Ray Harmony's Blog, page 20

Better 4/4 Bass Lines - Music Theory from Run the Jewels “Let’s Go (The Royal We)” Venom Soundtrack

4/4 is the most common time signature for a good reason: it gets people moving! But that same reason means everyone uses it, which makes it kinda boring. So how can you make a 4/4 bass line that’s exciting? The hack comin’ up. But first… tea!

Hello music makers, we are Kate and Ray Harmony, and welcome to Hack Music Theory. This channel helps you make great music that stands out, so you can get discovered! Alright, it’s time to open your DAW to hack music theory.

THEORY
In their new single “Let’s Go (The Royal We)”, Run the Jewels use a standard 4/4 drum beat, with a kick on beat 1 and a snare on beat 3. But, when it comes to their bass line, that’s a whole different story! Let me explain. 4/4 contains four 1/4 notes, which are grouped in twos. This results in the expected (and therefore kinda boring) accents on beat 1 and beat 3. Now as you know, four 1/4 notes divide into eight 1/8 notes. So, instead of grouping the 1/8 notes in their bass line into the usual 4+4, Run the Jewels group them into 3+3+2, which creates unexpected (and therefore exciting) accents on beat 2+ and beat 4.

Please note: For the sake of this lesson, our example is very similar to the original song. Instead of copying the song though, explore how you can use this hack creatively with your own musical personality!

3+3+2 (Step 1)
Set up one bar of 4/4, with your grid set to 1/8 notes, and your tempo set to 128 BPM. “Let’s Go” is in the key of E♭ minor, so we’ll use it too. Right, so start by playing a low 1/8 note on beat 1, beat 2+ and beat 4. These low notes are the first note of each group, and this “melodic accenting” will ensure your listeners hear that 3+3+2 grouping. We need to do this, because that common grouping in 4/4 is so pervasive, that your listeners will need help hearing this unusual 3+3+2, especially if your drums are still playing that 4+4 grouping (like they are in this song).

Arpeggios (Step 2)
The bass line in “Let’s Go” is an ascending E♭m arpeggio that’s repeated, and once again, the reason this works so well is because it not only outlines the root chord, but it also outlines that 3+3+2 grouping. Right, now it’s time to fill in the missing notes. So for this example, let’s also start with an arpeggio on the root chord, to establish the key. We chose the 1, the ♭3 and an octave of the 1. And then in the second half, reuse a couple of those notes. We reused the 1, and an octave of the ♭3. Next, if you want some extra spice, switch it up by using a couple notes that are not in the root triad. We chose the ♭7 and the 2. Then lastly, to keep things fresh, you’ll probably wanna throw in a little variation at some point, too.

NEXT
Right, now that you’ve got one section down, how do you write a new section for it, and then, how do you transition between those two sections? 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 social media platform exclusively for our apprentices (and we already have over 400 apprentices, from over 40 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 more! So if all that 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

LEARN
Level 1: Read our free book (below) & watch our YouTube videos
Level 2: Read our "Part 1" book & "Songwriting & Producing" PDF
Level 3: Learn our secret art of songwhispering & finish your music!

ABOUT
Learn how to make great music that stands out, so you can get discovered! Taught by award-winning music lecturer Ray Harmony, and his protégé (and wife) Kate Harmony. Ray is the author of critically-acclaimed book series "Hack Music Theory" and has been teaching music theory for 24 years, and along the way he's 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 Hack Music Theory method! While our YouTube lessons teach music theory for producers and DAW users, they are designed to accommodate all music makers (songwriters, guitarists, etc.) and all genres, from Electronic Music to R&B, Pop to Hip-Hop, Reggae to Rock, EDM/Dance to Metal (and yes, we djefinitely Djent!).

Photo of Run the Jewels by The Come Up Show from Canada CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

 
 

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Ultimate Groove Hack - Music Theory from Twenty One Pilots “Trench”

Do you listen to your favourite artists and wonder why their music grooves more than yours? Well that ends now, cos the hack in this video is gonna make your music groove big time. But first… tea!

Hello music makers, I’m Kate Harmony, this is Ray Harmony, and welcome to Hack Music Theory. This channel helps you make great music that stands out, so you can get discovered! The theory hack in today’s video is from the new album “Trench” by Twenty One Pilots. Alright, it’s time to open your DAW to hack music theory.

THEORY
In their song “Morph”, Twenty One Pilots create a hugely deep groove between the bass and drums, which you can’t help but move to. Now, some may argue it’s because they’re playing real instruments and not virtual instruments, but you can easily create this groove with a computer as well. How? Well, program skeleton bass and drum parts using 1/8 notes, then flesh them out with 1/16 note triplets. Then, move all your MIDI a tiny bit off the grid to the right, which makes everything a split second late.

Please note, for the sake of this lesson, our example is very similar to the original song. Instead of copying the song though, have fun exploring how you can use this theory hack creatively with your own musical personality, so it sounds like you!

1/16 Triplets (Step 1)
Set up four bars of 4/4, with your grid set to 1/8 notes, and your tempo set to 90 BPM. “Morph” is in the key of C♯ minor, and the bass line is centred around the root note, played at different octaves. So, start by writing a repeating octave pattern on your root. Now, change your grid to 1/16 note triplets. Then, add a few 1/16 note triplets, but be sparing, as you want your bass line to have lots of space to breathe. And in our version, we put a couple of these 1/16 note triplets on the ♭7 to spice things up. Finally, towards the end of your bass line, add a non-diatonic note (which is a note that is not in the scale). Twenty One Pilots used the major 7, but we’re using the ♭2. And the reason for using a non-diatonic note is because it breaks the “rules”, and that adds to the cool factor of your bass line.

