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How to Write a Timeless Piano Part • Music Theory from The Beatles "Now And Then"

 

 

How to Write Timeless Piano
like The Beatles

 

Download Tutorial as PDF
includes MIDI + WAV file examples

 

 

The last Beatles song. That’s what the official press release calls “Now And Then”. The Beatles made history this week (again!), but the internet is flooded with writing about this song, so we won’t repeat the story of how “Now And Then” came to be. Instead, we’ll focus exclusively on why this song sounds timeless.

 

Until recently, I used to think that J.S. Bach’s music was timeless. But now I’m not so sure. I’ve been to many Bach concerts, and while my head is bald by choice, almost all the other men in there didn’t have a choice with their bald heads, if you know what I mean?! So, who’s gonna be listening to Bach in 30 years from now? Don’t get me wrong, there will always be Bach superfans (like me!), but is his music timeless if it’s not popular with the general public now? Bach’s music is far too complex to appeal to most modern musical taste buds, so it’s not really timeless. It’s the same with art and poetry. Yes, there will always be William Blake superfans (like me!), but the general public nowadays is clearly not interested in this genius’ work. Great art will always be great art, but perhaps it’s not timeless.

 

So why is this PDF titled “Timeless Piano” then? Well, by definition timeless music has to appeal to generation after generation, and there’s been a clear trend for many decades in the music that the general public listens to. Yep, it’s been getting simpler and simpler. So, perhaps the way to write music that’s going to have the best chance of being timeless, is to make it extremely simple. But, the simpler the music, the more chance there is of it getting boring. And if it gets boring, it’s obviously not going to have a very long shelf life. That’s where the genius of The Beatles shines: they’re masters of making simple music that has just enough interest to prevent it from getting boring. The result? Timeless(ish) music.

 

You see, I still don’t believe that any music can be said to be truly timeless, as how can we possibly know if the general public will be listening to it in a thousand years from now!? Nevertheless, inspired by “Now And Then”, here’s our 4-step method for writing a piano part that’s as timeless as The Beatles. But first… Tea!

 

 

Step 1. A Couple Chords

 

The chord progression in “Now And Then” mainly consists of two chords. Before we get to those two chords, though, a brilliant and creative hack that The Beatles use is to make their progression ten bars long. We’re obviously used to hearing loops of two bars, four bars, or sometimes eight bars. But ten bars? Nope, we’re not used to that at all. So, despite their progression being super simple, those extra two bars at the end keep us interested and engaged, because they’re unexpected.

 

So, change your tempo to 87 BPM, then create a ten-bar loop on your piano track. We’re gonna start off with the grid on 1/4 notes. The Beatles begin their song (intro and verse, which is what we’re teaching here) in the key of A minor , so we’ll use it too.

 

A natural minor

1

2

♭3

4

5

♭6

♭7

Am

Bdim

Cmaj

Dm

Em

Fmaj

Gmaj

 

Now it’s time to choose your two chords. Your progression is going to change back and forth between these two chords for five bars, so make sure you really like them. You can use any chords from the key, other than the diminished (Bdim). Well, unless you want to make your listeners feel very very uncomfortable.

 

The Beatles begin on the root chord (Am), as it anchors their progression into the key. For this reason, we suggest you also start on Am. We did, too. Their second chord is Em. We chose Dm. Their choice of two minors (Am→Em) obviously makes “Now And Then” deeply solemn. If you want a more uplifting sounding progression, though, then definitely choose a major as your second chord.

 

Once you’re happy with your two chords, draw them in, with each chord lasting one bar. This is another great example of how The Beatles keep their progression simple. They could’ve changed chords on beat 3, or even an off-beat, which would sound more interesting, but maybe that’s too interesting for timeless(ish) music.

 

Beginning of our progression: Am to Dm

 

 

Next, invert your second chord to get the common note in the same place. If you don’t have a common note, you’ll need to make one. If you don’t know how to do that, we teach it in our Songwriting & Producing (Course). Otherwise just choose a different second chord that does contain a common note with the Am.

