Whenever you play a chord, you’re usually playing it in what’s called root position. This means that the root of the chord (the note represented by its letter name) is going to be the lowest-sounding note — the one that the bass is playing. If you want hundreds of chords to experiment with, “The Essential […]
A modal scale, for the purposes of what you’ll need to know for good songwriting, is one that starts and finishes on the non-tonic note of a major scale. That may seem like a mouthful, but here’s all it means: If you play a C major scale, you’re playing the notes C-D-E-F-G-A-B-C. But let’s say […]
Thousands of songwriters are using Gary Ewer’s “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” 6 e-Book Bundle to solve their songwriting dilemmas. Now with a 7th free eBook, “From Amateur to Ace: Writing Songs Like a Pro.” Read More.. ______________ A modal mixture chord (also called a borrowed chord) is a chord that normally belongs to the opposite mode. For example, if […]
Download “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” 6 e-book bundle. Here’s how to get your songs working right away! _________________ By far, the most common type of question I receive from songwriters concerns chord progressions. Why don’t my chords seem to work? What chords go with this key? How do I choose chords? There’s a reason […]
Written by Gary Ewer, from “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” website Follow Gary on Twitter Probably the most clever aspect of Taylor Swift’s “You Belong With Me” is the melodic construction. Beautifully contoured, it’s what really makes the song work. It even displays writing technique usually reserved for more high-brow compositions, including melodic inversion. Here’s […]
