Melody vs. Rhythm

[Sipe]

Techno is, from my perspective, rhythm driven. This makes drums and such quite important. I feel I can put together a decent drum loop without to much hassle. However, I have hit a 'writers block' in which the primary problem seems to be notes and their function within techno.

I seem to either always make little melodic lines or some sort of lead tune, and that is starting to bother me. I hoped it would go away at some point, but I just can't seem to shake it. So I ask, fellow producers, how do you use notes in techno? Most of it is percussion, but any synth you need has to have a note in order to be used. To many notes and a melody starts up.

What is your system? How do you use synth and avoid the poppy schmaltz that always seems to infiltrate my groove? Perhaps I'm just approaching it from the wrong angle.

Thank you all so very much.

[Jesse_mtl]

i dont understand ur question much... but piano is considered percussion, so u need rhythmn to play

[Ronny Pries]

if you always end up with some kind of "poppy schmaltz" and are unsatisfied with it, you should seek for a way to positively integrate it in your musik.

melodies are good! i often come up with something that some people may refer as kitsch (good excerpt) but i don't give a dime. you shouldn't either.

ronny

[d-rokc]

i think i understand what you mean. a possible solution to your question is to study carefully in what frequencies the so called 'melodies' lay. that frequencies may differ alot depending on the different tracks, but one thing always stays basically the same - the relation between rhythm's basic elements and the melody's basic elements (same if the melody consists of percussion).

its up to you to find what are those elements

[kujoma]

Ask Jake Fairley

[clubfoot]

a lot of the most interesting minimal techno i hear these days is really making a great marriage of melody and rhythm. Pitched drums or maybe 2 or 3 carefully EQd synth notes coexisting to create melodic expression. Interplay between the bassline, drum sounds, synths, samples can create melody. I personally really enjoy constructing tracks with this idea in mind - it's kind of like you don't know what you're gonna find until you've done it. Lots of pleasant surprises - and it can help keep things minimal.

Alex Smoke is one producer i can think of who is doing this style really well.

@ Sipe - your dilemma sounds kind of familiar. Maybe your "little melodic lines" could be reduced - try deleting some of the notes or let the notes take the place of certain drum hits. Or make certain drum hits replace the notes - with careful pitching of your drum samples. Compression and channel levels will have a big influence in this approach too - so you'd do well to test their effect during composition.

These days I'm finding myself approach rhythm and melody at the same time. They are often intertwined in techno - for the very good reason that it sounds f*cking tough that way.

[kevin h]

^perfectly said^

[steevio]

These days I'm finding myself approach rhythm and melody at the same time. They are often intertwined in techno - for the very good reason that it sounds f*cking tough that way.

well said, techno is primordial music, melody and rhythm are interchangeable. when i'm constructng a tune i never think in terms of melody and rhythm, i think about wave shapes, frequencies, resonance, envelopes etc.
i think its too easy to limit yourself by assuming you have to have clearly defined individual instruments. i stopped making rock music to get away from those constrictions.
with techno you can do anything you want.
i suppose my advice would be, spend time creating your own unusual sounds from scratch, and dont use presets etc.