Doubly awesome, Azi!! Great to hear you're working with your band again, and thanks for sharing, the more the merrier :) All the best with your jams, and we'll speak soon!
aw, just as I thought I was getting good at basslines, you come and expose my faults 🤕 although I love your positivity, and how you don't act pretentious saying stuff like a single fault can ruin a song, like some overly negative people do it really creates a more welcoming environment and it makes you want to write better music instead of just being let down by your current weaknesses, keep it up guys
Hi Pebs! Thanks so much for your kind words and encouragement :) We love that you're committed to learning and making better music, and hey, isn't it wonderful that there's always more to learn! Wishing you a lovely weekend, Kate :)
Woohoo, so happy to hear you dig the Djend in this one Bill, it's one of our favourites so far! How did everything work out with your computer? Did you recover your snare drum? Hope all is well and we wish you a lovely weekend :)
@@HackMusicTheory Nope. I have temporarily moved on from that dance song. I'm working on a rock song, which sounds like it was inspired by songs like "Cat Scratch Fever" (Ted Nugent), "Takin' Care Of Business" (BTO) and even some "Sharp Dressed Man" (ZZ Top). I'm putting the guitar patches together as we speak with my Zoom G3X. It's going to be a fun song! I'm even thinking about hiring someone from Fiverr to do a sax solo (plus I'll have a few guitar solos). 😊
Check out the music of Duran Duran for some great examples of detailed, even virtuoso basslines. John Taylor did a lot of really creative and unusual work under all those pop hits. It's unfortunate that he recorded mostly in a time where the fashion was to keep the bass low in the mix with almost no power behind it, so in a lot of cases his contributions are all too easy to miss.
Cool, thanks for sharing, Chris! We really appreciate you being a part of the Hack Music Theory community :) What kind of music do you make? Take care and have a great rest of your week :)
Hey thanks for stopping by David, and much gratitude to you for being in the Hack Music Theory community! We hope this finds you well, and we wish you a fantastic week :)
Oh Man! This was super insightful! Thank you so much. I saw your email this morning when I was at work that your video was up, and was looking forward to watching here when I got home. Thanks for the motivation and inspiration.......🙏🙏🙏
Hi Charles, lovely to see you again, and we hope this finds you enjoying your spring so far :) We absolutely love your enthusiasm for HMT and for music, it's wonderful! As always, until next time, we wish you the best 🙏 Kate
Not sure if I've ever watched any of your videos before, but I was surprised with the quality. Informative, concise and really pleasant to watch, keep it up!
Hey thanks so much Barack, and a warm welcome to the Hack Music Theory community! What kind of music do you make? Take care, and we hope to see you again soon for more theory hacks :)
Thanks, Hyperspeed 1000, happy you dropped by! What kind of music are you into? Take care and hope to see you again soon for more theory hacks/Djends ;)
Yeah, I was digging for synth-bass videos as new hobby ... playing electric bass for decades. But at the end your videos nail it - for both of it. It's so interesting experimenting with synth bass and DAW - also _seeing_ it - while playing e-bass just "by fell" - so this will also help me to get better in both - synth and electric bass by doing bass lines more "concious" - Thanks a lot! Like and now subbed! Best regards, Stefan
Hi Stefan, we're thrilled to hear this was helpful to you, and a warm welcome to the Hack Music Theory community! It's awesome to hear you're experimenting with synth bass :) As a multi-instrumentalist himself, Ray writes all his virtual instrument parts so that they are playable on real instruments. So, you can definitely use our bass hacks for both electric bass and synth bass! Here's all our bass hacks in one playlist for your reference: th-cam.com/play/PLgYcaQlDpHN7Twwmm8cGLglMN-ys6QYQf.html Also, we'd love to know what kind of music you make and/or what bands you're into? Take care, Stefan, and we wish you a lovely weekend :) Kate
Hey thanks, Maximiliam, and a warm welcome to the Hack Music Theory community! We checked out your channel, good stuff! As you're Swedish, how about a drum cover off the new Meshuggah album? We'd love to watch that :) Take care, and we wish you a lovely weekend!
The theory was amazing but did anyone realize how good that bass tone is and the production is beyond measure on a music theory lesson. Great job. Subscribed and will share too
Aww thanks so much MohantyJams, and a warm welcome to the Hack Music Theory community! What kind of music do you make? Take care, and we hope to see you again soon for more theory hacks :)
@@HackMusicTheory thank you for being so kind to me and replying. I make post rock music in the after hours of a very average life and write about things I can’t convey with words. Love you guys being so welcoming and warm.
Thanks for sharing Mohanty :) That's exactly why we love music theory. Understanding the language of music (aka theory) helps us express musically those things that can't be conveyed with words. We wish you a wonderful week Mohanty, and hope to see you around soon :)
@@HackMusicTheory currently, I’m working on instrumentals. Mostly jazz. BUT! There’s a twist: I’ve limited myself to “one shots,” and instrument emulators. It’s something I’ve wanted to explore for about 10 years, and now that I’m retired, I think it’s time to have a go 🤞
Awesome, Jef, thanks so much for sharing! That's awesome that you've set up some limits, and creativity can often thrive best when given some parameters :) We're happy you have some time now to devote to music, and we're cheering you on!! Let us know how you get on with your music making and until next time, take care :)
Lol, thanks Andre, we're thrilled to have you in the Hack Music Theory community! What kind of music do you make? And what kind of tea do you drink?! Take care Andre, and we wish you a lovely week :)
@@HackMusicTheory thanks I feel so fortunate to have found this channel :') my favs teas are the green, white and yerba mate (it's from south America, have you tried it?). I like to play a lot of different genres just because, and I'm currently building my own studio so while I save for some killer guitar equipment I'm creating electronic related music with some synths I got. Tell me, how do you find the balance between drinking tea and headbanging to some heavy drop Gs??
