The life of a note from birth to death is a universal one, from the natural vibration of vocal cords to the electronic generation of a saw wave; the principals remain the same. Understanding how synthesisers work unlocks so much of the mystery of the life of a note – in fact, of music itself.
From ‘Envelopes’ to ‘Oscillators’ and everything in between, the answers to so many musical questions can be found with the synthesiser. In this article I will be looking at how you can use Ableton's Learning Synths free web app to deliver an inspirational session on how synthesisers work which is also packed full of transferable musical skills.
Before we get stuck in, it's worth mentioning that the Ableton ‘Playground’ is a wider learning resource, which also teaches all about the fundamentals of music via a more sequencer-based visual approach. In this article, we are focusing in on synthesisers and specifically looking at Ableton's Learning Synths.
How to play
There are two distinct parts to the Learning Synths web app. The ‘chapters’, an interactive step by step how a synth works, and the ‘playground’, which you can jump to at any point. This playground is essentially a synthesiser that you can play with, even just with a computer keyboard or mouse/track pad. There are endless ways you can approach a lesson depending on all the usual variables, but it always has that added benefit, as mentioned in my previous article (see ‘Take it away: Inclusive learning beyond the music classroom’, available online), of having the potential to be used and explored in the student's own time.
Choosing a chapter
My recommendation is to take one element, discuss it, learn about it via the relevant chapters, and then offer students the opportunity to play in the playground. The chapters in the web app will work well on an interactive white board.
Here are two elements or chapters I would recommend for starters:
Envelopes
First up is the Envelope because it so perfectly relates to every musical situation. Simply start at the very first chapter and work through a handful of pages which explain the very basics of how a synthesiser works. Before long you will arrive at Envelopes. Each page interactively explains each part of the Envelope. Firstly, ‘Attack’ – how quickly the note reaches its peak. Secondly, ‘Decay’ – how long the note takes to decrease from the peak. Thirdly, ‘Sustain’ – how long the note is held for. And finally, ‘Release’ – how long the note sounds after the note is no longer played.
These are, of course, more or less the parameters that are factors in sound made by any acoustic instrument. We can apply this to both amplitude (volume), or pitch. Ableton has chosen to use pitch to explain the envelope at first. It then quickly moves the user on to looking at it from a dynamics perspective. Examples of different envelopes are given for a snare drum or wind instrument. This is a really great opportunity to link this to acoustic instruments and singing, and of course, you can then jump to the playground to explore. Discussing things like attack or decay is a powerful tool for getting any student thinking and connecting with the sounds they create on an instrument.
Oscillators
Oscillators, for those not in the know, are essentially the birthplace of sound. It sounds grand, and that's because it is – this is the place where magic really happens. Simply skip directly to the Oscillators chapter and it will take you step by step through saw waves and other such wonderful things. You will also come across the most literal and truthful explanation of what timbre is when you look at ‘Pulse width’, and of course, you can relate it to acoustic oscillators around us from swings to guitar strings. In the end, you can take it to the playground and explore.
Be brave in the playground
Once you arrive at the playground to explore what you've learnt, it's easy to feel overwhelmed or confused, especially if you have never explored a synthesiser. I think it's crucial to enter into this with the absolute understanding that no knowledge or experience is needed to make a sound, to manipulate it, to enjoy it, or to learn from it. Be brave and be bold. It is called a playground for a reason.
While starting your lesson off by looking at an element such as the envelope is obviously valuable, the most profound learning will take place by playing, without purpose or pressure, in this marvellous musical playground.