 

Dm inverted by moving A down an octave

 

 

Next, delete the ♭3 (C) in your Am chord. Why? Well, it’s yet another way that The Beatles create interest without making it too interesting. And by deleting the 3rd note of Am, it’s theoretically no longer Am, it’s now A5 (i.e. the root and 5th).

 

As you know, the 3rd note determines a chord’s quality (i.e. whether it’s major or minor), so by deleting the ♭3 in our Am chord, we’ve de-minored it. And no, that’s definitely not a musical term! Also, for the record, it’s no longer a “chord” either, because a chord requires at least three notes. It’s now an interval/harmony.

 

Am with ♭3 (C) deleted, moving to Dm/A* (root note of each chord highlighted)

 

 

 

For the rest of the tutorial, please buy the PDF. Supporting our work helps us to keep teaching. Thank you :)

 

 

 

Download PDF Tutorial  

 

 

We publish four new PDF tutorials every month.
Subscribe & Save 33% on future PDFs.

 

 

 

 

Lastly, are you new to music theory? Or are you experienced, but you want a refresher? Then download our FREE BOOK (link opens in new tab). It only takes 30 minutes to read, then you’ll have a solid theory foundation that you can instantly apply to your songwriting and producing. Enjoy!

 

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Ray Harmony
Multi award-winning college lecturer

 

 

 

How to Write a Memorable Bass Line • Music Theory from Röyksopp "So Easy"

 

How to Write a
Memorable Bass Line
using modal ambiguity

 

 

Yes, your lead melody is important. But a great bass line has the power to make or break a section. Despite that fact, though, most producers approach their bass as an afterthought. Think about it. How many songs’ bass lines can you remember?

 

Almost all the bass lines we hear in the new releases each week are not really bass lines, they’re bass frequencies. If a producer merely plays each chord’s root note as their bass line, that’s not a melody (“line” is just an informal word for melody).

 

In order for it to be a bass line, it needs to be an actual melody. We’re obviously not saying that your bass should play a catchy melody like you’d want on the lead synth or vocals. But, it does need to contain the characteristics of a well-written melody, which will also make it memorable. And that’s a good test for yourself. The day after you’ve been writing, can you remember the bass line in your head?

 

A great example of a super memorable bass line, which doesn’t steal any attention away from the lead melody, can be found in the song “So Easy” by Norwegian electronic duo, Röyksopp. If you haven’t heard this song, have a quick listen, it’s the opening track on their brilliant album “Melody A.M.” from 2001. The song actually begins with both their bass line and lead melody playing, and while the lead is crazy catchy, the bass below is 100% memorable as well, without ever taking any attention away from the lead melody. It’s truly brilliant!

 

In this PDF you’ll learn the characteristics that make their bass line so memorable, as well as our 4-step method for writing memorable bass lines. But first… Tea!

 

 

 

Step 1. Half & Half

 

Set your tempo to 104 BPM and leave your time signature on 4|4. Then create an eight-bar loop on your bass track, and set your grid to 1/16 notes. When you analyse Röyksopp’s bass line, one of the most obvious characteristics you’ll notice is that half of it isn’t there, or so it seems. In other words, they use a ton of rests! So many, in fact, that their bass line consists of about half notes and half rests.

 

That’s a rather counterintuitive approach to bass, as it’s the foundation upon which the music is built. If half your foundation isn’t there, then surely you’re heading for trouble, right? Nope. Their clever use of rests ensures their bass line stands out because it’s different. But, as it’s not even there half the time, it’s not taking attention away from the lead melody. On that note, their lead is the opposite. It consists of longer connected notes, with no rests other than where they phrase it.

 

Okay let’s get to it! So you’re gonna start by writing a two-bar rhythm on C, the root note. But remember, you want about half of it to be rests. Also, all the notes should be short, so use a combination of 1/8 notes and 1/16 notes. And don’t be shy with the syncopation! If you play too many notes on the beat, it’s going to sound stiff and rigid. Those off-beat accents are gonna bring your bass line to life.

 

Two-bar rhythm on root note, C

 

 

When you’re happy with your lively two-bar rhythm, copy and paste it into bars three and four. Now, delete beat 4 in the fourth bar. You’ll find out why in Step 4.

