Ray Harmony's Blog, page 18

How to Write Better Djent Riffs

What makes a great djent riff? Two things: the right notes, with the right polymeter. So in this video you’ll learn all that, plus you’ll learn how to make your riffs stand out by adding a second melody into the same riff. 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
Prog metal legends PERIPHERY just dropped their new single “Garden in the Bones”, and it’s brilliant! This song is overflowing with stunning melodies, mesmerizing riffs, captivating polymeters, epic grooves, and the most massive chorus! “Garden in the Bones” launches directly into the first verse, which contains a slower polymetric riff with lots of rests. But, instead of playing it on one note (like so many djent riffs), or using super dissonant intervals (like so many other djent riffs), Periphery play a refreshingly consonant group of notes, which would be right at home in any popular music genre. Then, as if that’s not enough, when the second verse comes around, it’s not just a copy and paste of the first verse. No, it’s a continuation; the next chapter of an unfolding story. They achieve this by adding notes to the original riff, in place of the rests. This creates a 2-in-1 riff consisting of the original riff as the bass voice, and the new notes as a melody on top.

SETUP
Alright, now you’re gonna learn how to use this theory to make your own version. So, start by setting up one bar of 15/4, with your grid set to 1/8 notes, and your tempo set to 135 BPM. Periphery use F♯ Dorian for their verses, so we’ll use it too.

STEP 1. VERSE 1
First things first, F♯ Dorian consists of the notes: F♯ G♯ A B C♯ D♯ E, so you can use any of those notes in your riff. Now, start on the root note (F♯), then skip two 1/8 notes, and then play a note. Next, skip another two 1/8 notes, and then play two notes. Then do that again: skip two 1/8 notes, and then play two notes. And lastly, skip another two 1/8 notes, and then play one last note. When you’re choosing your notes, keep it simple (and keep it low), and think of them as an implied chord progression. Also, use a B somewhere, but more on that later. Right, now you have your 15/8 riff, so repeat it once to complete the bar of 15/4. Finally, add the root note (F♯) on beat 9. This is such a clever trick of Periphery’s, cos what that one extra note does, is ingeniously disguise the odd 15/8 time signature. You see, the root note is the home of your scale, so it’s the strongest note. And by playing the strongest note on beat 9, it pulls the ear back to that 1/4 note pulse (cos in 4/4, beat 9 is actually beat 1 of bar 3). Also, the drummer is playing 1/4 notes on his china cymbal, so that pulse is really powerful. And that pulse, along with the root note on beat 9, tricks the listener into feeling this as 4/4, right until the end of the riff where it’s finally revealed that there’s a 1/4 note missing (cos in four bars of 4/4 there are sixteen 1/4 notes, but here there are only fifteen). This polymeter makes the riff sound far simpler (and therefore more accessible) than it actually is. That’s very clever! So to sum up. The polymeter is occurring between the guitar and the drums. The guitar is playing two bars of 15/8 over the drums that are playing three bars of 4/4 and one bar of 3/4. This all adds up to one cycle of the polymeter, which is equal to one bar of 15/4.

STEP 2. VERSE 2
Right, this is where things get extra tasty. You’re now gonna use the first verse riff as a bass voice, and you’re gonna add a new voice on top of it in place of all the rests. This creates a riff that can still be played on one guitar, but now it sounds like there’s two guitars playing, cos there are two melodies (one low, and one high). Okay, so remember in Step 1 we mentioned that you should think of the notes in your bass voice as an implied chord progression? Well now it’s time to flesh out that harmony. For example, Periphery’s second verse riff implies some dreamy add9 harmonies, so if you want that vibe as well, then be sure to play a 2 over a couple chords (e.g. over the implied F♯m, the 2 is G♯). And as you’re writing the high melody in your riff, be sure to play a D♯ over the B in your bass voice. Playing D♯ over B creates the unique Dorian sound, so without that D♯, you won’t get the sad-but-hopeful Dorian mood that we all love. And that’s why in Step 1, we said play a B. And by the way, if you wanna know everything you need to know about Dorian and the other modes, then download our Songwriting & Producing PDF (click & scroll down).

