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Comment by adamnemecek | Hacker News Reader

I've been working on an IDE for music composition. Launching soon http://ngrid.io

What makes it an IDE and not a sequencer with intellisense-like features/ more presets?

I mean, call it whatever you want, but "IDE for music" conveys the idea better than "sequence with intellisense-like features/other things". But I'll also have some advanced color coding, version control, and "refactoring".

I am very intrigued. I barely am able to keep scales in my head not even thinking about the other "rules". So I am looking forward to check this out.

This attitude is problematic. No tool will ever replace fluency, and thousands of hours of tedious practice is the only way to get there. The only way. There are many hacks and shortcuts, but nothing will ever work better for you than your own mind, well trained.

Problematic to whom, to me, you or the general public? I have a casual interest in how music production works but don't plan to do anything serious in it. I like to dabble around a bit and if I like what I make I am happy. There is no expectation that what I make will appeal to others, but if anyone likes something, I am happy too.

I don't think this tool will make a good music producer or composer out of someone but if it helps, what's the harm?

It harms you. One day you'll want to accomplish something and you won't have the tools. There are thousands of musicians who quit for every one having fun. You will have a better, more fulfilling time if you study music.

What is that something? Why couldn't it wait until you have the tools? Is this like the time they would tell you in math class that you won't always have a calculator on you?

I've been making music for close to 20 years now, and haven't retained a single piece of 'proper music theory', including names of the chords or notes I play. I've been in countless bands across genres, released albums with multiple artists as a producer, and have placed with major record label artists. Every time I try to 'study music' I feel boxed in creatively, and not knowing these concepts has not once hindered my ability to play music collaboratively or create it independently. What exactly can I not accomplish by not knowing a scale, again?

I can feel your passion about this topic, so I guess music (and playing) is an integral part of your life. That is really admirable and I could imagine having the same passion about it if I'd focused on it from my childhood up. I did chose a different path and now approaching 40 want to "do music" coming from the technical side. You could describe me as the youtube learner. I like to watch some music theory videos from time to time, but what I like even more is doing something and learning what works and what does not by making mistakes.

I am not afraid to make mistakes and am even happier if I discovered something on my own that probably any music student would have learned in the first class.

So I'll tip my hat to you for having such a deep passion for music, but I will still move along my own path

thought using loops was cheating, so I programmed my own using samples. I then thought using samples was cheating, so I recorded real drums. then thought that programming it was cheating, so i learned to play drums for real. I then thought using bought drums was cheating,

so I learned to make my own. then i thought using premade skins was cheating, so I killed a goat and skinned it. I then thought that that was cheating too, so l grew my own goat from a baby goat, I also think that is cheating, but I'm not sure where to go from here. i haven't made any music lately, what with the goat farming and all.

Do you remember all the scales? I'm guessing that's a no, since there is like thousands of them.

No, but I would if I could. And I remember enough to improvise live with other musicians; I'm not always the best, but I know enough not to embarrass myself; and I know how to learn more quickly.

Did you consider that people might have different goals?

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