Course roadmap
This course is going to cover a number of topics in algorithmic music and programming. Here we’re just going to give a rough idea of what you’ll learn in each module of the class.
- Making Music with Patterns
- Writing patterns of samples to create beats
- How to play multiple patterns at the same time
- Varying patterns in time
- Adding randomness to samples
- Melodies, Synths, and Modifying Patterns
- How to use synths in Tidal
- Programming synths with patterns of notes
- Adding pattern modifiers that change the sound
- Scales, chords, and a little bit of basic music theory
- Making a piano riff that has random chords
- Combining patterns, Transforming patterns, and Chiptunes
- Using the chiptune synthesizer for melodies and bass lines
- How to use patterns of modifiers in order to make musical patterns more dynamic
- Transforming patterns to randomly change notes, stutter notes, and retune the chiptune synth
- Using sine and saw waves as continuous patterns
- Creating variables to reuse patterns
- Using euclidean patterns to create complex rhythms
- Shenanigans with Samples
- Pitching samples up and down with modifiers
- Using continuous patterns to select notes
- Selecting different samples like notes
- Granular synthesis by chopping samples
- Randomness in Algomusic
- Why randomness is important to algorithmic music
- Random melodies with irand and range
- Varying around melodies
- Randomly selecting pieces of samples
- Randomized modifiers
- Controlling randomness with structure
- (TBD) Complex transformations and meta-patterns
- (TBD) Putting on a live Tidal show
- (TBD) Creating your own samples for Tidal
- (TBD) Making new synths for Tidal