Ray Harmony's Blog, page 21

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!).

 
 

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 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!).

 
 

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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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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!).

 
 

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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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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

 

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!).

 
 

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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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How to Write a Guitar Riff like San Holo “worthy”

In this Hack Music Theory lesson, you’ll learn how to write a BIG guitar riff (even if you don’t play guitar) like San Holo in “worthy”. But first... Tea!

Hello! I’m Kate Harmony, this is Ray Harmony, and welcome to the new Hack Music Theory show, where every Friday we hack the theory of a big new release, and you learn how to use that theory creatively in your own music.

THE THEORY
String instruments (like the guitar) have the amazing ability to play the same pitch on different strings, each of which has a slightly different sound. The most common use of this technique is to play a specific pitch as an open string first, and then as a fretted note afterwards (or vice versa). Using this technique in your riffs will give them sonic depth, as the same pitch will have two slightly different sounds. And by the way, if you’re not a guitarist, a fretted note is when you press down on a string somewhere on the fretboard to play a note, and an open string is when you play a string without pressing it down anywhere. In the “worthy” drop, San Holo uses a combination of fretted notes and the two highest-pitched open strings: E and B. By playing the notes E and B as both open strings and fretted notes, he gives his riff a big wide-open resonance that simply cannot be achieved by using only fretted notes.

THE HACK
Writing a guitar riff like this is super easy, and you can literally do it in three simple steps. Step 1: Choose a scale. San Holo chose E major for his riff, so we used that for ours as well. Step 2: Create an interesting pattern between the open E string and the open B string. This is gonna form the backbone of your guitar riff. It doesn’t sound like much yet, but that’ll all change with Step 3: Connect your open string notes with fretted notes. And you’re done!

THE BONUS
And just a few other things to consider when writing a guitar riff like this. Firstly, remember that open strings keep on ringing, so extend the MIDI of each open string note right until it reaches the next open string note on that same pitch. Secondly, throw in a few rhythmic variations to keep your listeners’ attention, like we did by sprinkling a 16th note motif throughout the riff. And lastly, remember that using open strings in your guitar riffs will almost certainly result in perfect 4th and perfect 5th intervals in your melody. These intervals are rather bland, so be sure to break ‘em up to keep your riff colourful. For example, from E down to B is the melodic movement of a perfect 4th, so we broke it up by sticking a D♯ in between. And now we’ve got two interesting intervals instead of one boring interval.

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 San Holo, please explore how you can use this hack creatively with your own musical personality, so it sounds like you! Also, if you wanna learn how to write great songs (and finish them!), then check out our cutting-edge online apprenticeship course, where you’ll join over 400 of our apprentices (from over 40 countries), who are all learning our secret art of song-whispering! Alright, that’s it! We really hope you found this video helpful, and if you did, subscribe and hit the bell to get notifications. 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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Down with the Drama

Over the last few months, you've been learning the music theory hacks we used to write our new single "Down with the Drama". Well, we're super stoked to finally reveal the finished song. Enjoy!

Hello, we are Kate Harmony & Ray Harmony (AKA Revolution Harmony), and welcome to the Hack Music Theory show, where you are empowered with notation-free theory for making great music in DAWs.

 

♫ Stream / Download Free MP3 of Down with the Drama ♫

 

CREDITS
Sarah Serene - vocals
Grey - vocals
Ray Harmony - guitar
Music by Ray Harmony
Lyrics by Ray Harmony, Kate Harmony, Sarah Serene & Grey
Produced by Ray Harmony & Kate Harmony
Mixed & mastered by Meyrick de la Fuente

 

LYRICS

Always hatin’  
Always complainin’  
Switch attitude  
Get down with the beat  
Not the drama  

Always wanting more followers  
By showing more skin  
A slave to desire  

Down with the Drama  

Always giving respect  
Loops around  
We learn when we listen  
Spiral to the edge  
One groove  

Finding peace within myself  
In the days of demise  
Stay far away from negative vibes  
Once I took my close circle down to a fraction  
And cut out all the distractions  
I really started to makin’ my strides  

It was time to groove different  
To truly improve how I’m livin’  
Had to really get in tune wit decisions  
Manifest my greatness, stars aligned with the moon and da ribbons  
Now it’s time for me to move in position  

Life is way too short just guard dat energy baby  
Keep an open eye man the closest been the enemies lately  
They see your light and try to dim at it daily  
And when its out they bring the Sun and the praise, the world we live in is crazy  

Just try to keep it leveled to the ground  
With your spirit clean, keep the devils out  
Focus on your wild dreams, let ‘em level out  
And if you got that peace, we can settle now  

You got that drama, keep it!

