Ray Harmony's Blog, page 17

How to Write a Lead Melody - The Unedited Process

Learn how to write a melody over your bass (in this unedited video that reveals the music making process).

Hello revolutionary music makers, we are Kate Harmony and Ray Harmony (AKA Revolution Harmony), and welcome to Hack Music Theory. We help you make great music that stands out, so you can move and grow your audience! If that sounds useful to you, then subscribe to our YouTube channel and hit that bell to get notified every Thursday, when we publish our new video.

The music making process is shrouded in secrecy and always takes place behind closed doors, cos writing music in front of people (or while on camera) is a very vulnerable thing to do, so nobody does it. But, we are here to change that once and for all! Our passion is to reveal that there is nothing mysterious or elusive about making music, it’s merely a simple step-by-step process fuelled by theory and creativity, which we can teach you right now! To learn more, click here.

Okay, so after watching this video, you'll know how to write one section, but how do you write the other sections? And then, how do you transition between all the sections (especially when they’re in different keys)? And then, how do you structure and arrange your song? Well, these are issues that many songwriters and producers struggle with, and that’s exactly why we made our online apprenticeship course. So, if you wanna overcome these obstacles once and for all, then our course is definitely for you!

Kate & Ray Harmony (AKA Revolution Harmony)
Music Teachers & Producers in Vancouver BC, Canada

 

LEVELS
Level 1 - Read our free book (below) & watch our YouTube videos
Level 2 - Read our "Part 1" book & "Songwriting & Producing" PDF
Level 3 - Practice making music using our lessons (PDF+MIDI+WAV)
Level 4 - Learn our secret art of song-whispering & finish your music

ABOUT
Hack Music Theory is a pioneering DAW method for making great music that stands out, so you can move and grow your audience! Taught by award-winning music lecturer Ray Harmony, and his protégé wife Kate Harmony, from their studio in Vancouver BC, Canada. Ray is the author of critically-acclaimed book series "Hack Music Theory", and has made music with Serj Tankian (System of a Down), Tom Morello (Rage Against the Machine), Steven Wilson (Porcupine Tree), Devin Townsend (Strapping Young Lad), Ihsahn (Emperor), Kool Keith (Ultramagnetic MCs), Madchild (Swollen Members), and many more! Kate has the highest grade distinction in Popular Music Theory from the London College of Music, and is the only person on the planet who's been trained by Ray to teach his method. On that note, the "Hack Music Theory" YouTube channel teaches relevant and instantly-usable music theory for producers, DAW users, and all other music makers (songwriters, singers, guitarists, bassists, drummers, etc.) in all genres, from EDM to R&B, pop to hip-hop, reggae to rock, electronic to metal (and yes, we djefinitely djent!).

COPYRIGHT
© 2019 Revolution Harmony
Revolution Harmony is Ray Harmony & Kate Harmony
All content (script & music) in video by Revolution Harmony

 
 

Wooohooo!!! You’re a mere 30 minutes away from being even smarter than you already are. Just head on over to your inbox now for your free download.

There was an error submitting your subscription. Please try again.

 

“The most brilliant, fast, easy & fun music theory book I’ve ever seen!” DEREK SIVERS, CD Baby founder

We use this field to detect spam bots. If you fill this in, you will be marked as a spammer.

DOWNLOAD FREE BOOK


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Writing a Chord Progression for a Melody

Learn how to write chords for a bass line in this unedited video that reveals the process of making music.

Hello revolutionary music makers, we are Kate Harmony and Ray Harmony (AKA Revolution Harmony), and welcome to Hack Music Theory. We help you make great music that stands out, so you can move and grow your audience! If that sounds useful to you, then subscribe to our YouTube channel and hit that bell to get notified every Thursday, when we publish our new video.

The music making process is shrouded in secrecy and always takes place behind closed doors, cos writing music in front of people (or while on camera) is a very vulnerable thing to do, so nobody does it. But, we are here to change that once and for all! Our passion is to reveal that there is nothing mysterious or elusive about making music, it’s merely a simple step-by-step process fuelled by theory and creativity, which we can teach you right now! To learn more, click here.

Okay, so after watching this video, you'll know how to write one section, but how do you write the other sections? And then, how do you transition between all the sections (especially when they’re in different keys)? And then, how do you structure and arrange your song? Well, these are issues that many songwriters and producers struggle with, and that’s exactly why we made our online apprenticeship course. So, if you wanna overcome these obstacles once and for all, then our course is definitely for you!

Kate & Ray Harmony (AKA Revolution Harmony)
Music Teachers & Producers in Vancouver BC, Canada

 

LEVELS
Level 1 - Read our free book (below) & watch our YouTube videos
Level 2 - Read our "Part 1" book & "Songwriting & Producing" PDF
Level 3 - Practice making music using our lessons (PDF+MIDI+WAV)
Level 4 - Learn our secret art of song-whispering & finish your music

ABOUT
Hack Music Theory is a pioneering DAW method for making great music that stands out, so you can move and grow your audience! Taught by award-winning music lecturer Ray Harmony, and his protégé wife Kate Harmony, from their studio in Vancouver BC, Canada. Ray is the author of critically-acclaimed book series "Hack Music Theory", and has made music with Serj Tankian (System of a Down), Tom Morello (Rage Against the Machine), Steven Wilson (Porcupine Tree), Devin Townsend (Strapping Young Lad), Ihsahn (Emperor), Kool Keith (Ultramagnetic MCs), Madchild (Swollen Members), and many more! Kate has the highest grade distinction in Popular Music Theory from the London College of Music, and is the only person on the planet who's been trained by Ray to teach his method. On that note, the "Hack Music Theory" YouTube channel teaches relevant and instantly-usable music theory for producers, DAW users, and all other music makers (songwriters, singers, guitarists, bassists, drummers, etc.) in all genres, from EDM to R&B, pop to hip-hop, reggae to rock, electronic to metal (and yes, we djefinitely djent!). 

