Murphy2856 Posted August 10, 2020 Share Posted August 10, 2020 Hi. I am not sure if this is the best place to post this question so apologies if not. I have been pondering over this for sometime and would love some advice from anyone in a similar situation. I am looking to start a new hobby after developing for many years. I have always loved music and the idea of writing songs, however, I can’t sing. And when I say I can’t sing I really mean it. I am not that interested in “making beats” but I love orchestra and strings. The idea is to start a new hobby composing strings in Logic Pro x. I do not intend to write for film and tv and can’t find any resources that are not aimed at this area. So, does anyone write/compose for strings simply to create nice music as a hobby? I have very little music theory and zero music background and as I am now middle aged, and work full time, any courses would have to be online and/or book based. I suppose I don’t have a very specific question but welcome any advice or thoughts around this. Thanks in advance. Regards Stephen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atlas007 Posted August 11, 2020 Share Posted August 11, 2020 Googling for same (i.e. "composing for strings in Logic Pro") would reveal many suggestions. Videos are often very useful as you see how it is actually done, instead of trying to figure out what you read and transpose it in the real world... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rAC Posted August 11, 2020 Share Posted August 11, 2020 Stephen, good luck with it. And remember that just because the resources are aimed at film/TV that doesn’t mean you can’t get ideas/processes from them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murphy2856 Posted August 11, 2020 Author Share Posted August 11, 2020 Thanks for the replies. Yes I know there are many tutorials, and I would be following them, I think the main issue I had was not knowing if it was worth doing this (i.e. strings) unless I was learning for TV and Film. For example, if I learn and ended up getting good at this, is TV and Film the only real route to take? Or do people do this and produce this type of music for other reasons? Again, there are lots and lots of videos proving that people learn to make "beats" and "pop songs" for example, however, I can't sing and don't rap, so again, I think I was looking for ideas on where I could take this as a non singer, who is interested in producing music electronically. Again, thanks for the replies Regards Stephen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeRobinson Posted August 11, 2020 Share Posted August 11, 2020 You have probably just described ... "me!" I don't (currently ...) make music professionally. But, I while away my evenings in my television-free(!!) house every night with music. Most importantly of all, I suggest that you spend time "noodling." Just do something, no matter what it is. And, "record it, somehow." Whether you're feeding MIDI to Logic, or recording it on your phone, or a cassette deck or reel-to-reel. Record everything. And, as you create projects, keep everything. (External hard-disk drives are by now very big, and very cheap.) There are, of course, endless resources that have been written about "string orchestration," "composing," "arrangement" and so on – some of them hundreds of years old. You can get caught up, certainly, in "analysis paralysis." I think that the very best thing for you to do now is to ... "trust your gut." If it sounds good to you, trust that it is good. "Of course the next one may be even better, but this one is good." My personal opinion is ... probably much like yours ... that "beats" and (some) "rap" are pretty much a cop-out. (As Peanuts said long ago, "it comes in spray cans.") Happy for those who want to go that way, but I don't. I love the lush and delicate harmonies of a symphony. I love to hear "several distinct melodic lines, intertwining." I prepare quite a bit of my music first as a musical score (https://musescore.org ... it's free and it works everywhere and it's awesome). I dream of making music that will last. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
facej Posted August 11, 2020 Share Posted August 11, 2020 Start with your favorite streaming service and listen to string ensembles - trios, quartets, etc. Mozart comes to mind... Hunt down things that analyze the music for structure and form, looking for things like this https://sites.google.com/view/musicalharmonysite/part-ii-musical-harmony-theory-and-analysis/complete-harmony-analyses/mozarts-piano-sonata-in-c-major-k-545 Find a text on orchestration or some other resources like https://wiki.youngcomposers.com/Orchestration:_Introduction_to_Strings https://www.soundonsound.com/techniques/arranging-strings-part-1 https://music.tutsplus.com/tutorials/how-to-arrange-4-part-harmony-for-strings--audio-23215 Lots of starting points - for a hobby Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murphy2856 Posted August 14, 2020 Author Share Posted August 14, 2020 Thanks again for the replies. Thanks Mike, glad to hear there is someone out there in the same position. I think I am just going to download logic now there is a trial and stick with it for the 90 days and see how I go. Thanks again Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atlas007 Posted August 15, 2020 Share Posted August 15, 2020 Chances are that, if you just start using a DAW (which Logic is a deeply powerful one), you will find yourself involved in a very busy hobby... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murphy2856 Posted August 16, 2020 Author Share Posted August 16, 2020 Thanks again everyone. Lots of resources to get me started (and keep me busy). Thanks Stephen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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