Two-bar rhythm copied and pasted (highlighted) with beat 4 in fourth bar deleted

 

 

Then for variation, make one tiny change to a note towards the end of bar four.

Tiny rhythmic variation created at end of fourth bar (highlighted)

 

 

 

Step 2. Anchors & Arcs

 

The next thing you’ll notice about Röyksopp’s brilliant bass line is that it begins with three punchy on-beat root notes, before taking off to a bunch of other notes.

 

They repeat this pattern every two bars. That anchors the bass line into their key’s root note, as well as providing a rhythmic anchor. Every couple bars their bass briefly anchors melodically (to the root) and rhythmically (to the beat), before it ventures off to explore. And that exploration creates a melodic “arc” (i.e. contour), which we’ll get to in Step 3.

 

For the rest of the tutorial, please buy the PDF. Supporting our work helps us to keep teaching. Thank you :)

 

 

 

Download PDF Tutorial  

 

 

We publish four new PDF tutorials every month.
You can Subscribe & Save 33%

 

 

 

 

Lastly, are you new to music theory? Or are you experienced, but you want a refresher? Then download our FREE BOOK (link opens in new tab). It only takes 30 minutes to read, then you’ll have a solid theory foundation that you can instantly apply to your songwriting and producing. Enjoy!

 

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Ray Harmony
Multi award-winning college lecturer

 

 

 

How to Write a Modulating Melody • Music Theory from John Carpenter "Halloween Theme"

 

How to Write a Modulating Melody
using a series of direct key changes

 

 

John Carpenter’s “Halloween Theme” is one of the most recognizable pieces of music in the horror film genre. And that’s not just because the movie is so famous, it’s because the music is massively attention-grabbing due to all its original ideas.

 

One of the many creative techniques he uses is modulating (i.e. changing key) in the middle of his melody. That’s completely crazy! To put it in context. Most music nowadays doesn’t even modulate at all. In other words, the whole song (verse, chorus, and everything else) is all in the same key. How mind-numbingly boring!

 

So, when Mr Carpenter changes key halfway through his “Halloween” melody, it grabs your full, undivided attention, as it’s unlike anything you’ve heard before. It goes without saying that this technique can be used in any genre, and wherever you use it, heads are gonna turn, because nothing grabs attention like a mid-melody modulation. And that’s not even the only modulation he does, there’s a lot more!

 

Without further ado. Inspired by the “Halloween Theme”, here’s our 7-step method for writing modulating melodies like John Carpenter. But first… Tea!

 

 

Step 1. Repetition

 

In our research for this tutorial, we found a video of John Carpenter talking about his “Halloween Theme” being in 5|4. However, because of the way he groups his piano part, the time signature is actually 10|8. And yes, they’re obviously the exact same length: five 1/4 notes = ten 1/8 notes. But, when you listen to the original you can clearly hear the 10|8 grouping: two groups of three 1/8 notes, followed by two groups of two 1/8 notes.

 

MIDI for John Carpenter’s “Halloween Theme” piano part (right-hand):

First group of three 1/8 notes highlighted (beats 1, 2, 3)

 

 

Second group of three 1/8 notes highlighted (beats 4, 5, 6)

 

 

First group of two 1/8 notes highlighted (beats 7, 8)

 

 

Second group of two 1/8 notes highlighted (beats 9, 10)

 

 

If the piano part was in 5|4, there would be five groups of two 1/8 notes, like this:

Example of what piano part would look like if time signature was 5|4 and not 10|8

(first note of each group of two 1/8 notes highlighted)

 

 

To complicate things, though, the drums play a four-on-the-floor style pattern, except it’s actually five-on-the-floor due to the length of each bar:

“Halloween Theme” drum beat plays a kick (highlighted) on each 1/4 note beat

 

 

With the drums accenting every 1/4 note beat, it’s clear that they’re in 5|4. So, when we take the drums into account, we realise there’s actually a polymeter here (i.e. two time signature playing simultaneously): the drums are playing in 5|4 while the piano is playing in 10|8. Very cool! But seeing as Mr Carpenter considers the whole thing to be in 5|4, we’ll go with that too, just to keep it nice and simple.

