Music Theory for Ambient (theory you can actually use!)

[@13Sala13]

The visual reinforcement of a piano keyboard where you can both see and hear a half step, seventh, or a flatted third makes learning basic music theory so much easier than trying to learn on that push button grid thing.

[@RudyAdrian]

Interesting... ...but Brian Eno's seminal "Thursday Afternoon" is actually in the fairly bright major-key Mixolydian mode. The biggest trap budding ambient composers have is holding down too much of a drone, or using a boring cycle of repeating notes. True ambient music is simple, but constantly evolving, with sparse fragments of note phrases. But it's important that the phrases do resolve regularly in "a satisfying way". Build up slowly, have occasional sounds that only appear a few times, almost at random (and these often work well if they're not pitched at the root of the key, but instead suspended notes). And then VERY slowly fade different elements out - please don't just master-fade the whole piece out! Like pointed out in this video, most of the sounds are best with their tops severely filtered off - but also high-pass a number of the sounds and please don't have the drones too overwhelming. Unlike pop music, every sound should be "hidden" behind the other and not obvious, so that the listener's attention isn't drawn to anything. Oh yeah- and have fun!

[@Diogo1Bastos]

As a beginner who is starting out and has made only a handful of tracks without any significant guidance, this has been very inspiring. Thank you!

[@RudyAdrian]

Thanks @@Diogo1Bastos - I'm thinking of one day writing a small book-length essay of this and posting it somewhere :)

[@jayneubauer3401]

being new to ambient, and coming from a lifetime of playing more "traditional" music, not to mention having college theory (it is amazing how much you forget over time if you aren't actually writing!) this was incredibly useful! I am loving this channel.

[@silverXnoise]