COPYRIGHT 
© 2019 Revolution Harmony
Revolution Harmony is Ray Harmony & Kate Harmony
All content (script & music) in video by Revolution Harmony

 
 

Wooohooo!!! You’re a mere 30 minutes away from being even smarter than you already are. Just head on over to your inbox now for your free download.

There was an error submitting your subscription. Please try again.

 

“The most brilliant, fast, easy & fun music theory book I’ve ever seen!” DEREK SIVERS, CD Baby founder

We use this field to detect spam bots. If you fill this in, you will be marked as a spammer.

DOWNLOAD FREE BOOK


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Take Your Bass Lines to Their Full Potential

Learn how to write a bass line and take it to its full potential, by perfectly balancing repetition and variation.

Hello revolutionary music makers, we are Kate Harmony and Ray Harmony (AKA Revolution Harmony), and welcome to Hack Music Theory. We help you make great music that stands out, so you can move and grow your audience! If that sounds useful to you, then subscribe to our YouTube channel and hit that bell to get notified every Thursday, when we publish our new video.

The music making process is shrouded in secrecy and always takes place behind closed doors, cos writing music in front of people (or while on camera) is a very vulnerable thing to do, so nobody does it. But, we are here to change that once and for all! Our passion is to reveal that there is nothing mysterious or elusive about making music, it’s merely a simple step-by-step process fuelled by theory and creativity, which we can teach you right now! To learn more, click here.

Okay, so after watching this video, you'll know how to write one section, but how do you write the other sections? And then, how do you transition between all the sections (especially when they’re in different keys)? And then, how do you structure and arrange your song? Well, these are issues that many songwriters and producers struggle with, and that’s exactly why we made our online apprenticeship course. So, if you wanna overcome these obstacles once and for all, then our course is definitely for you!

Kate & Ray Harmony (AKA Revolution Harmony)
Music Teachers & Producers in Vancouver BC, Canada

 

LEVELS
Level 1 - Read our free book (below) & watch our YouTube videos
Level 2 - Read our "Part 1" book & "Songwriting & Producing" PDF
Level 3 - Practice making music using our lessons (PDF+MIDI+WAV)
Level 4 - Learn our secret art of song-whispering & finish your music

ABOUT
Hack Music Theory is a pioneering DAW method for making great music that stands out, so you can move and grow your audience! Taught by award-winning music lecturer Ray Harmony, and his protégé wife Kate Harmony, from their studio in Vancouver BC, Canada. Ray is the author of critically-acclaimed book series "Hack Music Theory", and has made music with Serj Tankian (System of a Down), Tom Morello (Rage Against the Machine), Steven Wilson (Porcupine Tree), Devin Townsend (Strapping Young Lad), Ihsahn (Emperor), Kool Keith (Ultramagnetic MCs), Madchild (Swollen Members), and many more! Kate has the highest grade distinction in Popular Music Theory from the London College of Music, and is the only person on the planet who's been trained by Ray to teach his method. On that note, the "Hack Music Theory" YouTube channel teaches relevant and instantly-usable music theory for producers, DAW users, and all other music makers (songwriters, singers, guitarists, bassists, drummers, etc.) in all genres, from EDM to R&B, pop to hip-hop, reggae to rock, electronic to metal (and yes, we djefinitely djent!).

COPYRIGHT
© 2019 Revolution Harmony
Revolution Harmony is Ray Harmony & Kate Harmony
All content (script & music) in video by Revolution Harmony

 
 

Wooohooo!!! You’re a mere 30 minutes away from being even smarter than you already are. Just head on over to your inbox now for your free download.

There was an error submitting your subscription. Please try again.

 

“The most brilliant, fast, easy & fun music theory book I’ve ever seen!” DEREK SIVERS, CD Baby founder

We use this field to detect spam bots. If you fill this in, you will be marked as a spammer.

DOWNLOAD FREE BOOK


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Making Music with Polymeters - Unedited Studio Session

In this video, you'll learn how to use polymeters to overcome writer's block and start making music!

We get a lot of questions about our online apprenticeship course's unique format, so we made this video for you as a free taster. If you like this video, then you'll love our course! So click this link now to SAVE $50 on Apprenticeship #1.

 

Hello revolutionary music makers, we are Kate Harmony and Ray Harmony (AKA Revolution Harmony), and welcome to Hack Music Theory. We help you make great music that stands out, so you can move and grow your audience! If that sounds useful to you, then subscribe to our YouTube channel and hit that bell to get notified every Thursday, when we publish our new video.

Okay, so after watching this video, you'll know how to write one section, but how do you write the other sections? And then, how do you transition between all the sections (especially when they’re in different keys)? And then, how do you structure and arrange your song? Well, these are issues that many songwriters and producers struggle with, and that’s exactly why we made our online apprenticeship course. So, if you wanna overcome these obstacles once and for all, then our course is definitely for you!

Kate & Ray Harmony (AKA Revolution Harmony)
Music Teachers & Producers in Vancouver BC, Canada

 

LEVELS
Level 1 - Read our free book (below) & watch our YouTube videos
Level 2 - Read our "Part 1" book & "Songwriting & Producing" PDF
Level 3 - Practice making music using our lessons (PDF+MIDI+WAV)
Level 4 - Learn our secret art of song-whispering & finish your music

ABOUT
Hack Music Theory is a pioneering DAW method for making great music that stands out, so you can move and grow your audience! Taught by award-winning music lecturer Ray Harmony, and his protégé wife Kate Harmony, from their studio in Vancouver BC, Canada. Ray is the author of critically-acclaimed book series "Hack Music Theory", and has made music with Serj Tankian (System of a Down), Tom Morello (Rage Against the Machine), Steven Wilson (Porcupine Tree), Devin Townsend (Strapping Young Lad), Ihsahn (Emperor), Kool Keith (Ultramagnetic MCs), Madchild (Swollen Members), and many more! Kate has the highest grade distinction in Popular Music Theory from the London College of Music, and is the only person on the planet who's been trained by Ray to teach his method. On that note, the "Hack Music Theory" YouTube channel teaches relevant and instantly-usable music theory for producers, DAW users, and all other music makers (songwriters, singers, guitarists, bassists, drummers, etc.) in all genres, from EDM to R&B, pop to hip-hop, reggae to rock, electronic to metal (and yes, we djefinitely djent!).

