never really had any classes or anything. I've been trying a few videos on YouTube and elsewhere, but most videos seem to assume that I know what a melody is, or what a hihat is, but I don't...

I guess my problem isn't LMMS-specific; I'd have the same problem if I were to use Ableton or FL Studio or whatever else exists out there. How did you guys learn how to make music? Did you guys start from scratch like I am, or did you have some type of "musical background"? Is there some resource that really helped you figure things out?

Thanks a bunch in advance!!

There was a question about the same a few days ago
viewtopic.php?t=36428&sid=efa5616cb9962 ... 20b6688133
Try those recommendations
Besides that, since you are new in Forum
Welcome dabansotu !
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If you like to introduce yourself, to the community, go here:
http://lmms.io/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=4480

[HenryDeath]

Hi guys,

How did you guys learn how to make music? Did you guys start from scratch like I am, or did you have some type of "musical background"? Is there some resource that really helped you figure things out?

My two cents:

My only musical background was learning the piano when I was a kid, but I took lessons maybe 2 or 3 years, so I’ve never been very skilled (to say the list). A couple of decade ago I started to make music with my computer. I was an admirer of many artists who make electronic music and I needed a hobby at that time. So why not?

The very pretentious thing I did then, was to believe, to hope that, maybe, I could get a good result with only intuition, trials and errors. Who knows? ^^ Maybe I could reveal myself a musical genius! Well… At least I’ve been able to answer the question: I’m not and never will be ^^

I stopped this hobby for a while but since about two years I came back to it. This time I’ve been less pretentious and accepted that I need to learn a ton of things. There’s an enormous amount of video on Youtube (of variable quality though). In one year I learnt like a hundred time more useful knowledge that all I hardly discovered myself in more than 15 years trying to make something, in the illusion it will magically happen one day…

Don’t just play with any software, also read a lot, and watch videos, be prepared to learn a fuck-ton of shits, it will be difficult, it will require time and effort for sure.

For me it’s still a hobby. but if I could go back in time I would be more humble and listen people who know rather than expecting a miracle. I’m sure there are some videos aimed at total newbies.

I’ll finish quoting my favorite artist: “only do the music you would like to listen yourself.”

Good luck!

[newtoon]

Actually, my experience of someone who never made real music with an instrument (3 piano lesson 30 years ago don't count, ah ah ah !) you can make simple melodies just by "trial and error" and then try to make sounds that are convenient for it with some synths. Sure, it won't be mozart, but who cares ?

Or the other way around ! ! !

You can make cool sounds (with a few random notes that are not shocking to your ear) and then you try for a few hours to get a simple melody using those cool sounds.

Don't neglect this unorthodox approach !


So, I watched recently some stuff about Michael Jackson and sometimes, he just went to some friends who did electronic sounds and asked them "I want something new, anything, but NEW". Then, when going out of the studio with a few sounds, I guess it inspired him for a beat and add layers and layers till it made a complete song with 20 to 40 tracks. Sometimes, he just blatantly and lazily copied the whole sounds and notes like the start of BEAT IT

https://youtu.be/l34u9-ZtcV4?si=Q8CvIjfCu4zaLi9j&t=127


Then you add a beat and for 20 seconds length, you get something that can say "hey, I did something for an elevator ! (lol)"

My motivation three years ago was though that there are tons of synths that you include in LMMS that provide cool sounds that motivate to do something with it, like "why not try something ?".

There is a rewarding progression curve the first year if you stick to it constitently. I have a good example of the same (simple) melody and beat at the start of my learning lmms and just one year later.

>>> sept 2020 (big meh) https://audiomack.com/newtoon-1/song/synthwave-new

>>> sept 2021 (oh, far nicer) https://audiomack.com/newtoon-1/song/sy ... w-remix-v3