Channel: Hack Music Theory

Category: Education

Tags: daw music theorysongwriting hackcovid-19 chordspandemic producingchord progression theorychillout chordshow to make chillout musicchill chord progression pianochill chordsmusic theory for daw musicianscovid chordschill chord progressionschill chords pianohack music theory chord progressionshow to write chord progressions for covid-19hack music theoryhack music theory chordsdorian chord progression

Description: Learn how to write chord progressions for the Covid-19 era, and beyond! ►FREE Music Theory Book: HackMusicTheory.com/Books ►Online Course (50% OFF): HackMusicTheory.com/Apprenticeship ►Songwriting & Producing PDF: HackMusicTheory.com/Bestsellers First things first. We measure “success” in terms of how helpful your work is to the world. Measuring success in terms of fame and fortune is so last millenium! And seeing as you’re here, we know that you’re a forward-thinker, so here’s how you can succeed in this Covid-19 era, and beyond. Listening to music is arguably the easiest and quickest way for someone to transform their psychological state, which in turn transforms their physiological state. So, in these stressful times we’re all living in, it’s vital that us songwriters and producers write and release music that can calm anxious minds and relax tense bodies. This is a very real way that we can all help, because when people calm down, they trigger their parasympathetic nervous system, which then upregulates their immune system. So, a calmer world is literally a healthier world! Now, in order to write calming music, you need to choose a calming scale. We chose D Dorian, which is all the white notes from D to D. We used the Dorian mode because it conveys a sad-but-hopeful emotion, and sharing hope in these sad times is life-changing. Alright, now that you’ve chosen your scale/mode, it’s time to choose your chords. There are no rules here, you can play any chords in your key, but remember this: When you’re writing music to help people chill out, you need to think differently. For once, you actually don’t wanna make music that stands out, as that would stimulate the listener’s mind, instead of relaxing it. Having said that though, if you write something that totally blends into the background, then you’ll lose the listener’s attention and their mind will wander back into a place of fear and anxiety. Also, you don’t wanna lose your artistic voice, just cos you’re making musical medicine. So, the magic happens on the middle path between “background music” and “art music”! We created this balance by doing the following. On the “background” side of things, we started by choosing four chords, which is the most common number of chords in a progression. That familiarity is very calming for listeners. Our chords are: Dm→Cmaj→Fmaj→Gmaj. Next, we reinforced that familiarity by using a predictable harmonic rhythm. Harmonic rhythm is simply where each chord begins and ends. We play each chord for exactly two bars. And that brings us to the most important element of writing calming music: Pace. Most songwriters and producers think of a song’s pace as its tempo, but the BPM is only half the story. Lots of songwriters and producers use slow BPMs and think they’re making chillout music, but then they change chords every couple beats, and that faster-paced harmonic rhythm prevents their music (and their listeners) from relaxing. So remember, chillout music needs a slow BPM and a slow harmonic rhythm! Okay, so now that you’ve ensured your song is gonna sound calming and comforting to your listeners, you need to prevent it from blending into the background. So, on the “art” side of things, we did the following. We started by using the odd time signature 3/4. This time signature is probably the most common of the odd times, so that makes it feel a little different but without being weird. Also, it’s worth noting here that our chord progression already sounded a bit different because it’s in the Dorian mode, not the usual major or minor scale. Next, we created even more interest by playing our chords in a slightly unusual way. Instead of playing them as regular block chords (where the notes are played together), or arpeggios (where the notes are played one at a time), we used a combination of these two techniques. We play our root note first, then follow it with two higher notes that are played together. This allows for lots of space (i.e. rests), which makes the progression sound even more chill. We actually used this way of playing the chord as a motif, by playing the rest of the chords this way too. Lastly, to make our progression extra calming, we started it with a dreamy add9 chord, which we then used as a motif as well. And if you’re new to add9 chords, you can make them by simply adding the 2 to a triad. For example, our first chord is Dm(add9), which is the Dm triad (D, F, A) plus the 2 (E). Now, add9 chords are obviously four-note chords, which create a thicker texture. And while that’s great in some songs, we wanted to keep our texture thin and spacious here, so we left out the 5 of our Dm(add9) chord. When you use chords with four or more notes, leaving out the 5 is a great way of keeping your texture thin. COPYRIGHT © 2020 Revolution Harmony Revolution Harmony is Ray Harmony & Kate Harmony All content (script & music) in video by Revolution Harmony