Hi guys,
Super quick tip on how to write expressive piano that sounds like it was performed by a human when you're an absolute noob. So you can hear what I'm going for, here's something I knocked up in 45 minutes. Although I have a VERY basic theory knowledge, I am absolutely not a competent piano player.
The final product: https://clyp.it/dvroktvo
Step 1
Choose a key and right an extremely simple bass line using low octaves. Can be as simple as you want but try to write something with a little bit of movement as it will help you figure out what's going over the top.
Step 2 (the funny step)
Literally play two keys on your keyboard as if you were playing the drums. Doesn't matter what keys these are (although it's more palatable if they are in the same key as your bass notes; I suggest the root and third to save having to move too many of the notes later). The important part here is to get the accents. Try not to place them too predictably and make sure you're ramping up the intensity as you get to the end of phrases. Helps to have a weighted keyboard to do this.
Should sound really shitty like this: https://clyp.it/h24d0fgm
Step 3
Quantise your notes BUT NOT TOO MUCH. If you have a good sense of rhythm you should be able to get away with around 50% quantisation. Any more than that and you will start to lose the human feeling.
Step 4
The most important step. Just move the notes into places that sound good. Consider your bass notes and build arpegios around 7/9/11/13 chords that have the bass note as a root. Remember that a piano player in her right hand will often alternate between her thumb and her digits. For example, in B minor a line might go B(thumb)/A(4th finger)/B(thumb)/F#(3rd finger)/B(thumb)/E(3rd finger). Imagine the piano line from the exorcist.
Don't get too hung up on this though, play around and make errors because this is when all the nicest happenings happen. If you find some really tasty arpeggios in the right you might want to move the bass notes in the left to suit them more dramatically.
Step 5
Once you have settled on the correct notes for your right hand part you can go through and edit the velocities of the accents (hopefully if you get step 2 correct you won't need to do this too much). Make sure there is a discernible 'leading line' or main melody coming through on the accented notes. This melody tends to be the highes notes you are reaching for but sometimes they can dip inside the mass of the arpeggio to create a dramatic fall or to prepare for a big ramping up of energy towards the end of a phrase.
Step 6:
Split your bass notes up into octaves and 5ths to give the low end some rhythm and movement. Here's a short side with 4 bars of before and after so you can here what I mean
Audio example: https://clyp.it/t4llyyqv
A few things to remember
- Foot up on the pedal whenever the root note in the left hand changes or you will get nasty harmonic interference in the bass.
- Try removing some of the notes for dramatic effect. This style of writing can be a bit full on if you're hitting every single 16th note so leave a bit of space to breathe
- remember that your piano player is human with a human hand span. It won't sound realistic if it would be literally impossible to play
Again just for reference, hopefully your finished product will sound like this: https://clyp.it/dvroktvo
It's rough around the edges but like I said, it took 45 minutes so cut me some slack ;)
Hope this will be useful to someone. If anyone gives this a try I'd love to hear examples!
Peace and love, Fraxure
Submitted April 01, 2018 at 05:46AM by thewholeisgreater https://www.reddit.com/r/edmproduction/comments/88pja6/how_to_write_a_really_expressive_virtuosic_piano/?utm_source=ifttt