Is there a way to restrict key?
Hi, in Moog Animoog-iPhone app I find it helpful to restrict the keyboard to different keys, where by I can jam along with a track for which I have figured out the key, no bun notes, anything like that in NS2, I see you can select scale, what about key?
Comments
Thanks for the reply. I’m a little green when it comes to theory, I can see how this changes the scales but how to I set the key? If a songs in C I’d like to ham fistedly bash at they keys safe in the knowledge it’s all in tune. Other apps let me set the key. I’m not sure how the scales helps 🤷🏻♂️
Is it transpose? I think it maybe transpose
yes exactly transpose... default C - 0 ... + 2 == you are in D ... +3 == D# .. and so on
👀whaa… I’m gonna need a piece of paper! But thanks, I’ll play with that
don't try to overthink it ;-) my way is usually switch random scales and transposes and then try play keys until i hit something i like :-) Let tour ears guide you :-)
@HTUTM I suggest you Google some images of scales (with piano keys if you don’t read music) and maybe a few YouTube videos on scales and you could get most of the theory you need to get started in an evening. I’ll try to help with a few tips.
The method dendy detailed allows you to choose the scale. If in your example, “If a song is in the key of C”, you probably mean C Major (as opposed to C minor). In C Major all of the white keys on a piano are in the key, and all of the black keys are out of the key. If in NS2 you select Major, then you will have only white keys. See the photo below:
In that case all of the keys are in the key of C Major. That’ll get you in the ball park, but you might, depending upon the genre, need to consider the chord(s) being played in each measure in order to play along or improvise with a piece of music. Common chords like I - IV - V will in the key of C Major be something like this: C E G - F A C - G B D. Playing those notes over those chords will sound in harmony. This is the simplist way to play along. But most music will have combinations of other ‘dissonant’ notes (ones not in the chord) according to taste & genre. If over the I chord you play a melodic part using the notes C to E to F to G, you will be adding a bit of flavor with the F note that will give a little interest, depending on how skillful it is played. Or maybe when playing the I chord you play C to E to G to A just before the IV/F chord and hold that A over into the start of the F chord the note will go from dissonant in the I chord to harmonic in the F chord.
I hope this simplistic explanation helps. Maybe you already know these things? My point in offering this help is only to point out that just playing the white keys in a C Major song won’t necessarily always sound ‘good’. This is all very subjective, and some genres don’t change keys or chords at all, so this is really just basic music theory. Hope this helps you have fun jamming!
I'm half full of teehee giggles and half full of perfect-way-to-make-your-point feels.
@SlapHappy thanks for going the extra mile. What I’m lacking here is basic musical knowledge. Basically just really like NS2 and am trying to weave a bit of glitter into a pretty well padded out ‘live’ set but as it’ll be dark and I lack the chops I’m trying to make it easy on myself by limiting the bum @Will ’bun’ notes. In the medium term however I should read up on the basics… I really should 😂
@HTUTM - there's no deep musical theory needed here. Just look at a piano keyboard and count the white and black keys up from C to the key you want to be in. For a live set, maybe keep a simple diagram handy if you don't want to have to memorize the transpose settings.
NS2's way of setting root notes is kind of odd to me, but manageable.
@number37 cheers, I’ll use that
Did you just call me a bum? I think you did. Rude!
Just so you know I'm not a bum (I 100% am, actually), I'll throw this out there: you could always use the Animoog keyboard to control Obsidian. Just have to set up the virtual MIDI ports correctly. Might also require a MIDI Out IAP within Animoog; it's been a while for me so I'm not quite sure.
You could also use any of the other scale-based-keyboard apps out there (including AUv3) by hosting them in AudioBus and pointing them at NS.
@Will If I ever get to do a live performance again, I’ll have to start it by asking ”Can I bum some notes?” Although I would do it regardless of the answer 🤷♂️
Sounds like a perfect intro in that context. Trigger that as a sample, do a "bah dum dum" drum fill and start the set!
Could also plan to have the sample available on pad at all times and any time you flub a note, you just trigger that sample afterward as a way to show that the flubbed note was obviously intentional and you are artfully, thematically tying parts of the set back to the intro.
Great idea! I could start using it as a signature like trap producers 😀