Play It Cool (Step 2)
So you know how cool people arrive at the party a little late, right? Well, cool music arrives at the beat a little late, too. Seriously, it’s true! If you wanna instantly make your music cooler, just move everything a split second off the grid, to the right. This loosens up that rigid feel we always get from making music on the grid. If you want a rough guide when moving your music off grid, change your grid to 1/128 note triplets, select all your MIDI, then zoom in and move everything to the right by about half of a 1/128 note triplet. Now I know what you’re thinking: If this hack is that cool, then why doesn’t everyone use it. Well, some genres (e.g. house music) are built on perfectly in-time drum beats, and therefore this hack isn’t appropriate. Okay, now last but not least, when you’ve totally finished your bass line, then use the same hack on your drums.

NEXT
Right, now that you’ve got one section down, how do you write a new section for it, and then, how do you transition between those two sections? 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 social media platform exclusively for our apprentices (and we already have over 400 apprentices, from over 40 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 more! So if all that 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

 

LEARN
1: Read our free book (below) & watch our YouTube videos
2: Read our "Part 1" book & "Songwriting & Producing" PDF
3: Learn our secret art of songwhispering & finish your music!

ABOUT
Learn how to make great music that stands out, so you can get discovered! Taught by award-winning music lecturer Ray Harmony, and his protégé (and wife) Kate Harmony. Ray is the author of critically-acclaimed book series "Hack Music Theory" and has been teaching music theory for 24 years, and along the way he's 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 Hack Music Theory method! While our YouTube lessons teach music theory for producers and DAW users, they are designed to accommodate all music makers (songwriters, guitarists, etc.) and all genres, from Electronic Music to R&B, Pop to Hip-Hop, Reggae to Rock, EDM/Dance to Metal (and yes, we djefinitely Djent!).

Photo of Twenty One Pilots by Brad Heaton

 
 

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 2-in-1 Bass Line - Music Theory from Rationale “One By One”

Bass lines need to be low, cos that’s the whole point of them, but this restriction can very easily result in boring bass lines. So how can you break out of that limiting range, while still keeping your bass low? The answer comin’ up. But first… tea!

Hello music makers, we are Kate and Ray Harmony, and welcome to Hack Music Theory. This channel helps you make great music that stands out, so you can get discovered!

The music theory hack in today’s video is from the new single “One By One”, by the artist, Rationale. Quick but crazy story for you: When we were swiping through the New Music Friday playlist on Spotify this morning, to decide what song to hack for this video, we swiped and the Rationale single came on, and I was like “Wait! What the…?!”, that’s my old student from London haha, so I’m totally buzzing right now! #ProudTeacher. And you won’t believe it, but the exact same thing happened last week with another one of Ray’s former students. They all seem to keep turning up on the New Music Friday playlist, how amazing is that?! Anyway, it’s time to open your DAW to hack music theory.

THEORY
A bass line is the foundation upon which all other melodies and chords are built. Therefore, a bass line has the dual purpose of functioning as your song’s musical ground, as well as its lowest melody. However, so many bass lines these days only fulfill the former purpose, resulting in a solid foundation, but with no melodic interest. To achieve both of these roles simultaneously, use the theory hack from “One By One”, where Rationale grounds his bass line into the root note of each chord, before launching it into the melodic air for a few high notes. This creates an awesome 2-in-1 bass line that carries out both its foundation and melodic duties. And please note, for the sake of this lesson, our example is very similar to the original song. Instead of copying the song though, have fun exploring how you can use this theory hack creatively with your own musical personality, so it sounds like you!

Step 1 - Ground
Set up two bars of 4/4, with your grid set to 1/16 notes, and your tempo set to 94 BPM. Next, you need to choose four chords from a minor key. The original song is in E minor, so we’ll stick with that. The chords we chose are: Em, Gmaj, Dmaj, Am. Now, each chord is played over two 1/4 note beats. The first beat will be used to ground into the root note, and the second beat will be used to fly away, but more on that in Step 2. Next, delete the second 1/4 note beat of each chord. Then, over that first 1/4 note beat of each chord, play the root note a couple times, with a rest in between. And be sure to play one root note of each chord on an off-beat 1/16 note, which is called syncopation, and that adds groove!

Step 2 - Air
Right, now that you’ve grounded your bass line, it’s time to launch it into the melodic air. So, over the second 1/4 note beat of each chord, you’re gonna allow your bass line to break free of its low-notes-only restriction, and elevate its range and melodic interest with some high notes. So, choose three ascending/descending notes from your scale, and play them in a higher octave over your first chord. Then do something similar over your third chord. And these are all 1/16 notes. Also, be sure to start on the off-beat, for even more syncopation. Then over your second chord, you’re actually not gonna go higher,cos that’ll be too much of a good thing. So, just add in a couple low notes there. And then finally, over your last chord, use the same three notes that you used over your third chord, but reverse their order.

NEXT
Right, now that you’ve got one section down, how do you write a new section for it, and then, how do you transition between those two sections? 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 social media platform exclusively for our apprentices (and we already have over 400 apprentices, from over 40 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 more! So if all that sounds useful to you, then head on over to our Apprenticeship page now.

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

 

LEARN
1: Read our free book (below) & watch our YouTube videos
2: Read our "Part 1" book & "Songwriting & Producing" PDF
3: Learn our Secret Art of Song-Whispering & finish your music!

ABOUT
Learn how to make great music that stands out, so you can get discovered! Taught by award-winning music lecturer Ray Harmony, and his protégé (and wife) Kate Harmony. Ray is the author of critically-acclaimed book series "Hack Music Theory" and has been teaching music theory for 24 years, and along the way he's 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 Hack Music Theory method! While our YouTube lessons teach music theory for producers and DAW users, they are designed to accommodate all music makers (songwriters, guitarists, etc.) and all genres, from Electronic Music to R&B, Pop to Hip-Hop, Reggae to Rock, EDM/Dance to Metal (and yes, we djefinitely Djent!).