Hey Andre, thanks for sharing! That's awesome that you're creating music with what you have on hand :) We love drinking matcha and for the afternoons/evenings we like to drink rooibos! And yes, it's definitely a challenge to find that balance with the tea and headbanging ;) We're happy to be a part of your music making journey and we're wishing you all the best with the building of your studio! Stay in touch and we'll talk soon :)
So happy to hear that after all these years, we're still sharing lessons that are helpful to you HAZARDOUS88 :) As always, thank you for showing up every time, we're honoured. Take care and we hope you have a wonderful weekend!
Hey hey -V., great to see you again, hope this finds you well and thriving! How's your music making going these days? Thanks for watching, we're happy you dig this Djend :) Take care and have a great weekend!
Hey thanks, Wojciech! Hope this finds you well, and thanks big time for being here in the Hack Music Theory community :) Take care and have a lovely weekend!
Great, as usual! Sometimes I feel my bass lines are too busy and all over the place. Still trying to figure out the right balance. Whose sweet dog is that?
Hi Mark, so great to see you again, hope this finds you and your family well :) Yup, you're right, it's all about finding that balance where all the layers fit together! As for the dog, I wish I knew so I could go and snuggle it, haha! It's stock footage though, so I'll just have to be content with this video :) Do you have a dog? Wishing you a lovely week, Kate :)
@@HackMusicTheory Thanks, Kate. We had a long-haired Chihuahua, Precious, who, unfortunately, passed away 16 years ago. It was pretty traumatic, so we have not gotten another dog since, although we had a couple of false starts. Close friends of ours just got a new dog, and we've been babysitting it a lot, so we've been getting our dog "fix" in. They named it Precious :)
Thank you for sharing, Mark :) I'm happy to hear you have a dog in your life, they certainly add joy and playfulness! And that's cool that they named it Precious :)
Hi Eric, thanks for your kind words, and a warm welcome to the Hack Music Theory community! That's awesome that you are able to make a living playing bass, what kind of music do you play? Are you a session player, or do you have a full-time gig? Ray is also a multi-instrumentalist, so all our hacks can just as easily be used for real instruments as for virtual instruments. If you're interested here's a playlist with all our bass hacks: th-cam.com/play/PLgYcaQlDpHN7Twwmm8cGLglMN-ys6QYQf.html Take care and all the best, Eric, we wish you a lovely weekend :)
Hi Az Grandpa, a very warm welcome to the Hack Music Theory community! What kind of music do you make? Take care, and we wish you a lovely weekend, Kate :)
Hey thanks so much Gabriel, we're happy you're here in the Hack Music Theory community! What kind of music do you make? Take care, and we hope to see you again soon for more theory hacks :)
Lol, that's awesome, thanks for sharing Özgür! We love dogs :) What are your dogs' names? And what kind of music do you make? Thanks so much for stopping by and a warm welcome to the Hack Music Theory community!
Glad you liked the extended Djend, I think they just keep getting longer and longer haha! Regarding the 3rds. Yes, they are harmonic notes. So, while they do add emotion to the bass line, they will not be responsible for making your bass line a separate musical layer. That's why playing non-harmonic notes in your bass line is the only way to truly separate it from your chord progression. Hope that helps, my friend, and thanks for stopping by and connecting, it's always good to see you here. Until next time, happy music making! Ray :)
Hey thanks, Franny, happy to hear you enjoyed this one! Thanks for being here in the Hack Music Theory community, we'd love to know what kind of music you make? Take care and have a lovely weekend :)
Really love how you guys approached the tutorial! It's informative and most importantly gives us the tools for overall improvement rather than stating that this is THE way to write.
Hey thanks so much for your kind words, DopaLink, we're happy you enjoyed this tutorial :) A warm welcome to the Hack Music Theory community! We'd love to know what kind of music you make?
@@HackMusicTheory Happy to be here! I make music for video games, so the genres are really blurry. My favorite music to make though is something like a dark minimal techno, or heavy, industrial metal.
Very cool, thanks for sharing, DopaLink, we love that you don't limit yourself with genre and style! You might like our "Truth About Genre" video: th-cam.com/video/Mr5iWrVIX0c/w-d-xo.html What are some of your favourite bands?
@@HackMusicTheory Really like the work of Jinjer, Periphery, Polyphia, Korn, A7X, Carpenter Brut, Perturbator Ansome, Paula Temple, Mick Gordon, Keiichi Okabe, Yuzo Koshiro and many more. Don't really have favorites, every band or artist does something better than the other and offers things to learn from.
Nice list of artists, thanks for sharing! By the way, have you been to our metal page? hackmusictheory.com/djent We've got PDFs on Periphery and Animals As Leaders, and you can also download our free PDF on how to write Octatonic riffs (like Meshuggah). Enjoy!
Cool tips! Been wondering how to spice up my bass outside of just roots and 5ths. My only concern is, when the lead melody is more complex, might adding so many non-harmonic notes make the bass too distracting and not easy to let just be a groove?