COPYRIGHT
© 2019 Revolution Harmony
Revolution Harmony is Ray Harmony & Kate Harmony
All content (script & music) in video by Revolution Harmony

 
 

Wooohooo!!! You’re a mere 30 minutes away from being even smarter than you already are. Just head on over to your inbox now for your free download.

There was an error submitting your subscription. Please try again.

 

“The most brilliant, fast, easy & fun music theory book I’ve ever seen!” DEREK SIVERS, CD Baby founder

We use this field to detect spam bots. If you fill this in, you will be marked as a spammer.

DOWNLOAD FREE BOOK


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How to Modify Modes & Make Rare Scales, like Dorian ♭2 ♯4

Hello revolutionary music makers, we are Kate Harmony and Ray Harmony (AKA Revolution Harmony), and welcome to Hack Music Theory. We help you make great music that stands out, so you can move and grow your audience! If that sounds useful to you, then subscribe to our YouTube channel and hit that bell to get notified every Thursday, when we publish our new video. Alright, let’s jump in...

INTRO
So last week, totally out of the blue, I get an email from the legendary Kerrang! Magazine, saying they’ve selected my charity single “We Are” (feat. Serj Tankian, Ihsahn & Devin Townsend) for a story on metal musicians who’ve done good things for the world. Wow!! I am deeply humbled (and shocked) to be chosen as one of these eight musicians, so thank you Kerrang!, and a very special thank you to Courtney Iseman, who wrote the article. Now, there’s a ton of crazy cool theory in this song, so I thought I’d take this opportunity to share some with you. Alright, on that note, it’s time to open your DAW to hack music theory. But first… tea!

THEORY
“We Are” opens with a verse that is dark and dissonant, which is normal for this genre, but the verse’s vibe is unfamiliar and unlike anything we’re used to hearing. Why? Well, the scale Ray used for this section is an extremely rare scale, which is only really found in Indian classical music. However, he didn’t use this scale because it’s rare, the method behind his madness is much more practical, and easy to use. So, Ray started by selecting the mode that would create the nearest vibe to what he wanted, and as he was after a sad but uplifting vibe, he chose Dorian. Next, he simply modified the Dorian mode by tweaking the notes that were preventing him from achieving his intended vibe. These notes were the 2, which he changed to the ♭2, and the 4, which he changed to the ♯4. These two tweaks resulted in the exact vibe Ray had heard in his head. And lastly, regarding a name. While this scale does have a name in India (Sadvidhamargini), in the West it doesn’t, so we just refer to it as Dorian ♭2 ♯4. And this naming method is another great hack for rare scales: simply name ‘em by using the nearest mode, then list the tweaked notes afterwards.

SETUP
Alright, now you’re gonna learn how to use this theory to make your own version, and what you see in the video is the bass line from the verse of “We Are”. So, start by setting up one bar of 10/4, with your grid set to 1/16 notes, and your tempo set to 80 BPM. And in “We Are”, the key note of the verse is E.

STEP 1. CLOSEST MODE
Start by thinking about what kinda vibe you want, then choose the mode that will get you closest to that vibe. For example, if you want a serious sound, you’ll shortlist the minor modes. Then, if you want a positive twist (like I did), you’ll choose Dorian. And by the way, if you’re new to modes, then you can learn everything you need to know about them in three simple hacks, which are in our Songwriting & Producing PDF. This PDF also contains the other essential music making hacks you’ll need, along with MIDI file examples (the link is below).

STEP 2. MODIFIED MODE
Now that you’re in the ballpark of the vibe that you’re wanting to create, you can write a melody or chord progression so that you can hear exactly what notes are not right. So, here’s my bass line in Dorian, before I modified the mode. The 2 in Dorian was preventing the vibe from being as dark as I wanted, so I changed it to the ♭2. I then had a mix of Dorian and Phrygian, but it still wasn’t right. The 4 was sounding too predictable, and as I wanted to create an unfamiliar sounding vibe, I changed it to the ♯4. And with that, I had my custom vibe from my modified mode!

NEXT
Okay, so now that you’ve got one section down, how do you write the other sections? And then, how do you transition between all the sections (especially when they’re in different keys)? And then, how do you structure and arrange your song? Well, these are issues that many songwriters and producers struggle with, and that’s exactly why we made our online apprenticeship course. So, if you wanna overcome these obstacles once and for all, then our course is definitely for you!

Kate & Ray Harmony (AKA Revolution Harmony)
Music Teachers & Producers in Vancouver BC, Canada

 

LEVELS
Level 1 - Read our free book (below) & watch our YouTube videos
Level 2 - Read our "Part 1" book & "Songwriting & Producing" PDF
Level 3 - Practice making music using our lessons (PDF+MIDI+WAV)
Level 4 - Learn our secret art of song-whispering & finish your music

ABOUT
Hack Music Theory is a pioneering DAW method for making great music that stands out, so you can move and grow your audience! Taught by award-winning music lecturer Ray Harmony, and his protégé wife Kate Harmony, from their studio in Vancouver BC, Canada. Ray is the author of critically-acclaimed book series "Hack Music Theory", and has made music with Serj Tankian (System of a Down), Tom Morello (Rage Against the Machine), Steven Wilson (Porcupine Tree), Devin Townsend (Strapping Young Lad), Ihsahn (Emperor), Kool Keith (Ultramagnetic MCs), Madchild (Swollen Members), and many more! Kate has the highest grade distinction in Popular Music Theory from the London College of Music, and is the only person on the planet who's been trained by Ray to teach his method. On that note, the "Hack Music Theory" YouTube channel teaches relevant and instantly-usable music theory for producers, DAW users, and all other music makers (songwriters, singers, guitarists, bassists, drummers, etc.) in all genres, from EDM to R&B, pop to hip-hop, reggae to rock, electronic to metal (and yes, we djefinitely djent!).

