AI can’t make music. Let me explain…

The reason almost everyone thinks AI can make music, is because the definition of music has changed. As a side note, it’s interesting how more and more definitions seem to be changing nowadays, isn’t it? But that’s a story for another day…

What’s important to us here is the original definition of music. In other words, what music meant to our hunter-gatherer ancestors. To them, music was an ineffable expression of the human experience, shared through pitched and rhythmic patterns. This was the universal meaning of music from the beginning of humankind. There are mystical elements too, which are vital, but that’s also a story for another day. So, how did the definition of music change?

It all began when music was corralled into the concert hall about 300 years ago, which turned it into a performance. And with that, it was no longer something everyone actively participated in. There were now active performers, and passive listeners. This was the fork in the road. From that point on, music was a product that could be monetized through admission fees. This was the first major definition change.

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Now, as with all progress, there are many benefits. However, knowing the costs of those benefits is essential in weighing up the pros and cons of the progress. Yes, there was a long list of benefits from domesticating wild music and transforming it into tame performance art, but the costs were severe.

For example, singing used to be something that people did communally. And they did it while moving in unison. Whether it was bushmen singing and dancing around a fire, or baptists singing and swaying in a church, the mental, physical, spiritual, and societal health benefits of this ritual cannot be overstated. And all that was lost when singing became something that the chosen choir did, while everyone else shut their mouths and sat on their asses.

Sadly, though, those losses are only the tip of the iceberg. When sound recording was invented less than two hundred years ago, it was the active musicians who were next in line to be disempowered. For the first time in human history, it was now possible to listen to music without anybody making it. It’s impossible for us to imagine how utterly bizarre that must’ve been. There were no musicians playing, yet people were hearing music. Where was it coming from? Mad times!

That was the second major definition change. Music had now been corralled into a disc made of resin. And these could be mass-produced and sold. Ka-ching! Instead of having to pay musicians for every concert, they could now be paid for one concert that was recorded, and then that recording could be sold an unlimited amount of times. Once again, a cost-benefit analysis for humanity should have been done. But it wasn’t. As always, the masses rushed headlong into a future that was even more unnatural, without even pausing to think about the repercussions. Sound familiar?

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And it’s worth stating clearly here that a recording of music is not music, it’s a recording. Just like a photo of a car is not the car. Think about it. If you want a new car and I give you a photo of that car, do you now have the car? Obviously not. You have an image of the real thing. Same with music. Think about it. If you want to hear the latest song from your favourite artist, you’ll open your music app and listen to it. But are you actually listening to the song? No. You’re listening to a recording of the song. That idea sounds crazy to us in the 21st century, but that’s only because the definition of music has changed twice already.

That brings us to the present, where we’re being told that AI can make music. But hopefully by now you can see why that’s a lie. AI can’t make music, because music is an expression of the human experience. AI can’t have the human experience, therefore AI can’t make music. The robots can do lots of things, yes, but making music is not one of them.

And even if you believe AI will become conscious one day, it can never be human, so it will never be able to make music. And yes, animals are conscious, and some species (like birds) have something similar to music. But that’s not music either, for the same reason: birds are not expressing the human experience. So let’s not get our definition of music confused by the mainstream narrative about AI. Music can only be made by humans. End of story.

These definition changes have resulted in us giving away our creative power as humans who actively make music. Over the last few centuries, we’ve turned into powerless, passive consumers of recordings. And now we’re not even listening to recordings anymore, we’re consuming soulless AI-generated sonic content.

So, if you’re feeling inspired to take your power back and become an active music maker, like all our ancestors were, then you can get started right now by reading my free book 12 Music Theory Hacks to Learn Scales & Chords. And if you’re already making music but you’re frustrated because it’s not as good as you’d like, then I invite you to join my online apprenticeship course.

Happy learning, and welcome aboard the Songwriter’s Ark*.

Ray Harmony :)

*I visualize Hack Music Theory as a Songwriter’s Ark, where all the music making skills are being preserved through this global AI flood. The flood shall pass. The skills will last.

Help keep the Songwriter's Ark afloat.

