By creative chords, I mean any progressions that stray from the typical 3- or 4-chord changes that strongly reinforce the key your song is in. Standard progressions are the most common ones you’ll find in most of the pop genres, like: I-IV-V-I (C-F-G-C) I-ii-V-I (C-Dm-G-C) I-vi-IV-I (C-Am-F-C) I-vi-V-I (C-Am-G-C) There are more to add to […]
Chord progressions, even in music that sounds innovative or novel, are usually the most predictable part of a song’s design. A song might have lyrics that are hard to understand, and use odd instruments, time signatures or unpredictable melodic ideas, but chords are usually the most easily understood part. That’s why I often use landscape […]
A chord progression is the one element that doesn’t overly hurt a song if it’s predictable. Creative songs are still being written using the tried-and-true I-IV-V-I progression. It’s the uniqueness of the melody and lyrics (and all the related bits such as phrasing, rhythm. etc.) that really matter. Having said that, there’s something nice about […]
If you’re including a bridge in your song, it’s a great spot to move the focus away from the original key into other key areas. Sometimes that means changing key entirely, but in fact that doesn’t often happen. What rather happens is that the focus changes from the original tonic chord to a different chord. Here’s what […]
Changing key is a good way to keep song energy moving in an upward direction. _______________ Thousands of songwriters are now using “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” eBook Bundles to improve their technique. Includes two volumes of chord progressions, the very popular “Chord Progression Formulas”, and the 10-eBook Deluxe Bundle includes “Hooks and Riffs: How They Grab Attention, Make Songs […]
The tonic note of your song’s key has the ability to give the chorus a lot of punch. Here are some quick tips. ____________ Download “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” 6-eBook Bundle, and build your audience base! _____________ I’ve been mentioning a lot lately the seven chords that exist naturally in the key you choose for […]