Photo of Rationale from the cover of "One by One"
Courtesy of Best Laid Plans Records

 
 

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African Rhythm & Chords - Music Theory from NAO “Drive and Disconnect”

You want people moving to your music, right? But, are you bored of using the same old four-on-the-floor drum beat to achieve that. Well, then you need to add an African flava to your rhythm (and your chords!), as heard in the new single “Drive and Disconnect” (from upcoming album "Saturn"), by the unique and inspiring artist NAO. And full disclosure here: Yes, I am British, but, I’m an immigrant. I was actually born and raised in Africa, so African music is in my blood, so I’m super stoked to share a little taste of it with you. But first… iti!

Hello revolutionaries, and welcome to the Hack Music Theory channel. This is our New Music Friday show, where we trawl through the new releases every week to find the hottest theory hacks for your weekend studio session! So, if that sounds useful to you, then please subscribe to our YouTube channel and hit the bell to get notifications. Alright, it’s time to open your DAW to hack music theory.

THEORY
Africa is the motherland of dance music. So while electronic dance music has had booties shakin’ for decades, music from the motherland has been moving people (physically and emotionally) for millennia. Now, there are countless types of traditional music in Africa, but the two main elements that connect them, are syncopated rhythms and strong melodies. Remember, chords (like you hear in most songs these days) are actually a relatively new addition to music that originated in Europe. So, traditional African music is all about that rhythm and melody. To add this African flavour to your music, create a syncopated rhythm on top of your four-on-the-floor drums, and turn your chords into arpeggios (that are also syncopated). 

Step 1 - Rhythm (African Drums)
Set up two bars of 4/4, with your grid set to 1/16 notes, and your tempo set to 116 BPM. Then, start by throwing a kick on every 1/4 note beat, and that’s your four-on-the-floor. Next, it’s time for the syncopation, which is when you accent the offbeat. So, add syncopated snare drums on beat 1a and beat 2+ (we used two different snare drums for those, to add depth). Then do the same snare pattern in bar 2. And lastly, sprinkle in a few more syncopated notes on the toms and hats, and your drums are done!

Step 2 - Chords (African Guitar)
NAO’s song is in G minor, but to keep things simple, we’re in A minor here, cos A minor is just all white notes. Now, choose two chords for your progression (we chose Am and Gmaj), then instead of playing them as block chords, play them one note at a time (which is an arpeggio), and lock those notes into that syncopated rhythm you just made, especially accenting beat 1a and beat 2+. Also, remember to let your arpeggios breathe, by adding some rests. And lastly, to spice things up even more, add in some extra notes that are not in the chords. For example, the D and B over our first Am chord, and the Gs over our second Am chord. And with that, you’re done!

NEXT
Right, now that you’ve got one section down, how do you write a new section for it, and then, how do you transition between those two sections? 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 the Hack Music Theory Network, which is a private social media platform exclusively for our apprentices (and we already have over 400 apprentices, from over 40 countries). The Network is a super supportive place for you to ask theory questions, share your music, get feedback, and more. So if all that sounds useful to you, then head on over to our Apprenticeship page now.

Also, please note that we intentionally wrote our example to be very similar to the original version, but we did that for the sake of this lesson. So, instead of copying the artist, please explore how you can use this hack creatively with your own musical personality, so it sounds like you! Alright, that’s it! We really hope this video inspired and empowered you, and if it did, please drop us a comment on YouTube. We love hearing from you! Thanks for joining the Hack Music Theory revolution, and we’ll see you next week!

Enkosi kakhulu :)

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

 

LEARN
1: Read our free book (below) & watch our YouTube videos
2: Read our "Part 1" book & "Songwriting & Producing" PDF
3: Learn our Secret Art of Song-Whispering, and effortlessly finish your music!

ABOUT
Hack Music Theory is the pioneering notation-free method for making great music. Taught by award-winning music lecturer Ray Harmony, and his protégé (and 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), Ihsahn (Emperor), Kool Keith (Ultramagnetic MCs), 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 Hack Music Theory method! While these Hack Music Theory YouTube lessons teach music theory for producers and DAW users, they are designed to accommodate all music makers (songwriters, guitarists, etc.) and all genres, from Electronic Music to R&B, Pop to Hip-Hop, Reggae to Rock, EDM/Dance to Metal (and yes, we djefinitely Djent!).

Photo of Nao by Eva Pantel

 
 

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WTF is a Melodic Rhythm? - Music Theory from Architects “Hereafter”

Learn what "melodic rhythms" are, and how you can use them to inject primal energy into your music, like Architects does in their new single “Hereafter” (from upcoming album "Holy Hell").

Hello revolutionaries, and welcome to the Hack Music Theory channel. This is our New Music Friday show, where we trawl through the new releases every week to find the hottest theory hacks for your weekend studio session! So, if that sounds useful to you, then please subscribe to our YouTube channel and hit the bell to get notifications. Alright, it’s time to open your DAW to hack music theory.