Photo by Mart Production

Ray Harmony is a multi award-winning music lecturer, who’s made music with Serj Tankian (System Of A Down), Tom Morello (Rage Against The Machine), Steven Wilson (Porcupine Tree), Devin Townsend (Strapping Young Lad), Ihsahn (Emperor), Kool Keith (Ultramagnetic MCs), Madchild (Swollen Members), and more. Ray is also the co-founder of Hack Music Theory, a YouTube channel with over 250,000 subscribers learning the fast, easy and fun way to make music without using AI, cos it ain’t no fun getting a robot to write “your” songs!

Photo by Pavel Danilyuk

Outro music by Ray Harmony, based on the music theory from GoGo Penguin "Everything Is Going to Be OK".

Listen below, or on any podcast app.

I never thought this day would come. But here it is.

After 30 years of teaching music to thousands of students, I’m facing a previously unimagined challenge: convincing people who want to make music that they should learn how to do it.

Never in human history has there been any other option. But now, there are robots that can make “your” music for you. Is it yours if you didn’t write it? No, but the masses embracing AI-generated music don’t seem bothered by that fact.

There are only 12 notes in music, so it’s relatively easy to understand. But making music is not as easy. And making good music is rather hard. That’s because there are infinite ways to combine those 12 notes melodically and harmonically. And then there’s the eternal world of rhythm. Infinity x eternity. That’s a lot of options!

Yet despite the never-ending options, for a beginner songwriter it usually feels like every combination they choose ends up sounding a bit rubbish. Where are all those great combinations hiding? Only years of exploring will begin to reveal them.

Photo by Gerd Altmann

And therein lies the problem. In the good ol’ days before AI, if someone wanted to make music, there was only one option: learn how. But in this brave new world, why bother spending years learning and practising, when you can just get a robot to do it for you? No need for learning, practising, or even patience. A complete beginner can use AI to make a song (and the cover art too), then upload it to Spotify. All before breakfast.

And that brings me back to my new challenge of convincing people that learning how to make good music is worth the effort. That is my new passion. Because, we know from history that it only takes one generation to lose a skill. If humans can’t be convinced that making music is a skill worth preserving, it will be lost forever.

Just another fossil from those less “civilized” people of a bygone era. You know, those poor people who had to walk everywhere, grow their own food, and make their own music. Yeah those people. Wow, sucked to be them! Yes they were much happier and healthier than us, but still, no smart phones? Sucked to be them!

Photo by RDNE Stock project

So, why bother writing your own music? Because the process is what’s valuable, not the end result. The process of expressing ourselves by making music improves our mental health, our spiritual health, and even our physical health. And sharing our music in-person connects us to our fellow humans in a way that nothing else does. If all that’s not enough, how about this: making music is playful and fun! Remember those things? It’s what we used to do before smart phones were invented.

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There’s one caveat, though. It’s only fun if you know how to do it. If you don’t, then it’s frustrating. And I suspect that’s the main reason why people are turning to AI. But AI is not the solution. The solution is learning and practising. And the more you learn and practice, the more fun the songwriting process becomes.

It’s like exercising. When we first start, it’s horrible. Our muscles burn, our lungs burn, and every fibre of our being shouts “STOP!” Sadly, most people do. But for the ones who persevere, something magical happens. Each week the burning gets less, and the shouting gets softer. Then one day right in the middle of an exercise session, we suddenly realize our inner voice is shouting: “GO! GO! GO!” It usually takes a few months to break through that barrier, but when we do, the fun makes it all worthwhile.

Photo by Barbara Olsen

I want you to enjoy that post-breakthrough fun with your music. There’s no better feeling. But it requires trust. And I’m not asking you to trust me. I’m asking you to trust yourself, and to trust the journey. Until you reach that breakthrough, it’s hard. But if you give up before then, you’ll never reap the health rewards. And you’ll miss out on a ton of fun, too!

With this new challenge in mind, I’m now visualizing Hack Music Theory as a Songwriter’s Ark, where all the music making skills are being preserved through this global AI flood. The flood shall pass. The skills will last.

So, if you’re feeling inspired to get onboard, I recommend reading my free book 12 Music Theory Hacks to Learn Scales & Chords. And if you’re already making music but it’s not as good as you’d like, I recommend my online apprenticeship course.

Happy learning, and welcome aboard the Songwriter’s Ark.

Ray Harmony :)

Help keep the Songwriter's Ark afloat.