I really wish people would quit discouraging people to learn music theory. The myth that it isn’t necessary-that some of history’s best musicians didn’t learn theory, but were rather guided by their own creative intuition-at best this myth is obscuring many of the highly relevant points that work against it’s whole premise, but at worst it’s working to deprive a wide audience of potential musicians from the most potent set of tools ever devised for learning how to hear, comprehend, appreciate, perform, and compose music. The first point to understand is that music theory is *descriptive* NOT *prescriptive* - this means that it isn’t designed to tell you what or how you should be engaging with music (although many curricula make the mistake of using beginning lessons that very much sound otherwise). Think of music theory as a language. You can always express yourself musically, even if you don’t speak the theory "language". When you share your ideas, people can see and hear the underlying emotional content, but sort of the same way anyone can tell when a person speaking a foreign language is happy/angry/sad/etc.. Without language a critical portion of the meaning and context is lost. Why do they feel this way, how is affecting them, what do they want to do with these feelings? But once you have learned to speak in the language of music, then you can easily and effectively express yourself more completely and confidently, with intention and fully considered compositions that reach depths previously beyond your ability to even see. Also, among those who share this common language you can communicate efficiently the notes, dynamics, mood, and details of your work without resorting to using abstractions and cliches, repeated playing it over and over...the mundane mechanics that took hours or days without theory is now done in minutes, and once you are unburdened from the task of basic communication, you can immediately begin working through the more meaningful and rewarding aspects of collaboration. What most all of history’s greatest musicians know instinctively regardless of their individual grasp of theory, but that the myth won’t tell you, is that they ultimately got to the same places, wrote the same songs, and used the same set of assets and tools to do so as they would have using the basic foundational tenets of music theory-it just took them much, much longer to do so, and ironically since they had not exposed their experiences to some of the more esoteric branches that come with learning more advanced theory, their final output may have been *more* derivative and less exciting because they couldn’t see at the time that they were already going down a well-trodden path, let alone notice all of the potentially more interesting side roads they unwittingly passed along the way. I am 39-years old, and I have been playing guitar actively and seriously for the last 30-years. It meant *everything* to me from the moment I first started. I possessed some measure of natural talent, and picked it up relatively quickly and readily. Growing up in rural North Carolina with few resources in the 1990’s, I had Mel Bay’s Guitar Chords, the rudimentary text file tablature of most popular music from the Online Guitar Archive, and gift subscriptions to the few big guitar rags with basic lessons and tabs. That was all I had to learn with, and I made the best out of it, and most normal people would consider me to be a good player. Guitar students who weren’t as far along as I was would tell me that I was really good, and they aspired to play as well. I’ve never been good at taking compliments, but I understood what they were saying because I felt the same way they did about those ahead of me. Over time you tend to discover just how much you don’t know, and gain some perspective for how much there is to learn. I played in bands while in high school, and although our community was quite small, there was a surprising number of excellent musicians in my high school at the time. You might have heard of the ambient/chamber/post rock group Braveyoung--they were good friends, we used the rehearsal space at their parent's house a short walk from the school most every day to play music together. A little left of field for this audience, but another notable musician in my class was Seth Avett of Grammy/Gold/whatever selling artists The Avett Bros. Back then their music was significantly more punk rock than it is today. So I expanded my skills in the good company of other exceptional talents. Much later, I was lucky enough to participate in a short-lived but semi-professional, touring band of my own playing ambient/instrumental rock (The Farewell Monument, circa 2007-2012). This is all just to say--having put in the time that I have, and with the variety of experiences I have enjoyed--I am comfortable calling myself an experienced musician with at least some modest authority with which to speak on this. I fell into the same comfortable, self-congratulating myth that I had largely achieved my primary goals-I was in a band with other great musicians, writing original music that I found meaningful and felt succeeded and was widely appreciated among the peers of my music scene-and I got there using little more than my own creative intuition, without the need to rely on repetitive and derivative “scales” and theory jargon. But then, between the theory that I picked up naturally over the years, plus my own innate curiosity for what’s next, and the vast ocean full of outstanding resources that are available on the modern web…something clicked. With a complete paradigm shift I suddenly understood the basic but critical reasons for learning theory. Reasons that I had spent my whole life oblivious to. Along with that, and in successive instances where I learned more and more, I also gained more perspective of what I had missed. I understood what an immense opportunity had passed by. Not studying music theory in my teenage years, beginning around my 3rd year probably would have been ideal in hindsight, cost me uncountable numbers of hours, weeks, years where I slogged through aspects of my music career, needlessly hobbled by my own decision to eschew formal music theory training. I have very few regrets in life, and not eagerly devouring music theory back when I had the time and spongy brain to do so more readily as a teenager is one big one. My music, my relationship with other players, my ability to share my skills with those who were learning, my band, my performances...every aspect of my experience as a musician for 30 years would have been significantly enhanced and immeasurably improved had I done so. On the flip side, there is not a single aspect of my innate creative intuition that would have suffered or been dampened in the slightest. Quite the opposite, theory expanded my intuition in ways that feel infinite and liberating. So, tldr; If more people spoke about music theory from a perspective like mine rather than dismissing it, the world would have significantly more good music to enjoy. Stop perpetuating the myth, and embrace knowledge and learning for the liberating and empowering resource that it is-a resource that’s more accessible and affordable than ever before, to more people than ever before, thanks in part to channels such as yours. You should be proud of that contribution. It is significant, and appreciated. Why run away from that? The solution is simple. Instead of telling audiences about the myth, simply say something along the lines of "...you don't need to know any music theory to follow along with this video and put the ideas we're going to cover to good use, but at the same time it definitely couldn't hurt. Check out [other videos from your channel and/or your colleagues] if you want to work on building your foundational skills, links are in the hoo-ha." It's a more positive message that cost nothing, requires no commitments, and even delivers engagement points to your channel as a bonus.

[@ScottGarman]

As someone still quite new to music theory, this is one of the most valuable and relevant videos you've made to help me in my learning process. Thanks so much for this!

[@s1gns0fl1fe]

That's wonderful to hear Scott. I keep comments like these in the back of my mind as I create new content and I'm so glad it resonated with you!

[@enpappa]

Great tutorial. Thank you! The "root note" you are refering to is called a "Pedal tone". You keep the same tone for a longer period of time. It can be as you play here a low tone or, if you think about it, a suspense tone by a violin in a movie score, when you are in some intense waiting state or e.g in a finale of the movie E.T. It doesn't have to be a single tone. Can be a chord of course. A pedal tone can also be "broken", which is an ostinato with the same "root note".

[@lebronzejames9738]

by far and large your best articulation about the processes that go into sound production - I love all of your tutorials equally just as valid and paramount - keep up the damn fine work!

