Starting a metal band

[Protoman2050]

Hi!

I've been inspired by my awesome music theory instructor to declare my major as music composition; I'll be transferring to Orange Coast College in the Fall, and there's a two year waitlist for the echocardiography program, so I'll be taking music composition courses to pass the time.

My fave bands are: HolyHell, Nightwish, Soilwork, Demon Hunter, Dream Theater, Meshuggah, Dark Tranquility, DeathStars, Shade Empire, Eluvite, and Callenish Circle.

Since my favorite genre of all time is metal, I've decided to re-learn how to play my keyboard from my church pianist (who can get me into the MTAC Certificate of Merit), and join w/ my friend (a cellist of the Bellflower Symphony who's learning electric bass) to form a symphonic power metal band.

I'm considering writing fugues and canons, and using the Book of Lamentations and the Book of Revelation as my inspiration for lyrics.

I've got a few questions (don't be suprised if I sound like a moron!):

1. How do you compose a melody and bassline? Chord progressions are easy for me, but melodies and basslines escape me
2. Is this a good arrangement: Vocals, synthesizer, lead guitar, and bass playing contrapuntal melodies, the rhythm guitar playing the chords, and the drummer providing the rhythm (obviously)? Or is this "overarranged"?
3. Is this a good, dark, tense sounding chord progression: i-v7o-iii-viio
4. Should we buy a Yamaha N8 8-channel mixer?
5. When someone says "make it nice and heavy", do they mean adding more bass? I've realized that Finale doesn't mix properly...the guitar will overpower EVERYTHING else.

Thanks for the advice!

 

[ParsonsMatt]

Daaaaaaamn

You're in school for music theory and you don't know how to compose a melody?

 

[Melpond]

This is all really disgusting. Practice comes before theory. What are you even doing in music school?

 

[Protoman2050]

Daaaaaaamn

You're in school for music theory and you don't know how to compose a melody?

Actually, I do know how to compose a melody...just not a good one. Mine always sound bland and un-inspired.

And my church pianist is refreshing me on how to play. I basically forgot how to coordinate both hands. I was 7 when I learned how to play, and I had the worst teacher.

 

[Protoman2050]

This is all really disgusting. Practice comes before theory. What are you even doing in music school?

It's not music school; it's a class I decided to take to fufill my general education requirements at community college.

 

[Sinister Realm]

Find a song that you really like and study what it is that makes it work. Figure out the notes in the melody and see how they relate to the chords underneath them.

As an exercise, lets say you want to write a song that is really "Heavy" (that word is of course subjective) listen to a song that you fell is "heavy"..learn all the parts and analyze why it sounds that way. Various things make different songs and different styles work. When you go to write you song try to make it sound very similar to the song that you studied. This is only for an exercise and will of course result in a song that is not really that original sounding but you will see how the process is done. The more you do it the farther away you will get from the song you are imitating, eventually you will stumble across your own unique ideas and start developing your own style.

 

[genocide roach]

i let this go, just to see what would happen. and yeah, its getting locked now...
~gR~