Photo by Mart Production

Ray Harmony is a multi award-winning music lecturer, who’s made music with Serj Tankian (System Of A Down), Tom Morello (Rage Against The Machine), Steven Wilson (Porcupine Tree), Devin Townsend (Strapping Young Lad), Ihsahn (Emperor), Kool Keith (Ultramagnetic MCs), Madchild (Swollen Members), and more. Ray is also the co-founder of Hack Music Theory, a YouTube channel with over 250,000 subscribers learning the fast, easy and fun way to make music without using AI, cos it ain’t no fun getting a robot to write “your” songs!

Photo by Wout Nes

Outro music by Ray Harmony, based on the music theory from GoGo Penguin "Everything Is Going to Be OK".

Listen below, or on any podcast app.

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British band Glass Animals are absolutely massive! At the time of writing this, they’re ranked #257 in the world on Spotify. Most artists as famous as them have achieved their success as a result of an obsessive striving for celebrity. However, Glass Animals seem to be obsessed with making catchy music instead. And not only that, their music is surprisingly creative for a band as successful as them.

If you’ve been doing our Hack Music Theory tutorials for a few years, you’ll know that we don’t usually cover “celebrity artists”. The reason for that is because (nowadays) there’s an inverse correlation between the success of an artist and the creativity of their music. For an artist to achieve a fanbase of tens of millions, their music needs to appeal to the masses. And most people (nowadays) want “sugary” ear-candy music that’s pleasantly predictable, i.e. boring, bland background music.

So why are we doing a tutorial on such a huge band? Well, Glass Animals’ new single “Creatures in Heaven” is a masterclass in catchy melody writing. The lead melody in their chorus has a whole bunch of creative hacks, as well as a very clever twist in its tale.

So, inspired by “Creatures in Heaven”, here’s our 6-step method for writing a great melody that’s catchy enough for the masses. But first… Tea!

Open your DAW, leave the time signature on 4|4, but change your tempo to 80 BPM. Next, create a four-bar loop on your melody track, with a 1/16 grid. Okay so you may be wondering why the first step in a melody tutorial is… the chords?!

Well, all great melodies are written over chords, or implied chords (chords are “implied” when they’re not played separately but their notes are incorporated into the melody instead). The reason it’s best to write a melody over chords is because it gives the melody a harmonic progression. Without this progression, the melody will sound mind-numbingly boring, as it won’t go anywhere harmonically. The difference is night and day. It’s like walking through a beautiful forest along the ocean compared to walking on a treadmill in a stinky gym. There’s no comparison!

So let’s get our chord progression written, that way we’ve set ourselves up to write a great melody. Glass Animals are in the key of D major for their chorus (so we’ll use it too), and they use four chords in their progression (so we’ll do that too).

D Major (notes)

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

D

E

F♯

G

A

B

C♯

D Major (chords)*

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

Dmaj

Em

F♯m

Gmaj

Amaj

Bm

C♯dim

As you probably know (or as you’ll hear if you play it), the diminished chord is crazy dissonant. It’s safe to say that using C♯dim ain’t gonna appeal to the masses, so take that off your menu. But other than that, you can use whatever you want.

Glass Animals use all three major chords, and only one minor. Playing three major chords in a major key gives their chorus a wonderfully uplifting vibe. So, think about your balance between major (happy) and minor (sad) chords. Also, think about the order of your chords. Glass Animals play the root chord (Dmaj) second. This detracts attention from it and creates a more fluid atmosphere. We played Dmaj last, though, which creates a more final ending. You can play Dmaj wherever you want, but consider where you want to draw people to the “home” chord. Here’s our progression: Gmaj → Bm → Amaj → Dmaj

*If you need help working out the chords in a key, read Hack 10 in our Free Book.

Once you’ve chosen your four chords, draw in the root note of each chord for a full bar (in a low octave). These roots will provide harmonic reference for your melody, which you’re gonna write above. This way you’ll be able to hear the relationship between each note in your melody and its accompanying chord. When you’ve finished writing your melody, mute these low roots. Then, create another track specifically for your progression, and draw in each full chord (i.e. 1, 3, 5).

Root note of each chord in progression (key note, D, highlighted)

Great melodies contain drama, and there’s no better way to bring the drama than by using a big interval.* You see, larger intervals create intensity, while smaller intervals create continuity. You need both. In fact, you need a lot more smaller intervals than bigger intervals. However, if your melody contains only small intervals, it’ll be awfully boring. On the other hand, if your melody contains only big intervals, people will presume you were thoroughly drunk when you wrote it.