 

So, load up a piano track, then create a four-bar loop in 5|4, with your grid on 1/8 notes. Set your DAW’s tempo to 136 BPM. There’s actually two different versions of the “Halloween Theme”, the original one from 1978 and the remake from 2018. They’re both in the same tempo (and keys), and they’re pretty much the same, other than one relatively big difference that we’ll talk about in Step 4.

 

Right, let’s get down to the music making! We’re gonna start by writing the right-hand part of our piano. This part is super simple. As you can see in the MIDI screenshots above of the original version, John Carpenter only uses three notes: the 1 (F♯), 5 (C♯), and ♭6 (D). The original starts in the key of F♯ minor, but we’ll use A minor to keep things simple, as that’s just all the white notes from A to A.

 

For the rest of the tutorial, please buy the PDF. Supporting our work helps us to keep teaching. Thank you :)

 

 

 

Download PDF Tutorial  

 

 

We publish four new PDF tutorials every month.
You can Subscribe & Save 33%

 

 

Lastly, are you new to music theory? Or are you experienced, but you want a refresher? Then download our FREE BOOK (link opens in new tab). It only takes 30 minutes to read, then you’ll have a solid theory foundation that you can instantly apply to your songwriting and producing. Enjoy!

Ray Harmony
Multi award-winning college lecturer

 

 

 

How to Write Haunting Arpeggios • Music Theory from Danny Elfman "Wednesday Main Titles"

 

How to Write Haunting Arpeggios
using parallel keys and borrowed chords

 

 

Danny Elfman’s theme song for the Netflix show Wednesday (officially called “Wednesday Main Titles” on the soundtrack album) is utterly brilliant! It’s just over one minute, but the amount of creative theory it contains is thoroughly impressive.

 

One of the most unusual sections is at 21 seconds into the track. It’s a crazy creative chord progression, played as triplet arpeggios. The section is so haunting and unsettling, because he slides through three different keys in the space of four bars. This leaves the listener feeling disorientated, as their subconscious is trying to figure out if it did actually hear a key change or if it just imagined that. You know the feeling, right? Maybe that was just a shadow at the window, and that noise was probably (hopefully) just a branch knocking against the house. Hmmm…

 

On that note, go and check that all your doors are locked and your windows are closed. Then, turn off your lights, put on your headphones, and let’s make some spooky music! So, inspired by the Wednesday theme song, here’s our 4-step method for writing haunting arpeggios like Danny Elfman. But first… Tea!

 

 

Step 1. Chords

 

There’s two stages to this method. First you’ll write a haunting chord progression (Steps 1 & 2), then you’ll turn that into arpeggios (Step 3). As a bonus, we’ve included a section on how to write a haunting bass line for your arpeggios (Step 4). By the way, Stage 2 is super quick and easy, but Stage 1 will take some time. Okay let’s get to work, cos these arpeggios aren’t gonna write themselves - they’re haunting arpeggios, not haunted arpeggios!

 

Set your tempo to 98 BPM, then create four bars of 4|4. You can just use a piano sound for now, then after you’ve finished writing, you can play around with some different sounds. Next, change your grid to 1/8 note triplets. If you want your whole song to be in this triplet feel, though, then you can use the 12|8 time signature. We’re using triplets because the opening section of Wednesday is in 4|4. It switches to 1/8 note triplets after 21 seconds, when this arpeggio section begins.

 

Now that you’re all set up, it’s time to grab some paper and a pen. Yep, we’re going old-school in Step 1. An arpeggio is simply a chord played one note at a time. So, before we get to our arpeggios, we obviously need to write a chord progression.

 

Here is Danny Elfman’s progression: Dm → F♯m → C♯m → Bm → Dm

 

A surface-level analysis of that progression reveals that he’s only using minor chords. That’s a great hack all on its own, because a progression made up exclusively of minor chords will sound seriously dark, as you’re never giving your listener a break from the somber nature of minor chords. Now, if you do a deep analysis, you’ll discover something far more remarkable. The progression is in the key of D minor, so what do you notice about its chords?

