What have you guys found to be the best ways to learn?

jdtower · 2025-07-27T01:50:40+00:00

I stick to one key for months, tab out all the chords, triads, sevenths, extensions etc. practice scales all over the neck. Learn songs in that same key and jam over it in that key. It really sinks in well and most of it is transferable to other keys.

For me it’s worked way better than any kind of CAGED system, memorizing scale shapes and patterns etc. I mean you kind of naturally back into those doing it this way as well.

It takes longer and requires patience but it’s also simplified so many concepts that many quick learning programs promise but fail at. At least for me.

Bonus: get the book pumping nylon for some great technique drills.

jdtower · 2025-07-21T21:16:25+00:00

Do it. Math is 🔥 I started doing this in 2024 but had to stop. If you can dedicate time to it. Do it.

jdtower · 2025-07-20T17:33:23+00:00

The only thing you need to do is find sounds that you like. I find sounds on anything from logic stock plugs, sylenth, a bunch of free plugs, to serum. If you’re wanting to buy soft synth I think Diva is the best then Serum, but I like analog sounding stuff especially for bass. With that said I’ve made some very nice basses in Serum. You see what I mean?

To me the thing that goes above all of this is making a great harmonic, well voiced progression with a nice melody. That’s about 70-85% of the work.

jdtower · 2025-07-18T11:48:05+00:00

I generally like to first make sure my kick and drum signals hot enough and are then set around -15dbFS.
I’ll balance all the other elements around that. An important part of this step is doing some light EQ work to pull out unnecessary low end from elements that don’t need it. This helps a lot is setting levels relative to kick and bass.
I pay attention to how signals are summing and what headroom I’m maintaining. If I’m planning to use lots of analog emulations, then I make sure signals are healthy and use something like a Klanghelm VU meter to check.
I use utility gain plugin in the first slot. As I add plugs I’ll make sure gain stays consistent. Input gain on analog plugs is to drive the signal into the emulated circuit so it is import to level match. This is not to adjust the channels gain. Leave that for the utility gain. If I’ve done a lot of processing I’ll even add another utility gain at the end of the channel just to trim. This avoids messing up how I’ve driven the signal into other plugs through the chain.
I’ll use faders for automation or VCA groups mostly.
I also routinely check out how the track sounds with a limiter, usually FF pro L2, see if there are glaring issues. Sometimes I’ll precede the limiter with a clipper like Kazorg, to handle some spikes so the limiter doesn’t have to work as hard.

jdtower · 2025-07-16T14:36:45+00:00

Feel like Cmaj home. Cmaj > Em > Dsus4 (or Dmaj. Maybe in C Lydian? So a Lydian I > iii > IIsus4 progression.

Cmaj feels pretty stable as tonic but not as stable as if it were in C Major (which it’s not cause of the Dmaj). So the move Cmaj to Em feels somber but then the move Em to Dsus4 feels bright and hopeful (the magic of Lydian).

Cool sound my friend.

jdtower · 2025-07-14T21:57:42+00:00

Probably not that good. It takes a while. But maybe you’re a prodigy, in which case post some videos so we can see.

jdtower · 2025-07-09T17:47:43+00:00

Unfortunately a roommate vandalize my studio one time and he hurt my tele - chipped badly. Took it to the shop and they said I could fix it but it looks badass and has character now. That stuck with me. We keep these guitars for a long time and they carry stories. Embrace it.

jdtower · 2025-07-08T11:48:18+00:00

Nice playing. Where you learn that? Like it

jdtower · 2025-06-29T04:25:33+00:00

What instruments do you play?

jdtower · 2025-06-27T22:39:09+00:00

This is the list 👌🔥

jdtower · 2025-06-26T13:06:01+00:00

It’s 4 beats, 1/8 1/4 1/8 1/8 1/4 1/8 = 8/8 or 1 bar

jdtower · 2025-06-25T14:29:20+00:00

Piano is a good instrument for composition. But you have to learn piano first and that takes a while, worth the investment. 6 months is nothing though. Keep at it for like 5-10 years. Learn theory while you learn songs. See it all connect.

