Ray Harmony's Blog, page 8

Genre Project 2023

 

 

 Genre Project 2023

 

As with all genres, there are theoretical characteristics that make music recognizable as hip-hop. And those characteristics can be isolated and applied to other genres to spice them up. Considering hip-hop has been the most popular genre for the last few years, if we want people to connect with our music, then there’s a lot we can learn from hip-hop’s secret formula.

As you’ve probably heard in the music news, hip-hop is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2023. In its 50 years, hip-hop has influenced almost every other genre. That fact inspired the idea behind our epic new Genre Project. In this ongoing series, we’ll hack different genres to reveal their secret formulas and how you can use those formulas to make better music in whatever genre you work in. So, if there’s a genre you want us to hack, drop us a comment.

And just a quick caveat. Genres are also recognizable by non-theoretical characteristics, like instrumentation, and even some non-musical characteristics, like culture. But, here at Hack Music Theory we focus exclusively on melody, harmony, and rhythm. Also, every genre’s characteristics have their roots in earlier genres. However, exploring a genre’s heritage is a rabbit hole! A fun one, but still, we’re not going down there.

Stay tuned for episode one coming soon, and be sure to bookmark our Genre Project page for upcoming PDFs.

 

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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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Podcast

Listen below, or on any podcast app.

Why You Struggle to Make Music

 

 

 

 

Why You Struggle to Make Music

 

Do you sometimes find yourself staring at a blank screen, with absolutely no ideas? Then we have the solution for preventing that from ever happening again. How can we be so confident that this solution will eliminate writer’s block? Because I’ve been writing music for over 30 years, and I’ve never had writer’s block. Ever!

So, what’s this magic solution? Music theory! I know, I know, it’s not the exciting answer you were anticipating, but it’s the truth. A solid knowledge of music theory (and how to creatively apply it) will end your writer’s block forever. How? Well, music is a form of communication, and do you struggle to communicate using your first language? Of course not!

If you want to express what you feel, you effortlessly explain it in words. And music theory empowers you to have that same effortless communication, but through music. If you want to communicate musically that you’re feeling joyful, you simply use the notes which express that emotion. And obviously the deeper your knowledge of music theory grows, the more nuanced your communication can be.

I’ve actually done a masterclass on how to turn your emotions into music: 5 Steps to Give Writer’s Block the Finger

 

So, you literally only need two things to overcome writer’s block forever: music theory, and feelings!

You bring the feelings, and we’ll bring the music theory! On that note, we invite you to download our free book, which will only take you 30 minutes to read. Yep, music theory really is that simple. If you’ve been confused by music theory in the past, it’s not you. You just had a bad teacher. You see, music consists of only 12 notes, and music theory is simply the relationships of those 12 notes. It’s that easy!

So, if you wanna learn music theory from Ray Harmony, a multi award-winning college lecturer who’s made music with multiplatinum Grammy-winning artists, then download our free book below.

 

Free Book  

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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Podcast

Listen below, or on any podcast app.

The REAL Reason You Can't Make Music

 

 

The REAL Reason You Can't Make Music

 

Do you sometimes find yourself staring at a blank screen, with absolutely no ideas? Then we have the solution for preventing that from ever happening again. How can we be so confident that this solution will eliminate writer’s block? Because I’ve been writing music for over 30 years, and I’ve never had writer’s block. Ever!

So, what’s this magic solution? Music theory! I know, I know, it’s not the exciting answer you were anticipating, but it’s the truth. A solid knowledge of music theory (and how to creatively apply it) will end your writer’s block forever. How? Well, music is a form of communication, and do you struggle to communicate using your first language? Of course not!

If you want to express what you feel, you effortlessly explain it in words. And music theory empowers you to have that same effortless communication, but through music. If you want to communicate musically that you’re feeling joyful, you simply use the notes which express that emotion. And obviously the deeper your knowledge of music theory grows, the more nuanced your communication can be.

I’ve actually done a masterclass on how to turn your emotions into music: 5 Steps to Give Writer’s Block the Finger

 

So, you literally only need two things to overcome writer’s block forever: music theory, and feelings!

You bring the feelings, and we’ll bring the music theory! On that note, we invite you to download our free book, which will only take you 30 minutes to read. Yep, music theory really is that simple. If you’ve been confused by music theory in the past, it’s not you. You just had a bad teacher. You see, music consists of only 12 notes, and music theory is simply the relationships of those 12 notes. It’s that easy!

So, if you wanna learn music theory from Ray Harmony, a multi award-winning college lecturer who’s made music with multiplatinum Grammy-winning artists, then download our free book below.

 

Free Book   

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.

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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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Sound Design Is Ruining Your Music

 

 

Sound Design Is Ruining Your Music

 

Have you ever opened your digital audio workstation (DAW) because you’re in the mood to make some music, but then you end up spending hours searching for the right bass sound? Then, feeling frustrated because you’ve wasted hours and didn’t even find the right sound, you close your DAW and open Instagram instead.

