As a musician, you are always looking for ways to push your creativity and take your sound to new heights. The most effective way to do this is by exploring new music techniques. Whether you're an experienced player or just beginning your musical journey, experimenting with different approaches can help you discover fresh sounds, refine your skills, and make your music more exciting.
In this blog, we will discuss 7 creative music techniques you can try out to take your music to the next level and develop a sound that is unique and captivating. These tips will break you out of the routine and challenge you, making sure you create something special. Let's get started!
1. Experiment with Unconventional Scales
What Are Unconventional Scales?
Most musicians are familiar with basic major and minor scales. However, there are many more, which can drastically change the mood and feel of your music. These are what most refer to as nontraditional scales and they provide exciting possibilities to give your compositions that new, fresh, or different vibe.
Some of these examples of nontraditional scales are:
Pentatonic scales: These simple 5-note scales are very popular in blues and rock music, and can be a great way to create catchy riffs.
Modes: The Dorian, Phrygian, and Mixolydian modes, for example, can create a jazzy, mysterious, or funky sound depending on how you use them.
Exotic scales: Scales from other cultures, like the Hirajoshi scale (often used in Japanese music), can add a distinctive feel to your music.
How They Can Help Your Music
Unconventional scales add a unique flavor to your music and help you find ways out of the common sounds heard in Western music. So, for instance, when you use a Dorian scale, your song will turn minor but with a jazzy feel to it; and when you use Hirajoshi, it adds to your song an exotic feel or atmospheric quality that helps transport your listeners to another world.
Tips on Experimenting with Scales
Try a New Scale Each Week: Learn one new scale a week. Practice the scale over your instrument and then start experimenting with writing melodies in that key.
Mix Scales: A great way to add some contrast and interest to one song is by using one or more other scales during that song. For instance, use the Mixolydian scale for your verse, but the Dorian for your chorus.
Write Complete Songs Using One Scale: Challenge yourself to compose an entire song using just one scale. This will be helpful in getting comfortable with a particular sound.
2. Experiment with Alternate Tunings
What Are Alternate Tunings?
Alternate tunings entail tuning your instrument to completely different pitches than you typically use. This can altogether revolutionize the way your instrument sounds, giving you new ways of playing chords, melodies, and riffs.
Some Popular Alternate Tunings Are:
- Open D
- Drop-D
- D-Tunings
- E Flat Standard End
Drop D tuning: D-A-D-G-B-E lowers the lowest string for a heavier, fuller sound. Open G tuning: D-G-D-G-B-D is commonly used in blues and folk music, ideal for resonant open chords. Open D tuning: D-A-D-F#-A-D is often applied in slide guitar playing for a rich, warm tone.
Why Alternate Tunings Matter
Alternate tunings give you fresh ways to approach the instrument. A simple chord can sound dramatically different depending on how the strings are tuned. This can inspire new ideas and make your music really distinctive.
Tips for Exploring Alternate Tunings
Start with Common Tunings: Begin by experimenting with Drop D or Open G to get a feel for the different sounds they create.
Create Your Own Tuning: Once you're comfortable with popular tunings, try tuning your guitar to your own unique setup. This can lead to completely fresh and unexpected results.
Write Songs in Alternate Tunings: After tuning your instrument differently, challenge yourself to write a song that only uses that tuning.
3. Experiment with Odd Time Signatures
What Is a Time Signature?
The time signature of a song specifies how many beats are in a measure and what the divisions of those beats are. Most popular music is in 4/4 time, but the use of odd time signatures creates an even more complex, less predictable feel.
Some examples of odd time signatures are:
3/4 time: A waltz-like rhythm with three beats per measure. 5/4 time: A complex, syncopated rhythm with five beats per measure. 7/8 time: A rhythmic pattern that features seven beats per measure and is often used in progressive rock and jazz.
How Unusual Time Signatures Add Depth to Music
Changing the time signature adds that unique groove to your music. For instance, in 5/4 time, there's a tension created and one doesn't know what might happen next; in 7/8 time, it creates an intricate rhythm complexity.
Tips for Playing with Time Signatures
Try 3/4 Time: Begin by composing a fairly simple melody in 3/4 time, getting a sense of waltz rhythm. Try 5/4 or 7/8: Such time signatures give you the ability to achieve a rhythmic but not necessarily metronomic feeling.
Change Time Signatures Halfway Through the Song: You can really surprise or even shock an audience if time signatures change during the middle or end of a song.
4. Experiment with Rhythmic Patterns
What Is the Definition of Rhythmic Patterns?