COPYRIGHT
© 2019 Revolution Harmony
Revolution Harmony is Ray Harmony & Kate Harmony
All content (script & music) in video by Revolution Harmony
Thumbnail photograph by Caroline Ross

 
 

Wooohooo!!! You’re a mere 30 minutes away from being even smarter than you already are. Just head on over to your inbox now for your free download.

There was an error submitting your subscription. Please try again.

 

“The most brilliant, fast, easy & fun music theory book I’ve ever seen!” DEREK SIVERS, CD Baby founder

We use this field to detect spam bots. If you fill this in, you will be marked as a spammer.

DOWNLOAD FREE BOOK


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How to Layer Melodies Using Rhythmic Displacement

Learn how to write melodies that are layered with rhythmic displacement, using a music theory hack from Mogwai “Hungry Face” (Les Revenants / The Returned soundtrack).

DOWNLOAD PDF + MIDI + WAV FROM THIS VIDEO

THEORY
Scottish band Mogwai wrote the soundtrack for the TV show Les Revenants (The Returned) back in 2012. In the main theme “Hungry Face”, there’s an innovative approach to layering melodies by using rhythmic displacement, which has gone rather unnoticed and therefore unappreciated. So, what’s rhythmic displacement? And why did theirs go unnoticed? Well, rhythmic displacement is when you take a musical element (like a melody), and move it slightly earlier or later in the music. And Mogwai’s use of this technique goes unnoticed, intentionally, cos they displace the first melody (by moving it a 1/4 note later) when the second melody starts. This is a super clever sleight of hand, cos the second melody pulls your attention away from the first melody, which then gets rhythmically displaced to make the music sound unsettled, without anyone knowing why. And as if that’s not enough, Mogwai have one more ingenious trick up their sleeve. The first melody (which has a nursery rhyme feel), is made to sound like it’s in C major. But, when the second melody begins (which has a serious feel), it reveals the music is actually in D minor. Brilliant! And perfect for the soundtrack to a supernatural TV show.

SETUP
Alright, now you’re gonna learn how to use this theory to make your own version, and what you see in the video is our version that we made earlier. So, start by setting up eight bars of 4/4, with your grid set to 1/8 notes, and your tempo set to 109 BPM. As you already know, “Hungry Face” is in the key of D minor, so we’ll use it too.

STEP 1.  FIRST MELODY
You’re gonna start by writing an innocent sounding four-bar melody, which will create the illusion that it’s in the nice happy key of C major. So, how do you write a melody that sounds like it’s in C major, but is actually in D minor? Well it’s pretty easy, because these two scales share six notes. The only note in D minor that’s not also in C major, is B♭, so just avoid that note. And don’t play B either, as that’ll make your melody properly in the key of C major. Lastly, centre your melody around C, to make it sound like that’s your root.

STEP 2.  SECOND MELODY
Right, it’s time to finally reveal the real key, D minor. So, you’re now gonna write a serious sounding four-bar melody in a lower register, starting in bar five, and centring it around D (the real root) and F (♭3). These two notes will pull your listeners’ ears into the key of D minor.

STEP 3.  RHYTHMIC DISPLACEMENT
As your listeners are orientating themselves to what sounds like a new key, you’re gonna rhythmically displace your first melody over the top of your second melody, which will create the unsettling feeling that everything is not what it seems. So, simply copy and paste your first melody above your second melody, then shorten its last note by a 1/4 note, and then move the melody a 1/4 note later. Voilà!

NEXT
Okay, so now that you’ve got one section down, how do you write the other sections? How do you transition between them (especially when they’re in different keys)? And, how do you structure and arrange your song? These are issues that many songwriters and producers struggle with, and that’s exactly why we made our online course Apprenticeship #1. So, if you wanna overcome these obstacles once and for all, then sign up now!

Kate & Ray Harmony (AKA Revolution Harmony)
Music Teachers & Producers in Vancouver BC, Canada

 

LEVELS
Level 1 - Read our free book (below) & watch our YouTube videos
Level 2 - Read our "Part 1" book & "Songwriting & Producing" PDF
Level 3 - Practice making music using our lessons (PDF+MIDI+WAV)
Level 4 - Learn our secret art of song-whispering & finish your music

ABOUT
Hack Music Theory is a pioneering DAW method for making great music that stands out, so you can move and grow your audience! Taught by award-winning music lecturer Ray Harmony, and his protégé wife Kate Harmony, from their studio in Vancouver BC, Canada. Ray is the author of critically-acclaimed book series "Hack Music Theory", and has made music with Serj Tankian (System of a Down), Tom Morello (Rage Against the Machine), Steven Wilson (Porcupine Tree), Devin Townsend (Strapping Young Lad), Ihsahn (Emperor), Kool Keith (Ultramagnetic MCs), Madchild (Swollen Members), and many more! Kate has the highest grade distinction in Popular Music Theory from the London College of Music, and is the only person on the planet who's been trained by Ray to teach his method. On that note, the "Hack Music Theory" YouTube channel teaches relevant and instantly-usable music theory for producers, DAW users, and all other music makers (songwriters, singers, guitarists, bassists, drummers, etc.) in all genres, from EDM to R&B, pop to hip-hop, reggae to rock, electronic to metal (and yes, we djefinitely djent!).

COPYRIGHT
© 2019 Revolution Harmony
Revolution Harmony is Ray Harmony & Kate Harmony
All content (script & music) in video by Revolution Harmony
Thumbnail photo courtesy of FactMag.com/2017/03/28/sums-kangding-...

