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AddictiveCUL (Add)
AddictiveCUL (Add)
Im up to help! :3
mobius017
mobius017
TYSM! Just sent you a PM.
AddictiveCUL (Add)
AddictiveCUL (Add)
You're welcome, friend! ^3^/
Vector
Vector
Sure, I'm open to giving input.
mobius017
mobius017
Thank you, @Vector! I just sent you a PM.
InstallGentoo
InstallGentoo
What kind of instuments do you usually use? I'm in middle of exploring instruments and what works together.
mobius017
mobius017
@InstallGentoo: If we're taking about what genres of instruments work together, it's important to remember that instruments come in different families that have different sounds. For instance, I've seen the example of a guitar and a piano. Both are string-driven instruments that can play in a similar pitch range, and unless they're playing at different times, their sounds can tend to run together. A similar case could be made for a flute and some high plucky synth sounds. The general point being, you'll probably want the instruments in your song to sound different enough that they can be clearly distinguished, unless you are intending to use them together to make a blended sound.

There's also the consideration about what kind of instruments should be in a song, from sort of a construction/structural standpoint. I think most people would agree that there aren't any hard and fast rules about what a song must have (and despite being a learner myself still, I feel comfortable enough agreeing with them), but there are lines of thought that say a song should consider having instruments that don't all occupy the same pitch range--you want to spread them out more so they can be more easily distinguished. On a similar note, some people break their instruments/song components into different categories, like bass, leads (often higher-pitched than bass), drums, chords, etc. Having an instrument or two that covers each area is seen, in this theory, as a good starting point for building a song.

(Continued below.)
mobius017
mobius017
@InstallGentoo: Taken together, I guess what I'm saying is that it's not a matter of thinking something like "pianos always go well with flutes" or "guitars never go well with harps," but trying to pick instruments that create the composition you have in mind while fulfilling individual roles that can be heard distinctly (unless your intention is for their sounds to blend together).

The reason for valuing distinctness is that it lets the song be more interesting--it gives the listener the opportunity to enjoy the composition overall, while also being able to zoom in on the individual parts and notice/appreciate them, in a way they can't do if it's all a wash that just blends together.

Does that help?
mobius017
mobius017
On a similar note, some people break their instruments/song components into different categories, like bass, leads (often higher-pitched than bass), drums, chords, etc. Having an instrument or two that covers each area is seen, in this theory, as a good starting point for building a song.
@InstallGentoo: It occurred to me that the band that plays at the CFM concerts is a good example of this. The roles that each instrument plays will vary between songs, but the band instruments are composed of:
1 set of drums--percussion, often gives the song energy and its rhythmic backbone
1 bass--supports/enriches the chords by providing a deeper bass note; could be a lead itself (probably for brief cameos)
2 guitars--chords or lead instrument
1 keyboard--chords or lead instrument; its role can vary the most widely because it's a synthesizer and can make many more sounds of different kinds than a single traditional piano. Plus, the keyboardist often has multiple keyboards available to switch between.

The roles I mentioned aren't set in stone, but the spectrum of different sounds/different role possibilities are there.