This post provides a comprehensive overview of what functional harmony is. It covers key topics such as chord progressions, chord functions, voice leading, cadences, and modulation. The post highlights the importance of understanding functional harmony in order to analyse, compose, and perform music effectively and deepen one’s appreciation of music.
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.
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.
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
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?
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
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
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
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?
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