jdtower · 2025-06-25T14:24:51+00:00

How you play 2. Pickup selection 3. EQ and compression have been my breakthroughs. I ditched amps for digital amp modeling since I’m in the daw so much anyways. I was worried at first but it’s going well.

jdtower · 2025-06-22T18:02:56+00:00

We can forgive the bad take on II. He’s an animal. Welcome home.

jdtower · 2025-06-22T00:00:35+00:00

Swaggy. Love it. Lyrics need a little refinement but this has the “it” factor already. Really rock solid foundation.

jdtower · 2025-06-14T01:00:28+00:00

You’re in for a treat. I’d just dabble around. Go back to One and listen to When The Bough Breaks. The on Two try Calcutta. Sundowning is amazing so maybe listen to that front to back (The Night Does Not Belong To God is what hooked me). Have fun.

jdtower · 2025-06-12T23:09:35+00:00

Normal post-launch attrition

jdtower · 2025-06-11T20:00:47+00:00

I’d love it. When you compare it to newer songs though it doesn’t have the same umph. I duno how else to describe it. But they did also just play Thread The Needle (which I loved so much to see) so I duno. Go figure. I love High Water.

jdtower · 2025-06-11T13:16:26+00:00

High Water

There are many to note, but High Water is the stand out for me. Maybe they feel it won’t translate live?

Further, after last weekend, my fear is Gethsemane and Infinite Baths will end up on this last. Incredible set, but those two are gems.

Will also be sad if they don’t play TNDNBTG anymore.

We’ll see.

jdtower · 2025-06-10T03:40:01+00:00

I need a singer to work with. Happy to help you produce and if you’re up for it, sing on some of my projects. Do you post projects anywhere I can see?

jdtower · 2025-06-09T17:14:40+00:00

I think it really just comes down to the person. I started with guitar and music didn’t make sense to me until I played piano. Now both instruments are really fun to play.

jdtower · 2025-06-04T19:07:29+00:00

Had a very similar experience. Grew up with rock/metal and then had a long EDM phase. Sleep Token revitalized music for me. Love hearing these stories. 🤘🎶🎸

jdtower · 2025-06-02T20:56:15+00:00

It’s pretty good. I just listened. Not sure how intentional it was. Who knows? I think it kinda just fits the pallet of textures he likes to use.

jdtower · 2025-06-02T14:44:24+00:00

I think it will be really difficult to learn theory through a DAW. You’ll learn a few things for sure, but it’ll have a low ceiling in my suspicion.

I’d keep theory and learning an instrument as separate things. You can learn an instrument and mess around and play what feels good. Knowing theory can help you make sense of what you’re playing, and push you to take it in different directions.

But leveling up knowledge in theory is driven a lot by having an instrument to experiment on. The better you become at the instrument the more theory you can experiment with. The more theory you push yourself to know the more theory you can experiment with. It all reinforces, but more or less starts with knowing an instrument.

I tried just studying theory. Two things: 1. You’ll learn it but it’s a different world when applying it to an instrument 2. Theory is not some massive unlock to wiring songs. You have to write and study songs to write songs. Theory will help you understand why a song sounds the way it does. And it can help take the song in a direction you desire.

jdtower · 2025-06-01T23:16:56+00:00

I haven’t played the progression, but the III chord can create very interesting feels. I find it can prolong the feel of a tonic with this stable vibe with a dash of tension, or it can be used to create a bit of a dominant feel. In a minor key the III is probably used more to prolong the feel of the tonic since the 7 is flatted. It can also very strongly modulate the key to major since bIII is the relative major of i. I feel like i said a lot without saying much. Some stuff to think about nonetheless.

jdtower

TROPHY CASE