 
 

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How to Write an Unpredictable Melody

Learn how to write a non-diatonic melody, using a music theory hack from TheFatRat “Chosen” (ft. Anna Yvette & Laura Brehm).

DOWNLOAD PDF + WAV + MIDI FROM THIS VIDEO

THEORY
German producer TheFatRat dropped his new single “Chosen” this month, which definitely avoids Spotify’s infamous five-second skip rate, as a mere four seconds into the track there’s an extremely unexpected note in the melody that’s totally thrilling! At first it sounds like he’s changing the quality of the root chord from major to minor, cos after establishing E as the root, the melody moves from G♯ (3) to G♮ (♭3), making it sound like Emaj has become Em. But after that G♮ and another E, instead of going to B again, his melody hits C♮ (not C♯), revealing the chord has actually become Cmaj/E (♭VImaj), not Em. This is an ingenious illusion, as he emphasizes the melodic movement from G♯ to G♮ in order to trick our ears into thinking the root chord quality has changed!

SETUP
Alright, now you’re gonna learn how to use this theory to make your own version, and what you see below is our version that we made earlier. So, start by setting up four bars of 4/4, with your grid set to 1/32 notes, and your tempo set to 95 BPM. As you already know, “Chosen” is in the key of E major (with a couple of non-diatonic notes), so we’ll use E major as well. And by the way, a non-diatonic note is just a note that is not in the scale. Also, those dark notes below our melody are the root notes of the chords in our progression (which are on another track). These root notes are all muted, they’re just there for reference. And no, this is not our bass line, that’s a different melody (see MIDI file).

STEP 1.  THE CHORDS
First things first, you need to write your chord progression. Choosing your chords before you write your melody will allow you to outline that harmony in your melody, which will make it more structured and therefore more memorable. So there’s only a few guidelines here: play Emaj in your first bar (to establish it as the root chord), and play Cmaj in your third bar. Also, after you’ve played the Cmaj, keep using those non-diatonic notes C♮ and G♮ until the end of your progression. For example, use Am (as it contains C♮) instead of Amaj (as it contains C♯). This will make your listeners get used to those non-diatonic notes, then when you loop around and hit that Emaj, they’ll be surprised to hear G♯ again, which will keep ‘em interested!

STEP 2.  THE MELODY
TheFatRat uses 1/32 notes (with a rest after each note), which makes his melody super perky, so we’ll do the same. So, start by outlining the Emaj triad, then to keep it fresh, throw in a note (or two) that is not in the triad but is in the scale (like D♯). Then use the same approach over your other chords. And be sure to emphasize the G♯ moving to G♮ when the Cmaj chord hits. Also, don’t play C♮ in your melody until you get to the Cmaj, otherwise that’ll ruin the surprise of that totally unexpected chord.

NEXT
Okay, so now that you’ve got one section down, how do you write the other sections? How do you transition between them (especially when they’re in different keys)? And, how do you structure and arrange your song? These are issues that many songwriters and producers struggle with, and that’s exactly why we made our online course Apprenticeship #1. So, if you wanna overcome these obstacles once and for all, then sign up now!

Kate & Ray Harmony (AKA Revolution Harmony)
Music Teachers & Producers in Vancouver BC, Canada

 

LEVELS
Level 1 - Read our free book (below) & watch our YouTube videos
Level 2 - Read our "Part 1" book & "Songwriting & Producing" PDF
Level 3 - Practice making music using our lessons (PDF+MIDI+WAV)
Level 4 - Learn our secret art of song-whispering & finish your music

ABOUT
Hack Music Theory is a pioneering DAW method for making great music that stands out, so you can move and grow your audience! Taught by award-winning music lecturer Ray Harmony, and his protégé wife Kate Harmony, from their studio in Vancouver BC, Canada. Ray is the author of critically-acclaimed book series "Hack Music Theory", and has made music with Serj Tankian (System of a Down), Tom Morello (Rage Against the Machine), Steven Wilson (Porcupine Tree), Devin Townsend (Strapping Young Lad), Ihsahn (Emperor), Kool Keith (Ultramagnetic MCs), Madchild (Swollen Members), and many more! Kate has the highest grade distinction in Popular Music Theory from the London College of Music, and is the only person on the planet who's been trained by Ray to teach his method. On that note, the "Hack Music Theory" YouTube channel teaches relevant and instantly-usable music theory for producers, DAW users, and all other music makers (songwriters, singers, guitarists, bassists, drummers, etc.) in all genres, from EDM to R&B, pop to hip-hop, reggae to rock, electronic to metal (and yes, we djefinitely djent!).

COPYRIGHT
© 2019 Revolution Harmony
Revolution Harmony is Ray Harmony & Kate Harmony
All content (script & music) in video by Revolution Harmony
Thumbnail photograph by Steve Galli

 
 

Wooohooo!!! You’re a mere 30 minutes away from being even smarter than you already are. Just head on over to your inbox now for your free download.

There was an error submitting your subscription. Please try again.

 

“The most brilliant, fast, easy & fun music theory book I’ve ever seen!” DEREK SIVERS, CD Baby founder

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DOWNLOAD FREE BOOK


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How to Write a Bass Line (or Guitar Riff) like Rage Against the Machine “Bulls on Parade”

Hello revolutionary music makers, we are Kate Harmony and Ray Harmony (AKA Revolution Harmony), and welcome to Hack Music Theory. We help you make great music that stands out, so you can move and grow your audience! If that sounds useful to you, then subscribe to our YouTube channel and hit that bell to get notified every Thursday, when we publish our new video.