*New to writing melodies? Use the Melody Checklist in our Songwriting & Producing PDF.

Over your first chord, write a handful of notes that end with a big interval around beat 3. And that big melodic jump should go up, not down (a large descending interval contains only a fraction of the drama of that same interval ascending).

Be sure to begin your melody on beat 1, as this will make the most impact, and as this section is the chorus, first impressions matter even more than usual. Use a combination of note values for interest. And remember, if you wanna emphasize a chord’s major (happy) or minor (sad) vibe, then play its 3rd in your melody above.

Melody’s opening segment with large interval (highlighted) for drama

You’re now gonna finish your melody’s first phrase with “the fall”. This is an utterly brilliant technique that Glass Animals use in their melody. And, it makes for a deeply pleasing balance between the drama and the gentle ride down afterwards.

Your last note is currently that high note around beat 3, so now you’re gonna write a smooth contour that flows back down to somewhere around where you began.

All good melodies have phrasing (i.e. where the melody rests), regardless of whether they’re sung or played on an instrument. This is because the melody itself needs to breathe, not just the singer. These rests also break-up a melody into digestible bits (i.e. phrases), which makes it easier to remember. So, end your first phrase on a longer note, and have at least a 1/16 rest at the end of your first bar (i.e. beat 4a). You can have an 1/8 rest if you prefer, but nothing longer than that, otherwise you’ll lose the momentum.

First bar completed with “the fall” (highlighted)

Notice how we didn’t play the chord’s root (G) in our melody. That root will be played in the chords below, so you don’t need to play it unless you actually want to.

Copy and paste your first phrase into bar two, and make sure to also start it on beat 1. Glass Animals use a great hack in their second phrase, which makes it familiar to the listeners while simultaneously freshening it up so it’s not boring.

They achieve this by using rhythmic variation. Simple, but massively effective. By only changing a few note values, the phrase is both predictable and unpredictable.

First phrase copied and pasted into bar two (highlighted)

Repetition is vital if you wanna appeal to the masses. People love a melody they know. But, too much repetition will make a melody predictable. And as soon as it’s predictable, their attention will move to some other novelty in their environment; probably their phone (it’s a sad reality that music is competing with phones for people’s attention). So it’s essential to repeat your melody for it to get stuck in their heads, and rhythmic variation will prevent it from losing its novelty and appeal.

Glass Animals change almost all their note values, but only slightly. Let your ear guide you into the Goldilocks Zone in this step, as too much change will make the phrase sound unfamiliar, while not enough change will make it sound predictable.

Lastly, Glass Animals add one new note at the end of their phrase, so it actually finishes on the last beat of the bar. This new note is a 1/16, which is completely unexpected, so it adds to the novelty. We did this too, but you don’t have to. If you don’t, though, then extend your last note so it also finishes at the end of the bar.

Second phrase with rhythmic variations (highlighted)

We’re halfway through our melody now. And after two phrases that “fall”, Glass Animals counters that with a phrase that “climbs”. In the same way that the notes in our “falling” phrase aren’t all descending, the notes in our “climbing” phrase don’t all have to be ascending either. But, there needs to be an overall climbing contour and feel to it. So, you’ll wanna start this phrase slightly lower than your “falling” phrases, and then play around with writing a generally ascending contour.

Also, Glass Animals start this phrase on beat 1+, which is another way of adding novelty and interest. We did the same. You don’t have to start there but you do have to start on an off-beat, as your previous phrase ends right at beat 1. And your melody needs a breath there, so your only other options are beat 1e or beat 1a.

Before you jump in and begin writing this phrase, there’s one more guideline. After their climb, Glass Animals actually take their melody down a big interval. In fact, it’s the exact same big interval they use in their first phrase, but this time it jumps down instead of up. This provides a clever mirror image, which is utterly brilliant, but most people won’t notice that. What is noticeable, though, is how this low note extends the range (i.e. distance from lowest to highest note) of their melody.

Climbing segment of third phrase (highlighted)

Good melodies usually have a range of about an octave. This ending note is the last opportunity to extend your melody’s range to somewhere around an octave.