 

D natural minor scale

1

2

♭3

4

5

♭6

♭7

Dm

Edim

Fmaj

Gm

Am

B♭maj

Cmaj

 

 

Our deep analysis doesn’t even get past the second chord before we discover that Danny Elfman has officially left the key! There’s no F♯ in D minor. So, the second chord in this progression is a non-diatonic chord, i.e. a chord that’s not in the key. On we go to the third chord. Oh, he’s done it again! There’s no C♯ in D minor either. And on to the fourth chord. Same again! There’s no B in D minor. What?!

 

So, sandwiched between two root chords that start and finish the progression, he has three non-diatonic chords. That’s obviously not normal. In fact, it’s so unusual that it takes us back to the drawing board, because if the root chord is the only chord that’s in the key, then is the key really D minor or did we get it wrong?

 

No we didn’t. The key is D minor, but each of those three non-diatonic chords is from a different key. A parallel key! A parallel key is just the fancy term for a key (i.e. scale/mode) that has the same root note. And when you play a chord from a parallel key, it’s called a borrowed chord. In this example, D natural minor and D major are parallel. D Lydian is also parallel, which is another key Danny Elfman uses in his progression.

 

For the rest of the tutorial, please buy the PDF. Supporting our work helps us to keep teaching. Thank you :)

 

 

Download PDF Tutorial  

 

 

We publish four new PDF tutorials every month.
You can Subscribe & Save 33%

 

 

Lastly, are you new to music theory? Or are you experienced, but you want a refresher? Then download our FREE BOOK (link opens in new tab). It only takes 30 minutes to read, then you’ll have a solid theory foundation that you can instantly apply to your songwriting and producing. Enjoy!

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Ray Harmony
Multi award-winning college lecturer

 

 

 

How to Write a Suspenseful Melody • Music Theory from Mike Oldfield "Tubular Bells" The Exorcist (1973) theme

 

How to Write a Suspenseful Melody
using Bitonality, AKA playing in two keys simultaneously

 

The dictionary definition of suspenseful is “causing a feeling of excitement or nervousness because you are waiting for something to happen”.

That perfectly describes the intro of “Tubular Bells - Pt. I” by Mike Oldfield. It’s easy to hear why The Exorcist (1973) director William Friedkin chose this music for his film. Recall that classic scene where Chris starts walking home alone as the “Tubular Bells” intro begins. Eeek! Talk about “waiting for something to happen”.

If you wanna make music that keeps people listening because they need to know what happens next, then knowing how to create suspense is essential. Mike Oldfield has given us a masterclass with this music. So, inspired by “Tubular Bells”, here’s our 4-step method for writing a suspenseful melody. But first… Tea!

 

Step 1. Odd

One of the first things we notice about the intro of “Tubular Bells - Pt. I” is that it’s in an odd time signature. If you count along with that piano part in the intro, you’ll count 15 beats. So, change your DAW’s time signature to 15|4 and set the tempo to 150 BPM.

On closer analyses of the piano part (i.e. where its melody repeats), it becomes apparent that the time signature is actually one bar of 7|4 followed by two bars of 4|4. But as that adds up to 15|4, we’ll just go with that to keep things simpler.

Next, create a one-bar loop of 15|4 on your piano track, with the grid on 1/8 notes. We’re gonna start by writing a rhythm on E (the root), using only 1/8 notes and 1/8 rests. You can do whatever you want, but don’t play more than two notes in a row. Also, only make your rhythm seven 1/4 notes long, i.e. one bar of 7|4.

7|4 rhythm (on E)

 

 

Step 2. Pitch

Now it’s time to turn this rhythm into a melody! For the rest of the tutorial, please buy the PDF. Supporting our work helps us to keep teaching. Thank you :)

 

 

Download PDF Tutorial  

 

 

We publish four new PDF tutorials every month.
You can Subscribe & Save 33%

 

 

Lastly, are you new to music theory? Or are you experienced, but you want a refresher? Then download our FREE BOOK (link opens in new tab). It only takes 30 minutes to read, then you’ll have a solid theory foundation that you can instantly apply to your songwriting and producing. Enjoy!

