Category: Music Theory for Songwriters
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Here’s 2 Simple Ways to Erase Music Theory Confusion Forever
Here’s 2 Simple Ways to Erase Music Theory Confusion Forever If you’ve ever found music theory overwhelming, you’re not alone. Many songwriters feel frustrated —bogged down by dense terminology and abstract concepts that seem far removed from the creative process. But what if you could unlock a world of musical understanding with just two simple…
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10 Essential Chord Progressions for Songwriters
10 Essential Chord Progressions for Songwriters If you’re a songwriter looking for inspiration then look no further! In this article, we take a look at 10 essential chord progressions and some classic songs that use them. This article is a summarised transcript of our video “10 Chord Progressions Every Beginner Songwriter Should Know”. Click here…
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Chord Tips to Learn from “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds”
Chord Tips to Learn from “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” is one of the Beatles most popular and well-known songs. Buried within this masterpiece are some truly amazing chord sequences! In this article, we’ll break down those chord sequences so that we can learn from them and use…
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Learn to Turn Basic Chords Beautiful
Learn to Turn Basic Chords Beautiful There’s absolutely nothing wrong with using basic chords. After all, they’re safe, reliable and well-known. However, to truly make the most out of your basic chords, you have to learn how to make them interesting. In this article, we’ll take some of the most common chords on guitar and…
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Chord Tricks to Learn from “Something” by The Beatles
Chord Tricks to Learn from “Something” by The Beatles George Harrison’s song ‘Something’ (on The Beatles’ iconic 1969 album Abbey Road) contains 4 exquisite chord moves – once you know what they are and how to use them, you can use them in your own songwriting to create some of the same harmonic sophistication that…
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Song Analysis – ‘You Oughta Know’ by Alanis Morissette
Song Analysis – ‘You Oughta Know’ by Alanis Morissette Alanis Morissette’s 90’s smash hit ‘You Oughta Know’ has three weird and wonderful musical moves that make it totally unique. This blog post, for songwriters and musicians, dives into the musical concepts, and shows you how to use them in your own songwriting. This blog post…
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How to use simple chords to write great songs
If you want to learn how to write a song, understanding how chords work is essential and in this video we look at how you can create interesting and impactful chord progressions using the basic concept of HOME and AWAY functions. This fundamental piece of music theory is a valuable tool for songwriters of all…
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14-Day Songwriting Challenge: DAY 2
#2. Starting in motion. Write a verse (with lyrics and melody). Instead of I V vi IV (the most used 4-chord progression in pop music of the last 40 years), try IV I V vi. In the key of C, this would be: F C G AmIn the key of A: …
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What I’m listening to and why.
I got a phone call from my friend Benny the other night (Benny, who I make videos with on all things songwriting). He was very excited: “Kep! You have got to listen to the new Sam Smith song! It’s in…Phrygian!” What the hell is Phrygian, and why is this so exciting? Well, music nerds, Phrygian…
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Music Theory Fundamentals–Major, Minor, and Diminished Chords
Ready to take your songwriting further?
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How to Write Great Bridges
Three chord strategies for creating satisfying contrast and variation in the bridge section of your songs. We first start by defining what a bridge is – then look at 3 chord-based (or harmonic) approaches, in increasing levels of harmonic complexity, for creating a sense of contrast, variation, and movement in the bridge section of your…
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Major 7 Vs. Dominant 7
In this video, we examine the differences between Major 7 vs Dominant 7 chords – specifically focusing on how they are constructed, how they are labelled, how they differ in sound and how you can utilise both with great effect in your songwriting process. For exclusive content, free workshops, live Q&A sessions and advanced downloadable…
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The Best Songwriting Books, Websites, and Channels
I’m compiling here a list of my favourite books, websites, blogs, and other resources for those pursuing study, growth, upskilling, and knowledge in songwriting. This list might change over time, but represents a curated list of some of the most useful content that I have collected over the past 15 years, songwriting, and teaching songwriting.…
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Creating the Perfect Pre-Chorus – Part 1
The pre-chorus is NOT just the bit before the chorus – it is the bit before the chorus that creates TENSION! Building up and releasing this tension is one of the most effective ways of writing big, beautiful and impactful CHORUSES! In this video, Part 1 of a 3-part series, we examine how to use…
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How to Use Chromatics to Write Killer Chord Progressions
Break out of predictable patterns and inject some colour into your craft with this chromatic approach to writing killer riffs and memorable melodies! In Part 1 of the CHROMATIC MAGIC mini-series – we look at a simple yet effective way of breaking old patterns and introducing new sounds to your repertoire. Starting with some warm-up…
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Picking the Perfect Chords
As songwriters we often start with a chord progression, using it as a framework to add lyrics, melodies, textures and embellishments. But one question that continually pops up is ‘what chord do I choose next?’ In this video, my musical compadre Ben Romalis looks at the functions and relationships of chords in a diatonic system,…
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6 Songs That Taught Us How to Write Songs
One of the best ways to learn how to write great songs is to learn from great songs and songwriters. In this video, songwriter Ben Romalis and I take 6 songs that each taught us a crucial principle or technique about writing great songs. Drawing from a range of inspirations from Radiohead, Tom Waits, to…
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Understanding Musical Genre for Songwriters
Professional songwriters often need or want to write in specific genres. This video explains 5 different ways to understand and emulate musical genre. This video was made for a Songwriting class I teach at Collarts in Melbourne, Australia. A major project during the semester is to write a song to a specific brief provided by…
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The Most Beautiful Chords in Songwriting
Hi friends, I’ve recently made a short series of quick videos that cover two of the most beautiful modes in songwriting: the Mixolydian mode, and Dorian mode, as well as how to use that knowledge to pick out the most beautiful chords, in a chord technique called Modal Borrowing. Here is the series this far.…
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Modes Made Easy for Songwriters
I made a quick video on my YouTube channel about the Mixolydian mode. In less than 10 minutes, you will: Understand modes Learn the most usable 3-chord progression to start writing in the Mixolydian mode Hear two contemporary songs that are written using the Mixo mode Enjoy!