 

PLAYLIST
Watch all the music theory video lessons in the "Down with the Drama" YouTube series

 

MORE 
Ray RayHarmony.com
Kate KateHarmony.com
Sarah RevolutionHarmony.com/Sarah
Grey Instagram.com/OfficialGreyMusic

 

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 & effortlessly finish 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

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 Write an Arpeggio Chord Progression like David Guetta "Don't Leave Me Alone"

Happy New Music Friday! David Guetta’s new single “Don’t Leave Me Alone” (feat. Anne-Marie) dropped today, so in this music theory lesson, you'll learn how to write arpeggios like David Guetta. But first… Tea!

Hello! I’m Kate Harmony, this is Ray Harmony, and welcome to the new Hack Music Theory show (yeah it’s like Hack Music Theory v2.0). Every Friday, we’ll hack the theory of a big new release, and you’ll learn how to use that theory creatively in your own music. You can think of it as hot-off-the-press” music theory news, you can actually use!

And if you’re new to our channel, just a heads up, we cover all genres here, from Hip-Hop to EDM to Metal, and everything in between. But please note, this is a strictly classical and jazz free zone! Also, the hack that you’re about to witness is at an intermediate level, so this video will make more sense if you’ve got a solid theory foundation, which you can get in a mere 30 minutes, if you read our free book “12 Music Theory Hacks to Learn Scales & Chords” (free download below). Alright, it’s time to open your DAW to hack music theory.

THE THEORY

An arpeggio is created by simply playing a chord, one note at a time. This technique contrasts the usual "block chords" we hear in most songs, where the notes of each chord are played simultaneously. While block chords work great in some sections, their thick texture can be too much for other sections. “Don’t Leave Me Alone” is the perfect example of this, as David Guetta uses arpeggios for the verses, but block chords for the rest of the song. This contrast makes the verses sound super chill, and the drop sound super massive!

THE HACK

Right, to make arpeggios, you need chords first, so start by choosing a key and writing a chord progression. David chose a minor key for his chord progression, but then he starts the progression on the relative major key’s root chord. This creates an uplifting beginning to the chord progression, as it sounds like it’s in a major key, but then things start getting sad when we reach the real key’s root chord, which is minor. Let me show you what I mean. So to keep things simple, we’re in the key of A minor here. And using our white-note hack, you get A minor by playing all the white notes from A to A. Then, to find the relative major key, you simply count up to the third note of your minor scale. So, the relative major key of A minor, is C major. What that means, is that A minor and C major have the exact same notes. If that seems like sorcery to you, then you definitely need to read our free book (download below)!

So, by starting our progression on the Cmaj chord, listeners will think we’re in the key of C major, but then when we hit the Am chord, they’re gonna start getting drawn into the key of A minor, and they’re not getting out! And if you’re interested in why this is in the key of A minor, and not C major, it’s because of all the time spent on the Am chord, which anchors this progression into the key of A minor. And by the way, if you need help writing chord progressions, check out the simple step-by-step guide in our Songwriting & Producing PDF (click & scroll down).

Finally, here’s a couple other things to consider when writing arpeggios. Be sure to use different note values for variation. David actually only uses 1/8 notes in his arpeggios, so we’ve thrown in a few 1/16 notes to spice things up. Also, change some chords in your progression on unexpected beats. Every time David changes chords, it’s on beat 1 or beat 3, so we’ve added some variation by changing chords on beat 2 (here) and beat 4+.

Just a couple quick things before the final playthrough. Firstly, we intentionally wrote these arpeggios to be very similar to David Guetta’s, but we did that for the sake of this lesson. So, now that you know the theory hack, we want you to explore how you can use it creatively with your own musical personality, so it sounds like you! Secondly, if you wanna learn how to write great songs (and finish them!), then check out our cutting-edge online apprenticeship course, where you’ll join over 400 apprentices from over 40 countries, who’re all learning our secret art of song-whispering!

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, what do you think of this new David Guetta single? We’d love to know, so drop us a comment on YouTube. Thanks for joining the Hack Music Theory revolution, enjoy the video/podcast, 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), 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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David Guetta - Don't Leave Me Alone ft. Anne-Marie (Hack Music Theory)

Happy New Music Friday! David Guetta’s new single “Don’t Leave Me Alone” (feat. Anne-Marie) dropped today, so in this music theory lesson, you'll learn how to write arpeggios like David Guetta. But first… Tea!