GIVEAWAY
We’ve got a super special show for you today, as we’ve partnered with the mighty GetGood Drums for an exciting giveaway of their brand new drum library: Modern & Massive! And just for the record, this is not a sponsored video (we don’t do any sponsored content on our channel), we bought our copy of Modern & Massive, but because it’s literally the best drum kit sounds we’ve ever heard, we just had to share ‘em with you! And there’s an interesting story behind why we chose this video for the giveaway. Yes indeed, Dan Searle (the amazing Architects drummer) actually recorded his drums for the new album in the same studio that the Modern & Massive drum library was recorded in. And on top of that, the genius behind GetGood Drums, Adam “Nolly” Getgood, also engineered and mixed the new Architects album. So if you love Dan’s drum sound, you need this library! And if you don’t win in our giveaway, just buy a copy like we did, it’s so worth it. You can enter our giveaway by subscribing to our channel and to the GetGood Drums channel (over at YouTube.com/GetGoodDrums). Then, drop us a comment on the above video and tell us why you should win the Modern & Massive drum library. We’ve got two copies to give away, which means our favourite two comments will both win. So, make those answers really sincere, or really funny! We’ll announce the winners in next week’s video.

THEORY
Rhythm is ancient and primal, as our ancestors were almost certainly banging on things long before they were blowing into bone flutes. Now, fast forward over 40,000 years, and the colossal opening riff of the new Architects single “Hereafter” has this same primal energy to it, because it would function just as well if it was played on one pitch. This makes it a "melodic rhythm", which is a musical concept whereby a memorable rhythm is usually composed first, then pitches are assigned to the notes afterwards. Examples of "melodic rhythms" range from Beethoven’s 5th symphony to Architects new single. The difference between a "melodic rhythm" and a melody, is that a "melodic rhythm" is still recognizable when its melody is removed, or when the pitches are all changed. And that’s exactly why our example in this video still sounds like the “Hereafter” riff, even though we’ve changed all the pitches. 

Step 1 - Pulse & Backbeat
Set your grid to 4 bars of 4/4, at a tempo of 121 BPM. Now, we’re gonna start by giving your creation a heartbeat. So, hit a cymbal (we chose the china) on every 1/4 note beat. This is your beast’s pulse! Next, it’s snare time. And Architects drummer, Dan Searle, went with a super groovy halftime backbeat here, which is when you spank the snare on beat 3, instead of the regular beat 2 and beat 4. 

Step 2 - 16ths & Variation
Ah yeah, it’s kick time! So, we’re gonna get this party started with a bunch of 1/16 notes on the kick, for momentum, and throw a few on the snare too. And you only need to program 2 bars, cos then you just copy and paste ‘em into bars 3 and 4. Also, be sure to use syncopation, for maximum groove! Syncopation is when you play an off-beat, but not the on-beat just before it. And on one of your syncopated 1/8 note kicks, hit a crash as well, to really accent that off-beat. And for the ultimate syncopation, don’t play a kick on beat 1 of bar 2 and bar 4. Yeah this is such a sick trick from Dan, and it takes this groove to a whole new level! Then the final bit of Step 2 is to simply add one 1/16 note to bar 4, to give it some variation, so it rolls around to the beginning. 

Step 3 - Triplets
So many rhythms these days consist of straight notes only, which is fine, but sprinkling a few triplets into a rhythm that’s mainly straight notes, is just so tasty, as they’re totally unexpected! So, change your grid to 1/16 triplets, and get sprinkling. Don’t overdo it though, once per bar is plenty! 

Step 4 - Melody
Lastly, now that your rhythm is pumping, it’s time to turn it into a "melodic rhythm". So copy and paste your kick and snare rhythm into a guitar, bass or synth track, and then extend all the notes to the right, so there’s no rests in between the notes. Next, move the notes up and down to create your melody. And if you’re going for something heavy like Architects, then use dissonant intervals, which are the intervals of 1 semitone, 3 semitones, 6 semitones, 8 semitones, 10 semitones, and 11 semitones. And with that, you’re done!

THANKS
Lastly, thanks big time to everyone who made this video possible: Nolly, Matt, Misha, and our good chum Dez (who’s not only part of GetGood Drums, he’s also in one of our favourite bands: Good Tiger), and big thanks to our studio wizard Meyrick de la Fuente (from the band Exist Immortal) for mixing and mastering the example in this video, and last but definitely not least, thanks to the mighty Malcolm Shoolbraid (who’s the drummer from Thigma) for doing the playthrough. And by the way, Thigma’s debut album (which was produced by Ray), is coming out soon, so check out their link below, cos if you dig Architects, you’ll dig Thigma. Finally, please note that despite the live drummer in the playthrough video, all the drums you’re hearing are the programmed MIDI drums with 100% of the sounds coming from the Modern & Massive library, we just wanted a drummer in the playthrough, so all the non-drummers watching can see the pattern being played.

NEXT
So, now that you’ve got one section down, how do you write a new section for it, and then, how do you transition between those two sections? 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! Also, please note that we intentionally wrote our example to be very similar to Architects, but we did that for the sake of this lesson. So, instead of copying Architects, please explore how you can use this hack creatively with your own musical personality, so it sounds like you! Alright, that’s it! We really hope this video has inspired and empowered you, and if it has, please drop us a comment on YouTube. We love hearing from you! Thanks for joining the Hack Music Theory revolution, and we’ll see you next week!

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

 

LEARN
1: Read our free book (below) & watch our YouTube videos
2: Read our "Part 1" book & "Songwriting & Producing" PDF
3: Learn our Secret Art of Song-Whispering, and effortlessly finish your music!

ABOUT
Hack Music Theory is the pioneering notation-free method for making great music. Taught by award-winning music lecturer Ray Harmony, and his protégé (and 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), Ihsahn (Emperor), Kool Keith (Ultramagnetic MCs), 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 Hack Music Theory method! While these Hack Music Theory YouTube lessons teach music theory for producers and DAW users, they are designed to accommodate all music makers (songwriters, guitarists, etc.) and all genres, from Electronic Music to R&B, Pop to Hip-Hop, Reggae to Rock, EDM/Dance to Metal (and yes, we djefinitely Djent!).