Hey thanks so much for stopping by, RockEsper, and a warm welcome to the Hack Music Theory community! Happy to hear this was helpful for you :) Your question is a really good one, because that is one of the most difficult things to achieve: writing a lead melody, a chord progression, and a bass line that are all creative on their own, yet they also work perfectly together! This is exactly what we teach you how to do in our Songwriting & Producing course. It contains 12 step-by-step videos (56 mins), and you'll also learn our essential hacks for melodies, chords, bass, drums & more. If that sounds useful to you, you can find it here: HackMusicTheory.com/Courses You can also check out these 3 playlists, which are all series that build up a section of music from a blank canvas: 1. How to Write a Song: th-cam.com/play/PLgYcaQlDpHN63jnHQaWD6M3-zuhtMjyMm.html 2. How to Write a Christmas Song (this is relevant even if you're not writing a Christmas song): th-cam.com/play/PLgYcaQlDpHN7u7BQRj6zD9FvCxTGbrnYw.html 3. Masterclass: th-cam.com/play/PLgYcaQlDpHN5Poc5pUuvFlb7dqaJ37AFw.html Hope that helps, RockEsper, we wish you all the best, and please do let us know how you get along with your music making! Take care and talk soon :)
Lol, thanks, Christian, and a warm welcome to the Hack Music Theory community! You'll find more of those endings on our recent videos ;) We'd love to know what kind of metal you make and/or what bands you're into?
Hey thanks, Ivan, and a warm welcome to the Hack Music Theory community! You'll find more of those endings on our recent videos ;) We'd love to know what kind of metal you make, and/or what bands you're into?
@@HackMusicTheory that's nice! I make instrumental prog metal and love a lot of prog/djent bands like Animals as Leaders, Periphery, David Maxim Micic, etc etc
Awesome!! As you probably guessed, we love prog too :) Have you been to our Djent page? hackmusictheory.com/djent We've got PDFs on Animals as Leaders and Periphery, and you can download a Free PDF on Meshuggah. Enjoy!
Hello everyone. Maybe arranging can make the most of all three versions? As it stands, the thirds and non harmonic version as a standalone is kind of 'here's the good bit - enjoy - repeat'. How about building it up? One of the 'fault version', one of the 'thirds version' and two of the 'thirds and non harmonic version' would be more like - 'here's the good bit, oh it got a bit better, oh that rocks and they did it again - yes!' Much love to all and many thanks.
Hey Dub Archaeologist, thanks for stopping by and a very warm welcome to the Hack Music Theory community, we're stoked and grateful to have you here! Happy to hear that our video has got your creative juices flowing, and we hope to see you back here on the next one :)
Hey hey Arjun, great to see you! Happy to hear this one was useful to you :) For the bass guitar we're using Steven Wilson's Ghostwriter, and Native Instruments' Neon Drive plugin for the bass synths. By the way, what kind of music do you make?
Hi Arjun, hope this finds you well :) We're honoured that you would like our feedback on your finished song! We absolutely would love to do that for you, however, as it's just the two of us here at Hack Music Theory, we sadly don't have the time to provide individual feedback. But, that is precisely why we made our Apprenticeship Network! There you can connect with other apprentices and ask them theory questions, share your new music and get feedback from around the world! You'll find more information about it here: HackMusicTheory.com/Courses All the best with your music making, Arjun, we're cheering you on!!
Hey, I got a Q, where can I find one of your vids which explains stuff from the start, like beginner guidance, i really need to restart learning stuff cus I skipped so much, and now, I am confused on so many levels. Or do you guys have a playlist on step by step, like explain how keys work, which key is which key, and then melodies, etc, etc? I mean I skipped such imported stuff that I don't really know what keys are lol. Is like learning how to read but you skipped the alphabet, and now you're left confused 🤣 Cus for myself I've mostly learned what I've needed when I was making something, but because of this, now am stuck. I can't do melodies, and even if a managed to make a good melody I cant combine a good rhythm with the bass, or the drums, any beat I have made has been made out of luck from me trying different things for hours, some times days, and I didn't even know what I was doing 😅, i was like if it sounded good it was good!. A lot of your videos have helped me on some stuff, but I really need a restart, so if you can make a playlist, or if you have one that be great.
Hey hey V SONG, thanks for your question, and for being brave enough to admit that you're stuck. It's for this very reason that we started Hack Music Theory. Firstly, we're very sorry to hear that you're confused and frustrated, cos that sucks! Please know that you're not alone. Ok, so if you haven't already, the first thing to do is to download our free book: '12 Music Theory Hacks to Learn Scales and Chords'? It will give you a super solid music theory foundation and answer a lot of your questions (i.e. what is a key/scale), plus it's a super fast and fun read. You can download it here: HackMusicTheory.com/Books From there, we'd suggest you watch these 3 playlists, which are all series: 1. How to Write a Song: th-cam.com/play/PLgYcaQlDpHN63jnHQaWD6M3-zuhtMjyMm.html 2. How to Write a Christmas Song (this is relevant even if you're not writing a Christmas song): th-cam.com/play/PLgYcaQlDpHN7u7BQRj6zD9FvCxTGbrnYw.html 3. Masterclass: th-cam.com/play/PLgYcaQlDpHN5Poc5pUuvFlb7dqaJ37AFw.html While watching those playlists you may want to start making your own chord progressions and melodies. Then you might consider our Songwriting & Producing course, where you'll learn step-by-step how to make all the layers of your music work together (you'll find it here: HackMusicTheory.com/Courses). Then after some practice, we'd suggest taking a look at our online apprenticeship. It literally captures every second of the songwriting process, from blank screen to finished song, while also teaching every single step and theory hack along the way. You'll learn how to start songs, make new sections for existing sections, transition between sections and finish your songs! You'll also get access to our exclusive Apprentice Network, where you'll be able to ask questions, share your new music with other apprentices, and get feedback from around the world. You can find out more here: HackMusicTheory.com/Courses. We hope this helps you learn the musical "alphabet" and navigate your music making with more skill and ease! Please know that we're cheering you on, and wish you all the best :)
Happy you dig the Djend, MC Squid :) A warm welcome to the Hack Music Theory community! What kind of music do you make and/or what kind of bands are you into?