Rhythmic patterns refer to the specific arrangement of beats, accents, and durations in a song. While most music is based on simple patterns like quarter notes and eighth notes, you can spice things up by using more complex rhythmic structures such as syncopation, polyrhythms, or cross-rhythms.
How Rhythmic Patterns Can Transform Your Music
Experimenting with different rhythms allows you to create more interesting grooves. For example, syncopation (accenting off-beats) can give your music a funky, laid-back feel, while polyrhythms (layering multiple rhythms) can make the rhythm feel more intricate and multi-dimensional.
Tips for Playing with Rhythmic Patterns
Use Syncopation: Experiment with moving the accents of your rhythm to create a groovy, offbeat feel.
Try Polyrhythms: Play two contrasting rhythmic patterns at once for a richer, more complex sound.
Mix Simple and Complex Rhythms: Combine straightforward rhythms with more complex patterns to keep things interesting.
5. Use Extended Techniques
What Are Extended Techniques?
Extended techniques refer to the unorthodox methods of playing a musical instrument in order to obtain unique sounds. They imply alteration of how you play an instrument in order to acquire unusual or even unpredictable tones.
Some examples of extended techniques are:
Harmonics: Getting that bell-like sound by lightly touching the strings of a guitar or bass.
Slap bass: Using your palm to slap the strings for a percussive effect.
Tapping: Tapping on the fretboard with your fingers to get those quick, melodic runs.
Why Extended Techniques Are Important
Extended techniques are beyond the traditional playing and allow you to produce sounds that go beyond what is normally possible with your instrument. These techniques can add texture, layers, and new timbres to your music.
Tips for Using Extended Techniques
Learn One Technique at a Time: Start with a single extended technique, like harmonics or slap bass, and practice it until you’re comfortable using it in your music.
Experiment with Different Sounds: Combine extended techniques with standard playing to create rich, multi-layered sounds.
Record Yourself: Listen back to recordings of your playing to identify new ways to incorporate extended techniques into your songs.
6. Experiment with Electronic Effects
What Are Electronic Effects?
Electronic effects are those that change the sound produced by your instrument or voice. They can completely change the tone, texture, and atmosphere of your music. Popular kinds of effects include:
Reverb: Adds the sense of space and depth.
Delay: Creates repeated echoes of your sound.
Distortion: Adds grit and power to your sound.
Chorus: Duplicates your sound and then slightly detunes it. This creates a shimmering, lush quality to your music.
Why Electronic Effects Matter
Electronic effects offer creative possibilities for sound manipulation, providing the means to produce almost unlimited sonic textures. Whether adding reverb to create an atmospheric or using distortion to enhance a guitar's more aggressive timbre, effects can turn an entire song's feel on its head.
Start Simple: Begin with minimal effects like reverb or delay for atmosphere.
Layer Effects: Apply multiple effects such as chorus and delay to deepen the sound.
Be Creative: Use effects in strange ways, such as rhythm patterns with delay or unusual textures with distortion.
7. Blend Genres and Styles
Why Blending Genres Works
The best way to create something unique is by combining different genres and styles. Blending elements from jazz, rock, classical, and electronic music allows you to experiment with contrasting sounds and rhythms to create a truly original sound.
How Genre Blending Expands Your Music
The beauty of blending genres is the freedom to break free from traditional genre constraints and create something new. So, if you can blend the improvisational elements of jazz with the electronic textures of ambient music, you will obtain something completely different that won't fit within genre conventions.
Tips for Blending Genres
Start with Two Genres: Choose two genres you like and experiment with their combination of elements. Blues and funk can be quite groovy and soulful together.
Mix Rhythms, Melodies, and Harmonies: Play with combinations of different rhythms, melodies, and harmonies of different genres to create something unique.
Collaborate with Other Musicians: Work with musicians from other backgrounds to discover new ways to combine genres.
Conclusion:
Learn Music Techniques at Vaishali Made Academy
Discovering new techniques in music is one of the most fulfilling ways of developing your musical voice and creativity. You may want to try some unconventional scales, new rhythmic patterns, or fusing styles; the music you'll make is unique to your imagination.
At Vaishali Made Academy, we create an environment that nurtures creativity and provides tools needed to grow as a musician. Our courses are built to help you master music techniques and take your skills to the next level, whether you are a beginner or advanced musician. Our expert instructors will guide you every step of the way.
Join Vaishali Made Academy today to learn innovative music techniques that will take your sound up a notch and help you achieve your musical dreams.
Through these new music techniques, you can push your creativity in exciting new ways and broaden your sound. Keep experimenting, stay curious, and most importantly, enjoy the process of creating music!
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