If you’ve ever done that, then we have a huge secret to reveal to you: forget about sound design, it’s probably the worst distraction in the music making process!

Now, we’re not saying that you shouldn’t spend hours on designing the perfect sounds. We’re saying that you should not be spending your time trying to design the right bass sound, when you haven’t even written the bass line yet. How could you possibly know what the right sound is for a bass line you haven’t yet written?

Working on sound design before you’ve written the music, is like mastering before you’ve mixed. Yes, mastering is essential but it needs to happen after the mixing. Same with sound design. Yes, it’s essential, but it needs to happen after the writing.

And of course, the sound you choose will usually affect what you write for it. For example, the line you’d write for a bass guitar will be different to the one you’d write for a bass synth. But (and it’s a BIG but), will the line you’d write for a Fender 4-string bass guitar be different to the one you’d write for a Gibson 4-string bass guitar? No! And that’s exactly why you should use presets when writing.

Simply decide if the melody you wanna write is for a bass guitar or a bass synth, then choose a preset that’s kinda close to what you want, and get writing! Then, when you’re happy with your bass line, don’t start sound designing it. Not yet. You’re still in the writing stage, so move on to your drums.

And use the same approach here. Do you want a realistic sounding drum kit or an electronic kit? Choose a preset that’s in the ballpark of what you want, then get writing! Then continue on to the next instrument. And the next. Chords. Melody. Counter melody. Then move on to the next section. Keep going! Stay focused. Don’t start sound designing until you’ve completely finished writing.

You see, when you’re writing music, you’re in the sublime state known as Flow. This is where time disappears. You and your music are one. In fact, there is no you anymore, just oneness. The flow state is the ultimate high, but it can be lost in a split second. And one of the easiest ways to lose it is to switch tasks. Also, you’re exponentially more creative when you’re in the flow state. So, you can massively improve your creativity and therefore your music, by simply focusing on the writing process exclusively, and avoiding distractions like sound design.

However, it’s vital that you actually know the method for writing a song from start to finish. Especially when it comes to how you write a new section for an existing section, how you transition between sections, and how you structure and arrange your song. So, if you wanna learn Ray’s secret method, which he has used to make music with multiplatinum Grammy-winning artists, then enroll in our Video Course.

 

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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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Podcast

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Stop Looping Melodies This Way

 

 

Stop Looping Melodies This Way

 

DOWNLOAD This Tutorial as PDF (includes MIDI file)

 

When you loop a melody, do you just copy and paste it? If so, that way of looping could be ruining your melodies!

But the good news is that in this lesson you’ll learn a creative way of looping, which will actually make your melodies better than they were before you looped them. Seriously, this looping hack can even make boring melodies kinda interesting.

But first, what’s wrong with looping a melody by copying and pasting it? Well, when you do that, the rigid repetition of the melody shortens its lifespan. In other words, even if your melody is really good, it will get stale and boring after a few loops. Remember: repetition kills a melody’s longevity, but variation extends it.

 

THEORY

Our brains are designed to pay attention to things in the environment that change, and filter out those things that stay the same. So, if your melody has been copied and pasted, your listeners will pay attention for the first couple of loops, but then their brains will shift attention away from your music to something in their environment that’s changing (like their Instagram feed).

This process will happen automatically and unconsciously in your listener’s mind, well, unless they’re an advanced meditator. So, the best way to hold your listener’s attention is to keep your music changing. And as our attention is usually on the lead melody, by continually varying that, your listeners will be utterly captivated.

If you keep varying your melody, though, won’t you end up with a long string of notes that’s impossible for your listeners to remember, resulting in them not wanting to listen to your song again? Well, yes. That’s why you need this looping hack. And for the record, there are ways to vary a melody just enough so that when it repeats, it’s familiar and fresh.

 

HACK

This looping hack bypasses that entire problem, though. It’s a way to create variation in your melody without actually changing any of its notes. I know, it sounds impossible, right? But, it’s not only possible, it’s also easy!

Are you ready? Here’s the hack: each time you copy and paste your melody, you rhythmically displace it.

What exactly does that mean? Well, it’s easiest to show you with an example, so let’s jump into the practical part of this lesson now.

 

MUSIC

This looping hack is used brilliantly by Björk in her new song “fossora”, so this example is our version that we made using the music theory from that song.

Alright, so open your DAW and set the tempo to 100 BPM. Then create a track for your melody, make a six-bar section, and set the grid to 1/8 notes. This example is in the key of G minor, and if you find keys, scales and chords a bit confusing, then download our free book: 12 Music Theory Hacks to Learn Scales & Chords. The link is below.