Photo of Architects courtesy of Epitaph Records

 
 

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

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Haunting Piano Chord Progression - Music Theory from Radiohead's Thom Yorke "Suspirium" (Film Score)

Learn how Thom Yorke (Radiohead) writes a chord progression by mixing the Dorian mode with the Aeolian mode, then giving it a twist - as heard in "Suspirium" from the Suspiria film soundtrack.

Hello revolutionaries, and welcome to the Hack Music Theory channel. This is our New Music Friday show, where we trawl through the new releases every week to find the hottest theory hacks for your weekend studio session! So, if that sounds useful to you, then please subscribe to our YouTube channel and hit the bell to get notifications. Alright, it’s time to open your DAW to hack music theory.

THE THEORY

The two main elements that make “Suspirium” stand out, are its haunting chords and hypnotic rhythm. The haunting chord progression is created by mixing the Dorian mode with the Aeolian mode, and then using all major chords other than the root chord, which is obviously a minor (but even that minor root chord is eventually turned into a major). And all these major chords appearing from two minor modes create a suspiciously uplifting atmosphere, which you know cannot be trusted! Then, as if that wasn’t enough, the hypnotic repetition of the rhythm gently but persistently opens up your subconscious (like ghostly rhythmic water drops).

THE HACK

Step 1: Time
Thom’s opening words in this song are “This is a waltz”, so it goes without saying that he’s using triple time here. So set your time signature to 3/4, and your tempo to 151 BPM.

Step 2: Mode
As you now know, Thom is mainly using the Dorian mode in this song, and his root is C♯. So, your chord options are: C♯m, D♯m, Emaj, F♯maj, G♯m, A♯dim, Bmaj. And by the way, if you need help writing a chord progression in the Dorian mode, we’ve got a super simple step-by-step starter guide for you.

Step 3: Chords
Start on the root chord, C♯m, which anchors you into that minor atmosphere, but then, chose only major chords for the rest of your chord progression. But, somewhere in the middle, return to the root chord, just so your listeners don’t get lost. Then lastly, change all your block chords into arpeggios, by simply playing them one note at a time.

Step 4: Haunt
The most noticeable way Thom haunts his chord progression, is by changing the root chord, C♯m, to a C♯maj at the end (this hack is a Radiohead favourite). And then to make it even more haunty, he plays the C♯maj for twice as long as any other chord. And the repercussion of this is a very unusual 18-bar chord progression, instead of a predictable 16 bars. Right, next up, you wanna borrow the ♭VImaj from the C♯ Aeolian mode, which is an Amaj chord. Then lastly, be sure to use an add9 somewhere as well, to add that dreamlike quality. We did that in a few places, one of them being the root chord in the middle of our progression. And remember, you make an add9 chord by simply adding a 2 to your triad.

Step 5: Bass
Finally, copy and paste your piano arpeggios into another track, which is gonna be your left-hand part. Then, move the low 3s in all the chords down to roots, which will create a beautiful harmony. And if you want, you can do the same for a few of the high notes, too. Then when you’re done with your left-hand part, just move it down an octave. And with that, you’re done!

NEXT
So, now that you’ve got one section down, how do you write a new section for it, and then, how do you transition between those two sections? 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! Also, please note that we intentionally wrote our example to be very similar to Thom Yorke, but we did that for the sake of this lesson. So, instead of copying Thom, please explore how you can use this hack creatively with your own musical personality, so it sounds like you! Alright, that’s it! We really hope this video has inspired and empowered you, and if it has, please drop us a comment on YouTube. We love hearing from you! Thanks for joining the Hack Music Theory revolution, and we’ll see you next week!

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

 

LEARN
1: Read our free book (below) & watch our YouTube videos
2: Read our "Part 1" book & "Songwriting & Producing" PDF
3: Learn our Secret Art of Song-Whispering, and effortlessly finish your music!

ABOUT
Hack Music Theory is the pioneering notation-free method for making great music. Taught by award-winning music lecturer Ray Harmony, and his protégé (and 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), Ihsahn (Emperor), Kool Keith (Ultramagnetic MCs), 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 Hack Music Theory method! While these Hack Music Theory YouTube lessons teach music theory for producers and DAW users, they are designed to accommodate all music makers (songwriters, guitarists, etc.) and all genres, from Electronic Music to R&B, Pop to Hip-Hop, Reggae to Rock, EDM/Dance to Metal (and yes, we djefinitely Djent!).

 
 

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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The 9-Note Minor Scale - Music Theory from Muse “The Dark Side”

Learn how Matt Bellamy (Muse) writes arpeggios by fusing the natural minor, harmonic minor and melodic minor scales (as heard in "The Dark Side" from upcoming album "Simulation Theory") to create a 9-note minor scale.

Hello revolutionaries, and welcome to the Hack Music Theory show's New Music Friday series, where we trawl through the new releases every week to find the hottest theory hacks for your weekend studio session! Alright, it’s time to open your DAW to hack music theory.

THE THEORY
Matt Bellamy is famous for his classical-influenced riffs, and his arpeggios in “The Dark Side” verses are a perfect example. What makes these arpeggios sound classical instead of pop? Well, Matt doesn’t limit himself to only using the natural minor scale (like in most pop music). He opts for a combination of the natural minor, the harmonic minor, and the melodic minor. This fusion of scales gives him two extra notes to play with, essentially creating a nine-note scale: E → F♯ → G → A → B → C/C♯ → D/D♯

THE HACK
The verses are in the key of E minor, and the E natural minor scale has the notes: E → F♯ → G → A → B → C → D, but the E harmonic minor scale has a D♯ instead of a D, and then the E melodic minor scale throws in a C♯ as well, so when you combine all three scales, you end up with nine notes. And why write music with seven notes when you can use nine, right? Now, are you ready to write some arpeggios using the “Muse minor”? Alright, we’ve got 4 simple steps for you!