[image error]

Ray Harmony
Multi award-winning college lecturer

 

 

 

How to Write a Mysterious Melody • Music Theory from John Williams "Harry Potter" theme

 

How to Write a Mysterious Melody
Using the Chromatic Scale

 

 

The epitome of a mysterious and magical melody is the Harry Potter theme (titled “Prologue” on the soundtrack album) by legendary film composer, John Williams.

 

This melody is overflowing with mystery and magic for a few reasons, all of which you’ll learn in this PDF, but the main reason is: chromaticism. That’s just the fancy word for using notes that are not in the scale. While this technique is (sadly) rare in popular music, it’s common in classical and soundtrack music.

 

However, John Williams elevates his chromaticism in the Harry Potter theme with an additional technique, which you’ll also learn in this tutorial. For now though, it’s sufficient to know that the chromaticism found in this melody is not your average run-of-the-mill chromaticism, this is very special.

 

Whatever genre you make music in*, if you want to learn how to convey mystery and magic through a melody, you can learn everything you need to know from John Williams. So, inspired by the Harry Potter theme, in this PDF you’ll learn our 6-step method for writing mysterious melodies. But first… Tea!

 

*Like all the Hack Music Theory teachings, the method in this tutorial will work in any genre.

 

 

Step 1. Diatonic

 

First things first. Before we can play notes that are not in the scale, we need a scale. Remember though, no matter what scale you’re using, you can always add chromatic notes to your melody. And by the way, another word for chromatic is non-diatonic (notes in the key are diatonic, notes outside the key are non-diatonic).

 

So, while the Harry Potter theme is rooted in the natural minor scale, after you’ve worked through this PDF, you can follow the method again but in another scale/mode. For this example, though, we’ll be using the E natural minor scale:

 

E Natural Minor Scale

1

2

♭3

4

5

♭6

♭7

E

F♯

G

A

B

C

D

 

 

Set your DAW’s time signature to 3|8 and the tempo to about 90 BPM. As the original recording was played by an orchestra (not a computer), the tempo varies a lot due to the musicians’ expressive performance. After you’ve written your melody, revisit your tempo and try some faster or slower BPMs to see if that better suits your specific melody.

 

Next, create a 16-bar loop on your melody track. That sounds like a super long melody, but it’s not really, because each bar is only three 1/8 notes long. So the length of this melody will be the equivalent of six bars of 4|4.

 

Regarding the virtual instrument to load up on this track. John Williams uses a celesta, which is a beautiful instrument, but rather rare. If you don’t have a celesta in your library, as we don’t, then you can use a vibraphone, which is what we used. Or you can use a vintage organ, an electric piano, or even a regular piano. Obviously the more mysterious (i.e. the less common) your instrument, the more mysterious your final music will sound, so try to at least find something unusual.

 

 

Step 2. Chromatic

 

Walls have ears, so please make sure nobody’s listening in, because we’re about to talk about those mysterious and magical chromatic notes. Shhh…

 

For the rest of the tutorial, please buy the PDF. Supporting our work helps us to keep teaching. Thank you :)

 

 

Download PDF Tutorial  

 

 

 

Lastly, are you new to music theory? Or are you experienced, but you want a refresher? Then download our FREE BOOK (link opens in new tab). It only takes 30 minutes to read, then you’ll have a solid theory foundation that you can instantly apply to your songwriting and producing. Enjoy!

[image error]

Ray Harmony
Multi award-winning college lecturer

 

 

How to Write a Technical Drum Beat • Music Theory from TesseracT "Natural Disaster"

 

How to Write a
Technical Drum Beat

 

If you’ve been in the Hack Music Theory family for a while, you’ll know we love technical drum beats! And there probably ain’t nothin’ more tech’ than polymeters*. While polymeters were relatively popular with those bold “modern classical” composers of the early 20th century, they haven’t been used much since then.