So, start by making a two-bar melody using 1/8 notes. And as this lesson is focused on looping, we’re not gonna cover how to write a good melody here, but if you need help with that, then simply use the Melody Checklist in our Songwriting & Producing PDF. The PDF also contains our other essential music making hacks. Over 10,000 producers around the world use this guide as their studio handbook. So if you’re struggling with your music, this PDF is for you!

Right, now it’s time for the juicy part. So, copy and paste your melody into bars three and four. Then, instead of leaving your melody as it is, you’re going to rhythmically displace it by an 1/8 note or a 1/4 note. In other words, move your looped melody a little earlier or later. Björk moves the second repetition of her melody an 1/8 note later, so we did that too.

Next, copy and paste your original melody into bars five and six. Then displace that third repetition as well. Björk actually did something even cooler here: she didn’t displace the first half of her melody, only the second half. She did this by moving it a 1/4 note later. We did the same thing, so you can hear how cool it is!

Then, to make her music even more creative, when Björk repeats this section later in the song, she actually changes the displacements again. This totally captivates your brain, because even though you’re expecting the displacements in the repetition of that section, they’re not where you expect them to be. Utterly brilliant!

 

BONUS

And here’s a bonus hack from Björk. This section in her song is only six bars, not the usual eight bars. So it actually sounds like it ends too early, which grabs your attention yet again. If you want your music to sound less weird than Björk, which I’m guessing you do, then use eight bars for this section. That will create familiarity.

And just a warning. There’s one caveat to rhythmically displacing your melody. If you’ve already written a chord progression and/or bass line below, then you’ll need to make sure that your displaced melody still works over that underlying harmony.

 

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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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STOP Looping Melodies This Way

 

 

STOP Looping Melodies This Way

 

When you loop a melody, do you just copy and paste it? If so, that way of looping could be ruining your melodies!

But the good news is that in this lesson you’ll learn a creative way of looping, which will actually make your melodies better than they were before you looped them. Seriously, this looping hack can even make boring melodies kinda interesting.

But first, what’s wrong with looping a melody by copying and pasting it? Well, when you do that, the rigid repetition of the melody shortens its lifespan. In other words, even if your melody is really good, it will get stale and boring after a few loops. Remember: repetition kills a melody’s longevity, but variation extends it.

 

THEORY

Our brains are designed to pay attention to things in the environment that change, and filter out those things that stay the same. So, if your melody has been copied and pasted, your listeners will pay attention for the first couple of loops, but then their brains will shift attention away from your music to something in their environment that’s changing (like their Instagram feed).

This process will happen automatically and unconsciously in your listener’s mind, well, unless they’re an advanced meditator. So, the best way to hold your listener’s attention is to keep your music changing. And as our attention is usually on the lead melody, by continually varying that, your listeners will be utterly captivated.

If you keep varying your melody, though, won’t you end up with a long string of notes that’s impossible for your listeners to remember, resulting in them not wanting to listen to your song again? Well, yes. That’s why you need this looping hack. And for the record, there are ways to vary a melody just enough so that when it repeats, it’s familiar and fresh.

 

HACK

This looping hack bypasses that entire problem, though. It’s a way to create variation in your melody without actually changing any of its notes. I know, it sounds impossible, right? But, it’s not only possible, it’s also easy!

Are you ready? Here’s the hack: each time you copy and paste your melody, you rhythmically displace it.

What exactly does that mean? Well, it’s easiest to show you with an example, so let’s jump into the practical part of this lesson now.

 

MUSIC

This looping hack is used brilliantly by Björk in her new song “fossora”, so this example is our version that we made using the music theory from that song.

Alright, so open your DAW and set the tempo to 100 BPM. Then create a track for your melody, make a six-bar section, and set the grid to 1/8 notes. This example is in the key of G minor, and if you find keys, scales and chords a bit confusing, then download our free book: 12 Music Theory Hacks to Learn Scales & Chords. The link is below.

So, start by making a two-bar melody using 1/8 notes. And as this lesson is focused on looping, we’re not gonna cover how to write a good melody here, but if you need help with that, then simply use the Melody Checklist in our Songwriting & Producing PDF. The PDF also contains our other essential music making hacks. Over 10,000 producers around the world use this guide as their studio handbook. So if you’re struggling with your music, this PDF is for you!

Right, now it’s time for the juicy part. So, copy and paste your melody into bars three and four. Then, instead of leaving your melody as it is, you’re going to rhythmically displace it by an 1/8 note or a 1/4 note. In other words, move your looped melody a little earlier or later. Björk moves the second repetition of her melody an 1/8 note later, so we did that too.

Next, copy and paste your original melody into bars five and six. Then displace that third repetition as well. Björk actually did something even cooler here: she didn’t displace the first half of her melody, only the second half. She did this by moving it a 1/4 note later. We did the same thing, so you can hear how cool it is!

