Ray Harmony's Blog, page 28

The End of Hack Music Theory (Halloween Special)

Ray Harmony and the Hack Music Theory revolution are put to the ultimate test in this Halloween Special.

►Free Download / Stream of They Live to Kill (the song in this video)

If Ray fails his challenge, this will be the last ever episode on this YouTube channel. In under five minutes, he needs to write a riff, but he cannot use any scales or any modes.

Ray decides to use one of his favourite songwriting hacks, a note row. This method of composing was invented by Arnold Schoenberg in the 1920s and is known as serialism (AKA dodecaphony, twelve tone technique, 12 tone method) and results in 12 tone music (or 12 note music, if you're British like Ray), which he loves!

Using MIDI programming in his Reaper DAW, as well as his trusty electric guitar, he tackles this colossal challenge with a combination of electronic music theory and a djent guitar mindset (the lesson / tutorial is at 7:32). Ray throws down an epic metal riff while vocalist Garbageface doom raps the grooviest verse you'll ever hear!

So, whether you're looking for a Halloween funny horror music video, Halloween movies, horror movies, horror comedy, Halloween music, or just a Halloween song to get your party pumping, this video is for you. Or, whether you're wanting to seriously learn about 12 tone guitar, djent metal riff writing, hardcore metal riff writing, or just how to write heavy guitar riffs, this video is for you.

And, be sure to watch the guitar playthrough at 11:37 as well, it's unlike anything you've ever seen before!

Lastly, if you'd like us to teach you how to write great songs from start to finish, then join our online apprenticeship program at Patreon.com/RevolutionHarmony (select ARTIST tier). Last week we covered how to write a new section for an existing section, as well as how to transition between a verse and a chorus.

We really hope you dig our new music theory lesson, and if you wanna get your hands on all the vital theory hacks you need to write great songs, then please download our Hack Music Theory for Songwriting & Producing PDF (click & scroll down).

Thank you for being brave and committing to make the world a better place through better music. Until next week, happy songwriting & producing!

Ray Harmony - Victoria BC, Canada
Songwriter, Producer, Teacher & Author
Follow Kate on Spotify | Follow Ray on Spotify

♫ New Single "They Live to Kill" on Spotify ♫

 
 

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

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“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 Bass Lines - Bass Guitar & MIDI Synth (Cool Chorus Bassline Melody)

How do you write a bass line that's super catchy, but doesn't take attention away from the vocals and other instruments? Watch today's Hack Music Theory show to find out:

How to Write Bass Lines - Bass Guitar & MIDI Synth - Cool Chorus Bassline Melody (15-minute YouTube video)

Lastly, if you'd like us to teach you how to write great songs from start to finish, then join our online apprenticeship program at Patreon.com/RevolutionHarmony (select ARTIST tier). This week we're covering How to Transition Between a Verse and a Chorus.

We really hope you dig our new music theory lesson, and if you wanna get your hands on all the vital theory hacks you need to write great songs, then please download our Hack Music Theory for Songwriting & Producing PDF (click & scroll down).

Thank you for being brave and committing to make the world a better place through better music. Until next week, happy songwriting & producing!

Ray Harmony - Victoria BC, Canada
Songwriter, Producer, Teacher & Author
Follow Kate on Spotify | Follow Ray on Spotify

♫ New Single "I is Love for You" on Spotify ♫
 

 
 

Wooohooo!!! You're a mere 30 minutes away from being even smarter than you already are. Just head 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

 

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 Compose a Song - Write a Guitar Riff or Melody over a Chord Progression

Whether you're an electronic music producer or a guitarist in a band, you're gonna want contagiously catchy riffs in your songs! So, today on the Hack Music Theory show, we reveal our 6 hacks to write catchy riffs for guitar and synth:

How to Compose a Song - Write a Guitar Riff or Melody over a Chord Progression (14-minute YouTube video)

Lastly, we'll be doing our first Live Q&A tomorrow on Patreon, for our Revolutionary Artists (the peeps who've signed up for our new online apprenticeship program), so if you're interested in joining, please pop on over to: Patreon.com/RevolutionHarmony.

We really hope you dig our new music theory lesson, and if you wanna get your hands on all the vital theory hacks you need to write great songs, then please download our Hack Music Theory for Songwriting & Producing PDF (click & scroll down).

Thank you for being brave and committing to make the world a better place through better music. Until next week, happy songwriting & producing!