NEXT
Okay, so now that you’ve got your first and second verses 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 all songwriters and producers struggle with in the beginning, 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

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Published on March 07, 2019 13:16

How to Write a Beautiful Piano Chord Progression & Melody

The piano is a universal instrument, so a great piano part will give your song a timeless feel. And in this lesson, you’ll learn how to write a beautiful piano chord progression and melody, which will stand the test of time. 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
London rapper DAVE just dropped his new single “Black”, which is a goosebump-inducing song with one of the most sophisticated piano parts we’ve heard in the New Music Friday playlist in a very long time! What makes the piano part so good? Two things. First, the chord progression lasts for an epic 16 bars. This is extremely rare in today’s music, which usually consists of four-bar loops. Second, the chord progression switches back and forth between the natural minor (popular music’s favourite scale) and the harmonic minor, which creates a Classical flavour to the piano part as the harmonic minor is the quintessential Classical scale. And it’s this Classical vibe that adds a timeless feel and a musical weight to the song, which in turn makes Dave’s important lyrics even more powerful.

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 16 bars of 4/4, with your grid set to 1/8 notes, and your tempo set to 84 BPM. Dave’s song is in the key of D minor, so we’ll use it too.

STEP 1. LEFT HAND (chords)
We’re gonna start with the left-hand part, which will simply play octaves of each chord’s root note. These octaves provide a minimal harmonic backdrop, which creates a more delicate sound than full chords. So, first things first, here’s the menu of chords in D minor that you can choose from: Dm, Edim, Fmaj, Gm, Am (or Amaj), B♭maj, Cmaj, C♯dim. Please note: the Amaj and C♯dim chords are from the harmonic minor. Choose whichever chords you like from the D minor menu, but approach your 16 bars as 4x four-bar chord progressions. And start each four-bar progression with the root chord (Dm), except for the last progression, which you wanna start with one of the major chords in the key, to provide an uplifting vibe to the end of your epic 16 bars. Lastly, the Cmaj to C♯dim movement has a magnetic pull to the Dm, so definitely use that progression somewhere.

STEP 2. RIGHT HAND (melody)
Right, it’s right-hand time, and that means melody! So, using 1/8 notes, come up with a motif (which is a short musical idea) over the Dm chord. Base your motif around the 2nd note (cos it’s a beautiful interval), and the 3rd note (cos it’s a deeply emotional interval) - over Dm the 2nd note is E, and the 3rd note is F. Then once you’ve got your motif, you can re-use it over the other chords (basing it around each chord’s 2nd and 3rd notes). Next, tie ‘em all together with some other notes, and be sure to use some arpeggios too, which is when you play a chord one note at a time. Also, throw in a few melodic variations to keep things fresh.

BONUS HACK (intro)
Lastly, if you want a beautiful intro (like in Dave’s song), then use this hack. Set up four bars for your intro. Now, start on the root chord (Dm) and play it for two bars, then go to another chord and play it for two bars as well. You see, by playing each chord for two bars, instead of one bar or less (like in your verse), the harmony in your intro will move at half the speed. This is so powerful, cos when your verse kicks in, the harmony starts moving at double the speed, which makes everything feel like it’s totally ramping up.

NEXT
Okay, so now that you’ve got an intro and a verse, how do you write a chorus and a bridge? And then, how do you transition between all the sections, especially if they’re in different keys? And then, how do you structure and arrange your song? Well, all songwriters and producers struggle with these issues in the beginning, 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
Dave photo by Regina Lemaire-Costa

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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Published on February 28, 2019 17:29

Want Exotic Melodies? Use These Notes...