Hey thanks so much thatguy fromyoutube, and a warm welcome to the Hack Music Theory community! We love drinking green tea and rooibos, how about you? We're also curious about what kind of music you make? Take care, and we hope to see you again soon for more theory hacks :)
I notice they are using Reaper, one of the best DAWs. There is a MAC version. It is free to try for 3 months. It is very cheap (60$ I think) so maybe you can afford that. Otherwise, it let you use the software without limitations even when trial ends. Maybe developers won't be angry with a young passionate musician. You will be the first one willing to pay as soon as you can 😁
Hey j.kruithof, thanks for stopping by and a warm welcome to the Hack Music Theory community! Regarding a free DAW (digital audio workstation), which is the program you need to produce music. We've got good news for you, there's actually loads of free ones! For a list of the best free DAWs, here's a video from the In The Mix channel: th-cam.com/video/8aRx4HMLY5Q/w-d-xo.html Hope that helps, and keep us posted on your musical journey. By the way, what music are you into?
Exactly, Gianmarco is correct! Thanks for jumping into the conversation, Gianmarco. So yes, we use Reaper, and we love it! We've used most DAWs, and most of them are good, but we prefer Reaper (for numerous reasons). And yes, it's only $60, and that includes lifetime free updates, and they release updates really often! You can download it here: www.reaper.fm And for the record, we are not sponsored by Reaper, we bought it like everyone else :)
@@HackMusicTheory and thank you 🙏 i will watch the vid in a minute. Thanks for the vids almost all my music theory knowledge comes from this channel so keep it up!!
@@HackMusicTheory Were like a band similar to bands like Fit For A King, August Burns Red, As I Lay Dying, Sion, and Termina My band is Down Syndrome Time Machine
Nice, thanks for sharing, Growl and Roll! A warm welcome to the Hack Music Theory community :) We'd love to know what some of your favourite bands are?
Awesome stuff as always but I disagree that a bass line needs to have a smooth continuous contour. It's very common for bass lines to have octave jumps, especially in funk, R&B, jazz, and especially disco which is choc full of them.
Hey hey KungPow, great to see you again! Thanks for dropping by and being first :) How's your music making going these days? Take care and we wish you a fantastic weekend :)
►6 Hacks for Better Bass: th-cam.com/video/ujS0Viuv5kg/w-d-xo.html
that chromatic walk from the last chord tone to the first one is SICK!
Yes! Happy you dig that one, Azi :) How's spring treating you? It's been a bit of a cold one, but I'll take it over spring snow any day! Kate :)
@@HackMusicTheory spring is treating me well…. Starting to do regular jams with my band (and sharing your videos with them 😁)
Doubly awesome, Azi!! Great to hear you're working with your band again, and thanks for sharing, the more the merrier :) All the best with your jams, and we'll speak soon!
Yes, yes, yes! I love adding chromaticism in rock bass lines!
aw, just as I thought I was getting good at basslines, you come and expose my faults 🤕
although I love your positivity, and how you don't act pretentious saying stuff like a single fault can ruin a song, like some overly negative people do
it really creates a more welcoming environment and it makes you want to write better music instead of just being let down by your current weaknesses, keep it up guys
Hi Pebs! Thanks so much for your kind words and encouragement :) We love that you're committed to learning and making better music, and hey, isn't it wonderful that there's always more to learn! Wishing you a lovely weekend, Kate :)
I love listening to the final result. This one was EPIC! The bass line alone makes the song a lot more pleasing & interesting. 😎
Woohoo, so happy to hear you dig the Djend in this one Bill, it's one of our favourites so far! How did everything work out with your computer? Did you recover your snare drum? Hope all is well and we wish you a lovely weekend :)
@@HackMusicTheory Nope. I have temporarily moved on from that dance song. I'm working on a rock song, which sounds like it was inspired by songs like "Cat Scratch Fever" (Ted Nugent), "Takin' Care Of Business" (BTO) and even some "Sharp Dressed Man" (ZZ Top). I'm putting the guitar patches together as we speak with my Zoom G3X. It's going to be a fun song! I'm even thinking about hiring someone from Fiverr to do a sax solo (plus I'll have a few guitar solos). 😊
Sounds like a blast, Bill, thanks for sharing!! All the best with it :)
That djending made me so happy, thanks yall
Check out the music of Duran Duran for some great examples of detailed, even virtuoso basslines. John Taylor did a lot of really creative and unusual work under all those pop hits. It's unfortunate that he recorded mostly in a time where the fashion was to keep the bass low in the mix with almost no power behind it, so in a lot of cases his contributions are all too easy to miss.
Cool, thanks for sharing, Chris! We really appreciate you being a part of the Hack Music Theory community :) What kind of music do you make? Take care and have a great rest of your week :)
Excellent tips in this video guys! 💜
Hey thanks for stopping by David, and much gratitude to you for being in the Hack Music Theory community! We hope this finds you well, and we wish you a fantastic week :)
Oh Man! This was super insightful! Thank you so much. I saw your email this morning when I was at work that your video was up, and was looking forward to watching here when I got home. Thanks for the motivation and inspiration.......🙏🙏🙏
Hi Charles, lovely to see you again, and we hope this finds you enjoying your spring so far :) We absolutely love your enthusiasm for HMT and for music, it's wonderful! As always, until next time, we wish you the best 🙏 Kate
Not sure if I've ever watched any of your videos before, but I was surprised with the quality. Informative, concise and really pleasant to watch, keep it up!
