Sampling music vs. Composing music

I compose and I suck at sampling, but I wont be biased in this article.

There are a few things that I love and hate about both of these techniques. With sampling, I love it when a sample is chopped up and flipped just right; I love seeing people banging out the sample on their MPC's and jamming to their own tunes; I love hearing the Ahh's and Ooo's in those soulful sampled beats. Also, I love it how so many different people can come up with so many different flips from a single sample. Here's an example from Boon Doc:



Although my 'love' for sampling outweighs the things I hate about it, that doesn't stop me from still being a hater... I just hate the days where you can't find that sample. You've been looking for a while and you may think that you found one, but really it's just your imagination telling you to like it when you don't. Crate digging can get a little annoying if you aren't up to it. Also, it grinds my gears when I can't find drums to go with my sample. I guess this comes with practice, but still, I hate that.

On to composing music from scratch. I love doing this. I personally start with the melodies first. I don't normally add in the drums until I finish my main chords and main melody. The feeling I get once those drums come into play is, for lack of a better word, extravagent. I love the feeling I get knowing that everything I'm hearing has come from my brain and my fingers. While I am listening to the beat, I know that I am the only person on Earth who has heard it. I love when you get that perfect progression... you know, the one that gives you chills and instant inspiration. Here's a Ryan Leslie example of what I'm saying:



I do hate some parts of it though. This whole music creation thing is a love and hate relationship with me. SOMETIMES I can't figure out a good enough bassline... oh man. I stop making music when I can't figure out a bassline. It just upsets me so much. Not being able to find appropriate drums applies to this one too, but again, that probably comes down to more practice and experience.

In conclusion. Making music is extremely rewarding. If you aren't musically trained, you can take the sampling route, or the 1 finger piano playing route (songs like Crank Dat, and Laffy Taffy fall under this category), but it doesn't hurt to get some instrument lessons (I suggest piano) and it wouldn't hurt to learn some music theory as well. I will be posting a newbie guide to piano theory so time in the future, but until then, PEACE OUT!

R.A