5 Ways to make YOUR music INFINITELY better EVERY TIME!

[@angryscottishidiot]

8.45 "Every melody in our human brain, we concieve it as human voice". is the most profoundly simple yet powerful statements I have ever heard. This is the first thing about melody we should learn. I cannot believe how you made it such a throw away statement. This is a game changer for me. "Take a breath you guitar soloing maniac!" Thank you as always Dom.

[@nandoflorestan]

It's important, but it's the oldest idea in interpretation! Every piano teacher says this, probably every instrument teacher says it!

[@LeeClemmer]

You are so so 10,000% right about phrasing! All of the instruments, all the melody, the communication of the story, the message. So much of the meaning is in the phrasing and what I call "gesture." You can see it when you're talking and moving your hands around, a little movement of your finger perhaps, hand waves this way or that--a bit of physical gesture "leaks out," heh. Even with drums, and especially programmed drums! The rhythm section is telling part of the story too! Electronic drummers, even if you don't want to learn to play, just grab a little acoustic drum at the music store and beat on it, whack it, tap it! You don't need a whole kit, just get a sense of the feel, the expression, the differences, as you tap little riffs on a little dumbek or whatever! You'll feel it. The phrasing and "gesture" is what we want to capture (or retain!)

[@TrevorWesleyOfficial]

It’s like… All directions… Left, Right, Up, Down… Left is the start, Right is the end. Up is loud and down is quiet. This is applied like a fractal, each note has these properties and also the song as a whole. Music always teaches us about the correlation to life! You are born and then you die… and we all have our ups and downs!

[@spyroscreta]

All of us that had been learning a classical intrument like piano, violin etc are aware of dynamics when playing classical music. But watching this video, I realise that now, as procuders, we forget about all this stuff that you told us. In fact, I'm realising that dynamics and phrasing can apply maybe to all the kinds of the music that we are producing in a DAW. Thank you Dom for reminding it to us, you're so right.

[@gioogle7629]

What I love in Dom is his intellect in music generally, solid, fundamental approaches which makes him special among many other producer/engineers who make their content to youtube, and the representation is another art, you just can't stop listening to this person

[@DomSigalas]

My friend your words make me incredibly happy ❤️

[@cubaseproducer]

You have one of the best music content in the internet. Congrats Dom for your effort because this is very time consuming (creating the content, editing, taking care of the video takes, position of the camare, etc).

[@BattleAngelSound]

In some genres, when you make dynamic elements, people will come and tell you that this is wrong and then they'll try to "improve" the mix by putting everything at the same level. And when you try to explain that it's on purpose they will say that dynamics are only for classical music.

[@theperiidot]

It sucks cause people don't realise dynamics isn't just about volume Most pop music is edited to be consistent volumes before mixing but the hard hitting bits sound wildly different to the bits that are played softer

[@marcusc.nordin5624]

This might be one of the most important videos out there. So many "producers" who write their stuff in the key editor/piano roll seem to be unaware of this. It's actually kind of sad. Don't get me wrong... not all instruments need dynamics depending on what kind of music you make, but everyone should know about this. Thank you Dom!

[@begench_begenjov]

So useful tips! Great job Dom!

[@martymodus7205]

Well, that brought me back to my Suzuki days. Great video, and well need in an era where the barrier to producing music is constantly lowering and musicians increasingly lack the benefit of having learned these critical basics through violin & piano lessons as children.

[@pedroarruda7878]

Amazing... We play with all our senses, not only with our fingers, lips or... whatever. I call this MUSIC! Thank you for make me understand this better.

[@ThreeBeingOne]

I takes time to get many aspects of music if not classically trained as most aren’t. I basically think in fractions and ratios now, it took me forever to get here. Now I love what I make. I would also say that another way to think of dynamics is by thinking of contrast always.