Hey thanks so much Barack, and a warm welcome to the Hack Music Theory community! What kind of music do you make? Take care, and we hope to see you again soon for more theory hacks :)
@@HackMusicTheory I don't really make any music now, I could try getting into it again someday though
Thanks for sharing, Barack! Now you know where to come when you do start making music again:) We wish you a lovely week!
@@HackMusicTheory Same to you!
The Djending...sick :O
Thanks, Hyperspeed 1000, happy you dropped by! What kind of music are you into? Take care and hope to see you again soon for more theory hacks/Djends ;)
Yeah, I was digging for synth-bass videos as new hobby ... playing electric bass for decades. But at the end your videos nail it - for both of it. It's so interesting experimenting with synth bass and DAW - also _seeing_ it - while playing e-bass just "by fell" - so this will also help me to get better in both - synth and electric bass by doing bass lines more "concious" - Thanks a lot! Like and now subbed! Best regards, Stefan
Hi Stefan, we're thrilled to hear this was helpful to you, and a warm welcome to the Hack Music Theory community! It's awesome to hear you're experimenting with synth bass :) As a multi-instrumentalist himself, Ray writes all his virtual instrument parts so that they are playable on real instruments. So, you can definitely use our bass hacks for both electric bass and synth bass! Here's all our bass hacks in one playlist for your reference: th-cam.com/play/PLgYcaQlDpHN7Twwmm8cGLglMN-ys6QYQf.html
Also, we'd love to know what kind of music you make and/or what bands you're into?
Take care, Stefan, and we wish you a lovely weekend :) Kate
Killer lesson! Thank you!
Hey thanks, Maximiliam, and a warm welcome to the Hack Music Theory community! We checked out your channel, good stuff! As you're Swedish, how about a drum cover off the new Meshuggah album? We'd love to watch that :) Take care, and we wish you a lovely weekend!
The theory was amazing but did anyone realize how good that bass tone is and the production is beyond measure on a music theory lesson. Great job. Subscribed and will share too
Aww thanks so much MohantyJams, and a warm welcome to the Hack Music Theory community! What kind of music do you make? Take care, and we hope to see you again soon for more theory hacks :)
@@HackMusicTheory thank you for being so kind to me and replying. I make post rock music in the after hours of a very average life and write about things I can’t convey with words. Love you guys being so welcoming and warm.
Thanks for sharing Mohanty :) That's exactly why we love music theory. Understanding the language of music (aka theory) helps us express musically those things that can't be conveyed with words. We wish you a wonderful week Mohanty, and hope to see you around soon :)
Nice to see more Reaper representation around!
Yay Reaper! Thanks so much for stopping by eyeball226, what kind of music do you make?
Take care, and hope to see you again for more theory hacks!
Thank you guys. Great content. Creating a good bass line is always an important and mysterious part of my composing process.
So happy to hear you enjoyed this one, Pedro! We hope you're having a lovely May so far, and wish you many blessings :)
@@HackMusicTheory Thank you too.
That cinches it. I am convinced these two are _NOT_ Earthlings 😳 because their tips are out of this world 😊
Lol, thanks, Jef, and a warm welcome to the Hack Music Theory community! What kind of music do you make?
@@HackMusicTheory currently, I’m working on instrumentals. Mostly jazz. BUT! There’s a twist: I’ve limited myself to “one shots,” and instrument emulators. It’s something I’ve wanted to explore for about 10 years, and now that I’m retired, I think it’s time to have a go 🤞
Awesome, Jef, thanks so much for sharing! That's awesome that you've set up some limits, and creativity can often thrive best when given some parameters :) We're happy you have some time now to devote to music, and we're cheering you on!! Let us know how you get on with your music making and until next time, take care :)
Love the info, and the address, and djent dog!
Sweet!! I totally needed this. Good lesson
Franz, so happy to see you! Hope this finds you well and loving life :) Kate
omg thank you, i needed this
Great to hear we could be of help to you, Erik, and a warm welcome to the Hack Music Theory community! What kind of music do you make?
I love this videos so much. I've learned tons from you beautiful people, but mostly, tea.
Lol, thanks Andre, we're thrilled to have you in the Hack Music Theory community! What kind of music do you make? And what kind of tea do you drink?! Take care Andre, and we wish you a lovely week :)
@@HackMusicTheory thanks I feel so fortunate to have found this channel :') my favs teas are the green, white and yerba mate (it's from south America, have you tried it?). I like to play a lot of different genres just because, and I'm currently building my own studio so while I save for some killer guitar equipment I'm creating electronic related music with some synths I got. Tell me, how do you find the balance between drinking tea and headbanging to some heavy drop Gs??
Hey Andre, thanks for sharing! That's awesome that you're creating music with what you have on hand :) We love drinking matcha and for the afternoons/evenings we like to drink rooibos! And yes, it's definitely a challenge to find that balance with the tea and headbanging ;) We're happy to be a part of your music making journey and we're wishing you all the best with the building of your studio! Stay in touch and we'll talk soon :)
The final example bassline sounds like something Chris Squire would've written for Yes on their 80's albums.
Very nice
Thank you, this is very helpful!
So happy to hear that after all these years, we're still sharing lessons that are helpful to you HAZARDOUS88 :) As always, thank you for showing up every time, we're honoured. Take care and we hope you have a wonderful weekend!
@@HackMusicTheory Thank you very much, I really appreciate the reply!
wonderful, thanks
Omg “the djend” lmao omg the puppy!