Then, to make her music even more creative, when Björk repeats this section later in the song, she actually changes the displacements again. This totally captivates your brain, because even though you’re expecting the displacements in the repetition of that section, they’re not where you expect them to be. Utterly brilliant!

 

BONUS

And here’s a bonus hack from Björk. This section in her song is only six bars, not the usual eight bars. So it actually sounds like it ends too early, which grabs your attention yet again. If you want your music to sound less weird than Björk, which I’m guessing you do, then use eight bars for this section. That will create familiarity.

And just a warning. There’s one caveat to rhythmically displacing your melody. If you’ve already written a chord progression and/or bass line below, then you’ll need to make sure that your displaced melody still works over that underlying harmony.

 

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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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Wrong Notes for Better Chord Progressions

 

 

Wrong Notes for Better Chord Progressions

 

Can you hear the weakness in this chord progression?

It’s a common weakness that you hear in most songs. Did you spot it? If not, here’s the answer: all the chords are in the key! Wait, what?! Isn’t that a good thing? Well, not always…

You see, there are only seven chords in a key. That doesn’t give you much choice if you’re trying to make creative music. And to make things worse, one of those seven is the diminished chord, which is super dissonant, so most producers don’t use it.

You’ve probably done the maths already, and yes, you’re correct. Most of the music you hear these days is made using only six chords. Six chords! How many songs can you write with the same six chords before they start sounding the same?

And I’m afraid it gets even worse than that. Of those six chords, four of them work effortlessly together. In other words, a producer doesn’t need to know any theory to get these four chords sounding good. Sadly though, most modern songs don’t even have progressions with four chords, a lot of them use only three chords, or sometimes even just two!

And yes, of course, simple music can be good. But honestly, that was much easier to achieve decades ago when there weren’t tens of thousands of songs being released every day! These days, if you want to write a simple song with only three or four chords, all of which are in the key, then you’re almost certainly going to end up with something that sounds like someone else’s song.

 

THEORY

So, presuming you want to make music that isn’t gonna get you sued for copyright infringement, how on earth do you do that? Easy, you use wrong notes!

Well, technically it’s not a wrong note if you actually intended to play it. So that’s what we’re going to do: intentionally play a note that is not in the key. And by the way, notes that are not in the key are called non-diatonic (or chromatic) notes.

Once you dip your toe into the thrilling world of notes that are outside of the scale, you open a door of endless possibilities, and you can say goodbye to boring music!

 

EXAMPLE

Alright, so now that you know the hack for making better chord progressions, you’re gonna learn how to actually apply it. So, open your DAW and set the tempo to 95 BPM. Then create a track for your chords and make a two-bar loop. Set the grid to 1/16 notes (or just for fun, you can set it to a 1/16 swing, like we’ve used).

The first thing you want to do is write a chord progression using three or four chords that are all in your scale. We used A minor in our example, so that’s all the white notes from A to A. And our chord progression is: Am → Cmaj → Gmaj → Em → Cmaj → Asus4. That sounds like a lot of chords, but it’s only really four, as we just repeated the C and A chords. That’s actually another cool hack you can use to make your chord progressions more interesting in this first step.

After you’ve written your chord progression, use inversions to make it flow better, and use an interesting harmonic rhythm to make it more creative. And if you need help with inversions and harmonic rhythm, then simply use the chord progression hacks in our Songwriting & Producing Course. When you enrol, you’ll get all our essential hacks for melodies, chords, bass and drums in 12 step-by-step videos.

So, now you’ve got a chord progression that sounds good, even though it still sounds predictable because all the chords are in the key.

This is the stage when most producers would click “Save” and reach for their phone to catch up on Instagram, but not you! You’re a true artist. You want to challenge yourself and push your creativity to the next level. That’s why you’re here.

So, here’s the hack that’ll make your chord progressions stand out from the crowd: change one chord in your progression from major to minor, or vice versa.

Don’t change your root chord, though, as then you’re actually changing the key. And if you need help with knowing the difference between major and minor chords, and how to change one into the other, then that’s all in our free book (link below).

This “wrong note” hack is so ridiculously simple, but as you’ll hear, it totally transforms the chord progression! And as a bonus, when you have a standout chord progression, it will inspire you to write a standout melody over the top, and a standout bass line below.

And just a quick warning, but it’s actually really important. Remember that some of your chords are inverted, so their notes are in a different order. This means you need to be extra careful that you move the correct note when changing chords from major to minor, or vice versa.

