Today, I decided to mess around with creating some simple tunes. I’ve always loved music, but I’ve never really tried making my own. So, I figured, why not give it a shot? I’m calling this little project “lingering tunes” because that’s what I hope these melodies will do – linger in your head!
Getting Started
First things first, I needed something to make the music with. I didn’t want anything too complicated, just something basic to play around with. After poking around online, I found a few free online sequencers. I ended up picking one that looked pretty straightforward – just a grid where you can click to add notes.
Experimenting with Sounds
Once I had the sequencer open, I started clicking around randomly. Honestly, at first, it sounded like a cat walking across a keyboard. But hey, that’s part of the process, right? I spent a good hour just messing with different notes and rhythms. No real plan, just seeing what sounded okay.
- Tried different instruments: The sequencer had a few different instrument sounds, like piano, drums, and some weird synthy stuff. I mostly stuck with the piano sound because it felt the easiest to work with.
- Played with tempo: I cranked the tempo up and down to see how it changed the feel of the tune. Faster was definitely more energetic, but slower gave it a more mellow vibe.
Finding a Melody
After a while of just random clicking, I stumbled across a little sequence of notes that I liked. It was just four notes, but it sounded kind of catchy. I decided to build on that. I kept adding notes around those four, trying to extend the melody. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it sounded awful, and I’d have to delete a bunch of notes and start over.
Adding Some Layers (or Trying To)
Once I had a basic melody that I didn’t hate, I thought it might be cool to add some other stuff. Like, maybe a simple bassline or some drums. This is where I started to hit a wall. I could kind of hear what I wanted in my head, but getting it to actually sound good in the sequencer was tough.
- Bassline blues: My attempts at a bassline mostly ended up sounding muddy and distracting. I think I need to learn a bit more about how basslines actually work.
- Drum dilemma: I tried adding some simple drum beats, but they just didn’t seem to fit with the melody. It felt like the drums and the melody were fighting each other instead of working together.
Small victory
So, after a lot of trial and error, and I set aside the fancy stuff. Stick with my simply melody that orignally created. I kept it simple, just the melody on the piano sound. And you know what? It’s not half bad! It’s definitely not going to win any awards, but it’s a start. And most importantly, I had fun making it.
I think I’ll keep messing around with this music-making thing. It’s pretty relaxing, and it’s cool to create something from scratch, even if it’s just a simple tune. Maybe someday I’ll actually be able to make something that sounds like real music! But for now, I’m happy with my little lingering tune.