Hey hey -V., great to see you again, hope this finds you well and thriving! How's your music making going these days? Thanks for watching, we're happy you dig this Djend :) Take care and have a great weekend!
djent was awesome in so many ways
Hey thanks, Wojciech! Hope this finds you well, and thanks big time for being here in the Hack Music Theory community :) Take care and have a lovely weekend!
Loved the end
Happy you dig the end, Jorge, and thanks for being here in the Hack Music Theory community! What kind of music do you make?
@@HackMusicTheory And thanks for sharing this valuable content, I'm making minimal house and a bit of jazz house
Our pleasure, Jorge, and thank you for sharing :)
Great, as usual! Sometimes I feel my bass lines are too busy and all over the place. Still trying to figure out the right balance. Whose sweet dog is that?
Hi Mark, so great to see you again, hope this finds you and your family well :) Yup, you're right, it's all about finding that balance where all the layers fit together! As for the dog, I wish I knew so I could go and snuggle it, haha! It's stock footage though, so I'll just have to be content with this video :) Do you have a dog? Wishing you a lovely week, Kate :)
@@HackMusicTheory Thanks, Kate. We had a long-haired Chihuahua, Precious, who, unfortunately, passed away 16 years ago. It was pretty traumatic, so we have not gotten another dog since, although we had a couple of false starts. Close friends of ours just got a new dog, and we've been babysitting it a lot, so we've been getting our dog "fix" in. They named it Precious :)
Thank you for sharing, Mark :) I'm happy to hear you have a dog in your life, they certainly add joy and playfulness! And that's cool that they named it Precious :)
Thank you! This helped me a lot
Happy to hear it, Daniel, and a warm welcome to the Hack Music Theory community! What kind of music do you make?
love it ! thx guys!
Yay, thanks Chris, and a warm welcome to the Hack Music Theory community! What kind of music do you make?
Great job :)
I play bass for a living. Thought this was a very cool video. Nice ideas for changing up the line.
Hi Eric, thanks for your kind words, and a warm welcome to the Hack Music Theory community! That's awesome that you are able to make a living playing bass, what kind of music do you play? Are you a session player, or do you have a full-time gig? Ray is also a multi-instrumentalist, so all our hacks can just as easily be used for real instruments as for virtual instruments. If you're interested here's a playlist with all our bass hacks: th-cam.com/play/PLgYcaQlDpHN7Twwmm8cGLglMN-ys6QYQf.html
Take care and all the best, Eric, we wish you a lovely weekend :)
Thanks!!
Hi Az Grandpa, a very warm welcome to the Hack Music Theory community! What kind of music do you make? Take care, and we wish you a lovely weekend, Kate :)
Great tips as usual.
Hey thanks so much Gabriel, we're happy you're here in the Hack Music Theory community! What kind of music do you make? Take care, and we hope to see you again soon for more theory hacks :)
Metal part made me laugh so hard, even the dogs started barking jxjxjxjx
Lol, that's awesome, thanks for sharing Özgür! We love dogs :) What are your dogs' names? And what kind of music do you make? Thanks so much for stopping by and a warm welcome to the Hack Music Theory community!
Hi Kate and Ray! B-but, if we add 3's, they are still repeating what's in the chord, so they add nothing? Extended DJEND!!!
Glad you liked the extended Djend, I think they just keep getting longer and longer haha! Regarding the 3rds. Yes, they are harmonic notes. So, while they do add emotion to the bass line, they will not be responsible for making your bass line a separate musical layer. That's why playing non-harmonic notes in your bass line is the only way to truly separate it from your chord progression. Hope that helps, my friend, and thanks for stopping by and connecting, it's always good to see you here. Until next time, happy music making! Ray :)
@@HackMusicTheory Thank you!
JUST BOUGHT IT!!!
wow very cool video guys, bassline : spicy upgrade :)
Hey thanks, Franny, happy to hear you enjoyed this one! Thanks for being here in the Hack Music Theory community, we'd love to know what kind of music you make? Take care and have a lovely weekend :)
@@HackMusicTheory thanks for kind wishes :) i call my music "psychedelic classical-fusion synth-jazz" 🤓
Sick! Thanksss 🥰
Lol, thanks so much for stopping by, Da Vosk Docta! Wishing you a lovely weekend and hope to see you again soon for more music theory hacks :)
Really love how you guys approached the tutorial! It's informative and most importantly gives us the tools for overall improvement rather than stating that this is THE way to write.
Hey thanks so much for your kind words, DopaLink, we're happy you enjoyed this tutorial :) A warm welcome to the Hack Music Theory community! We'd love to know what kind of music you make?
@@HackMusicTheory Happy to be here! I make music for video games, so the genres are really blurry. My favorite music to make though is something like a dark minimal techno, or heavy, industrial metal.
Very cool, thanks for sharing, DopaLink, we love that you don't limit yourself with genre and style! You might like our "Truth About Genre" video: th-cam.com/video/Mr5iWrVIX0c/w-d-xo.html
What are some of your favourite bands?
@@HackMusicTheory Really like the work of Jinjer, Periphery, Polyphia, Korn, A7X, Carpenter Brut, Perturbator Ansome, Paula Temple, Mick Gordon, Keiichi Okabe, Yuzo Koshiro and many more. Don't really have favorites, every band or artist does something better than the other and offers things to learn from.
Nice list of artists, thanks for sharing! By the way, have you been to our metal page? hackmusictheory.com/djent We've got PDFs on Periphery and Animals As Leaders, and you can also download our free PDF on how to write Octatonic riffs (like Meshuggah). Enjoy!