Ray Harmony - Victoria BC, Canada
Songwriter, Producer, Teacher & Author
Follow Kate on Spotify | Follow Ray on Spotify

♫ New Single "I is Love for You" on Spotify ♫

 
 

Wooohooo!!! You're a mere 30 minutes away from being even smarter than you already are. Just head 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

 

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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display: none;
padding: 5%;
background: #fff;
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padding: 0px 10px;
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@media all and (max-width: 403px) {
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}

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

How to Write a Hook - Chord Progression Theory for a Catchy Pop Song Chorus

So you wanna write a smash hit? Well, you're gonna need a mega memorable chorus then, starting with your chords.

Watch this Hack Music Theory lesson to learn how to use modes and chords to write a mega memorable harmonic progression for your songs' choruses. This example is in the Dorian mode, but the theory can be used in any mode, for any pop song (yes, including hip-hop, rock, R&B, EDM, etc.).

Use these 5 hacks to write and produce a hook that's contagiously catchy, and you might just find your song in the charts. But first (before you compose your smash hit)... tea!

Lastly, we'll be doing our first Live Q&A next week on Patreon for our Revolutionary Artists (the peeps who've signed up for our new online apprenticeship program), so if you're interested in joining, please pop on over to: Patreon.com/RevolutionHarmony.

We really hope you dig our new lesson, and if you wanna get your hands on all the vital theory hacks you need to write great songs, then please download our Hack Music Theory for Songwriting & Producing PDF (click & scroll down).

Thank you for being brave and committing to make the world a better place through better music. Until next week, happy songwriting & producing!

Ray Harmony - Victoria BC, Canada
Songwriter | Producer | Teacher | Author
Follow Kate on Spotify | Follow Ray on Spotify

♫ New Single "I is Love for You" on Spotify ♫
 

 
 

Wooohooo!!! You're a mere 30 minutes away from being even smarter than you already are. Just head 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

 

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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box-sizing: border-box;
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width: 100%;
float: none;
}

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overflow: hidden;
}

/* Trigger the vertical layout with media queries as well */

@media all and (max-width: 499px) {

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background: #fff;
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float: none;
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font-weight: bold;
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How to Make Basic Drum Beats More Advanced (Lesson for MIDI Drums & Real Drums)

We’ve got an extra special episode of the Hack Music Theory show for you today, cos we’re introducing a new face... Ray's brother, Tony Holroyd. He's a professional drummer based in Japan, and literally the best drummer we know!

In this drum lesson, you'll learn How to Make Basic Drum Beats More Advanced (9-minute YouTube video).

So, whether you play real drums or program MIDI drums, these 5 hacks will spice up your drum beats, and have them sounding like a pro in no time at all. 

Lastly, if you enjoy this video lesson, you can download our 5 Hacks for Spicier Drums PDF (click and scroll down). This PDF is a step-by-step guide for applying these drum hacks, and includes MIDI and easy-to-follow screenshots.

♫ Stream / Download songs Tony has played drums on ♫

Thank you for being brave and committing to make the world a better place through better music. Until next week, happy songwriting & producing!

Kate & Ray Harmony - Victoria BC, Canada
Songwriters | Producers | Teachers | Authors

♫ New Single "I is Love for You" on Spotify ♫
 

 
 

Wooohooo!!! You're a mere 30 minutes away from being even smarter than you already are. Just head 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

 

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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box-sizing: border-box;
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float: none;
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border-bottom: 1px dotted #aaa;
overflow: hidden;
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/* Trigger the vertical layout with media queries as well */

@media all and (max-width: 499px) {

.ck_form {
background: #fff;
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.ck_form_content, .ck_form_fields {
padding: 10%;
width: 100%;
float: none;
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text-shadow: none;
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top: 57px;
}
}

Up Your Verse Game (Tweak Your Modes)

Most verses in most songs these days are merely filler, something to stick in between the choruses. Verses can be captivating, though, and here's a hack for achieving this: Up Your Verse Game (Tweak Your Modes) – 8 min YouTube video.

The example song in this video is our new single, which is only out September 29th, but you can stream or download it for free right now: I is Love for You.

Lastly, we launched our new "Reality TV" show last week on Patreon, and we had an absolute blast! Thank you to all our patrons for your super positive feedback about this cutting-edge online apprenticeship project. And if you'd like to join our Patreon party, sign up here: Patreon.com/RevolutionHarmony.

We really hope you dig our new lesson, and if you wanna get your hands on all the vital theory hacks you need to write great songs, then please download our Hack Music Theory for Songwriting & Producing PDF.

Thank you for being brave and committing to make the world a better place through better music. Until next week, happy songwriting & producing!

