Keyboard Layout and Octaves
Lesson 3 from: Music Theory for Electronic ProducersTomas George
Keyboard Layout and Octaves
Lesson 3 from: Music Theory for Electronic ProducersTomas George
Lesson Info
3. Keyboard Layout and Octaves
Lessons
Introduction
00:58 2Basic Music Theory Terms
08:07 3Keyboard Layout and Octaves
06:19 4Working out Major Scales
08:58 5Perfect 5ths
06:42 63rds - Part 1
08:05 73rds - Part 2
07:39 8Perfect 4ths
04:36Chords and Inversions - Part 1
10:05 10Chords and Inversions - Part 2
09:13 11Chord Progressions - Part 1
10:22 12Chord Progressions - Part 2
08:26 13Inversions
08:53 147th Chords
09:48 15Chord Extensions
08:09 16Suspended Chords
02:40 17The Circle of 5ths
04:30 18Minor Scales
08:09 19Chords in the Natural Minor scale
09:56 20Harmonic and Melodic Minor
09:30 21Write the Chords, then the Melody
09:03 22Write the Melody, then the Chords
18:01 23Arpeggios
08:00 24Writing Bass Parts
11:35 25Writing Bass Riffs and Adapting Melodies
14:10 26Song Analysis - Chords, Part 1
10:17 27Song Analysis - Chords, Part 2
05:58 28Song Analysis - Melody
08:55 29Song Analysis - Arrangement
07:30 30Song 2 Analysis - Arrangement
05:04 31Song 2 Analysis - Chords
08:55 32Song 2 Analysis - Melodies
06:34 33Song 3 Analysis - Chords
11:41 34Song 3 Analysis - Melodies and Arrangement
06:55 35Create a Song from a Drum Beat - Part 1
10:22 36Create a Song from a Drum Beat - Part 2
18:47 37Create a Song from a Drum Beat - Part 3
18:49 38Create a Song from a Drum Beat - Part 4
08:21 39Create a Song from a Chord Progression - Part 1
08:16 40Create a Song from a Chord Progression - Part 2
08:07 41Create a Song from a Melody - Part 1
07:27 42Create a Song from a Melody - Part 2
09:05 43Modes Intro
04:10 44Ionian
00:43 45Dorian
04:31 46Phrygian
02:09 47Lydian
01:35 48Mixolydian
02:13 49Aeolian
00:39 50Locrian
01:50 51Dorian Mode Example
09:12 52Pentatonic Scales
12:27Lesson Info
Keyboard Layout and Octaves
Hello and welcome to this first lecture. This lecture is all about the keyboard layout in our digital audio workstation. So in our daw, we should have a piano roll editor. So whichever daw you use, it doesn't really matter. They all will have a piano roll editor. The one I'm going to demonstrate is Ableton Live nine. But if you're using say Cubase Pro tools, Logic Pro or maybe FL studio, they will all have a piano role editor. So this along the side here is our piano roll editor. And so this actually is a keyboard. So if you flip this on its side, has the notes of a keyboard and if we extend this out, it will look very similar to a piano. So all they've really done is chop this off here because the way it's actually shaped like this, it's for the hands of a piano so it can play certain parts. So they've just chopped it off and put it on its side. OK. So we actually have the names of the notes whenever we hover over these notes in our digital audio workstation. So here you can see, I've...