 

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“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 /* Layout */ .ck_form { /* divider image */ background: #EAE9EA url(data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQADAIABAMzMzP///yH/C1hNUCBEYXRhWE1QPD94cGFja2V0IGJlZ2luPSLvu78iIGlkPSJXNU0wTXBDZWhpSHpyZVN6TlRjemtjOWQiPz4gPHg6eG1wbWV0YSB4bWxuczp4PSJhZG9iZTpuczptZXRhLyIgeDp4bXB0az0iQWRvYmUgWE1QIENvcmUgNS41LWMwMTQgNzkuMTUxNDgxLCAyMDEzLzAzLzEzLTEyOjA5OjE1ICAgICAgICAiPiA8cmRmOlJERiB4bWxuczpyZGY9Imh0dHA6Ly93d3cudzMub3JnLzE5OTkvMDIvMjItcmRmLXN5bnRheC1ucyMiPiA8cmRmOkRlc2NyaXB0aW9uIHJkZjphYm91dD0iIiB4bWxuczp4bXA9Imh0dHA6Ly9ucy5hZG9iZS5jb20veGFwLzEuMC8iIHhtbG5zOnhtcE1NPSJodHRwOi8vbnMuYWRvYmUuY29tL3hhcC8xLjAvbW0vIiB4bWxuczpzdFJlZj0iaHR0cDovL25zLmFkb2JlLmNvbS94YXAvMS4wL3NUeXBlL1Jlc291cmNlUmVmIyIgeG1wOkNyZWF0b3JUb29sPSJBZG9iZSBQaG90b3Nob3AgQ0MgKE1hY2ludG9zaCkiIHhtcE1NOkluc3RhbmNlSUQ9InhtcC5paWQ6MUQ5NjM5RjgxQUVEMTFFNEJBQTdGNTQwMjc5MTZDOTciIHhtcE1NOkRvY3VtZW50SUQ9InhtcC5kaWQ6MUQ5NjM5RjkxQUVEMTFFNEJBQTdGNTQwMjc5MTZDOTciPiA8eG1wTU06RGVyaXZlZEZyb20gc3RSZWY6aW5zdGFuY2VJRD0ieG1wLmlpZDoxRDk2MzlGNjFBRUQxMUU0QkFBN0Y1NDAyNzkxNkM5NyIgc3RSZWY6ZG9jdW1lbnRJRD0ieG1wLmRpZDoxRDk2MzlGNzFBRUQxMUU0QkFBN0Y1NDAyNzkxNkM5NyIvPiA8L3JkZjpEZXNjcmlwdGlvbj4gPC9yZGY6UkRGPiA8L3g6eG1wbWV0YT4gPD94cGFja2V0IGVuZD0iciI/PgH//v38+/r5+Pf29fTz8vHw7+7t7Ovq6ejn5uXk4+Lh4N/e3dzb2tnY19bV1NPS0dDPzs3My8rJyMfGxcTDwsHAv769vLu6ubi3trW0s7KxsK+urayrqqmop6alpKOioaCfnp2cm5qZmJeWlZSTkpGQj46NjIuKiYiHhoWEg4KBgH9+fXx7enl4d3Z1dHNycXBvbm1sa2ppaGdmZWRjYmFgX15dXFtaWVhXVlVUU1JRUE9OTUxLSklIR0ZFRENCQUA/Pj08Ozo5ODc2NTQzMjEwLy4tLCsqKSgnJiUkIyIhIB8eHRwbGhkYFxYVFBMSERAPDg0MCwoJCAcGBQQDAgEAACH5BAEAAAEALAAAAAABAAMAAAICRFIAOw==) repeat-y center top; font-family: 'Montserrat'; line-height: 1.5em; overflow: hidden; color: #000000; font-size: 16px; border-top: none; border-top-color: #666666; border-bottom: none; border-bottom-color: #3d3d3d; -webkit-box-shadow: none; -moz-box-shadow: none; box-shadow: none; clear: both; margin: 0px 0px;}.ck_form, .ck_form * { -webkit-box-sizing: border-box; -moz-box-sizing: border-box; box-sizing: border-box;}#ck_subscribe_form { clear: both;}/* Element Queries — uses JS */.ck_form_content, .ck_form_fields { width: 50%; float: left; padding: 5%;}.ck_form.ck_horizontal {}.ck_form_content { border-bottom: none;}.ck_form.ck_vertical { background: #fff;}.ck_vertical .ck_form_content, .ck_vertical .ck_form_fields { padding: 10%; width: 100%; float: none;}.ck_vertical .ck_form_content { border-bottom: 1px dotted #aaa; overflow: hidden;}/* Trigger the vertical layout with media queries as well */@media all and (max-width: 499px) { .ck_form { background: #fff; } .ck_form_content, .ck_form_fields { padding: 10%; width: 100%; float: none; } .ck_form_content { border-bottom: 1px dotted #aaa; }}/* Content */.ck_form_content h3 { margin: 0px 0px 0px; font-size: 0px; padding: 0px;}.ck_form_content p { font-size: 14px;}.ck_image { float: left; margin-right: 5px;}/* Form fields */.ck_errorArea { display: none;}#ck_success_msg { padding: 10px 10px 0px; border: solid 1px #ddd; background: #eee;}.ck_label { font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold;}.ck_form input[type="text"] { font-size: 16px; text-align: center; margin-top: 20px; margin-bottom: 0px; padding: 8px 8px; width: 100%; border: 1px solid #d6d6d6; /* stroke */ -moz-border-radius: 4px; -webkit-border-radius: 4px; border-radius: 30px; /* border radius */ background-color: #fff; /* layer fill content */ height: auto;}.ck_form input[type="email"] { font-size: 16px; text-align: center; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; padding: 8px 8px; width: 100%; border: 1px solid #d6d6d6; /* stroke */ -moz-border-radius: 4px; -webkit-border-radius: 4px; border-radius: 30px; /* border radius */ background-color: #fff; /* layer fill content */ height: auto;}.ck_form input[type="text"]:focus, .ck_form input[type="email"]:focus { outline: none; border-color: #aaa;}.ck_checkbox { padding: 10px 0px 10px 20px; display: block; clear: both;}.ck_checkbox input.optIn { margin-left: -20px; margin-top: 0;}.ck_form .ck_opt_in_prompt { margin-left: 4px;}.ck_form .ck_opt_in_prompt p { display: inline;}.ck_form .ck_subscribe_button { width: 100%; color: #fff; margin: 0px 0px 0px; padding: 8px 8px; font-size: 18px; background: #c83232; -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; }}