Ray Harmony - Victoria BC, Canada
Songwriter | Producer | Teacher | Author
Follow Kate on Spotify | Follow Ray on Spotify

Write Great Songs from Start to Finish

We're ultra mega pumped to launch our exciting new Patreon-exclusive project today, where we'll be teaching how to write great songs from start to finish. Why? Well, we get tons of emails from frustrated songwriters and producers struggling with these three very common issues:

How to write verses and choruses that work together but don’t sound the same How to transition between different sections of a song, especially when they’re in different keys How to structure and arrange a whole song, so it flows perfectly from start to finish

These are epic topics, but they’re way too in-depth and time-consuming to teach on YouTube. So, that’s exactly why we’re now teaching these advanced hacks on Patreon.

In fact, we’re not just teaching our most advanced and tasty hacks on Patreon, we’re actually creating a weekly subscription-based reality-TV show, kinda like our very own “Hack Music Theory” Netflix.

You are invited into the Revolution Harmony studio for the ultimate behind-the-scenes experience, where you can watch every minute of how we write and produce our own songs, from start to finish.

But wait, that’s not all. Our Patreon project is not only for entertainment, this experience will help you to write and finish your own great songs!

So, if you’re ready to up your commitment and take your music to the next level, then head on over to Patreon.com/RevolutionHarmony

Thank you for being brave and committing to make the world a better place through better music. Until next week, happy songwriting & producing!

Kate & Ray Harmony - Victoria BC, Canada 
Songwriters | Producers | Teachers | Authors
Follow Kate on Spotify | Follow Ray on Spotify

Hack Counterpoint & Write Unique Vocal Harmonies

Today on the Hack Music Theory show, we're super excited to reveal the conclusion video for our "Lines Through Lands" example song, which we've been teaching in our 3-Minute Theory series.

In this video, you'll learn how to Hack Counterpoint & Write Unique Harmonies (6-minute YouTube video), which is arguably the No.1 game-changer for all songwriters and producers, cos pretty much nobody uses counterpoint outside of classical music these days!

We really hope you dig our new lesson, and if you wanna learn more about counterpoint as well as get your hands on all the vital theory hacks you need to write great songs, then please download our Hack Music Theory for Songwriting & Producing PDF. 

Thank you for being brave and committing to make the world a better place through better music. Until next week, happy songwriting & producing! 

Ray Harmony - Victoria BC, Canada 
Songwriter | Producer | Teacher | Author
Follow Kate on Spotify | Follow Ray on Spotify

 
 

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6 Hacks for Better Vocals (Lyrics & Melodies)

Be sure to hold on to your seat for today's Hack Music Theory show, cos it's an intense ride! In four wild minutes you'll learn our six hacks for better vocals, which Kate then beautifully demonstrates in our song "Lines Through Lands".

If you're a songwriter/producer, then these hacks are vital in order to get great vocals on your songs. And if you're not a musician, then you'll enjoy a behind-the-scenes look at how lyrics and melodies come together. So, buckle up and click Play.

Also, we're super pumped to share with you that we've just uploaded our brand new PDF: How to Write Chord Progressions using Chords Not in the Key (click & scroll down). So, if you wanna know how to use non-diatonic chords to spice up your progressions, then this one's for you!

We really hope you dig our new lesson, and if you wanna get your hands on all the vital theory hacks you need to write great songs, then please download our Hack Music Theory for Songwriting & Producing PDF.

Thank you for being brave and committing to make the world a better place through better music. Until next week, happy songwriting & producing!

Ray Harmony - Victoria BC, Canada
Songwriter | Producer | Teacher | Author

Dial A Bass Line (Give Writer's Block the Finger)

Last week we launched our new YouTube series Give Writer's Block the Finger, and since then we’ve been receiving the most heartwarming messages from people all over the world who’ve had Writer’s Block for months, even years, and after watching our video are now making music again! There are literally no words to describe how happy and humbled we are to hear this.

Today on the Hack Music Theory show, we're continuing our promise to you of curing Writer's Block once and for all, with a new hack that reveals how you can turn people/places/etc. into modes, and then into bass lines (or any other melodies). So, don't ever waste another minute staring at a blank screen again, just click Play and learn how to Dial A Bass Line.

We really hope you dig our new lesson, and if you wanna get your hands on all the vital theory hacks you need to write great songs, then please download our Hack Music Theory for Songwriting & Producing PDF.

Thank you for being brave and committing to make the world a better place through better music. Until next week, happy songwriting & producing!

Ray Harmony - Victoria BC, Canada
Musician | Songwriter | Producer | Teacher