INTRO
So, over the last few months we’ve been conceptualizing and planning a brand new series for you! And don’t worry, our New Music Theory series will continue like normal, we’ll just switch back and forth between the two. And if you’re wondering why we need a new series, well, there’s two reasons: Firstly, Hack Music Theory is all about relevant music theory, which is why we trawl through the new releases every week to bring you the best new theory. But, there are tons of great songs that were released years ago (like “Bulls on Parade”), which are still totally relevant today, so we’d love to be able to hack these kinds of songs for you as well, and with this new series, we can! And secondly, our other videos are longer, and while that step-by-step process is essential for learning how to write great music from scratch, it does require more of a time commitment from you. Whereas this new series will deliver short videos containing one power hack, which you can instantly apply to music you’re already working on in order to improve it. We respect your time, and we appreciate you giving it to us every week. So this new series is our way for us to continue serving you, but to take up less of your time while offering you more (in the way of insights into songs we wouldn’t otherwise hack). We’re super stoked to bring you a wider range of music theory hacks, and we hope you dig ‘em. Alright, without further ado, it’s time to open your DAW to hack music theory.

THEORY
The “Bulls on Parade” verses contain one of the grooviest riffs, ever! This is partly due to it having lots of syncopation and being in the pentatonic minor scale, but, there’s a very unexpected note in this riff that takes it to a whole new level. And, it’s not just the addition of this unexpected note, it’s also where this note is placed. So, the note is the 7, and it’s placed between two ♭7s, before resolving to the root.

HACK
Alright, now you’re gonna learn how to instantly apply this power hack to your own music, and what you see on the screen right now is our example that we made earlier. We’re using the F Blues scale. And this is our “before the hack” version, and this is our “after the hack” version. We’ll play through ‘em both at the end. So, playing the ♭7 up to the 7 and then up to the root isn’t anything special, but, playing the ♭7 up to the 7 and then going back down to the ♭7, that certainly is special! You see, when you play the ♭7 up to the 7 it creates some serious tension, and only a provocative (and brave!) artist wouldn’t then resolve that 7 up to the root. By the way, if you’re new to music theory and all these numbers are confusing you, then download our free book “12 Music Theory Hacks to Learn Scales & Chords” (link below). It only takes 30 minutes to read, and it’ll give you a super solid theory foundation! Now, the band do resolve to the root after that last ♭7, but that creates frustration as it wasn’t the big resolution the listener expected after the 7, and the resolution didn’t happen when the listener wanted it to. That’s a very cool hack! So, if you’re feeling brave like Rage Against the Machine, then throw this power hack into one of your bass lines or riffs!

NEXT
Okay, so now that you’ve got one section down, how do you write the other sections? And then, how do you transition between all the sections (especially when they’re in different keys)? And then, how do you structure and arrange your song? Well, these are issues that many songwriters and producers struggle with, and that’s exactly why we made our online apprenticeship course. So, if you wanna overcome these obstacles once and for all, then our course is definitely for you!

Kate & Ray Harmony (AKA Revolution Harmony)
Music Teachers & Producers in Vancouver BC, Canada

 

LEVELS
Level 1 - Read our free book (below) & watch our YouTube videos
Level 2 - Read our "Part 1" book & "Songwriting & Producing" PDF
Level 3 - Practice making music using our lessons (PDF+MIDI+WAV)
Level 4 - Learn our secret art of song-whispering & finish your music

ABOUT
Hack Music Theory is a pioneering DAW method for making great music that stands out, so you can move and grow your audience! Taught by award-winning music lecturer Ray Harmony, and his protégé wife Kate Harmony, from their studio in Vancouver BC, Canada. Ray is the author of critically-acclaimed book series "Hack Music Theory", and has made music with Serj Tankian (System of a Down), Tom Morello (Rage Against the Machine), Steven Wilson (Porcupine Tree), Devin Townsend (Strapping Young Lad), Ihsahn (Emperor), Kool Keith (Ultramagnetic MCs), Madchild (Swollen Members), and many more! Kate has the highest grade distinction in Popular Music Theory from the London College of Music, and is the only person on the planet who's been trained by Ray to teach his method. On that note, the "Hack Music Theory" YouTube channel teaches relevant and instantly-usable music theory for producers, DAW users, and all other music makers (songwriters, singers, guitarists, bassists, drummers, etc.) in all genres, from EDM to R&B, pop to hip-hop, reggae to rock, electronic to metal (and yes, we djefinitely djent!).

COPYRIGHT
© 2019 Revolution Harmony
Revolution Harmony is Ray Harmony & Kate Harmony
All content (script & music) in video by Revolution Harmony

 
 

Wooohooo!!! You’re a mere 30 minutes away from being even smarter than you already are. Just head on over to your inbox now for your free download.

There was an error submitting your subscription. Please try again.

 

“The most brilliant, fast, easy & fun music theory book I’ve ever seen!” DEREK SIVERS, CD Baby founder

We use this field to detect spam bots. If you fill this in, you will be marked as a spammer.

DOWNLOAD FREE BOOK


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Music Theory Hack from Rage Against the Machine “Bulls on Parade”

Hello revolutionary music makers, we are Kate Harmony and Ray Harmony (AKA Revolution Harmony), and welcome to Hack Music Theory. We help you make great music that stands out, so you can move and grow your audience! If that sounds useful to you, then subscribe to our YouTube channel and hit that bell to get notified every Thursday, when we publish our new video.

INTRO
So, over the last few months we’ve been conceptualizing and planning a brand new series for you! And don’t worry, our New Music Theory series will continue like normal, we’ll just switch back and forth between the two. And if you’re wondering why we need a new series, well, there’s two reasons: Firstly, Hack Music Theory is all about relevant music theory, which is why we trawl through the new releases every week to bring you the best new theory. But, there are tons of great songs that were released years ago (like “Bulls on Parade”), which are still totally relevant today, so we’d love to be able to hack these kinds of songs for you as well, and with this new series, we can! And secondly, our other videos are longer, and while that step-by-step process is essential for learning how to write great music from scratch, it does require more of a time commitment from you. Whereas this new series will deliver short videos containing one power hack, which you can instantly apply to music you’re already working on in order to improve it. We respect your time, and we appreciate you giving it to us every week. So this new series is our way for us to continue serving you, but to take up less of your time while offering you more (in the way of insights into songs we wouldn’t otherwise hack). We’re super stoked to bring you a wider range of music theory hacks, and we hope you dig ‘em. Alright, without further ado, it’s time to open your DAW to hack music theory.