Step 1:
Start by writing a 1/16 note arpeggio on the root chord (Em), as this will establish the key. And then, just loop that arpeggio over two bars.

Step 2:
Go to another chord that’s still in the natural minor scale (we chose Cmaj), and write another 1/16 note arpeggio, then loop that over two bars as well. This will really anchor your riff into the key of E minor, cos next up, we’re going off-road! 

Step 3:
Alright, now it’s time to switch into the harmonic minor, so choose a chord that contains the note D (we chose Bm), and then change that D to a D♯ (which turned our Bm into a Bmaj). And if you wanna sweeten the surprise of that D♯ even more, make your listeners wait a bar for it. Matt does this by using a Bsus4 chord for one bar, which then resolves in the next bar to a Bmaj, instead of the Bm that everyone’s expecting! 

Step 4:
Okay, so up to this point, you’ve used the natural minor and harmonic minor scales. And now that your listeners are adjusting to those, it’s time to surprise them yet again. Introducing... the melodic minor! Choose a chord that contains the note C (we chose F♯m7♭5), and then change that C to a C♯ (which turned our F♯m7♭5 into a F♯m7). And a quick bonus step. If you wanna properly blow your listeners’ minds, like Muse, then throw in a note here that’s not in any of the three minor scales. This means you’re now using an unbelievable 10 different notes in your riff! Okay, so Matt uses an A♯ here instead of an A, which turns the F♯m7 into a F♯7. Then lastly, feel free to sprinkle some other chords into your progression, like we did with the Em, Cmaj, and Am. And with that, you’re done!

NEXT
So, now that you’ve got one section down, how do you write a new section for it, and then, how do you transition between those two sections? 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! Also, please note that we intentionally wrote our example to be very similar to Muse, but we did that for the sake of this lesson. So, instead of copying Muse, please explore how you can use this hack creatively with your own musical personality, so it sounds like you! Alright, that’s it! We really hope you found this video helpful, and if you did, subscribe on YouTube and hit the bell to get notifications. Also, we love hearing from you, so come say hello in the YouTube comments. Thanks for joining the Hack Music Theory revolution, and we’ll see you next week!

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

LEARN
1: Read our free book (below) & watch our YouTube videos
2: Read our "Part 1" book & "Songwriting & Producing" PDF
3: Learn our Secret Art of Song-Whispering, and effortlessly finish your music!

ABOUT
Hack Music Theory is the pioneering notation-free method for making great music. Taught by award-winning music lecturer Ray Harmony, and his protégé (and 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), Ihsahn (Emperor), Kool Keith (Ultramagnetic MCs), 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 Hack Music Theory method! While these Hack Music Theory YouTube lessons teach music theory for producers and DAW users, they are designed to accommodate all music makers (songwriters, guitarists, etc.) and all genres, from Electronic Music to R&B, Pop to Hip-Hop, Reggae to Rock, EDM/Dance to Metal (and yes, we djefinitely Djent!).

 
 

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How to Write a Guitar Riff & Vocal Melody like Alice in Chains “Rainier Fog”

Happy New Music Friday, and welcome to the Hack Music Theory show! So, Alice in Chains, new album out today, woohoo!!! I’ve been a fan since their debut album dropped way back in 1990, so I’m super stoked to reveal the secret formula behind this band’s unique fusion of dissonant riffs and catchy vocals. But first… Tea!

GUITAR
Jerry Cantrell’s riffs are legendary! For three decades, he’s been walking the line between metal and rock. By taking the dissonance of metal and combining it with the accessibility of rock, Jerry created an instantly-recognizable style. And if you wanna dam the river of Cantrell and syphon off a little for yourself, you’ll need those two elements. So firstly, create that dissonance by using the Phrygian or Locrian mode. Then secondly, create that accessibility by using a slower tempo and fewer notes. Alright, so what you see on your screen is the riff that we wrote using the music theory from Jerry’s riffs. We’re in the Locrian mode here (our root is D♯), and we’re at 67.5 BPM, which is the tempo of their song “So Far Under”. Right, so we’ve got four loops of the riff here, and the first thing you’ll notice is that the riff consists of two sections: the first section is made up of 1/16 notes, and the second section is just one long note. And this is another clever hack of Jerry’s, where the guitar and vocals take turns for your attention, which prevents things from ever getting overwhelming (like they do in metal). So we kick things off with a few 1/16 notes that really emphasize the dissonant Locrian vibe (♭2 and ♭5), then we restrain ourselves by just hitting one long root note while the vocals have their turn in the spotlight. And lastly, depending on how full you want your riff to sound, you can play it as single notes, or “power chords”, or a combination of the two.

VOCALS
Vocals are catchy when they’re easy to remember and sing. And while singing in the Phrygian or Locrian mode is easy for William DuVall, it sure ain’t easy for most people, and that is exactly why he often uses the pentatonic minor scale as the basis for his vocal melodies. And yes, when done right, pentatonic minor melodies work great over the top of Phrygian or Locrian riffs. However, limiting your vocal melodies to only five notes (pentatonic) will get boring quick, so that’s why every now and then William throws in a spicy non-diatonic note, which is a note that is not in the key. Alright, so what you see on your screen is the vocal melody that we wrote using the music theory from William’s melodies. And underneath that is the guitar riff, but that’s muted (it’s just there for reference). So you can see we’ve got this descending vocal line coming down through the pentatonic minor scale, starting up at the ♭3, then hitting the 1, ♭7, 5, 4, and landing on the ♭3 an octave lower. Then the second time through, for variation, we throw in a spicy William note, which is actually that happy major 3rd note. And that gives us a little glimmer of hope, but only a 1/16 of hope, cos this is Alice in Chains after all haha! Also, you’ll notice there’s a little controlled clashing where we have a ♭5 in the guitar at the same time as a 5 in the vocals, but the ♭5 in the guitar is just a quick 1/16 note, so it sounds super tasty and not too clashy!