got C three C# 3d D sharp, three, et cetera. And the white notes go from A to G and then repeat. But let's start on C it makes more sense if we start on C. So it goes CD efg then repeat the alphabet. So ABC and just repeats all the way up the octave you'll notice here that C has this black note and it actually has two black notes and then it has a pattern of three black notes. So just look at it and remember the pattern of two, then the pattern of three and just to the left of the pattern of two, you'll find ac so we do have these notes, these black ones as well. So in between, we can sharpen or flat. So sharpen basically means just a little bit higher and flatten just means a little bit lower. So this one here will be a C# because it's a little bit higher than AC or AD flat because it's a little bit lower than ad same with ad. So we have ad sharp or an E flat because it's a little bit lower. We don't have any sharps or flats between E or F and the same between B and C. So between B and C, there's no sharps and flats and E and F. So just remember that there isn't an F flat or an E sharp and there isn't a B sharp or AC flat. OK. Now, let's have a look at what middle C actually is, you might have heard that term. Middle C, it doesn't really make any sense to start with middle C. It does on a piano because it's in the middle of the piano. But when we look at our digital audio workstation, it can go really low and really high and there isn't really a middle C, but we do refer to something called a middle C all the time. So it's good to know what a middle C actually is. So the middle C is the C four. And then below this, we have AC three below this, we have AC two. Below this, we have AC one, we can even get C zero C negative one and C negative two if we're doing some really low base stuff and it goes up again, C five C six, C seven C eight. So looking at our digital audio workstation, you can find the C four here because it just says C four. And this here as our Middle Sea, you might hear the term octave as well. So the term octave will get thrown around a lot, an octave is basically this note but the pattern higher or lower. So if we're on C four, if you say an octave higher, this will mean C five or if we are on C four and you say an octave lower, this will mean C three. So it's the same pattern. Just remember two blocks of the black notes, then the three blocks of the black notes and then it repeats through octaves. Like I said earlier, the two blocks of black notes just to the left of this, you'll find AC, then it goes up CD EFG and then repeats ABC or the A actually repeats. So it goes from A to G. But most of the time we think about it starting with C which we'll have a look at later on. But just remember to start at sea if you're new to music theory and electronic music production. So an octave, if we look at the physics is just half the length of the wave. So the C five is half the length of C four and C four is half the length of C three, et cetera. The easiest way to describe this is to look at a guitar. So this is a guitar here. If we look on the strings exactly half way will be the 12 fret and this 12 fret is an octave higher of one of the strings because we're quite literally just chopping the string in half to make it half the length which will make an octave. And these octaves fit perfectly and can be used in loads of different music, especially baselines. If you're ever stuck, just stick on an octave and that will sound perfect. So if we look at these waves here, the one below is an octave higher, it's just yeah, half the length really. And because it's half the length, the waves are twice as much. So this will create an octave. So in this lecture, we've had a look at the keyboard on our digital audio workstation and what the piano roll actually is. So we have the notes up here and across, we have time. So just remember it's just a different way of writing music. So they use the notes and this is time. So when we go across, we have a time value and a note value, we've also had a look at the names of the notes, so which these are actually called. So just remember it goes from A to G and then repeats. We've also had a look at middle C which is also C four. And then we've had a look at octaves just going to play a few octaves. Now, I just threw this together on Ableton Live nine. It's just a few octaves played on a synthesizer. You can create some cool rhythms and beats and bass lines just through octaves. Really. It's quite simple. So this is a rhythm. I just threw together. I typed it in on the piano roll editor. I just used this little pencil tool and drew it in and this just allows you to create a nice sounding kind of rhythmic synth sound just with octaves. You don't have to overcomplicate stuff. If you're new to music theory. I recommend just starting with octaves and just hearing what this sounds like. I think of the interval of somewhere over the rainbow as an octave. So it's um well, so there's different patterns you can think of or you can hear a note and you know what interval it is an interval is basically just the distance between the notes. So that's the easiest way I've thought of. So we can even put this down octave and you can hear the interval again. It's actually two octaves down or one octave up. So there's loads of different patterns we can actually use to remember certain intervals. But of course, on our digital audio workstation, they even tell us as we can see on the left here, which note we're actually ho we're actually hovering over. So he here, we have C three and going up. We have C five and see four. You can easily notice. But these are octaves. If you train your ear, let's just play this again. So we can go through it and just change this around. As long as we stick to octaves, you're not really going to go wrong. You can put in any octave with, within a reason. Obviously, if you're putting C minus five, it might be too low or C nine, it might be too high. We can just bash in a few of these really quickly just to get some kind of octaves in really to create a nice interesting sound where you can't go wrong. So definitely start off with octaves if you're new to music theory. So I hope you found this useful this first lecture. Just remember the octaves an easy way to start making music and then just remember the two black notes to the left of this, you'll find, see and this pattern just repeats two black notes, three black notes and then repeats. So thank you for watching and I'll see you in the next one.
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Electronic Music Production