Using Modal Layering for Harmonic and Melodic Surprises
I’m going to show you how you can create surprising harmonic landscapes by using a technique called modal layering.
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Connecting Sections in Your Musical Arrangements
A couple of ways of connecting sections of your musical arrangement. You can do it through the use of transition elements from one section to the other, and by means of reusing certain musical gestures or motifs that appear throughout the arrangement. This will help you to create unity in your music piece by means of familiarity.
Avoiding Ostinato Boredom
Today we’re going to talk about ostinatos. An ostinato can be a great tool to set the mood and the emotional character in your music. I assume that you already know how to build one so, this post is about… Read More »Avoiding Ostinato Boredom
Harmonic Creativity: The Role of Bass in Voice-Leading Exploration
The interplay between the bass and voice-leading within the harmonic framework of a musical composition holds the key to unlocking a world of creative possibilities. By understanding the dynamic relationship between these elements, composers and arrangers can venture into unconventional… Read More »Harmonic Creativity: The Role of Bass in Voice-Leading Exploration
The Essentials of Functional Harmony
The key concepts that are essential to understand functional harmony and how these can be used in music, no matter what genre you are working in.
The Music Creation Process
It is safe to assume that inspiration doesn’t come out of nowhere. With that said, we need to prepare and plan for creativity, be it musical or related to any other activity.
Chromatic Mediants and Metric Modulation
An example of how chromatic mediant relationships can sound by creating unexpected harmonies and also some tips on things you can do with rhythm to surprise your listeners.
Tips to Create Chord Progressions
In this post we will be looking at some tips that you can use to create chord progressions and start making your next song. I also did a little bit of that, as you will listen throughout the post. It… Read More »Tips to Create Chord Progressions
Chords or Melody, What Comes First?
Considering that melody and chords are one of the great building blocks of songwriting, one can wonder where to start first: chords or melody? Each approach can bring something different to the table so, read on: Melody-First Approach A melody-first… Read More »Chords or Melody, What Comes First?
How to Create Tension in Music
In this post I’ll be looking at some ways that you can use to create tension in music by using harmony, rhythm or form and how controlling tension and release cycles can greatly contribute to music expressiveness. Some of them… Read More »How to Create Tension in Music
How to Use Polychords in Your Music
In this post I will be showing you different ways of using tonal and chromatic polychord structures in your music. But first, a thing or two about polychords. It consists of two or more chords played together and such chords… Read More »How to Use Polychords in Your Music
Arrangement Planning Tips For Songwriters
Knowing how to go from a melody with chords played on the guitar or piano to a full song arrangement can be daunting. How do you go about this process? In this post I will try to give you some… Read More »Arrangement Planning Tips For Songwriters
How Much Music Theory Do You Need to Start Making Music?
To start making music, you shouldn’t have to wait until you have graduated from music university and know all about music theory inside out. In fact, it is quite possible, and highly advisable, to start making your own music with… Read More »How Much Music Theory Do You Need to Start Making Music?
The Basics of Song Form
When we talk about form in music, we are referring to the song structure. Or in other words, the different sections that make up the whole song. Each section usually pertains to a moment in your storytelling and that is… Read More »The Basics of Song Form
Stimulating Your Innate Creativity
Creativity is Built-in Some people may say that they are not the creative type or that they are not “feeling it” or are “uninspired”. But what we have to come to terms with is that we are all creative. We… Read More »Stimulating Your Innate Creativity
Creative Tips For Starting to Compose Music
Making a song from scratch may sound like a daunting task if you consider all the things that go into making music. But if you follow some of the tips I will be suggesting in this post, you will find… Read More »Creative Tips For Starting to Compose Music
8 Practical Ways of Using Parallel Chord Motion in Your Music
In this post, I will be proposing eight ways that you can use this technique. Each has a different feel or vibe so, you will have to choose depending on the harmonic effect you are going for. This particular… Read More »8 Practical Ways of Using Parallel Chord Motion in Your Music
Exercises to Practice Your Music Composition Skills
Having to cope with all the new things you are learning may be challenging at times and this is why I am creating this post. In it, you will find lots of practical suggestions for short music composition studies… Read More »Exercises to Practice Your Music Composition Skills
Harmonic Ambiguity and the Flexibility of Suspended Chords
Sometimes it’s handy to have a tool that opens up your possibilities in the music composition process and this is certainly the case with harmonic ambiguity, as a compositional technique, and with suspended chords. In the case of the latter,… Read More »Harmonic Ambiguity and the Flexibility of Suspended Chords
Chromatic Harmony: Using Chromatic Mediants and Chord Transformations
In this post I will be telling you what chromatic mediants and chord transformations are and how you can use these techniques to create chromatic harmony in your music compositions. I will also be showing you some examples of these… Read More »Chromatic Harmony: Using Chromatic Mediants and Chord Transformations