THEORY
The “Bulls on Parade” verses contain one of the grooviest riffs, ever! This is partly due to it having lots of syncopation and being in the pentatonic minor scale, but, there’s a very unexpected note in this riff that takes it to a whole new level. And, it’s not just the addition of this unexpected note, it’s also where this note is placed. So, the note is the 7, and it’s placed between two ♭7s, before resolving to the root.

HACK
Alright, now you’re gonna learn how to instantly apply this power hack to your own music, and what you see on the screen right now is our example that we made earlier. We’re using the F Blues scale. And this is our “before the hack” version, and this is our “after the hack” version. We’ll play through ‘em both at the end. So, playing the ♭7 up to the 7 and then up to the root isn’t anything special, but, playing the ♭7 up to the 7 and then going back down to the ♭7, that certainly is special! You see, when you play the ♭7 up to the 7 it creates some serious tension, and only a provocative (and brave!) artist wouldn’t then resolve that 7 up to the root. By the way, if you’re new to music theory and all these numbers are confusing you, then download our free book “12 Music Theory Hacks to Learn Scales & Chords” (link below). It only takes 30 minutes to read, and it’ll give you a super solid theory foundation! Now, the band do resolve to the root after that last ♭7, but that creates frustration as it wasn’t the big resolution the listener expected after the 7, and the resolution didn’t happen when the listener wanted it to. That’s a very cool hack! So, if you’re feeling brave like Rage Against the Machine, then throw this power hack into one of your bass lines or riffs!

NEXT
Okay, so now that you’ve got one section down, how do you write the other sections? And then, how do you transition between all the sections (especially when they’re in different keys)? And then, how do you structure and arrange your song? Well, these are issues that many songwriters and producers struggle with, and that’s exactly why we made our online apprenticeship course. So, if you wanna overcome these obstacles once and for all, then our course is definitely for you!

Kate & Ray Harmony (AKA Revolution Harmony)
Music Teachers & Producers in Vancouver BC, Canada

 

LEVELS
Level 1 - Read our free book (below) & watch our YouTube videos
Level 2 - Read our "Part 1" book & "Songwriting & Producing" PDF
Level 3 - Practice making music using our lessons (PDF+MIDI+WAV)
Level 4 - Learn our secret art of song-whispering & finish your music

ABOUT
Hack Music Theory is a pioneering DAW method for making great music that stands out, so you can move and grow your audience! Taught by award-winning music lecturer Ray Harmony, and his protégé wife Kate Harmony, from their studio in Vancouver BC, Canada. Ray is the author of critically-acclaimed book series "Hack Music Theory", and has made music with Serj Tankian (System of a Down), Tom Morello (Rage Against the Machine), Steven Wilson (Porcupine Tree), Devin Townsend (Strapping Young Lad), Ihsahn (Emperor), Kool Keith (Ultramagnetic MCs), Madchild (Swollen Members), and many more! Kate has the highest grade distinction in Popular Music Theory from the London College of Music, and is the only person on the planet who's been trained by Ray to teach his method. On that note, the "Hack Music Theory" YouTube channel teaches relevant and instantly-usable music theory for producers, DAW users, and all other music makers (songwriters, singers, guitarists, bassists, drummers, etc.) in all genres, from EDM to R&B, pop to hip-hop, reggae to rock, electronic to metal (and yes, we djefinitely djent!).

COPYRIGHT
© 2019 Revolution Harmony
Revolution Harmony is Ray Harmony & Kate Harmony
All content (script & music) in video by Revolution Harmony

 
 

Wooohooo!!! You’re a mere 30 minutes away from being even smarter than you already are. Just head on over to your inbox now for your free download.

There was an error submitting your subscription. Please try again.

 

“The most brilliant, fast, easy & fun music theory book I’ve ever seen!” DEREK SIVERS, CD Baby founder

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4 Essentials to Enliven Your Bass Lines

No matter what genre you make music in, you can easily funk up your bass lines, which will get people moving to your music. So in this video, you’ll learn how to apply four essential funk elements to your bass lines. But first… tea!

DOWNLOAD PDF + WAV + MIDI FROM THIS VIDEO

Hello revolutionary music makers, we are Kate Harmony and Ray Harmony (AKA Revolution Harmony), and welcome to Hack Music Theory. We help you make great music that stands out, so you can move and grow your audience! If that sounds useful to you, then subscribe to our YouTube channel and hit that bell to get notified every Thursday, when we publish our new video. Alright, let’s jump in...

THEORY
Local Vancouver band FIVE ALARM FUNK just dropped their new single “Wake the Funk Up” feat. Leo P (Too Many Zooz), and it’s one helluva funky tune! All the funk essentials are here: Every beat 1 has a funk flashlight shining on it, there’s enough syncopation to make any dancefloor get on up, the ♭7 is tearing the roof off the sucker, and the song takes you on a chromatic rollercoaster. By the way, chromatic (AKA non-diatonic) refers to notes that are not in the scale. Now, always remember that funk is an attitude, not a genre, so any time you wanna get the party started with a bass line, use these four funk essentials:

Accent beat 1 in every bar Syncopate almost everything else Use the ♭7 everywhere you can Seal the deal with chromatic notes

SETUP
Alright, now you’re gonna learn how to use this theory to make your own version, and what you see on the screen right now is our version that we made earlier. So, start by setting up eight bars of 4/4, with your grid set to 1/16 notes, and your tempo set to 116 BPM. “Wake the Funk Up” is in E♭ Dorian with a bunch of chromatic notes, but we’ll be using E (instead of E♭), as it has a smaller key signature so it’s easier for learning. 