Most popular music is made using the two most common western scales: the major, and the natural minor. So the best way to make your melodies stand out is to use a non-western scale (like the one we’ll reveal in this lesson). 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
Italian-Iranian crossover group NAVA just dropped their new Persian-inspired electronic track “Ritual”. This song jumps out at you from the hundreds of new releases, because those were made using the major or minor scale, whereas this song was made using a non-western scale. This scale is common in the traditional music of many non-western countries, like Iran and India, but it’s exceptionally rare in the West. When we do use this scale though, we call it the Phrygian dominant (or Phrygian major), but it has many non-Western names that predate these. Now, there’s a couple characteristics that make this scale sound exotic (which we’ll get to in a minute), but the main characteristic is the combination of the ♭2 and the 3. For example, in C Phrygian dominant, to get that exotic sound, you need to play the ♭2 (D♭), the 3 (E), and obviously the root (C). On the other hand, if you want a melody that stands out but does not sound too exotic, then change the chord under the D♭ in your melody to a B♭m, for example. This results in your listeners not hearing the D♭ as a dissonant ♭2, but instead as a beautiful ♭3 in the context of that B♭m chord. This is actually the method we used in our Grime Bass lesson, so check out that PDF if you wanna learn how to use the Phrygian dominant in a Western style. You’ll love how versatile this scale is!

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 two bars of 4/4, with your grid set to 1/16 notes, and your tempo set to 120 BPM. NAVA uses C Phrygian dominant, so we’ll use it too.

STEP 1. THE SCALE
So, what notes are in this exotic scale? Well, in C Phrygian dominant, the notes are: C D♭ E F G A♭ B♭. Now as we mentioned earlier, there’s a couple reasons this scale sounds exotic to Western ears. Firstly, there’s a super rare three-semitone interval between adjacent degrees of the scale (D♭ and E), whereas in the standard Western scales and modes, there’s usually one or two semitones between the degrees. Having said that though, there is one relatively standard Western scale that does contain a three-semitone interval between adjacent degrees, but, you hardly ever hear it outside of classical music (and metal), so it’s super rare in popular music. The scale we’re talking about is the harmonic minor*, and we love it, cos it’s another great way to make your music stand out. In fact, we teach you how to make standout music using the harmonic minor scale (and its cousin, the melodic minor) in our online course Apprenticeship #1, where you’ll also learn how to write new sections for existing sections, how to transition between sections in different keys, and a bunch more! Now, the second reason Phrygian dominant sounds exotic to Western ears, is that it has a ♭2, which only occurs twice in the Western modes (in Phrygian and Locrian), so that’s already rare. But, that’s only half the story. Both Phrygian and Locrian are minor (i.e. they contain a ♭3), whereas Phrygian dominant is major (i.e. it contains a 3), and as you now know, that magic combination of ♭2 and 3 is exactly what makes this scale sound so exotic.

*The West actually came across the Phrygian dominant by starting on the 5th degree of the harmonic minor scale. Therefore, these two scales are related, which means they share the exact same notes, but have a different root. For more on relative scales, read Hack 5 in our free ebook.

STEP 2. THE MELODY
Right, now that you’re familiar with this exotic scale, it’s time to use it to write your melody. So, start your first phrase by playing the root note (C) to establish the home, then play around with all those beautiful semitone steps that naturally occur in this scale, in other words: C to D♭, E to F, and G to A♭. And for your melody’s second phrase, start on the root note again, but an octave higher this time (for variation, and to extend your melody’s range). Then, cascade down through the scale, perhaps ending with that exotic combo of ♭2 and 3. And for the rhythm of your melody, use a wide variety of note values to keep it fresh, and don’t be scared to throw in a 1/32 note for some extra spice. And if you need more help writing melodies, then use the Melody Checklist in our Songwriting & Producing PDF (click & scroll down), it’s the ultimate list of dos and don’ts for writing great melodies! Lastly, for maximum exoticness, we’re playing our melody over a bass line that’s inspired by a drone, which is when you play one note continuously. However, we added some other notes to our bass line, for extra interest (see MIDI file).