 

And yes, over the last few decades there have been a few rare examples of polymeters in popular music. But, it wasn’t until a group of hairy Swedes with exceptional talent (otherwise known as Meshuggah) came along and re-popularised the polymeter. What made Meshuggah’s polymeters unique, though, is their genius idea of having their drummer’s hands (snare & cymbals) play in 4|4 as the one time signature, while his feet (kick) play in an odd time signature, like 17|16. The genius of the Meshuggah method is that listeners can nod (or mosh) along to the 4|4 time signature, while the odd time signature slithers around unpredictably. The brilliance of this can’t be overstated. They created a way to play in odd time while the audience dances in 4|4.

 

To get an idea of how weird odd time signatures sound without this method, listen to “March of the Pigs” by Nine Inch Nails. They alternate three bars of 7|8 with one bar of 4|4. And while we love this song, you have to have a relatively high level of music theory knowledge just to be able to dance along to it. That’s obviously not ideal for the average listener. Also, 7|8 isn’t even that weird. Meshuggah uses far weirder time signatures! But, because they’re playing them against 4|4, you can dance along.

 

Meshuggah’s method has become a favourite for prog/tech bands over the last couple decades, and TesseracT are one of them. Their new album “War of Being” kicks off with a great polymeter (in the track “Natural Disaster”) which finds them adding a few creative twists to Meshuggah’s method. So, inspired by “Natural Disaster”, here’s our 6-step method for making technical polymetric drum beats. But first… Tea!

 

*If you’re new to polymeters, it’s the term for playing in two (or more) time signatures simultaneously.

 

 

Download PDF Tutorial  

 

 

Lastly, are you new to music theory? Or are you experienced, but you want a refresher? Then download our FREE BOOK (link opens in new tab). It only takes 30 minutes to read, then you’ll have a solid theory foundation that you can instantly apply to your songwriting and producing. Enjoy!

[image error]

Ray Harmony
Multi award-winning college lecturer

 

 

How to Write a Prog Melody • Music Theory from Steven Wilson "Impossible Tightrope"

 

How to Write a Prog Melodyusing the Major-Minor scale, aka Mixolydian ♭6

 

There aren’t many melodies that stand out nowadays. In an era where most musicians are trying to sound like the popular musicians in their genre, the result is a narrowing of musical territory. This should shock the world, as artists have historically been the brave explorers boldly trekking into unmapped cultural regions. These days, though, most “artists” tend to be copycats playing it safe, doing everything in their power (and AI’s power) to stay within the narrow boundaries of what the masses deem acceptable. The result is not art, but product.

 

It only requires a cursory glance in the rearview mirror to see that the artists who stand the test of time are the ones who bring something new to the table. To be clear, the artist’s job is not to reinvent the musical wheel (like Arnold Schoenberg did). But, every human has a slightly different way of seeing the world, and art is supposed to be a way for the artist to capture and share their unique worldview.

 

One of the rare artists who still takes his job description seriously is prog rock legend Steven Wilson. Regardless of what you think of his music (or him as a person), and regardless of whether you love or hate his band Porcupine Tree, huge respect is owed to the man for sticking to the artist’s brief. Steven Wilson’s music is not groundbreaking, but it always sounds like Steven Wilson’s music, not someone else’s. Yet he continues to mature and explore new musical ground (for him). A recent example of this is his new single “Impossible Tightrope” from upcoming album “The Harmony Codex”. And what a great name for an album, right?

 

At 5:46 into the epic 10-minute song, there’s a section where the bass and drums play a captivatingly syncopated groove, while Steven sings a beautifully strange melody over the top. This melody instantly stands out, as the scale is not a normal scale. The first time I heard this section, I knew I had to share it with you. So, in this PDF you’ll learn this beautifully strange scale, and our 6-step method for using it to write a prog melody. But first… Tea!

 

 

Download PDF Tutorial
 

 

 

Lastly, are you new to music theory? Or are you experienced, but you want a refresher? Then download our FREE BOOK (link opens in new tab). It only takes 30 minutes to read, then you’ll have a solid theory foundation that you can instantly apply to your songwriting and producing. Enjoy!