STEP 1. THE ONE
As James Brown famously requested from Bootsy Collins back in the day: If you gimme the one, son, then you can play whatever you want for the rest of the bar. So, make sure you play beat 1 of every bar. We alternated between playing the low root on beat 1, then switching it up with a higher note on beat 1 of every other bar.

STEP 2. THE SCALE
The funkiest bass lines often use the blues scale, which is simply the pentatonic minor scale with the ♭5 added in. So, while the horns will be playing in E Dorian, the bass will be playing in E Blues. This scale combo is a funk favourite! And yes, these two scales work perfectly together as their notes overlap (other than the ♭5, but, we’ll throw the ♭5 in the Dorian horns as well). Right, so E Blues contains the notes: E G A B♭ B♮ D, so you can use any of those notes in your bass line. And by the way, if you want our blues scale hack for funky bass lines, along with a MIDI file example, then that’s all included in our Songwriting & Producing PDF (click & scroll down).

STEP 3. SYNCOPATED MOTIF
Now, as you’ve given Mr Brown all the ones, you’re free to do whatever you want everywhere else. So, you’re gonna create a syncopated motif, which you can then repeat (and vary) to make your bass line. And if you’re new to those terms. Syncopation is when you accent an off-beat, and that injects energy into your groove. And a motif is a short musical idea, which you repeat to give your bass line structure and make it memorable. Our motif consists of a three-note descending line, where the last note is a syncopated 1/16 note. We then repeat our motif, starting on the note we ended on, to form a larger six-note motif. Right, now it’s time to create a motif in your second bar. And yes, you’re leaving the rest of your first bar open, cos space is essential in a funky bass line. And once you’ve created your motif, repeat it in your fourth bar with a variation. We varied our motif by playing it ascending. Next, repeat the original motif in your sixth bar, but add a couple notes. Also, throw in some extra notes at the end of your fourth bar and in your fifth bar. These extra notes start building the energy towards your big ending, which is coming up next.

STEP 4. CHROMATIC ENDING
Many great funk bass lines have a wild sound to them, which is often a result of venturing out of the scale. And the classic place to do this, is at the end of your line. This not only builds tension, it also prevents your bass line from becoming boring and predictable. So, in your eighth bar, you’re gonna write a melodic run that uses our old friend Syncopation, as well as our new friend Chromaticism. In Dorian, some funky favourites when it comes to chromatic notes are the 7 (especially when played between the ♭7 and the root), and the ♭2 (especially when played between the root and the 2 leading to the ♭3). Also, remember the funky ♭5, which you should use liberally throughout your bass line.

NEXT
Okay, so now that you’ve got one section down, how do you write the other sections? And then, how do you transition between all the sections (especially when they’re in different keys)? And then, how do you structure and arrange your song? Well, these are issues that many songwriters and producers struggle with, and that’s exactly why we made our online apprenticeship course. So, if you wanna overcome these obstacles once and for all, then our course is definitely for you!

Kate & Ray Harmony (AKA Revolution Harmony)
Music Teachers & Producers in Vancouver BC, Canada

 

LEVELS
Level 1 - Read our free book (below) & watch our YouTube videos
Level 2 - Read our "Part 1" book & "Songwriting & Producing" PDF
Level 3 - Practice making music using our lessons (PDF+MIDI+WAV)
Level 4 - Learn our secret art of song-whispering & finish your music

ABOUT
Hack Music Theory is a pioneering DAW method for making great music that stands out, so you can move and grow your audience! Taught by award-winning music lecturer Ray Harmony, and his protégé wife Kate Harmony, from their studio in Vancouver BC, Canada. Ray is the author of critically-acclaimed book series "Hack Music Theory", and has made music with Serj Tankian (System of a Down), Tom Morello (Rage Against the Machine), Steven Wilson (Porcupine Tree), Devin Townsend (Strapping Young Lad), Ihsahn (Emperor), Kool Keith (Ultramagnetic MCs), Madchild (Swollen Members), and many more! Kate has the highest grade distinction in Popular Music Theory from the London College of Music, and is the only person on the planet who's been trained by Ray to teach his method. On that note, the "Hack Music Theory" YouTube channel teaches relevant and instantly-usable music theory for producers, DAW users, and all other music makers (songwriters, singers, guitarists, bassists, drummers, etc.) in all genres, from EDM to R&B, pop to hip-hop, reggae to rock, electronic to metal (and yes, we djefinitely djent!).

COPYRIGHT
© 2019 Revolution Harmony
Revolution Harmony is Ray Harmony & Kate Harmony
All content (script & music) in video by Revolution Harmony
Thumbnail photograph by Brendan Meadows

 
 

Wooohooo!!! You’re a mere 30 minutes away from being even smarter than you already are. Just head on over to your inbox now for your free download.

There was an error submitting your subscription. Please try again.

 

“The most brilliant, fast, easy & fun music theory book I’ve ever seen!” DEREK SIVERS, CD Baby founder

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border: none;
text-shadow: none;
}


.ck_form .ck_guarantee {
color: #626262;
font-size: 12px;
text-align: center;
padding: 5px 0px;
display: block;
}

.ck_form .ck_powered_by {
display: block;
color: #aaa;
}

.ck_form .ck_powered_by:hover {
display: block;
color: #444;
}

.ck_converted_content {
display: none;
padding: 5%;
background: #fff;
}


/* v6 */

.ck_form_v6 #ck_success_msg {
padding: 0px 10px;
}

@media all and (max-width: 403px) {
.ck_form_v6.ck_modal .ck_close_link {
top: 30px;
}
}

@media all and (min-width: 404px) and (max-width: 499px) {
.ck_form_v6.ck_modal .ck_close_link {
top: 57px;
}
}