[@neilingle794]

Hi Dom, you're so right about all these points - we all know them, but we also all need to constant reminding! All instrument (real, sampled, or modelled) are nothing without expression. It's good to have a MIDI controller that allows different controls, e.g. the NI KK MK3 keyboards have velocity, poly aftertouch, pitch, mod, sustain and expression pedals, two more pedals, and knobs, plus space on the top to put additional controls (like you, I've got Monogram). Phew! But for any reader, really all you need is available on most keyboards - pitch, mod, sustain + you can add a cheapo controller like Korg Nanokontrol etc.

[@fisch723]

Great lesson. You are a really good player/musician. This reminds me of a program on public television I saw as a child that was all about music. The part it reminds me of is they had people listen to multiple performances of a classical piano piece and choose which one they liked best and was the most musical. They all chose the same performance and then the show explained how that one had the most variation in terms of time, rhythm and dynamics. I always remembered that.

[@MinusMedley]

Always great to hear that... "keep doing what you're doing". I really started focusing on instrumentation over the last year or so and these tips are all spot on, I actually get excited listening to my beats these days haha. Bought my first MIDI keyboard too, the humanization is everything.

[@curtisprice9806]

I ALWAYS LOVED RIDING THE VOLUME KNOB WHILE MUSIC PLAYED ON A STEREO.....I COULD EMPHASIZE AND DE- EMPHASIZE PARTS TO MAKE THE MUSIC SO MUCH BETTER!!! TRY IT.... IT'S GREAT!! (THIS VIDEO NAILS IT....!!! THANK YOU!!!)

[@arturofornasari]

One more great video, Dom! As a musician and music teacher in junior school I particularly appreciate your pointing out that good music has to contain ‘the human factor’! This video keeps me confident that AI won’t win! And, for what it matters, I own the Adler orchestration manual and it’s a really ‘must have’ one! 🎶

[@sonicairmusic]

I totally agree 110% good sir! I’ve worked in secondary music education in Sheffield UK for almost 23years. It’s so important to know all of the fundamentals and understand how to play an instrument like a human, using your highly practiced skillset in order to get the most out of your music and performance. I don’t agree with the current education system, in the way that pupils are given unlimited chances to perform their exam pieces!!! When I took my piano grades and GCSE’s back in the mid 90’s, we got one dedicated time slot, played the pieces only once - then that was it. Far too many pupils can’t grasp the concept of failure.

[@StargateMax]

Brilliant video! Indeed it is EXTREMELY important to have dynamics and human-like playing of instruments.

[@ChrisHirondelle]

As already mentioned in the comments one of the best videos you have ever done Dom!

[@mikebro2557]

Just pure excellence, period.

[@musicallysound6158]

Now I understand the reason of your indepth knowledge of music overall which you said in this video - Your great teachers and your early exposure to music at 5. Keep serving Music Dom.

[@M4T]

Your content is always better than many other YT guys, because YOU are a musician, not only a 'producer'

[@sonicairmusic]

A producer is a new made up name for those who can’t read or play properly at a professional level.

[@tdcmusicnow5312]

​@@sonicairmusic 😆 Hey, it's better than a beatmaker. That's what they call themselves now

[@aspirativemusicproduction2135]

It's all true. Dynamics make all the difference in being expressive.

[@djerikfox]

👍one of the best videos ever!!! respect Dom,

[@zero-project]

This video along with the video for "Lacrimosa" are treasures! And not only these two videos but also everything you upload is excellent and so helpful!

[@Hyper5nic]

Indeed, Samuel Adler's 'The Study of Orchestration' is a great book! Many layers of expression (tone, clear/dull (brightness), tempo, short/long notes, short/long runs, swing, modes...) they all add up to make your music come alive. And this video is a great introduction to this kind of playing! Thank you so much Dom!

[@donnydarko7624]

Jimi Hendrix VS SRV Little Wing.I swear so many ppl dont see how Jimi's performance is the better one because of its expressiveness.

[@davidmarais1048]

Excellent demonstration of the existence of the human soul. Dynamics are everything. Stunning, Dom.

[@chilkaswami]

Very useful information you shared that helps to improve in thier playing and producers as well. One of the Great Video on the youtube.

