TUTORIAL–Pads/strings For Trance–

Ok the basics i have found for writing pads/string riffs for trance are basically the same as for leads.. you need your top notes and your bottom notes.

Your top notes should have the emphasis of your leads riff and compliment it whereas your bottom notes should really keep the emphasis of your bassline.

So lets start on your bottom notes.. now a lot of people will use the same note an octave higher so in essence you are doubling up your notes to create a semi chord, this works well in some instances but to add that extra oompf to your lower notes you really need to make it a proper chord.. im not going to pretend i remember every chord or even ever think about them when i write strings.. So lets place our two notes for the first semi chord on a G# one an octave above another… if we play this it sounds ok but nothing special, so lets add another note on the D# between them, this has now given us a chord on the bottom notes (i have no idea which chord before anyone asks as im not good with names i just know what sounds good) so we continue all three notes playing in synchrony for a while a nice basis for the riff. next we need to continue the chord progression for the lower notes as just playing this one chord is a bit boring.
so lets do the same note lengths for an F,C,F chord,
this now has now given us a good downwards progression to our lower chords giving us a good sound!
so by now you should be able to work out a good progression for the next lower notes to give a good atmosphere. (this can also help work out arpegiated basslines… so its all good). If you cant the way i have done them is… C# G# C# then D# A# D#.
if you need more help by seeing this in a visual way i have attached a midi with these notes on it (and some top ones which we will discuss next)

*phew*

ok so now we want some nice trancey lead pad notes to compliment our lovely bassey string chords..

so a nice progression in note lengths for a trancey feel on your top notes is first note 1/4 length of your bass chord notes, second note 1/4 length of your bass chord notes and 3rd top note 1/2 length of your bass chord notes.
when writing your notes in its a good idea since you already have your bass chords to just play around with the notes your tope notes use. you obviously dont have to stick to the notation i have used in the attached midi but hell i guess it might help

For your instruments for strings many people have a lot of different opinions. in mine crystal and the pro 53 are two of the best for pads. attached is also an mp3 of the notation played on a pro 53 with the fivepad preset. no fx have been used and listen to the atmosphere.. with decent notations anything is possible!

hope this helps some of ya