WANT MORE?
Right, now that you’ve got one section down, how do you write more sections for it, and then, how do you transition between those sections, and turn 'em into a song? Great questions, and if this is something you need help with, then check out our cutting-edge online apprenticeship course, where you’ll literally learn every step of the music making process, and most importantly, you’ll learn how to finish your songs! You’ll also gain access to our private network, which is a safe online space (i.e. social media platform) exclusively for our 600+ apprentices from 50+ countries. Our Network is a super supportive place for you to ask theory questions, share your music, get feedback, meet like-minded music makers, and collaborate! If all this sounds useful to you, then head on over to our Online Apprenticeship page 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
NAVA photo courtesy of Rolling Stone (Italy)

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Published on February 21, 2019 15:13

Use These Notes to Make Grime Bass Lines

When you want a heavy bass line, do you find yourself clicking through your sounds trying to find something that makes your bass heavy? Well, sounds don’t make bass lines heavy, the notes do. So in this video, you’ll learn what notes to use to make your bass lines heavy, regardless of the sounds you’re using. 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
The legendary London grime producer & MC, SKEPTA, just dropped his new single “Wish You Were Here”. This track is the epitome of London’s grime sound, with its string arpeggios, dissonant bass, and syncopated drums. However, Skepta has a secret scale up his sleeve, which takes this tune to the next level. Now, it’s no secret that Grime producers love the Phrygian mode for its ♭2 (for example, if you’re in A Phrygian, the ♭2 is B♭). And if you’re familiar with modes, you’ll know that Phrygian is minor. And if you’re not familiar with modes, just keep watching cos we’ll explain Phrygian in a minute. So, here’s where the grime veteran kicks things up: Instead of playing the ♭3, he plays the 3, thereby turning Phrygian into Phrygian dominant (AKA Phrygian major), which is a very rare scale! And please note, there are many different (and better!) names for this scale, but Phrygian dominant is probably the most common name for it in the West. And finally, as if a rare scale wasn’t enough, Skepta throws in another note that isn’t even in Phrygian or Phrygian dominant, the 7. And by the way, if you’re new to the concept of musical spelling, which is when we assign numbers to notes (like 7), then read the fourth hack in our free book “12 Music Theory Hacks to Learn Scales & Chords”. And if you’re new to the concept of flat numbers (like ♭3), then read the eighth hack in the book, which you can download below.

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 two bars of 4/4, with your grid set to 1/16 notes, and your tempo set to 135 BPM. Skepta uses B♭ Phrygian dominant, but we’re using A, cos there’s fewer flats, so it’s easier for learning.

STEP 1. “SKEPTA SCALE”
First things first, let’s talk about what Phrygian is. And that story begins with the Aeolian mode (AKA the natural minor scale), which is what you get when you play all the white notes, with A as your root note (in other words, your scale’s home). Now, to turn the Aeolian mode into the Phrygian mode, all you do is move the second note (B) one semitone down (to B♭). Then, to turn Phrygian in to Phrygian dominant, all you do is move the third note (C) one semitone up (to C♯), which changes the scale from minor to major. And finally, throw in that naughty note that is not in Phrygian or Phrygian dominant, the G♯. So, here is the “Skepta scale”: A B♭ C♯ D E F G G♯. And if you wanna start it on B♭, like Skepta does in his track, then just select all the MIDI and move it one semitone up.

STEP 2. BASS LINE
Right, now that you know the “Skepta scale”, it’s time to use those notes to write your bass line. So, start by playing the root (A) for a 1/4 note, then complete the rest of your first bar with the notes A, C♯ and G, which outlines an A7 chord. Then in your second bar, start by playing the ♭2 (B♭), which creates that classic grime sound. Next, complete the rest of that bar with the notes G and B♭, which outlines a Gm chord, and then throw in that naughty G♯ somewhere towards the end. And lastly, for maximum groove, use plenty of rests and off-beats.

NEXT
Right, now that you’ve got one section down, how do you write more sections for it, and then, how do you transition between those sections, and turn 'em into a song? Great questions, and if this is something you need help with, then check out our cutting-edge online apprenticeship course, where you’ll literally learn every step of the music making process, and most importantly, you’ll learn how to finish your songs! You’ll also gain access to our private network, which is a safe online space (i.e. social media platform) exclusively for our 600+ apprentices from 50+ countries. Our Network is a super supportive place for you to ask theory questions, share your music, get feedback, meet like-minded music makers, and collaborate! If all this sounds useful to you, then head on over to our Online Apprenticeship page now.