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Ray Harmony
Multi award-winning college lecturer

 

How to Write an Octatonic Riff • Music Theory from Ministry "Goddamn White Trash"

 

How to Write an Octatonic RiffUsing the Half-Whole Diminished Scale

 

 

Almost all popular music (in every genre and subgenre) is made using the major scale or the natural minor scale. That’s a vast ocean of music from only two scales! And yes, some of the more creative producers will use the modes. That’s great. But, the modes are also 7-note scales (just like the major and natural minor scales).

 

And, like those two scales, they also contain a major 3rd or a minor 3rd. In other words, each one of the five rarer modes sound either like a variation of the major scale, or a variation of the natural minor scale. So yes, the Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, Mixolydian and Locian modes open a lot more doors, however, they all lead into the same 7-note house.

 

For the record, Mozart had no problems writing genius-level music using only the major and minor scales, so there’s obviously nothing wrong with using those scales. But, as a counter argument, there was significantly less music when Mozart was alive. Nowadays, it can easily feel like all the possibilities that those two scales offer have been thoroughly explored already. I don’t believe that’s true, though it’s undeniable that it is significantly harder to create something new with those scales.

 

So, if you’re looking to explore some new musical territory, one of the best ways to get there is with 8-note scales. These are called octatonic scales. They were relatively common in the “modern” classical music of the early 20th century, but you hardly ever hear them in popular music. One of our favourite examples of an octatonic scale in popular music is in the song “I Am That Thirst” by Meshuggah. And another song we recently heard that features an octatonic scale is “Goddamn White Trash” by Ministry. They use it in a heavy breakdown riff (starts at 2:03).

 

So, if you’re ready to try the exciting world of 8-note scales, then in this tutorial you’re gonna learn our 5-step method for writing octatonic riffs. But first… Tea!

 

 

Download PDF Tutorial
 

 

 

Lastly, are you new to music theory? Or are you experienced, but you want a refresher? Then download our FREE BOOK (link opens in new tab). It only takes 30 minutes to read, then you’ll have a solid theory foundation that you can instantly apply to your songwriting and producing. Enjoy!

Ray Harmony
Multi award-winning college lecturer

 

 

How to Write a Beautiful Melody • Music Theory from Swedish House Mafia "Ray Of Solar"

 

How to Write a Beautiful Melody

 

There are 7 elements that create a beautiful melody. In our new PDF tutorial (link below), you'll learn what they are and how to use them!

 

When I recently heard “Ray Of Solar” by Swedish House Mafia on Spotify’s “New Music Friday” playlist, the song’s beauty jumped out at me from amongst the almost 150 tracks that all seem to be sounding more and more alike each week.

 

And for the record, while I’ve heard the name Swedish House Mafia, I don’t think I’d ever listened to them before. In fact, I don’t even know if they’re from Sweden. I mean, you’d think the electronic duo Boards of Canada are from Canada, right? Wrong. They’re from Scotland! What?! Yep, it’s true. But I digress… So, despite not being a Swedish House Mafia fan, the beauty of this song is undeniable. And as a result, we’ve ended up in the rare situation of making two tutorials on the same song.

 

In last week’s tutorial BEAUTIFUL ARPEGGIOS (PDF) we taught our 6-step method for making a beautiful chord progression like you hear in “Ray Of Solar”. In this tutorial, inspired by the same section, you’ll learn our 7-step method for writing a beautiful melody.

 

And no, you don’t need to have done the previous tutorial, this one is completely independent. If you have, though, then you can write a melody for the beautiful arpeggios you made from that tutorial. Alright, download the PDF at the link below, then read on to learn the music theory hacks that create this undeniable beauty, and how you can use them to write your own beautiful melody. But first… Tea!

 

 

Download PDF Tutorial
 

 

 

Lastly, are you new to music theory? Or are you experienced, but you want a refresher? Then download our FREE BOOK (link opens in new tab). It only takes 30 minutes to read, then you’ll have a solid theory foundation that you can instantly apply to your songwriting and producing. Enjoy!

[image error]

Ray Harmony
Multi award-winning college lecturer