[@libtekk]

Amazing dom, your channel is so helpful. Please do a video on correct ways to set up master levels pre and head room. Lufs etc…

[@jwp2460]

This is fantastic advice. It seems that the more I compose, the more aware I am of the importance of phrasing (and dynamics) and paying close attention to it. This has also affected my guitar playing/improvisation as I become more focused on it with my songwriting and arranging.

[@TheNCGardener]

WOW, This is Tremendous! The basics and advanced theory and everything you need to know all in one video. Your combination of dynamics of the keyboard along with the human voice expresions is surperb! This is how music is made! This should be taught in every school of music over and over.

[@louiewgroenewald]

Music is about feeling and emotion, not just doing everything right/correct. Love your content.

[@Pepijn_a.k.a._Akikaze]

I know the tips but they can't be repeated often enough. Very inspiring! I have just bought Cubase after having been working with hardware sequencers for 35 year. Now I am saving up for SWAM Audio Modelling.

[@outofsynq]

This guy convinces me to learn piano by the end of all of his videos. Great content!

[@shighdanbeatz]

Nice tut bro really love the knowledge that u shared

[@rantanhan]

Thanks Dom! Important things that are very essential universally in all music (and probably also in the music of other universes...) You were able to illustrate and "compress" these things with your examples really well and briefly. I played the classical flute when I was younger and nowadays it often feels like these things came naturally then, but especially when working with MIDI, things have to be emphasized and caricatured to give even a little liveliness and expression to the music. I really appreciate your channel!

[@miss-1073]

You are a Wonderful teacher and a Great Musical for me!

[@webguitars]

Another IMPORTANT aspect of adding dynamics in a mix, is to remember not to expect the master to be consistently loud, since limiters will crush dynamics. Quality over loudness.

[@shapourdashtpour63]

Dom got a soul

[@JustPlayitc00l]

This is why I follow you... Practical knowledge. Thank you for all you do, sir!

[@tjosselin]

Completely agree with the expressivité topic. That said I like to use pitch bend on brass and flutes ;-) Thanks for the the video 😊

[@klaussuchy]

Thank you Dom. It was, like every video, very inspiring. I will try to give more expression into my songs for the next time.

[@diegonunezmusica]

That is! Excellent! Dom. Good video. Thanks!

[@Relvoet]

This knowledge about (classical) instrument dynamics is such an unique characteristic of you Dom :).

[@NeuroPete]

Thanks so much! These tips inspire me. This is the essence of expression... Of music.

[@zdzisawkalinowski7816]

Great! 😊

[@FarihinAhmad]

Thanks for sharing this awesome technics, greetings from Karawaci Tangerang Indonesia ❤

[@hansan8806]

This fantastic video reminds me of probably the best book about music that ever was written. It's 'the music lesson' by the one and only Victor Lemonte Wooten. He's writing about the 10 elements of music embedded in a beautiful novel. There's also a double DVD together with Anthony Wellington: 'Groove Workshop'. He's presenting these 10 elements to bass-students, one of the most valuable lessons ever put on video.

[@rolfbergman1176]

Tack!

[@DomSigalas]

Thank you so much for the support ❤️

[@ArieOrr44]

wow now Im studying(re-studying "the right way") piano and you sound just like my teacher It so important to make your music not sound "robotic"like using all the given tools all at once like telling a story thanks again

[@DerekPower]