MORE
Okay, so now that you’ve got one section down, how do you write a new section for it, and then, how do you transition between those two sections? 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!

NEXT
And just before the playthrough. Please note, we intentionally wrote the music and lyrics of our example to be very similar to Alice in Chains, but we did that for the sake of this lesson. So, instead of copying Jerry and the boys, please explore how you can use this hack creatively with your own musical personality, so it sounds like you! Also, if you truly wanna get that Alice in Chains sound, you’re gonna need an ultra mega powerful world-class male vocal, like Layne and William, so we called up the best singer we know: Meyrick de la Fuente. And big up respect to Meyrick for jumping in on such short notice. If you wanna hear more of this dude’s phenomenal singing, then check out his awesome band Exist Immortal, who, by the way, also happens to contain a couple of my former students - wassup Kurt and David (#ProudTeacher). Alright, that’s it! We really hope you found this video helpful, and if you did, subscribe and hit the bell to get notifications. Also, we believe in sharing our knowledge for free. So please pay it forwards by teaching this hack to a friend, so they can benefit from this lesson as well. Yeah I’ve been teaching music theory for 24 years, so I can safely say that the best way to learn something, is to teach it to someone else. So, go forth and teach! On that note, thanks for joining the Hack Music Theory revolution, and we’ll see you next New Music Friday.

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

 

LEARN
1: Read our free book (below) & watch our YouTube videos
2: Read our "Part 1" book & "Songwriting & Producing" PDF
3: Learn our Secret Art of Song-Whispering, and effortlessly finish your music!

ABOUT
Hack Music Theory is the pioneering notation-free method for making great music. Taught by award-winning music lecturer Ray Harmony, and his protégé (and 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), 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 Hack Music Theory method! While these Hack Music Theory YouTube lessons teach music theory for producers and DAW users, they are designed to accommodate all music makers (songwriters, guitarists, etc.) and all genres, from Electronic Music to R&B, Pop to Hip-Hop, Reggae to Rock, EDM/Dance to Metal (and yes, we djefinitely Djent!).

 
 

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 & Lead Melody like Marshmello “Happier” (ft. Bastille)

Happy New Music Friday, and welcome to the Hack Music Theory show! So, today Marshmello dropped his new single “Happier” (ft. Bastille), and there’s a theory hack in this song that pretty much guarantees it’s gonna appeal to a huge audience. What’s the hack? And how can you use it in your own music? The answers comin’ up. But first… Tea!

THE THEORY
When isolated, the lead synth melody in the “Happier” chorus/drop definitely sounds like it’s in F major. However, when you add the bass line under the first bar of this melody, something strange happens: it now sounds like it’s in D minor. Why? And how? Well, F major and D minor have the exact same notes. They’re what we call: relative keys. So, what determines whether this melody is in F major or D minor? The bass. Yep, the bass line is the musical foundation upon which everything else is built. So if the bass emphasizes D (like Marshmello does in the first bar of his drop), then the lead melody sounds like it’s in D minor. But if the bass emphasizes F (like he does in his second bar), then the lead melody sounds like it’s in F major. Emphasizing both root chords in relative major and minor keys (like Dm and Fmaj in “Happier”), is super popular with EDM/Pop crossover producers, like The Chainsmokers and David Guetta. Using this relative major/minor crossover hack allows your song to appeal to people with a preference for music in major keys and people with a preference for music in minor keys, which covers pretty much everyone (other than the mavericks, of course!). And by the way, if you need help understanding scales and relatives keys and all that good stuff, no problem we got you covered, just read our free book “12 Music Theory Hacks to Learn Scales & Chords”, which you can download below.

THE HACK
Okay, so you can write this kinda chorus/drop in two simple steps. Step 1: Write a lead melody, using a major scale. Step 2: Write a bass line that emphasizes the root note of that major scale, and the root note of its relative minor scale. And for this example, we’ll use D minor and F major, like Marshmello. Alright, now let’s work through these two steps in more detail. So, start by setting your grid to 1/16 notes, then to get that “Happier” rhythm, play every third 1/16 note in each bar. And by the way, if you need help writing melodies, just use the Melody Checklist in our Songwriting & Producing PDF. Alright, now it’s time to get stuck into the low end! So, for Step 2 (the bass line), start by playing the root note of the relative minor key, which in this example is D. And that’s gonna make your first bar sound like it’s in D minor. Then, work your way up to the root note of the relative major key for the second bar, which in this example is F. And that’s gonna make your second bar sound like it’s in F major. Also, remember to use plenty of rests in your bass line, if you want that EDM drop vibe. And lastly, we used counterpoint to write this lead melody and bass line, which creates an awesome musical depth from the two totally independent layers. And if you’re interested in learning how to use counterpoint, that’s also in our Songwriting & Producing PDF (click and scroll down).