Cool tips! Been wondering how to spice up my bass outside of just roots and 5ths. My only concern is, when the lead melody is more complex, might adding so many non-harmonic notes make the bass too distracting and not easy to let just be a groove?
Hey thanks so much for stopping by, RockEsper, and a warm welcome to the Hack Music Theory community! Happy to hear this was helpful for you :)
Your question is a really good one, because that is one of the most difficult things to achieve: writing a lead melody, a chord progression, and a bass line that are all creative on their own, yet they also work perfectly together!
This is exactly what we teach you how to do in our Songwriting & Producing course. It contains 12 step-by-step videos (56 mins), and you'll also learn our essential hacks for melodies, chords, bass, drums & more. If that sounds useful to you, you can find it here: HackMusicTheory.com/Courses
You can also check out these 3 playlists, which are all series that build up a section of music from a blank canvas:
1. How to Write a Song: th-cam.com/play/PLgYcaQlDpHN63jnHQaWD6M3-zuhtMjyMm.html
2. How to Write a Christmas Song (this is relevant even if you're not writing a Christmas song): th-cam.com/play/PLgYcaQlDpHN7u7BQRj6zD9FvCxTGbrnYw.html
3. Masterclass: th-cam.com/play/PLgYcaQlDpHN5Poc5pUuvFlb7dqaJ37AFw.html
Hope that helps, RockEsper, we wish you all the best, and please do let us know how you get along with your music making! Take care and talk soon :)
subbed because of the ending. i'm a not-closeted metalhead
Lol, thanks, Christian, and a warm welcome to the Hack Music Theory community! You'll find more of those endings on our recent videos ;) We'd love to know what kind of metal you make and/or what bands you're into?
Supercool
Thanks for stopping by, Photo Story Channel, and a warm welcome to the Hack Music Theory community! What kind of music do you make?
that ending xD
Hey thanks, Ivan, and a warm welcome to the Hack Music Theory community! You'll find more of those endings on our recent videos ;) We'd love to know what kind of metal you make, and/or what bands you're into?
@@HackMusicTheory that's nice! I make instrumental prog metal and love a lot of prog/djent bands like Animals as Leaders, Periphery, David Maxim Micic, etc etc
Awesome!! As you probably guessed, we love prog too :) Have you been to our Djent page? hackmusictheory.com/djent We've got PDFs on Animals as Leaders and Periphery, and you can download a Free PDF on Meshuggah. Enjoy!
Hello everyone. Maybe arranging can make the most of all three versions? As it stands, the thirds and non harmonic version as a standalone is kind of 'here's the good bit - enjoy - repeat'. How about building it up? One of the 'fault version', one of the 'thirds version' and two of the 'thirds and non harmonic version' would be more like - 'here's the good bit, oh it got a bit better, oh that rocks and they did it again - yes!' Much love to all and many thanks.
Hey Dub Archaeologist, thanks for stopping by and a very warm welcome to the Hack Music Theory community, we're stoked and grateful to have you here! Happy to hear that our video has got your creative juices flowing, and we hope to see you back here on the next one :)
@@HackMusicTheory I've been on board for ages, not sure if I have commented until now though. 😀
Oh that's awesome, thank you! Yeah we haven't seen you here in the comments before, so it's lovely to meet you :)
the DJEND
Haha yeah this was a particularly fun one :)
cool vid. hey what CST are you using that tone is mean
Which synth vst are you using? As usual the tutorial is a real eye opener
Hey hey Arjun, great to see you! Happy to hear this one was useful to you :) For the bass guitar we're using Steven Wilson's Ghostwriter, and Native Instruments' Neon Drive plugin for the bass synths. By the way, what kind of music do you make?
@@HackMusicTheory Hi, So glad to see a reply from you wonderful people. It would really great if I could drop in a mail to you.
@@HackMusicTheory is there any way i could send one of my finished tracks for your kind listen.
Hi Arjun, hope this finds you well :) We're honoured that you would like our feedback on your finished song! We absolutely would love to do that for you, however, as it's just the two of us here at Hack Music Theory, we sadly don't have the time to provide individual feedback. But, that is precisely why we made our Apprenticeship Network! There you can connect with other apprentices and ask them theory questions, share your new music and get feedback from around the world! You'll find more information about it here: HackMusicTheory.com/Courses
All the best with your music making, Arjun, we're cheering you on!!
Hey, I got a Q, where can I find one of your vids which explains stuff from the start, like beginner guidance, i really need to restart learning stuff cus I skipped so much, and now, I am confused on so many levels.
Or do you guys have a playlist on step by step, like explain how keys work, which key is which key, and then melodies, etc, etc?
I mean I skipped such imported stuff that I don't really know what keys are lol.
Is like learning how to read but you skipped the alphabet, and now you're left confused 🤣
Cus for myself I've mostly learned what I've needed when I was making something, but because of this, now am stuck. I can't do melodies, and even if a managed to make a good melody I cant combine a good rhythm with the bass, or the drums, any beat I have made has been made out of luck from me trying different things for hours, some times days, and I didn't even know what I was doing 😅, i was like if it sounded good it was good!.
A lot of your videos have helped me on some stuff, but I really need a restart, so if you can make a playlist, or if you have one that be great.
Hey hey V SONG, thanks for your question, and for being brave enough to admit that you're stuck. It's for this very reason that we started Hack Music Theory. Firstly, we're very sorry to hear that you're confused and frustrated, cos that sucks! Please know that you're not alone.
