Improvise

Relative minor blues pentatonic over major (soloing trick #37)

Today I will show you a versatile trick to solo over a major chord or chord progression. It will help you to steer clear of the dreaded scale running and make your solo instantly sound more professional.

Songwriting

Ballad intro I-VI-ii-V – great for songs in major

As a musician and songwriter you needs to have a repertoire of intros and outros. This article presents another wonderful ballad intro to add to your bag of musical tricks: I VI ii V

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Songwriting

A great intro for ballad songs

Every musician and songwriter needs a bunch of intros and outros for songs. Whether you tag them onto your own compositions or use them when covering other musician’s songs, well crafted intros and outros make a performance much more sophisticated.

Paid-members only

Songwriting

The magic of the major 7 in ABBA's Dancing Queen

The 7th scale degree in a major key is magic! We often use it to make the tonic chord sound very lush and sophisticated. But the 7th also a wonderful melodic choice that can make a song iconic. A good example of this is ABBA's classic hit song "Dancing Queen".

Business

Is ABBA the future of music?

This year the legendary band ABBA will be back on stage! But although they'll perform a few new songs, they won't actually be on stage! Their avatars will perform live. Is this a glimpse of the future of live music? What is ABBA Voyage? ABBA could have retired and not

Songwriting

How Songwriters Manage Their Creative Energy with Flow

We songwriters heavily depend on our creative energy. Professional songwriters know how to use the concept of flow to their advantage. This article helps you to enter a state of flow more often.

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Songwriting

How to create dark, eerie and foreboding moods with the Phrygian mode

If you want to create a dark and eerie mood in your music, the Phrygian mode is an awesome music theory tool to get the job done. This old mode has been used for intercession and lament in churches from the Middle Ages on and it certainly hasn‘t lost

Reharmonize

From Simple to Complex Harmony using Secondary Dominants

An important music theory tool for songwriters, composers and musicians in general is the secondary dominant. This tool alone can turn a boring chord progression into a masterpiece or number one hit song. I invite you to join me on a journey of pimping a simple chord progression and turning

Questions

Parallel or Relative minor?

Music theory can be confusing. Relative & parallel – which is which? And why is "p" the symbol for "relative"? Learn about the interesting backstory here.

Getting Started

Relative Minor and Parallel Minor EXPLAINED

Understanding the concept of relative and parallel keys is a must for any decent musician. Relative minor? Parallel major? These music theory terms are a lot easier than they might seem. Let's learn about relative and parallel keys now.

Reharmonize

Reharmonizing Stand by Me (by Ben E. King)

Learn several approaches to reharmonizing this classic song. You can use the techniques I explain for any other song as well.

Songwriting Featured

How a one-note melody became a number one hit

How to turn a one-note melody into a Billboard number one hit? Learn the music theory Toto used in their song Africa. We'll talk about one-note melodies, common chords and expectation vs. deception.

Questions

What is the longest musical chord name?

Did you ever think about the longest chord symbol you could write in music?

Songwriting

How many songs should an album have?

Many artists are wondering about how many songs they should put on their album — 10? 13? 21? 3? Read my advice in this article…

Reharmonize

Mamma Mia (ABBA) - Reharmonized

A cover of Mamma Mia using modal reharmonization techniques. Music theory can be so much fun when applied to ABBA songs :)

Paid-members only

Songwriting

The 251 turnaround (aka ii-V-I)

The 251 turnaround is one of the most common chord progression in jazz and pop music. This mini course teaches you its practical applications for songwriting and improvising alike.

Songwriting

Kokomo (Beach Boys) - Analysis

Analyzing a harmonically rich Beach Boys song recently resurfaced through the Netflix series Space Force. Learn the use of plagal cadences and secondary dominants.

Songwriting

Man in the Mirror (Michael Jackson) – Song Analysis

Learn from the music theory in Michael Jackson's "Man in the Mirror". Understand the chord progressions to use the same tricks in your own songwriting.

Questions

Are minor and diminished chords the same thing?

Is a minor chord essentially equivalent to a diminished chord? What are the commonalities and where do the differences lie?

Questions

Why do sus4 chords include word sus?

Why do you write Csus4 instead of just C4?

Improvise

Solo Like a Pro with the Tritone Substitution

Solo skills can often get stuck on a certain level. Learn about the various ways to use the tritone substitution in your improvisations.

Songwriting

Can’t Stop The Feeling (Justin Timberlake) 2/2 – Song Analysis

Learn the songwriting tricks and music theory used in Justin Timberlake's hit song. This is the final part of the 2-part series.

Songwriting

Can’t Stop The Feeling (Justin Timberlake) 1/2 – Song Analysis

Learn the songwriting tricks and music theory used in Justin Timberlake's hit song.

Songwriting

Blank Space (Taylor Swift) – Song Analysis

Understand the music theory behind the hit song Blank Space. Learn tricks for your own songwriting.

Members only

Download

How to Instantly Give Your Songs an Irresistible Touch with the Backdoor Progression (ebook)

Download the free mini ebook about the backdoor progression. Learn how the music theory works and how to use it – with helpful cheat sheets in all 12 keys.