THE END
Remember, we intentionally wrote our example to be very similar to the original song, but we did that for the sake of this lesson. So, instead of copying Marshmello, please explore how you can use these hacks creatively with your own musical personality, so it sounds like you! Also, quick question. Do you struggle to finish your music? If you answered yes, then we can help you. Yes indeed we can, just check out our cutting-edge online apprenticeship course, where you’ll learn how to make new sections for existing sections, how to transition between sections (even when they’re in different keys), and most importantly, how to finish your songs. If that sounds useful to you, the head on over to: HackMusicTheory.com/Apprenticeship. Alright, that’s it! We really hope you found this video helpful, and if you did, subscribe and hit the bell to get notifications. Also, we believe in sharing our knowledge for free. Please pay it forwards by teaching these hacks to a friend, so they can benefit from this lesson as well. I’ve been teaching music theory for 24 years, so I can safely say that the best way to learn something, is to teach it to someone else. So, go forth and teach! And on that note, thanks for joining the Hack Music Theory revolution. We’ll see you next New Music Friday!

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

 

LEARN
1: Read our free book (below) & watch our YouTube videos
2: Read our "Part 1" book & "Songwriting & Producing" PDF
3: Learn our Secret Art of Song-Whispering, and effortlessly finish your music!

ABOUT
Hack Music Theory is the pioneering notation-free method for making great music. Taught by award-winning music lecturer Ray Harmony, and his protégé (and 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), 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 Hack Music Theory method! While these Hack Music Theory YouTube lessons teach music theory for producers and DAW users, they are designed to accommodate all music makers (songwriters, guitarists, etc.) and all genres, from Electronic Music to R&B, Pop to Hip-Hop, Reggae to Rock, EDM/Dance to Metal (and yes, we djefinitely Djent!).

 
 

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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How to Write Guitar like Tom Morello & Drums like Bassnectar in “Rabbit’s Revenge”

Happy New Music Friday, and welcome to the Hack Music Theory show! So, today Tom Morello dropped his new single “Rabbit’s Revenge” (from upcoming album "The Atlas Underground"), which I’m super stoked about, as I’ve been a massive Tom Morello fan ever since I first heard Rage Against the Machine back in 1992. And also, I’ve actually had the monumental honour of working with Tom Morello on a song of mine. Alright, back to Tom’s new single. It’s a really cool crossover of electronic, hip-hop and rock, as it’s a collaboration with producer Bassnectar, and rappers Big Boi and Killer Mike. Now, this song sounds both slow and fast at the same time, and Tom’s riff sounds super gangsta! So, how did they do that? The answers comin’ up. But first… Tea! Alright, now it's time to open your DAW to hack music theory!

1:17 - DRUMS - Bassnectar
There are two main characteristics that give “Rabbit’s Revenge” its unique flavour. The first is that the song feels simultaneously slow and fast. How did they pull off this sorcery? Well, the song’s tempo is 88 BPM (which is relatively slow), and Bassnectar has a huge hip-hop beat going, with a backbeat snare. However, Tom is playing a 16th-note riff on his guitar over the top, which sounds relatively fast. And what connects these two elements, is the 16th-note pattern on the hi-hats. This hack results in the song feeling slow and fast at the same time, and it’s used to connect slow drums with fast melodies in many genres, from nu skool hip-hop to old school death metal. Right, so to make this kinda beat, start by setting your grid to 16th notes. Then, throw in closed hats on all the 16th notes. Then next, slap a snare on beat 2 and beat 4. And then finally, we’re gonna kick beat 1, beat 2+ and beat 3+. And it sounds like this!

2:26 - GUITAR - Tom Morello
The second distinctive characteristic in “Rabbit’s Revenge”, is Tom’s guitar riff (man sound gangsta!). How does Tom create this super edgy sound? Well, he’s using two non-diatonic notes, which are notes that are not in the scale, and therefore sound rather dissonant. This song is in the key of D minor, which contains the notes: D E F G A B♭ C, but in the main riff, Tom also plays an E♭ (which is the ♭2) and a C♯ (which is the 7). These “anti-scale” notes give the song its anti-establishment feel. Alright, so the first thing you’ll notice about this riff, is the two layers. Tom’s in drop-D tuning, so this main riff is centred around a ping-ponging between that low D and the D an octave higher. So, start writing your riff by simply coming up with an interesting rhythm between the low D and the high D. Then, move some of your high Ds up to E♭ and E, and move some down to C♯ and C. Then lastly, we moved a few of our low Ds up a semitone to E♭, for extra gangsta dissonance. And we’re done!

THE END
Remember, we intentionally wrote our example to be very similar to the original song, but we did that for the sake of this lesson. So, instead of copying Tom, please explore how you can use these hacks creatively with your own musical personality, so it sounds like you! Also, quick question. Do you struggle to finish your music? If you answered yes, then we can help you. Yes indeed we can, just check out our cutting-edge online apprenticeship course, where you’ll learn how to make new sections for existing sections, how to transition between sections (even when they’re in different keys), and most importantly, how to finish your songs. If that sounds useful to you, the head on over to: HackMusicTheory.com/Apprenticeship. Alright, that’s it! We really hope you found this video helpful, and if you did, subscribe and hit the bell to get notifications. Also, we believe in sharing our knowledge for free. Please pay it forwards by teaching these hacks to a friend, so they can benefit from this lesson as well. I’ve been teaching music theory for 24 years, so I can safely say that the best way to learn something, is to teach it to someone else. So, go forth and teach! And on that note, thanks for joining the Hack Music Theory revolution. We’ll see you next New Music Friday!

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

 

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ABOUT
Hack Music Theory is the pioneering notation-free method for making great music. Taught by award-winning music lecturer Ray Harmony, and his protégé (and 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), 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 Hack Music Theory method! While these Hack Music Theory YouTube lessons teach music theory for producers and DAW users, they are designed to accommodate all music makers (songwriters, guitarists, etc.) and all genres, from Electronic Music to R&B, Pop to Hip-Hop, Reggae to Rock, EDM/Dance to Metal (and yes, we djefinitely Djent!).

 
 

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