Which Chords Work Well in a Song's Bridge?

Download “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” 6-ebook bundle, and learn the difference between STRONG and FRAGILE progressions. ____________ The bridge is the part of the song that typically follows the second chorus, and it has a few reasons for existing. Chief among those reasons is the chance to leave the verse and chorus melodies and […]

5 Ideas for Perking Up a Boring Chord Progression

Download “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” 6 e-book bundle to learn more about chord progressions and how they work. _____________ I hardly ever worry about a chord progression that sounds boring or repetitive. First of all, most chord progressions use repetition as a standard feature, because repetition works. Listen to any successful song, and you’ll […]

For Song Momentum, Inverted Chords Need a Purpose

Download “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” 6-ebook bundle, and get HUNDREDS of chord progressions, and TONS of songwriting advice! An inverted chord is one in which the root of the chord is not the lowest-sounding note. Every chord consists of at least 3 notes: a root, a 3rd, and a 5th. Above this basic triad, […]

Partnered Chord Progressions Pull Songs Together

Get FANTASTIC RESULTS! – Download “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” 6 e-book bundle and START WRITING GREAT SONGS! __________________ Most of the chords you’ll use in a song will be chosen from the seven triads that normally exist in any given key. But you can give your song a strong sense of cohesion and connection if you relate […]

Modal Mixture Chords: Subtle Harmonic Shadings

Get FANTASTIC RESULTS! – Download “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” 6 e-book bundle and START WRITING GREAT SONGS! __________________ If you’re looking for a way to make your chord progressions come alive a bit, you’re probably thinking about some basic chord substitutions. For example, IV-chords (i.e., Bb in the key of F major, for example) can often be […]

The Circle of Fifths: Never-Fail Chord Progressions

Get FANTASTIC RESULTS! – Download “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” 6 e-book bundle and START WRITING GREAT SONGS! __________________ Successful hit songs are a balance of predictable and innovative musical ideas. New hit songs will be largely patterned on what the writers already know works. They tend to be mostly predictable, but at least some aspect of them […]