So there's a reason why I consider Vangelis my musical father figure. Because his approach was nearly always based on performance, you can hear it to where 1) there's no mistaking it's him and 2) it makes the use of synthesizers all the more expressive and even ... human. (It's no wonder that he and only he could have ever provided the music for a film that explores the question "What does it mean to be human?"). I think that there are instances when that "programmed performance" will be fine, even forgiven. But whenever possible, I want to perform the parts myself because the velocity and timing alone will make it more human. It's interesting you bring up breathing because even in an instrument where breath doesn't play a role, musicians will sometimes "breathe" in their playing as a kind of reminder to phrase it. After all, playing shouldn't be that different from singing. And I meant to mention this when you were talking about ethnic/world/non-Western music libraries ... understanding the mechanics of an instrument really does help to make the playing more realistic, especially if you are using a keyboard instrument. You definitely get this and I hear this in your playing where you don't play a "trumpet like a piano". Whilst a keyboardist or pianist has ten fingers plus a foot for pedals, a trumpet only three fingers for the valves and his own air. I try to keep this in mind whenever I'm playing a "real instrument" just using the keyboard. At any rate, nice job as always =]

[@abhishekinmusic]

All the best bro love your tutorials. ❤ Just didn’t expect I would learn piano lessons from a cubase expert today 😅😅

[@DomSigalas]

Music making is what I’m in for in this world my friend ❤️

[@abhishekinmusic]

This is the exact feeling I get when I learn something from you and apply it in my music. Just because of you I shifted from other DAW, it’s (logic)al that I won’t take name 😃 to Cubase pro 13 I would also love to see tutorial from you someday about creating cinematic music from piano , the techniques, how to think and feel while crafting orchestration.

[@rocktonmusikschule]

That's what music is about! Fantastic topic Dom!

[@mrfleamino9350]

Thank you Dom for all your Amazing videos ,i use you as a Mentor i don't need to go to any Fancy Music school ,just watching all your videos

[@SpeccyMan]

Andre Previn "You're playing all the wrong notes." Eric Morecambe "I'm playing all the right notes. Not necessarily in the right order." 🤣

[@MadNoisy]

lol 🤣🤣

[@andrewmoran357]

magical thanks

[@D.Angelopoulos]

Thank you master..in my country this is called "fine print"...all the best for you....!!!!

[@pierred1589]

Merci beaucoup Dom ! C'est très passionnant .

[@charlesdoca7145]

I'm just in awe

[@TheMorganParis]

Hi Dom - thanks a lot for this great video. As always. I have a question about the contrôler you use. 2 questions actually 😊 1) why are you using this contrôler instead of a knob on your master keyboard (the one you use in the video doesn’t seem to have knob/controllers. So maybe that’s why). 2) what is this controller and for what would your recommend it if master keyboard already have some Thanks !

[@dravetch]

Love your videos. Thank you. Pathetique sonata was also used in the chorus of Billy Joel's This Night.

[@piyushdaveskathanrecording2102]

Excellent.. really soulful... As a singer I can understand the feel of any song...

[@palmal3542]

Great video...I'm classically trained (Double Bass player), but I still need reminding how to transfer that thinking to Cubase!

[@japerezesp]

Thank you for this interesting masterclass. I am learning a lot watching your tutorials. ❤

[@Ahmad-Mounir44]

Excellent one Dom! And like you said, it's the most important video. Although I know all what you said already, it's a refresher to watch it using your explaining method.

[@kleinzak8437]

Brilliance! Thanks Dom

[@mustafakaishofficial7771]

Am waiting from India🇮🇳❤️

[@mrdali67]

The layering thing might also be a good idea with Brass and woodwinds. I have deep respect for the Swarm instruments especially the strings, but the Brass instruments tend to generally be a little over exagerated in the expressions, at least in my ears. It might help combining it with a clean sample library to soften those shakes and vibrato. It's also where sample instruments tend to easy fall apart cause the shake samples isn't particulary easy to get to sound natural unless the sample library is extremely well coded. Tried this on otherwise generally good quality brass section in Keyboards and the shakes is almost always more or less useless

[@JayM928]

Thanks for the video. I feel like this is like the last 10% of going from good to great, though. For example, Bach with dynamics sounds better than without, but Bach with no dynamics is still better than most of the modern pop I hear.

[@rolfchristl2509]

Thank you very much for the video

[@fressco]

Thought it was clickbait, but it's a great video! love the velocity examples.

[@richprobeats]

This is amazing 👏 🙌 😍 ❤️

[@MYGwienochnie]

Love the video. Would be happy to see more of this kind from you!

