Dorian Mode, Aeolian Mode, Minor Key… What's the Difference?

by Gary Ewer, from “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting”. Gary is the author of several e-books that open the world of song composition to budding writers. If you’d like to know how to get your songs working, let his texts show you the way. ____________ In traditional harmony (i.e., the kind you’d learn in a […]

Balancing the Major/Minor Focus of Your Chord Progressions

Written by Gary Ewer, from “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” website Follow Gary on Twitter One of the more important preliminary decisions you make as a songwriter is to settle on a key. And that means you’re either going to choose major or minor. But why not try something that the writers of Jordin Sparks’ […]

Want Some Chord Progression Ideas? Try These Samples

by Gary Ewer, from “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” website: Looking to write a song, but stuck at the chord progression stage? Here are some you can try: i) Asus   A   Bm   E   F#m   D   Bm7   C# This one has a few interesting twists. We’re used to starting progressions on the tonic chord, but this […]

Have You Tried Your Melody in the Opposite Mode?

by Gary Ewer, from “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” website: Like most songwriters, you’re probably looking for ways to look at melody construction. One aspect of melody-writing that we don’t think that much about is what it sounds like in the opposite mode. Here’s what I mean by that. Let’s say that your melody is […]

Chord Progressions for a Minor Key

Download “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” 6 e-book bundle, and become a top-level songwriter! ___________________ The vast majority of songs out there are written in a major key, so for those of you who avoid minor keys, you’re missing out on an entire palette of colours. Minor key music has a different feel, and a […]