Hello! I’m Kate Harmony, this is Ray Harmony, and welcome to the new Hack Music Theory show (yeah it’s like Hack Music Theory v2.0). Every Friday, we’ll hack the theory of a big new release, and you’ll learn how to use that theory creatively in your own music. You can think of it as hot-off-the-press” music theory news, you can actually use!

And if you’re new to our channel, just a heads up, we cover all genres here, from Hip-Hop to EDM to Metal, and everything in between. But please note, this is a strictly classical and jazz free zone! Also, the hack that you’re about to witness is at an intermediate level, so this video will make more sense if you’ve got a solid theory foundation, which you can get in a mere 30 minutes, if you read our free book “12 Music Theory Hacks to Learn Scales & Chords” (free download below). Alright, it’s time to open your DAW to hack music theory.

THE THEORY

An arpeggio is created by simply playing a chord, one note at a time. This technique contrasts the usual "block chords" we hear in most songs, where the notes of each chord are played simultaneously. While block chords work great in some sections, their thick texture can be too much for other sections. “Don’t Leave Me Alone” is the perfect example of this, as David Guetta uses arpeggios for the verses, but block chords for the rest of the song. This contrast makes the verses sound super chill, and the drop sound super massive!

THE HACK

Right, to make arpeggios, you need chords first, so start by choosing a key and writing a chord progression. David chose a minor key for his chord progression, but then he starts the progression on the relative major key’s root chord. This creates an uplifting beginning to the chord progression, as it sounds like it’s in a major key, but then things start getting sad when we reach the real key’s root chord, which is minor. Let me show you what I mean. So to keep things simple, we’re in the key of A minor here. And using our white-note hack, you get A minor by playing all the white notes from A to A. Then, to find the relative major key, you simply count up to the third note of your minor scale. So, the relative major key of A minor, is C major. What that means, is that A minor and C major have the exact same notes. If that seems like sorcery to you, then you definitely need to read our free book (download below)!

So, by starting our progression on the Cmaj chord, listeners will think we’re in the key of C major, but then when we hit the Am chord, they’re gonna start getting drawn into the key of A minor, and they’re not getting out! And if you’re interested in why this is in the key of A minor, and not C major, it’s because of all the time spent on the Am chord, which anchors this progression into the key of A minor. And by the way, if you need help writing chord progressions, check out the simple step-by-step guide in our Songwriting & Producing PDF (click & scroll down).

Finally, here’s a couple other things to consider when writing arpeggios. Be sure to use different note values for variation. David actually only uses 1/8 notes in his arpeggios, so we’ve thrown in a few 1/16 notes to spice things up. Also, change some chords in your progression on unexpected beats. Every time David changes chords, it’s on beat 1 or beat 3, so we’ve added some variation by changing chords on beat 2 (here) and beat 4+.

Just a couple quick things before the final playthrough. Firstly, we intentionally wrote these arpeggios to be very similar to David Guetta’s, but we did that for the sake of this lesson. So, now that you know the theory hack, we want you to explore how you can use it creatively with your own musical personality, so it sounds like you! Secondly, if you wanna learn how to write great songs (and finish them!), then check out our cutting-edge online apprenticeship course, where you’ll join over 400 apprentices from over 40 countries, who’re all learning our secret art of song-whispering!

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, what do you think of this new David Guetta single? We’d love to know, so drop us a comment on YouTube. Thanks for joining the Hack Music Theory revolution, enjoy the video/podcast, 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), 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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“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 a Bass Line like DJ Khaled "No Brainer"

In this 60-second music theory lesson, you'll learn how to write a bass line like DJ Khaled.

Hello, we are Kate Harmony & Ray Harmony (AKA Revolution Harmony), and welcome to the Hack Music Theory show. This is a 60-second special on DJ Khaled's new single "No Brainer" (ft. Justin Bieber, Chance the Rapper, Quavo).

We really hope you find this music theory lesson helpful, and if you do, be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel, and hit the bell to get notifications. Thanks for joining the Hack Music Theory revolution, and we'll see you next time!

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 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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width: 100%;
color: #fff;
margin: 0px 0px 0px;
padding: 8px 8px;
font-size: 18px;
background: #d74128;
-moz-border-radius: 4px;
-webkit-border-radius: 4px;
border-radius: 30px; /* border radius */
cursor: pointer;
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;
}
}