Hi Everyone,
there's been a couple of posts on the forum recently on style creation. It's renewed my interest again on creating the odd style or so for sharing with bebops kn7 group. I'm a lousy keyboard player so that leaves the contribution of songs OUT, but I would like to contribute something..
Years ago I used to dabble in styles (for personal use only) but I used to have to use existing intro's and endings.
Just wondering if anyone has some ideas on how to create something new. I could use song specific intro's , but that does cut down a styles useability to a certain degree.
I'm sure some of you must do something for intro's and endings, other than just use the stock standard ones in the keyboard.

Ideas would be greatfully appreciated.


best wishes
Rikki

Hi Rikki,
I have two ideas for you. One is very easy and the other takes a bit of time.

EASY Play the last eight bars of your song without a rhythm. You might want to go into Parts Setting and change the default Electric Bass setting to something like Mellow Ensemble that will sound as long as you hold the chord and place a suitable sound in the left hand part. In addition you can play the chord progression and take some liberties with the melody. When you are ready for the song, just turn on the beat.

NOT AS EASY Even with all the new pressure MIDI files still abound. Finding a song with the right intro or ending will take some hunting. When you find it just do a Sequencer to Composer transfer - up to 16 measures. Don’t forget to transpose into the Key of C. I like to use this method just to get the drum part, which I find the hardest thing to do, then play the other parts into the Composer.

Have at it,
Frank

Hi Rikki,

In creating most of my intros I do the following:

1. Decide how many measures I want in the intro (or ending).

2. Then assign the desired chord structure to the measures.

3. Create a melody line that will fit the chord structure, allocated measures, and the attributes of the particular song and instrumentation.

4. Decide on the instruments to use.

5. Record the lead part of the intro.

6. Add appropriate accompaniment.

Seems like a lot to do, but it goes fast and fits whatever song I am working with.

Happy hunting.

Larry

Hi Guys,
very interesting suggestions and I may be able to adapt some of them to what it is I actually want to do. I'm not actually creating a style for a specific song, but hopefully one that can be used a bit more generally.

My musical theory isn't the best ( UNDERSTATEMENT ) so are there any chord progressions that you could recommend for the key of c, as my style would be based on the c chord. Most of the music books that I have start straight with the melody, so they're no help.

Definitely given me food for thought for sequences, though. I get tired of using the same intro over & over for different songs.

thank you again
best wishes
Rikki

Hi Rikki,

I would have replied to you personally but your e-mail address is not listed, so I'll post my answer to your question here. Perhaps others would like to experiment with the progressions I am going to share with you. The formation and progression of chords has fascinated me for a long time. All of you will have received my short tutorial on how chords are formed. Here are some progressions for you. All are in the key of C as you requested.

C6 - G7 - C6
C6 - F6 - C6
C6 - F6 - G7 - C6
C6 - Am7 - Dm7 - G7 - C6
C6 - Cdim7 - Dm7 - G7 - C6
C6 - Em7 - Ebdim7 - Dm7 - G7 - C6
C6 - C#dim7 - Dm7 - G7 - C6
C6 - Caug5 - F6 - G7 - C6
C6 - Am7 - Dm7 - G7aug5 - C6
C6 - Caug5 - F6 - Fm6 - C6
C6 - A7 - Dm7 - G7aug5 - C6
C6 - Ab9 - Dm7 - G7 - C6
C6 - Am7 - Db9 - Dm7 - G7 - C6
CM7 - Am7 - D#9 - Gb9 - C6

Many of these progressions are used in the jazz idiom. Most are found in music generally so you should have no trouble finding a progression that will fit any given song for which you wish to create an intro or ending. Naturally, all of the progressions can be transposed into any key.

I suggest you first look at the chords and progressions of the song for which you wish to create an intro or ending and see if you can closely match one of the progressions above with those of the song you want to play. In doing so you will not be straying far from the "feel" of the song. At the same time, using one or two chords (augmented or diminished) not seen in the music will add a very interesting touch to your intro or ending. Experimenting will be fun so enjoy the sounds!

Warmest Regards,

Chuck

Hi ,
thank you Chuck,
I'm sure these will help other players too.

Will give me something to experiment with.
best wishes
Rikki