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Music Theory in Practice

Find out how you can apply music theory concepts in you music compositions

tips to create chord progressions

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

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

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

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
stimulating your innate creativity

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

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
exercises to practice your music composition skills

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

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

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

where do musical ideas come from

Where Do Musical Ideas Come From?

     This is probably a question that will always be open for debate as each and every one of us listens to and thinks about music differently. Nonetheless, all boils down to a musician’s ability of hearing sounds in its head.… Read More »Where Do Musical Ideas Come From?

what can you do with modal interchange

What to do with Modal Interchange

     In this post we will be looking at some practical uses for modal interchange. First of all, what is it? This is a technique that consists in temporarily borrowing chords from a parallel tonality or mode that shares the same… Read More »What to do with Modal Interchange

ways of using quartal harmony in your music

How to Use Quartal Harmony in Your Music

     In this post, I will be telling you what quartal harmony is and how you can use it in your music. I will also be looking at the harmonization process using these chords and explore some ideas for it. Let’s… Read More »How to Use Quartal Harmony in Your Music

create harmonic tension with anticipation and suspension

Create Tension with Anticipation and Suspension

     In this post I will be making music using the techniques and music theory concepts that you can find in the Beyond Music Theory Blog. My goal is to show you ways in which you can put this knowledge… Read More »Create Tension with Anticipation and Suspension

why you should copy and steal from music

Why Copy and Steal From Music?

     In this post I will be making the distinction between the act of copying or stealing from another artist as tool in the creative process and, along the way, give you some suggestions of what to look for in… Read More »Why Copy and Steal From Music?

Contrasts and Motive Expansion - Music Theory in Practice

Contrasts and Motive Expansion – “Stay”

     This is the first post where I will be talking about the composition process behind the music I make. I won’t go into detail about every little something that happens in the song and instead try to highlight some of… Read More »Contrasts and Motive Expansion – “Stay”