Ray Harmony's Blog, page 23

How to Write a Melody for Synth Pads - Add Layers to Chord Progressions or Bass Lines (Counterpoint)

In this Hack Music Theory lesson, you’ll learn how to use synth pads in a way that won’t just fill out your sound, but will actually add a vital musical layer to your songs. But first... Tea!

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.

Synth pads are miracle workers for filling out your sound. However, as a result of their sonic superpowers, most producers totally undervalue their potential to contribute musically to their songs. This means that pads are all too often an afterthought; thrown in a section that isn’t sounding full enough. And these "afterthought pads" are super boring, as they’re usually just doubling the chords, or even worse, just playing the root note of each chord. So, if you envision a section of your song being pad-friendly, then try write the pads before you write your lead melody. Because, when pads are written into the core of a section, they can inspire great lead melodies to grow out of them, creating a magical interwoven and layered musical experience (as you’ll see in next week’s video, when we cover the lead melody for this section!).

1:45 - HACK 1 - Counterpad
4:13 - HACK 2 - Trill Your Listeners

Melodies (or chords) played on synth pads are usually simple and move rather slowly, as pads have a rounder sound with less attack, perfect for those long notes! But, when that’s all they play, things can get pretty boring. So, how do you keep your pads simple and slow, without them getting boring? Easy, you just use musical decorations, as they add interest, but don’t interfere with your melodies (or chords), and these little unexpected decorations will definitely trill, sorry, thrill your listeners!

There’s many different types of musical decorations you can use to embellish a simple melody like this, but one of our favourites, and the one we used in this example, is what we call a “slow motion trill”. A trill, also known as a shake, is what you get when you ping-pong super quick back and forth between the note you’re on, and the next note up in your scale. But while a normal trill would probably use 1/32 notes at this tempo, we’re using 1/8 notes, which gives us that same decorative effect, but without the notes turning into a blur. Cos synth pads just can’t handle 1/32 notes - speed is not one of their strong points! So, listen to your pad melody, and wherever you feel it starts to get a bit boring, stop on that note, cut it up, and turn it into a slow motion trill, as that surprisingly fast movement of 1/8 notes will totally invigorate your pads!

EXAMPLE
The example in this video is the verse section from of our upcoming single “Down with the Drama”, which features the amazing Sarah Serene on vocals. If you missed any of our previous videos on this song, check out our YouTube playlist.

MORE
If you want a more in-depth lesson on how to use counterpoint, we suggest our video: Hack Counterpoint & Write Unique Harmonies.

Lastly, do you struggle to finish your music? If you do, then check out our online apprenticeship course, where you’ll learn how to effortlessly write new sections for existing sections, how to transition between them, and most importantly, how to finish your songs! For more info, just head on over to our Apprenticeship Course. Alright, enjoy the video/podcast.

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 how to become a song-whisperer, 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!).

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Published on June 11, 2018 10:46

How to Make Arpeggios - Turn Chord Progressions into Melodies

In this Hack Music Theory lesson, you’ll learn how to break up your simple chord progressions and turn ‘em into stunning melodies. But first... Tea!

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.

INTRO
When you break up a chord and play it one note at a time (instead of all the notes together), you turn harmony into melody. This magic trick is known as an arpeggio, which is just a fancy way of saying “broken chord”. And, when you play a chord one note at a time, you also end up with a far more interesting rhythm. It’s a win-win! Now I know what you’re thinking: If arpeggios are that amazing, then why aren’t all chord progressions played one note at a time? What’s the catch? Well, the melodic nature of arpeggios can easily interfere with (and even take attention away from) your lead melody, so they often work best under simple lead melodies, or in a section where there is no lead melody.

1:29 - HACK 1 - Notes Likes Bricks
2:45 - HACK 2 - Stairway to Boredom

Most arpeggios you hear these days, walk unimaginatively up or down the notes of the chord. But a chord is not a staircase that needs to be ascended or descended! Yeah you can start in the middle of the chord, then go up, and then come down. You can do anything! So, every time you turn a block chord into an arpeggio, challenge yourself to come up with an imaginative order for the notes, and only use the ascending or descending options if it’s really what your song wants from that chord at that moment.

EXAMPLE
The example in this video is the verse section from of our upcoming single “Down with the Drama”, which features the amazing Sarah Serene on vocals. If you missed any of our previous videos on this song, check out our YouTube playlist.

MORE
If you want a more in-depth lesson on writing chord progressions and arpeggios and all that good stuff, we suggest our video 5 Hacks for Better Chord Progressions.

Lastly, do you struggle to finish your music? If you do, then check out our online apprenticeship course, where you’ll learn how to effortlessly write new sections for existing sections, how to transition between them, and most importantly, how to finish your songs! For more info, just head on over to our Apprenticeship Course. Alright, enjoy the video/podcast.

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 how to become a song-whisperer, 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.

“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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Published on June 04, 2018 11:12

How to Make Drum Fills - Music Theory Hacks for Programming MIDI Drums

Drum fills create vital rhythmic variation and excitement, which kicks up the energy of your music like nothing else! But even more important than that, drum fills build anticipation for what’s coming up next.

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. So, in this music theory lesson, you’ll learn how to spice up your songs’ transitions by using tasty drum fills. But first... Tea!

1:13 - HACK 1 - The End
2:46 - HACK 2 - The Beginning

Almost as important as where your drum fill ends, is where it begins! If you start your fill too early, it will run out of steam and lose the hype. And if you start your fill too late, it won’t have enough time to build enough anticipation.

EXAMPLE
The example in this video is the pre-chorus section from of our upcoming single “Down with the Drama”, which features the amazing Sarah Serene on vocals. Watch all our "Down with the Drama" music theory lessons (YouTube playlist).