Live data from Hacker News

Learning Synths

learningsynths.ableton.com

11–20 of 128 posts

Re: Learning Synths

#12
post #3

For those so inclined, that want to play with synth in some more programmatic way, there is a lisp dialect ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nyquist_(programming_language) ) for it.

There is also glicol, for example: https://glicol.org/demo#themodel Press start and after some time edit line 14 and press update

Re: Learning Synths

#15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

When you say keyboard are you talking about a piano-type keyboard or a computer keyboard?

Computer keyboard .

Oh OK my bad, I didn't get that. Seems like a strange idea to me. If money is the issue, you can probably find a decent second hand MIDI keyboard for a very reasonable price.

Re: Learning Synths

#16
post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Take lessons with a piano teacher and practice a lot on your own.

As a lazy synthdad, father of a piano virtuoso who makes fun of my musical clumsiness, I concur: listen to music, watch music being played and read about music all you want... It won't get you very far: music requires practice, practice and practice daily, even if just a little - and memorizing some scales and chords goes a long way too.

Doing scales, chords and arpeggios can get you far enough, that people who do both know enough think you are a virtuoso. You can make a piano sound great (at least for no experts). But at the end practice is all cannot emphasize enough. Take simple music you really like and want to play to start and have motivation. Finding a good teacher is hard (at least it was for me) (s)he should be interested in the music you want to play, be ok with what you want to learn (some think everybody must be an orchestral pianist) and have a good repertoire of techniques for helping you.

Re: Learning Synths

#18
post #4
post #3

For those so inclined, that want to play with synth in some more programmatic way, there is a lisp dialect ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nyquist_(programming_language) ) for it.

There's also stuff like Sonic Pi ( https://sonic-pi.net/ ) and most things live coding related, but I found that I don't really like that approach even though I love synths and programming. For some reason I don't think they go together well. But some people are really good with that and it's fascinating

Yes, I feel the same way, but then I started making music to get away from the computer, rather than finding even more things to spend time on with the computer, maybe that's why.

Re: Learning Synths

#19
post #16
post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As a lazy synthdad, father of a piano virtuoso who makes fun of my musical clumsiness, I concur: listen to music, watch music being played and read about music all you want... It won't get you very far: music requires practice, practice and practice daily, even if just a little - and memorizing some scales and chords goes a long way too.

Doing scales, chords and arpeggios can get you far enough, that people who do both know enough think you are a virtuoso. You can make a piano sound great (at least for no experts). But at the end practice is all cannot emphasize enough. Take simple music you really like and want to play to start and have motivation. Finding a good teacher is hard (at least it was for me) (s)he should be interested in the music you wa…

> be ok with what you want to learn (some think everybody must be an orchestral pianist)

I relate to that: I was inflicted a couple years of piano lessons as a kid, and hated every minute of it - because I detested the music that my teacher and my family considered appropriate.

40 years later, I stumble on electronic musics and realize I would enjoy making some - and I joyfully (and incompetently) began on that path, lately becoming ripe for some dry theory because I now value it.

Each person is different though: my daughter always enjoyed the technical exercises for their own sake !

Post reply on HN