[@sarahparfett2590]

YES amazing! thanks so much for sharing your knowledge 😍

[@kevincowart362]

Chris this is a greatly needed topic thank you. The root-2-3 thing is a tone cluster. If you ever did a theory series some good topics would be inversions and wide interval chords, quintal and quartal harmony. A Beato style song breakdown of Steve Roach and the masters of the genre would be so cool.

[@s1gns0fl1fe]

Fantastic suggestions. Thank you so much!

[@DaveDorgan]

You could also call it an “A min add9” even with the 5th not being present.

[@s1gns0fl1fe]

Good to know!

[@BaileyJim11]

As someone schooled in the i-v-ii and i-v-vi-iv school, I found this very helpful. I always hit a wall when trying ambient, thanks to your vid Chris, I have some fresh conceptions about scale and key in an ambient environment. Thanks brother, much appreciated.

[@s1gns0fl1fe]

My pleasure! I'm glad this video helped you. I'll do more!

[@DerekPower]

I did this one piece called “Ephemeral Transcendence” that was quite intricate for an ambient piece. It consisted of three sections, each section with a unique chord sequence (two, third, four). However, the tempo is a ridiculously slow 24bpm. The time signature is 12/4 because I wanted each section to be of equal length, regardless of how many chords in the sequence. There was a main sound, which was bi-timbral (thanks to Arturia’s Analog Lab) and unique to each section. There were also several supporting pads (same timbre throughout) that plays all the notes found in each section, forming a kind of “mega chord” (something I picked up from 8-bit Music Theory when he talked about ambient concepts). Additionally, the crossfades were also very long: a couple of minutes for the main sound and several more for the supporting ones. There’s a final section where it’s a “summation” of those sections. It was achieved by playing a PaulStretched portion of each of the main sounds and the supporting pads play all of the notes, which turned out to be an almost complete chromatic scale. (These notes were also spaced out in fifths across a very broad register). Then you have various spatial and modulation effects at play (phaser and flanger are your friends). The reasoning behind all of it was initially because I was concerned that it could become too repetitive. But this also had a storytelling function where it’s showing an interaction inside somewhere that exists beyond our regular experience with space and time. At any rate, liked the insights for sure =]

[@danielecohen2266]

Just found you and already really appreciating your teaching style and video content!!

[@s1gns0fl1fe]

Cheers and welcome in! Thanks for your kind words. 🙏

[@braves113rd]

Shoutout to 7:25 for having one of the single best, yet most casual, explanations for why to use a mode! Too often, guitarists talk about modes in theory without connecting them to emotional practice. The “ungrounding” that happens with using a few modes, particularly unfamiliar ones like Lydian and Mixolydian, is critical to their emotional success in ambient. The same thing would not happen well with Phrygian, given its precise emotional connections to danger or sexiness in recent popular music. Also love the mention of chord progressions moving by pitches held in common between two chords. It’s notable that Franz Liszt in particular used that same idea to create the sense of mystery, or unknowable, unresolvable tension. Neo-Riemannian theory helps visualize those progressions quite clearly. It’s all about “parsimonious” voice-leading, or chord changes that move individual notes as little as possible.

[@guilhermevitor8656]

10:50 i think this is a Amin add2 (no5)

[@DaveWrightKB9MNM]

I’m a self taught drummer and play bass, all by ear. Not super talented but I can hold a beat. I’ve just started getting into modular synths and this is what is driving my curiosity. I’m using VCV Rack2 at the moment and have not yet figured out all the different modules and such. I dabbled a little in synths when the Casio CZ-101 first came out. Analog is a whole different beast.

[@katyg3873]

Modular is a mindfuck to start with.

[@normapadro420]

Hello. I didn't know anything about music theory when I was looking around on how to create music. I came across many ways on how others were creating their music. There are different types of music out there. Like noise music. I like this one. I watched a few movies on a composer by the name of Harry Partch. He was very good with his music too. I just began to create my music, because it made me feel good. I wanted my music to be different, and it is. I still don't know anything about music theory. I just create. Enjoy your day.

[@dreggywegs]

10:45 In atonal/non-functional/set-based music theory, this chord could be described as a tri-chord with the following pitch classes: 9 (pitch A) e[11] (pitch B) 0 (pitch C) As an "ordered" set in "prime form", it would be classified as a 0-1-3 trichord.

