Ableton Composition

FINAL PROJECT due Wednesday June 22nd

Before we begin, some additional support with some of the technical aspects may be required. This set of videos from Ableton can provide some of the prerequisite knowledge required for these projects.

Recording MIDI into clips

Explains how to use a MIDI controller to record into clips in Session View, how to align rhythms precisely to the grid, and how to record overdubs. 

Editing and quantizing MIDI in the piano roll

This video demonstrates how to loop and unloop MIDI clips, alter the length of a clip, and move the clip’s start and end points; how to create legato automatically; how to reverse and invert the sequence of notes within the clip; how to play loops in doubletime and halftime; and how to transpose or timestretch a sequence of notes.



Some general guidelines to the assessment of your work:

Technical demonstration: Did you follow the assignment? Did you complete all the required steps? Is the melody/chord progression four bars long?

Aesthetic intent: Does the melody/chord progression have a musically satisfying structure, rather than being a random group of notes or rhythms? 

If you changed the mix or instruments, do the sounds blend, match or compliment each other?

Can you articulate your musical goals? Does the project meet those goals?


When completing your work, consider viewing the elements of your work through the following learning lenses:

Critical thinking

Critical listening  

Technology literacy

Creativity and musical exploration


FINAL PROJECT 1: Melody Writing with MIDI 

Getting started with songwriting and music theory can be overwhelming. The colour scheme of the piano keyboard is an easy way to try out ideas with no “wrong” notes, and to learn some scale theory by ear. In this lesson, you will only use the white keys and black keys to write two short melodies.


What are our Learning intentions? 

Melody writing basics: Strategies for structuring a good melody and unblocking creative flow

Learning basic scale theory: Identifying some commonly used scales; taking advantage of the piano’s colour coding to easily play diatonic modes and pentatonic scales

Final Project 1 resources: download the included Live Sets onto your computer

  • A) Creative challenge with the White Keys – open White Keys.als and create ONE OR MORE short original melodies over the provided drum and bass tracks using the white keys only. Then, feel free to create several variations of your melody using the midi-editing tools taught in class. Next, record a full length track into the arrangement view that combines it all. Save your work as "White Keys-YOUR NAME"

  • B) Creative challenge with the Black Keys – open Black Keys.als and create ONE OR MORE short original melodies over the provided drum and bass tracks using the black keys only. Then, create several variations of your melody using the midi-editing tools taught in class. Next, record a full length track into the arrangement view that combines it all. Save your work as "Black Keys-YOUR NAME"

  • C) SHARE TIME: Share your melodies with your peers. 

*Activity Option: More experienced students may continue to develop their short loops into full-fledged tracks.

FINAL PROJECT 2: The Scale Device

In this lesson, I will introduce you to the concept of scales. We'll listen to different scales used in well-known pieces of music. You will experiment with scales and modes via your MIDI controller and Live’s Scale device. Finally, you will set the Scale device to Phrygian dominant mode and create a short melody.

What are our Learning intentions? 

Music theory – learn the names of intervals and scales; explore different representations of scales (note names, staff notation, scale necklaces)

Critical listening – listen for the relationship between scales and real-world music

Creativity – explore how different pitch combinations create different moods and associations; use scales as raw material for melody writing

Resources: 

For an introduction, load the Demo & Sketch Live Set from the Templates folder in Ableton's browser onto your computer. For our creative challenge: Have the Phrygian Dominant Live Set downloaded (below) open on your computer


FINAL PROJECT 3: The Chord Device
Let's take the mystery out of chord theory using Ableton's MIDI devices to generate chords by playing single keys on a keyboard or controller. In this lesson, we'll learn how to generate chords using Live’s Chord device. We'll learn to make these chords fit in key with help from the Scale device. Then we'll have a creative challenge to add a chordal accompaniment to a bassline.

What are our Learning intentions? 

Critical listening – learn to differentiate between a two-note interval, a three-note chord, and a four-note chord. Also tp understand the difference between parallel chords and diatonic/modal chords.
Technology literacy – how to use MIDI effects, and to alter MIDI information.
Creative/musical – draw connections between chords’ musical construction and their conventional cultural associations in songs, film scores, game soundtracks, etc.

Resources:



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