Percussive or Harmonic

oblioblioblio · Post by **oblioblioblio** » Tue Feb 24, 2009 8:59 pm

[quote="tone-def"][/quote]

I guess maybe the problem that you're describing, and the problem that I was having, was that if you start out with a focus on one side of things, then it makes it hard to try and balance the track out. As the second part is an afterthought. Maybe if there's a way to start out in a balanced way thiking about both things it may solve the problem.

there are probably quite a few interesting techniques to try and get a different approach to using both sides.

I like idea AK mentioned about experiementing with substitution.

Also I like the 'call and response' kinda thing like in Mathew Jonson 'Return of the Zombie Bikers' where you have 2 different harmonic/melodic focussed things playing, but they are talking to each other a bit. With this you have to focus on rhythm as it wouldn't work really otherwise. I think this is a common technique in tribal style drumming circles, but obviously done differently.

Hmm. maybe other people have some decent ideas.

steevio · Post by **steevio** » Tue Feb 24, 2009 11:14 pm

tone-def wrote:yeah of course you can get harmonic percussion. In the acoustic world you can get different tones from simple drums (bongo, toms) and you have instuments like the vibraphone and xylophone which have a wide range of tones. Minimal techno is probably the genre that makes best use of harmonic percussion. Maybe harmonic wasn't the best word to use in my first post. I mean when you have a track with short piano stabs played in a rhythmic way with other more "traditional" synth sounds like pads, leads etc it's hard to fit percussion in. Steevio's percussion has harmony, but i personal see his music as an intelligent percussive workout rather than something by Mike Shannon where there are more keyboard sounds driving the track.

i see what youre meaning now, on the few tracks where i have used chords / stabs etc. i dont think of them as seperate things, theyre just patterns to me. they may have started out as percussion, and maybe two tuned percussive sounds fall on top of each other and form a percussive chord that sounds like it needs to be emphasised, then maybe i would turn that into kind of synth or piano sound by turning down the resonance and opening the filter slightly, maybe bring in a couple more oscillators.
i never start out thinking i'm going to make a organ/synth or piano sound, they just happen as a consequence of programming.
so i suppose i dont feel like i need to find space for something, its just part of the rhythmic pattern.
i suppose it only applies to synthesis though. its different if you're sampling.

tone-def · Post by **tone-def** » Wed Feb 25, 2009 12:32 am

ArhiteK wrote:What about Seph for instance? He is really percussive and harmonic and melodic, almost allways. Fase Miusic Sender also, Seuil, Jorge Savoretti...

Maybe the Seph stuff i've got is a bit old but if you listen to when the melodic parts come in the percussion goes. I'm listing to Goust, Wooden and the tracks on unfoundsound 15.

I don't mind if the two don't mix together that well (or in my mind at least). I'm a minimalist after all.

JonasEdenbrandt · Post by **JonasEdenbrandt** » Thu Feb 26, 2009 11:29 am

I have this problem as well sometimes. What you can try to do is replace a percussive beat with a harmonic one? Lets say a bongo plays on 1 2 and 3 replace the on on 2 with a stab and you still have the same rhythm going and the same groove but a new instrument.

michielwijnen · Post by **michielwijnen** » Thu Feb 26, 2009 11:42 am

JonasEdenbrandt wrote:I have this problem as well sometimes. What you can try to do is replace a percussive beat with a harmonic one? Lets say a bongo plays on 1 2 and 3 replace the on on 2 with a stab and you still have the same rhythm going and the same groove but a new instrument.

Indeed, that is what I try to somethimes, switching back and forward from percussive elements to short melodic stabs...

But my 'melodies' (if you can even name it a melodie) are always very simple and minimalistic...

AK · Post by AK » Fri Feb 27, 2009 12:08 am

ArhiteK wrote:What about Seph for instance? He is really percussive and harmonic and melodic, almost allways.

that guy is unbelievable, his new track 'Seph Creep track 2' just totally blows me away. It's everything I like in techno. Funk, dissonance, rhythm and weird evolving sounds. it's Harmonic, melodic and at times atonal with every element playing a part in the 'whole'.....

soapz · Post by **soapz** » Sat Feb 28, 2009 3:46 pm

steevio wrote:i use harmonic percussion.

This is where the magic lies..

::BLM:: · Post by **::BLM::** » Tue Mar 03, 2009 10:05 pm

I recken my music is both percussive and harmonic. I cant just make drummy stuff as I get bored within a couple of mins. I have to put some harmonic elements over the top.