[@francisjutras3651]

Yeah! Definitly inspiring video!! Thx a lot Dom :)

[@antfactor]

Great examples. It's a healthy reminder - even for those producing techno/house that dynamics CAN make a huge difference in how people experience/FEEL the track.... :-) Cheers!

[@FredericKKapongo]

Thanks man 🙏! Great video indeed.

[@politicum8113]

this is most important video on youtube

[@GuyVignati]

Dynamics = emotion Now I want at t-shirt with it 😂

[@benwaveproducer]

Excellent video dom! I played piano for 12 years and pretty much knowed that dynamic stuff in pianos and synths and used it in my beats for many years. But now, since I`m trying out more orchestral stuff (I already owned east west symphonic strings since 12 years but only struggeled with it) I finally understood the basics of orchestration from the spitfire and east west guys a few years ago and also got more libraries, also composer cloud - hollywood strings 2 is currently downloading😃. But I`m still learing and am not very good with using my controller (I have a "studiologic SL Mixface" on my keyboard with medium lenght 50 mm faders, which is actually pretty nice, but extremly sensitive). For me as a "beginner", I probably need some longer faders, to catch the sweet spot of the instruments and don`t make make so many mistaces with it. Christian Henson has made several videos about the importance of dynamics and controllers, you probably know, and this new "Ghostnote Audio Conductor" with 3 long 100 mm faders) he introduces in one of his latest videos will probably be my next investment. It's already completely sold out since Christian introduced it😉

[@antoinemontmory]

Like James Brown says : '' You got the feelin '' !

[@corriefraser]

Beethoven track also was used as the chorus to Biily Joel's "This Night" from the Innocent Man album.

[@MadyJay76]

Love your channel! 🤟😊🎸

[@marLamaDeo]

Awesome vid as always. Would you be able to make a video on cool ways to use electric guitars in ‘orchestral’ music?

[@MenonkNaldo]

Thank you ! :)

[@djice1804]

You are just that good…I’ll just hire you and save myself the 20 Yr. headache that’s the size of Texas 🤠🤠🤠

[@kdcyp]

Brilliant once again Dom! Thank you 🙏

[@CB-Music]

Dom, really excellent tips, thanks so much. I love your channel. Comment: I see some YT composers mostly varying the dynamics in a phrase while much of the time not changing expression as much. I see you varying both and getting great results. I suppose that is especially important for libraries that have fewer dyn layers. Anyway thanks for a great vid!

[@onemanvoin]

Nice, got enjoyed

[@hleet]

very informative thanks for that video ❤

[@iansmusicroom]

Brilliant, thank you for sharing your wonderful musicality :)

[@kiranthakrar1292]

As always superb content and great presentation…🙏

[@X-Lightz]

Thx for this Dom! 🙏💙

[@thealchemyofsong8632]

Loved this video. Really inspired me to start exploring film scoring. I've watched the video a couple of times to find out which midi controller you're using for all the expressions and wasn't able to find it- could you please point me in the right direction? Thank you!

[@JESSEROYAL]

Very inspiring! Would love to hear you discuss the concept of how to better remember classical music. Also Do you have perfect pitch?

[@juanluisgonzalezperez455]

Increíble video!! Muchísimas gracias!!!

[@ronniemartinssonbonde8445]

Very well explained 👍👏

[@Animalslifewild]

Very good information

[@MrPaul8870]

Great video I'm a guitarist. Some great tips that most should take notice off. I realise that space is very important to allow dynamics. But this can be a drawback if using fixed BPM. I usually busk without a click and play in general.. I usually aim for the guitar to express it's tonality and to let it breath. I was wondering do you use any eastern scales when imposing speech as I find out that the oriental scale is being used in general with spoken word as well as thrash riffs in general which sometimes puzzlee at what key they are in or to remember patterns

[@NicoSeven7]

Thanks a lot. 👍

[@thegamebard]

Thank you!