Electronic Music Performance Techniques

Overview

Class Central Tips

From the Moog analog synthesizers in the 1960s to the contemporary usage of computers, performance controllers, and mobile devices, Electronic Digital Instruments (EDIs) have long been capable of offering artists a new range of musical expression. In this one-of-a-kind course, you’ll learn the essential skills you need to perform on an EDI. Your instructor is EDI musician and Berklee College of Music associate professor Rishabh Rajan. He will take you through the basics of EDI performance and give you pointers on how to build an arrangement on your EDI. Whether you have just ordered your first pad-controller or have already been experimenting with electronic music, you’ll learn the basics of performing and arranging on the EDI. You will start by building drum beats and reading drum notation. Then you will create bass lines and harmonic accompaniment. Finally, you will learn how to live loop all of these elements and perform an arrangement for a live audience.

Syllabus

Welcome to Electronic Music Performance Techniques

Welcome to the course! Here we will cover all the details about the course and what you'll need to know to get the most out of your experience.

Drum Patterns

In this first lesson, we will practice several basic drum patterns as well as look at how to create more complex drum tracks for your original songs. We will also discuss how you can program a song into your EDI to discover new ideas. Finally, we will learn how to live loop drum patterns using Ableton Live.

Harmonic Accompaniment

In this second lesson, we will look at how to play harmonic accompaniment on the EDI. We will play through several basic chord progressions and learn to play extended chords such as 7th's and 9th's. Finally, we will practice recording and looping harmonic parts.

Melody and Bass Line

Now that we have learned some basics on the EDI, it is time to start building a composition. In this lesson we will discuss how to develop an interesting bass line as well as how to improvise melodies using the Minor Blues Scale. By the end of the lesson, you will be able to create your own bass line for your original composition and practice improvising melodies on top of it.

Performing an Arrangement

In this lesson we will put together everything we have learned so far to create an arrangement to perform in front of an audience. We will discuss how to create our own sounds on Ableton and we will practice creating arrangements that build and entertain our audience. By the end of this lesson, you will be able to perform your own arrangement.