Ok, so if you haven't already, the first thing to do is to download our free book: '12 Music Theory Hacks to Learn Scales and Chords'? It will give you a super solid music theory foundation and answer a lot of your questions (i.e. what is a key/scale), plus it's a super fast and fun read. You can download it here: HackMusicTheory.com/Books
From there, we'd suggest you watch these 3 playlists, which are all series:
1. How to Write a Song: th-cam.com/play/PLgYcaQlDpHN63jnHQaWD6M3-zuhtMjyMm.html
2. How to Write a Christmas Song (this is relevant even if you're not writing a Christmas song): th-cam.com/play/PLgYcaQlDpHN7u7BQRj6zD9FvCxTGbrnYw.html
3. Masterclass: th-cam.com/play/PLgYcaQlDpHN5Poc5pUuvFlb7dqaJ37AFw.html
While watching those playlists you may want to start making your own chord progressions and melodies.
Then you might consider our Songwriting & Producing course, where you'll learn step-by-step how to make all the layers of your music work together (you'll find it here: HackMusicTheory.com/Courses).
Then after some practice, we'd suggest taking a look at our online apprenticeship. It literally captures every second of the songwriting process, from blank screen to finished song, while also teaching every single step and theory hack along the way. You'll learn how to start songs, make new sections for existing sections, transition between sections and finish your songs! You'll also get access to our exclusive Apprentice Network, where you'll be able to ask questions, share your new music with other apprentices, and get feedback from around the world. You can find out more here: HackMusicTheory.com/Courses.
We hope this helps you learn the musical "alphabet" and navigate your music making with more skill and ease! Please know that we're cheering you on, and wish you all the best :)
@@HackMusicTheory Thank you very much 🙏
outro rly just turned into mick gordon
Happy you dig the Djend, MC Squid :) A warm welcome to the Hack Music Theory community! What kind of music do you make and/or what kind of bands are you into?
great video really, usefull
...at the end of a ferocious psychedelic, what kind of tea do you drink there all the time, did you say?
Hey thanks so much thatguy fromyoutube, and a warm welcome to the Hack Music Theory community! We love drinking green tea and rooibos, how about you? We're also curious about what kind of music you make? Take care, and we hope to see you again soon for more theory hacks :)
👍 - _also_ for the YT algo! 😊
Thanks Jost! Have a fantastic weekend :)
I want to produce music but i am a 15 year old so i cant effort a subscription so do you know a free program for mac (i have a guitar and base)
I notice they are using Reaper, one of the best DAWs. There is a MAC version. It is free to try for 3 months. It is very cheap (60$ I think) so maybe you can afford that. Otherwise, it let you use the software without limitations even when trial ends. Maybe developers won't be angry with a young passionate musician. You will be the first one willing to pay as soon as you can 😁
Hey j.kruithof, thanks for stopping by and a warm welcome to the Hack Music Theory community! Regarding a free DAW (digital audio workstation), which is the program you need to produce music. We've got good news for you, there's actually loads of free ones! For a list of the best free DAWs, here's a video from the In The Mix channel: th-cam.com/video/8aRx4HMLY5Q/w-d-xo.html Hope that helps, and keep us posted on your musical journey. By the way, what music are you into?
Exactly, Gianmarco is correct! Thanks for jumping into the conversation, Gianmarco. So yes, we use Reaper, and we love it! We've used most DAWs, and most of them are good, but we prefer Reaper (for numerous reasons). And yes, it's only $60, and that includes lifetime free updates, and they release updates really often! You can download it here: www.reaper.fm And for the record, we are not sponsored by Reaper, we bought it like everyone else :)
@UCZhiup_IijXyoJcwX5LtHjA thank you for the recommendation i will look it up!!!
@@HackMusicTheory and thank you 🙏 i will watch the vid in a minute. Thanks for the vids almost all my music theory knowledge comes from this channel so keep it up!!
"Can you hear the faults in this bassline"
Me, a modern metal guitarist:
Uhhh yeah, of course it's wrong, it exists of course it's wrong
Lol, a warm welcome to the Hack Music Theory community, John! What kind of metal do you make and/or what kind of bands are you into?
@@HackMusicTheory Were like a band similar to bands like Fit For A King, August Burns Red, As I Lay Dying, Sion, and Termina
My band is Down Syndrome Time Machine
Cool, thanks for sharing John! We wish you a fantastic week, and hope to see you again soon :)
nice cat!
Hey thanks for stopping by Mauro, and a warm welcome to the Hack Music Theory community! What kind of music do you make?
06:14 Fuck that's a nasty groove right there
Haha, thanks, Growl And Roll! What kind of music do you make?
@@HackMusicTheory I'm mostly into metal and extreme music but I also do accoustic and some electronic too
Nice, thanks for sharing, Growl and Roll! A warm welcome to the Hack Music Theory community :) We'd love to know what some of your favourite bands are?
Awesome stuff as always but I disagree that a bass line needs to have a smooth continuous contour. It's very common for bass lines to have octave jumps, especially in funk, R&B, jazz, and especially disco which is choc full of them.
You didn't watch the video all the way through, did you? ;) That's exactly what we say at 5:01
First!
Hey hey KungPow, great to see you again! Thanks for dropping by and being first :) How's your music making going these days? Take care and we wish you a fantastic weekend :)
oh, you!
@@HackMusicTheory it's amazing thanks! I'm working in a game development team and I'm the music producer in it!
Awesome KungPow, congratulations!!
To whom does the dog belong? :3
Lol, he's pretty cute, eh?! Thanks for stopping by Mark, we hope you have a lovely weekend :)
Skip the tea thing. Yes it's two seconds but it has no purpose.
It's a conversation starter! And it got you to comment, so you see, it works ;)