 

 

Podcast

Listen below, or on any podcast app.

Gorillaz HACK for Better Bass Lines

 

 

How to Write a Bass Line like Gorillaz "New Gold"

 

In the new Gorillaz single “New Gold”, there’s a music theory secret that makes their song feel totally different to the other new releases out this week. That’s what you’ll learn in this lesson, as well as how to use it to write a Gorillaz-style bass line. But first... Tea!

 

INTRO

Hello revolutionary music makers, we are Kate and Ray Harmony (AKA Revolution Harmony), and welcome to Hack Music Theory, the fast, easy and fun way to make music. If you’re new to theory, or if you just want a refresher, then read our free book "12 Music Theory Hacks to Learn Scales & Chords". It’ll give you a super solid music theory foundation in just 30 minutes. The free download is below. Enjoy!

 

SECRET

Alright, so what’s the music theory secret behind this song? Well, it’s in 6|4. The time signature of 6|4 contains six 1/4 notes in a bar, instead of the usual four 1/4 notes in a bar that you get in 4|4.

The brilliance of 6|4 is that it doesn’t sound weird, because six is still an even number. Also, you can still nod along to the 1/4 notes, just like you do in 4|4. But, every bar is longer than you’re expecting. And this extended bar makes the music feel more laid back, as it takes longer to loop back around to beat 1.

So, you can think of 6|4 as the scenic route, whereas 4|4 is the direct route.

To balance out this relaxed vibe, though, Gorillaz use a dancey four-on-the-floor drum beat. Well, it’s actually a six-on-the-floor drum beat, because there are six 1/4 notes in a bar, and each one of those 1/4 notes has a kick drum on it.

So that’s their secret: it’s that contrasting combination of the dancey drum beat and the laid-back time signature of 6|4, which creates that unique vibe in this song.

 

BASS

Alright, so now that you know their music theory secret, you’re gonna learn how to use it to make a Gorillaz-style bass line. So, set your time signature to 6|4 and your tempo to 108 BPM, then create a one bar loop on your bass track. Gorillaz use the F♯ natural minor scale in this song, so we’ll use it too: F♯, G♯, A, B, C♯, D, E.

The music theory in this song is all about contrast, so that theme continues in their bass line, where they use a contrasting combination of legato and staccato notes. And if those terms are new to you: legato notes are connected to each other, and staccato notes are disconnected from each other.

So their bass line is divided into two sections, the first section is legato and the second section is staccato. This results in the first section sounding smooth and chill, and the second section sounding more energetic and funky.

For the legato section, use longer notes like 1/8 notes and dotted 1/8 notes. For the staccato section use 1/16 notes with rests in between. Also, their bass has a ton of syncopation (which is an off-beat accent), so be sure to use a bunch of that too.

 

NEXT

If there’s an artist you’d like us to hack in a future lesson, drop us a comment on our latest YouTube video. Also, if you wanna learn our essential hacks for making great melodies, chord progressions, bass lines, drum beats (and more), then watch the 12 step-by-step videos in our Songwriting & Producing course. If you’re feeling frustrated because your music isn’t as good as you want it to be, then this course is for you!

 

Free Book   

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.