[@davidallred991]

Glad to see your channel growing so quickly. I remember when you only had a couple hundred and was hoping your channel would catch on so you would keep going.

[@s1gns0fl1fe]

Thank you so much!

[@skandergharbi]

I was looking for that missing piece, and you just answered my question, great tutorial 👍

[@TheKnicks2012]

I’ve been trying to do a lot of different genres that involve the techniques you’re talking about like Liquid Drum and Bass and Ambience. Immediately the not shifting chords, keys, and improvisation is sooooo foreign to me since I always like movement and bridges. So while this is challenging and I feel lost, it’s helping me create more cohesive and longer music. Thanks for your teachings!

[@RobinsBookClub]

Nice one, thanks :) something I really don't get yet is adding in drums etc as it seems never to fit to me. maybe that could be a lesson for us ? thanks

[@s1gns0fl1fe]

Fantastic idea. Is there any artist or style in particular you'd like me to cover? "Drums in ambient" is a huge topic and it would help to zero in on a particular sub genre.

[@RobinsBookClub]

@@s1gns0fl1fe I'm such a noob I don't really know what the subgenres are haha :) I listen to your albums, moby (b sides and ambient albums) Mike oldfield. I also realise that I don't just mean drums, but any overtly rhythmic elements. Anyway,loving learning from you and a few other KZbin channels :)

[@jonaseggen2230]

This what I often do. I play eurorack and don't have any dedicated drum modules, but when playing I often gradually give a drone a pulse with an envelope, and then later shorten that envelope into a fast burst. A drum sound so to speak. I found that one or two drums or beat-makers are enough.

[@tomclarke5369]

@@s1gns0fl1fe I would be very interested in knowing how krautrock bands like harmonia and cluster implement their own flavour of ambient percussion.

[@GrootsieTheDog]

Have you thought of not using drums at all? It can be very liberating using free rhythm (patterns not set to strict musical division) in harmonic and melodic phrasing. Another thing is maybe just adding a single 4 on the floor and then free flowing meter over that can be enough to root your track.

[@AKAtAGG]

12:58 that patch is incredible. I want it right now.

[@aerozg]

Like the great photographer Joe NcNally likes to say:"In my photography, i am not after numbers, i am after feelings." He never went to photography or film school, never took a class in his life, yet he is one of the worlds most acomplished photographers.

[@NikNikam]

Great concep n theory. Could you also write down the letters used in chords and show what effects were added like reverb, EQ, Delay, so we can see how you arrived at the final expression, starting with just one or two chords. I see you have some kool reverb settings in you other videos.

[@theo5928]

So cool man, learned loads from this thanks :)

[@robguitarwizard]

Great video Chris. Just one question.. How much caffeine did you have beforehand?

[@electronicshaman]

And just like magic this video answers the question I asked on a previous video 😂

[@SloLFO]

I was hoping for a vid like this and just received a Push 2 yesterday. Very helpful, much thanks!

[@s1gns0fl1fe]

Perfect timing!

[@ctc333]

Thank you very much for your knowledge sharing, it helped me a lot. ❤

[@windspace7582]

This helps me to clarify my own noodling around :)

[@HpBeck_Fieldrecordings]

Thx man great tips!!!Thanks for sharing it and help us along the journey🎧✌

[@s1gns0fl1fe]

My pleasure!

[@charlesneuzil5765]

This was very cool! Most insightful, and it also gives a great look into your creative process. Thank you for putting this together, I always get motivated after watching you present your content. I've looked at your Patreon levels, I need to get in gear with that and get moving, just gotta decide on a level! Thanks again, and have a great week.🙏🙏🙏

[@s1gns0fl1fe]

Thank you so much!

[@JackOnSkates]

Always so helpful- thank you! I was also excited to learn about MIDI monitor which I didn't even know existed!

[@s1gns0fl1fe]

Right? Now you know!

[@HumanBeingWithFeelings]

1:30 funny you said that while showing Hive because I was on the fence about buying it during their last sale for half its price. In the end I didn't and now I of course regret it! . 😞. liked and subscribed. I'm going to have to catch up with the rest of your videos. I can see you know what you are talking about. Cheers!