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“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 /* Layout */ .ck_form { /* divider image */ background: #EAE9EA url(data:image/gif;base64,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) repeat-y center top; font-family: 'Montserrat'; line-height: 1.5em; overflow: hidden; color: #000000; font-size: 16px; border-top: none; border-top-color: #666666; border-bottom: none; border-bottom-color: #3d3d3d; -webkit-box-shadow: none; -moz-box-shadow: none; box-shadow: none; clear: both; margin: 0px 0px;}.ck_form, .ck_form * { -webkit-box-sizing: border-box; -moz-box-sizing: border-box; box-sizing: border-box;}#ck_subscribe_form { clear: both;}/* Element Queries — uses JS */.ck_form_content, .ck_form_fields { width: 50%; float: left; padding: 5%;}.ck_form.ck_horizontal {}.ck_form_content { border-bottom: none;}.ck_form.ck_vertical { background: #fff;}.ck_vertical .ck_form_content, .ck_vertical .ck_form_fields { padding: 10%; width: 100%; float: none;}.ck_vertical .ck_form_content { border-bottom: 1px dotted #aaa; overflow: hidden;}/* Trigger the vertical layout with media queries as well */@media all and (max-width: 499px) { .ck_form { background: #fff; } .ck_form_content, .ck_form_fields { padding: 10%; width: 100%; float: none; } .ck_form_content { border-bottom: 1px dotted #aaa; }}/* Content */.ck_form_content h3 { margin: 0px 0px 0px; font-size: 0px; padding: 0px;}.ck_form_content p { font-size: 14px;}.ck_image { float: left; margin-right: 5px;}/* Form fields */.ck_errorArea { display: none;}#ck_success_msg { padding: 10px 10px 0px; border: solid 1px #ddd; background: #eee;}.ck_label { font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold;}.ck_form input[type="text"] { font-size: 16px; text-align: center; margin-top: 20px; margin-bottom: 0px; padding: 8px 8px; width: 100%; border: 1px solid #d6d6d6; /* stroke */ -moz-border-radius: 4px; -webkit-border-radius: 4px; border-radius: 30px; /* border radius */ background-color: #fff; /* layer fill content */ height: auto;}.ck_form input[type="email"] { font-size: 16px; text-align: center; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; padding: 8px 8px; width: 100%; border: 1px solid #d6d6d6; /* stroke */ -moz-border-radius: 4px; -webkit-border-radius: 4px; border-radius: 30px; /* border radius */ background-color: #fff; /* layer fill content */ height: auto;}.ck_form input[type="text"]:focus, .ck_form input[type="email"]:focus { outline: none; border-color: #aaa;}.ck_checkbox { padding: 10px 0px 10px 20px; display: block; clear: both;}.ck_checkbox input.optIn { margin-left: -20px; margin-top: 0;}.ck_form .ck_opt_in_prompt { margin-left: 4px;}.ck_form .ck_opt_in_prompt p { display: inline;}.ck_form .ck_subscribe_button { width: 100%; color: #fff; margin: 0px 0px 0px; padding: 8px 8px; font-size: 18px; background: #c83232; -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; }}

 

 

Podcast

Listen below, or on any podcast app.

Make Music like Gorillaz

 

 

How to Write a Bass Line like Gorillaz "New Gold"

 

In the new Gorillaz single “New Gold”, there’s a music theory secret that makes their song feel totally different to the other new releases out this week. That’s what you’ll learn in this lesson, as well as how to use it to write a Gorillaz-style bass line. But first... Tea!

 

INTRO

Hello revolutionary music makers, we are Kate and Ray Harmony (AKA Revolution Harmony), and welcome to Hack Music Theory, the fast, easy and fun way to make music. If you’re new to theory, or if you just want a refresher, then read our free book "12 Music Theory Hacks to Learn Scales & Chords". It’ll give you a super solid music theory foundation in just 30 minutes. The free download is below. Enjoy!

 

SECRET

Alright, so what’s the music theory secret behind this song? Well, it’s in 6|4. The time signature of 6|4 contains six 1/4 notes in a bar, instead of the usual four 1/4 notes in a bar that you get in 4|4.

The brilliance of 6|4 is that it doesn’t sound weird, because six is still an even number. Also, you can still nod along to the 1/4 notes, just like you do in 4|4. But, every bar is longer than you’re expecting. And this extended bar makes the music feel more laid back, as it takes longer to loop back around to beat 1.

So, you can think of 6|4 as the scenic route, whereas 4|4 is the direct route.

To balance out this relaxed vibe, though, Gorillaz use a dancey four-on-the-floor drum beat. Well, it’s actually a six-on-the-floor drum beat, because there are six 1/4 notes in a bar, and each one of those 1/4 notes has a kick drum on it.

So that’s their secret: it’s that contrasting combination of the dancey drum beat and the laid-back time signature of 6|4, which creates that unique vibe in this song.

 

BASS

Alright, so now that you know their music theory secret, you’re gonna learn how to use it to make a Gorillaz-style bass line. So, set your time signature to 6|4 and your tempo to 108 BPM, then create a one bar loop on your bass track. Gorillaz use the F♯ natural minor scale in this song, so we’ll use it too: F♯, G♯, A, B, C♯, D, E.

The music theory in this song is all about contrast, so that theme continues in their bass line, where they use a contrasting combination of legato and staccato notes. And if those terms are new to you: legato notes are connected to each other, and staccato notes are disconnected from each other.

So their bass line is divided into two sections, the first section is legato and the second section is staccato. This results in the first section sounding smooth and chill, and the second section sounding more energetic and funky.

For the legato section, use longer notes like 1/8 notes and dotted 1/8 notes. For the staccato section use 1/16 notes with rests in between. Also, their bass has a ton of syncopation (which is an off-beat accent), so be sure to use a bunch of that too.

 

NEXT

If there’s an artist you’d like us to hack in a future lesson, drop us a comment on our latest YouTube video. Also, if you wanna learn our essential hacks for making great melodies, chord progressions, bass lines, drum beats (and more), then watch the 12 step-by-step videos in our Songwriting & Producing course. If you’re feeling frustrated because your music isn’t as good as you want it to be, then this course is for you!

 

Free Book   

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.

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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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Red Hot Chili Peppers HACK for Better Bass Lines

 

 

How to Write a Bass Line like Red Hot Chili Peppers "Tippa My Tongue"

 

In the new Red Hot Chili Peppers single “Tippa My Tongue”, there’s a ridiculously funky variation of the blues scale, which we’re calling the RHCP scale. And that’s what you’re about to learn, as well as how to write a bass line or guitar riff using it. But first... Tea!

 

INTRO

Hello revolutionary music makers, we are Kate and Ray Harmony (AKA Revolution Harmony), and welcome to Hack Music Theory, the fast, easy and fun way to make music. If you’re new to theory, or if you just want a refresher, then read our free book "12 Music Theory Hacks to Learn Scales & Chords". It’ll give you a super solid music theory foundation in just 30 minutes. The free download is below. Enjoy!

 

SCALE

Okay so first things first, what’s the blues scale? Well, the blues scale is actually a variation of the minor pentatonic scale. Okay, so what’s the minor pentatonic scale? Well, it’s the natural minor scale without its 2nd and 6th notes. So from the root of C, the minor pentatonic scale is: C, E♭, F, G, B♭. And its spelling is: 1, ♭3, 4, 5, ♭7. Now, to turn the minor pentatonic scale into the blues scale, all you have to do is add the ♭5, which in this example is G♭.

Alright, this is where it gets juicy! So the Chili Peppers use the blues scale in the chorus of this song, but to make it extra funky, they add two non-diatonic notes (i.e. notes that are not in the scale). The two extra notes they play are the major 3rd and the major 7th. And to be clear, they’re using these notes to spice up the blues scale, they’re not technically part of the scale. But, when you do make them part of it, you end up with a super funky 8-note scale, so why not add them in?! 

So from the root of C, our RHCP scale is:  C, E♭, E, F, G♭, G, B♭, B 

And the spelling of the RHCP scale is:  1, ♭3, 3, 4, ♭5, 5, ♭7, 7 

And just a quick FYI for the more advanced producers. As you know, theoretically a scale can’t have both the minor 3rd and major 3rd, so we have to spell the 3 (E) with its enharmonic equivalent, which is the ♭4 (F♭). Same note, different name. By the way, if that was confusing, then read our free book, as it’s all explained in there!

 

BASS

Okay, now that we’ve got the scale down, let’s use it to write a bass line! So, set your tempo to 88 BPM, then create two bars of 4|4. The first thing you need to do is play the root note (C) on beat 1 in both bars. This was James Brown’s funk rule. His band could do whatever they wanted for the rest of the bar, but they all had to lock in by playing beat 1 together. And the most solid note to play on beat 1 is obviously the root, so that’s your starting point.

What you do for the rest of the bass line is up to you, but here’s a few guidelines. Be sure to use all 8 notes of the scale in your bass line, otherwise you won’t get the full flavour. Also, use lots of rests. Funky music actually has a lot of space in it. 

And related to that, you definitely wanna use a lot of syncopation, which is when you accent an off-beat. It ain’t funky without syncopation, so go crazy with that, as the root note on beat 1 in every bar will lock it all together. Lastly, use a variety of different note values, like 1/16 notes, 1/8 notes, and dotted 1/8 notes.

So to conclude, what we’re calling the RHCP scale is simply the blues scale plus the major 3rd and the major 7th.

 

NEXT

If there’s a song that you want us to hack in a future lesson, drop us a comment on our YouTube channel. Also, if you wanna learn our essential hacks for making great melodies, chord progressions, bass lines, drum beats (and more), then watch the 12 step-by-step videos in our Songwriting & Producing course. If you’re feeling frustrated because your music isn’t as good as you want it to be, then this is for you!

 

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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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