[@darrencurtis4277]

love this so useful moving to these new chords and new sounds its time !

[@intolucidity7220]

Almost 3k!! So happy for you man! :D Some gorgeous chords there!.. That magic chord kinda reminds me of some porcupine tree's acoustic guitar songs. P.s I will defiantly be following you once i sort my finances etc. Wishing you all the best in the meantime! Keep up the good work buddy!

[@s1gns0fl1fe]

This comment made my day! Thank you so much. Looking forward to the future!

[@The_Dyce]

Thank you so much for this tutorial ❤‍🔥 I used to produce Hip/Hop beats but I always loved those ambient sounds .... thank you ^^

[@cecily4216]

Thank you! ❤

[@jaspersquire5931]

Awesome. I can do those shapes on my Akai Force. 💪

[@grainyday]

11:02 if play in chromatic mode it gives you better understatnding of what you do and incdebile flexibity to play `outside` the scale . I also hae a secret ambient chord LOL ---- 1+5+#5 - take care Chris love your enthusiasm and passion brother !

[@Flux_One]

Your filming/editing is so pro right now. Great video and excellent instruction 👍

[@BellsCuriosityShop]

Do you have breakdowns of music that could be used during massage or other spa therapy? Dark music is great, but not quite right for what I'm looking to do (spa music, obvs)

[@R-C.]

You are a divine, ambient being.

[@kubamusicprod]

amazing ! thank you

[@issiewizzie]

Thanks now educated and enlightened

[@orchidsvoid]

I'm trying to make jam videos and your videos helping to make better music ❤️ Thank for your effort.

[@bluesucceed]

great video thank you 💙

[@grizeldabrown]

You are a treasure to the community. Thanks for this amazing tutorial. You clarified several things that I had been trying to work out on my own over the past few months. I discovered you because I bought your Vital preset pack on Bandcamp, but I had no Idea about your KZbin until yesterday. I can't wait to work my way through more of your channel.

[@s1gns0fl1fe]

This comment made my day. Thank you so much!

[@simonmcg23]

I really enjoy your ambient tutes. Could you suggest a good set of mid priced monitors that would be most suitable for this genre? Ta

[@s1gns0fl1fe]

You can’t go wrong with anything that Focal makes. Cheers!

[@omnione7894]

Great Video Thank’s!!!

[@WilliamHumphreys]

Excellent, thank you!

[@dive4323]

Great vid

[@domdib]

Simple, clear, helpful. Thanks!

[@mondombe]

Wich Monitor are you using?

[@SoZo]

You are a very talented musician..

[@av-guy8735]

Hi there, Are you still offering coaching?

[@s1gns0fl1fe]

Of course! You can sign up for my Patreon or book time with me directly on my website. www.s1gnsofl1fe.com/booking

[@tracktionwaveformtips]

I enjoyed that. Nicely done.

[@TheCubeMusic]

Your one of the greatest teachers in the world Chris lol

[@briansullivan3234]

I heard "D# major" like nails on a chalk board... So a scale with D#, E#, Fx, G#, A#, B#, and Cx... 9 sharps across a 7 note scale... yeeeeah....

[@davedunnonline]

It's all about evolving those drones... love your stuff Chris

[@ghod2114]

For a total beginner it`s hard to understand chords creating on this thing. Why A minor is a 3 note chord but there are 8 lights. Why root note is 1 place to put finger but 3 lights pop up. What does they mean? It may sound too newbish and it`s more advanced video but if not then my feedback may be useful. Anyway, a lot of useful information, thanks!

[@jack3361]

Great tutorial!

[@Kmuggle]

Just what I needed! "When the student is ready ... the teacher appears" ... as they say!

[@DopamineOverload]

11:23 Chord name is basically minor added 9th (no 5th) Nice vid!

[@mikevandenoord502]

Great tutorial.

[@Tennisers]

1st 2nd and 3rd is one example of a tone cluster

[@scizmeli]

İt really helps a lot

[@damooro8606]

When I see your finger movement (vibration) I think you should try a ROLI Seaboard ☺ Joking aside: I like your teaching

[@koraamis5568]

a effective thing is to relax and take a deep breath, slow is good

[@albshore8]

How does one know what synths to get if they can all have the ability to make the same sounds. or is it all about the presets. Thank You.

[@swarafusionband420]

What is the model of the keyboard shown at - " 0:43 to 1:08 "

[@s1gns0fl1fe]

It's an older model of the AKAI lpk25

[@Windovaca]

Perfect timing, I'm literally searching across KZbin "music theory for ambient music" I am curious do you use parallel keys? I am listening to a lot of carbon based lifeforms and solar fields lately and I am trying to figure out are these guys ( you included ) ever go out of scale and borrow chords from parallel scale?

[@s1gns0fl1fe]

That's a good question. I kept this one as a primer to set up future videos on music theory. Love your suggestion and will address it in the future. Cheers to you!

[@Windovaca]

@@s1gns0fl1fe My man, you can't believe how thankful I am for this video, there is really not so much about theory for ambient music on yt, can't wait for next video, cheers!

[@androgynastronaut]

Too bad, for me, your tuts aren't in FL Studio. I'd definitely be tuning in more often.

[@trancemuter]

what about microtonal stuff or unusual scales

[@s1gns0fl1fe]

You can definitely use those! Best to use your ears and decide what fits your track.

[@Isume90]

Amaz1ng

[@magneticlights6311]

❤

[@josephperkins-z7n]

As a metal guitarist wannabe, thank you.

[@benjaminmiller6376]

Why not use chromatic mode?

[@theunconciousmind7314]

Gotta hire you for my intros 😂

[@PM-yz8fx]

Music theory is not what makes great pieces of music or good musicians, it's like saying that if you know grammar very well then you become a poet. There is so many videos about music theory like this one, full of tips, tricks, stratagems, techniques etc. on the other hand there is a massive scarcity of videos that inspire to do music and talk about what is there behind the scene, what drives musicians to do what they do, why we like a piece of music and what music does to our brain, the emotions and sensations that a particular chord or chords sequence can do to our brain and our mood, the beauty of a song or the deep impact that ambient music can have on humans and why. Another how to, another set of instructions, another recipe for a society that thinks a lot and feel nothing.

[@remotevision4068]

I like that sweatshirt!

[@wynton921]

10:54 that’s called a cluster.

[@wynton921]

These are used in serial and atonal music. C, D, E in the right hand, and then add an Ab one octave lower. Weird, huh?

[@Chadblake1]

We have the same Redragon mouse.

[@nightorbit]

I saved up for a G502

[@marcus_ohreallyus]

I like the explanation of the concepts, but the visual of using the Push to demonstrate doesn't really help...it actually makes things confusing. Of course, it's easy for you...but most of us are using a keyboard.

[@WilliamHopperMusician]

You say some of the greatest musicians didn't know music theory. I play by ear and I can tell you I had a lot of learning to do before I could play well. All that stuff I learned wasn't music theory - formally, but it was my brand of theory. If some 'theory' or body of knowledge wasn't needed, you would have no need to make this video. Not trying to be a troll, just sayin' we do need some version of theory to play.

[@paulsaulpaul]

I've never seen anyone not capture their screen and edit it in throughout a video like this... Like rather than show your hand on your trackball, show your screen? It would have been appropriate in other places too.

[@RealmsOfThePossible]

Only used a musical keyboard so this is utterly confusing, I had to give up watching I'm afraid.

[@UnknownPerson-rf5rp]

You can watch Robert rich music he is the best ambient sound maker.

[@montazownianr1]

Can you share link?

[@666bruv]

Yep, and some ambient doesn't use notes, but samples/field recordings. The beauty of ambient, time sigs and scales etc can be completly irrelevant

[@hal2098]

If you're talking music theory why not use a keyboard. idk maybe clicking lights in boxes just isn't my thing. you're really good at it tho...lol

[@nightorbit]

I assume you aslo use ableton :(

[@recontraufa]

A Piano keyboard ... I would have seen your tutorial ...but that push thing .. :(

[@xnslrzn]

hard to learn while seeing you use that Push

[@b-loved6403]

MOdulate keys brah.

[@bitburg40]

18 minutes of yapping without useful information =boring.

[@tristen_grant]

It has lots of useful information.

[@The_Dyce]

Thank you so much for this tutorial ❤‍🔥 I used to produce Hip/Hop beats but I always loved those ambient sounds .... thank you ^^