Final note (highlighted) of third phrase, extending melody’s range

This final step is a game-changer! You see, when we hear Glass Animals’ third phrase (i.e. the “climbing” phrase in Step 5), we obviously perceive it as a new phrase because it’s totally different. This is a common structure used for melodies. It’s known as AABA, where A is the first phrase and B is the second phrase. So in other words, the first phrase is played twice, then there’s a new phrase, and then the first phrase is played again (for the third time). By the way, it’s equally common to hear AAAB, where the first phrase is played three times in a row, followed by the second phrase. Okay, this Glass Animals melody seems normal so far, right? Yes. But (and it’s a BIG “but”), in this fourth bar where everyone will be expecting the return of their first phrase, Glass Animals repeat their second phrase instead.

By doing this, they actually transform their second phrase from being a “variation” to being an equally-important main phrase. So, this melody now consists of two main phrases: the first one that’s repeated in bars one and two, and the second phrase that’s repeated in bars three and four. This is known as an AABB structure.

This structure is surprisingly rare compared to the far more common AABA or AAAB. When it’s done well, the AABB melodic structure can take the catchiness of a melody to a whole new level. When done wrong, though, it can make a bad melody even worse. That’s because if you want your B phrase to be equal in importance to your A phrase, then it has to be equally well-written. However, most songwriters/producers approach their variations as nothing more than a variation. In other words, they feed you catchy stuff in their A phrase, then give you bland filler junk in their B phrase, and then they quickly bring back their catchy A phrase.

You’ve probably noticed this already, but what’s so clever about Glass Animals’ melody is that they balance two “falling” phrases (AA) with two “climbing” phrases (BB). This symmetry is beyond pleasing to our ears. Almost nobody will notice this, but everybody will notice how perfect their melody sounds and feels!

Right, let’s get your melody finished. So, copy and paste your B phrase (bar three) into bar four, starting on the same off-beat. This step is the same as Step 4. You’re gonna use rhythmic variation to create a freshened-up version of your B phrase.

B phrase copied and pasted into bar four (highlighted)

At the end of bar four, Glass Animals add another note, just like they did at the end of bar two. We actually added two notes (see MIDI below), but do whatever works for your melody, to create a smooth flow when it loops back to bar one.

B phrase with rhythmic variations (highlighted) and two new notes at the end (highlighted)

With that, you’re done. Thanks for reading, we appreciate you and hope you had fun. Are you ready to sing along to your mass-appealing melody? Hit play & enjoy!

Final melody (highlighted) in AABB structure

Did you enjoy this tutorial? Do you want more “musical recipes” like this one? If so, we can keep you cooking up new music with our library of PDF Tutorials.

Lastly, are you new to music theory? Or are you experienced, but you want a refresher? Then download our FREE BOOK (link opens in new tab). It only takes 30 minutes to read, then you’ll have a solid theory foundation that you can instantly apply to your songwriting and producing. Enjoy!

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While it’s normal to hear at least a few different kick patterns and hi-hat patterns in music nowadays, it’s rare to hear an interesting snare pattern. The rhythm assigned to this neglected element of the drumkit is almost always an afterthought. In 4|4 (which most music is in), the snare is usually one of these three rhythms:

So, when listening through to the new releases on Spotify, it was rather shocking (pleasantly so) to hear something completely unusual. The collaborative single “Snare Thing” by French producers Matt Sassari & Tony Romera is a refreshing celebration of the drum that almost always plays the most boring rhythm!

With these PDF tutorials, we usually have to make an educated guess as to what the creator’s intention and process was behind the song. But, based on the less-than-subtle title of their track, it’s safe to say that the duo were intentionally showcasing the snare drum’s creative potential. So, inspired by “Snare Thing”, here’s our 4-step method for writing creative snare patterns. But first… Tea!

Set up two bars of 4|4 with your grid on 1/16 notes, and your tempo at 126 BPM. The first thing we need to do is write a motif, which is a short idea that’s repeated to give the music structure and make it more memorable.

As we’re writing for the drums, our motif will obviously be a rhythmic motif (when using pitched instruments, you can also write melodic and harmonic motifs). The motif that Matt and Tony use is a couple of 1/16 notes followed by a 1/16 rest. They then repeat this motif to create their snare rhythm.

Motif repeated to create snare rhythm

As you can see, their motif is three 1/16 notes long. Having a motif that’s an odd duration (like three, five, seven, etc.) will make it far more interesting, because each time the motif is repeated it’ll start on a different 1/16 note beat (e.g. 1a, 2+, 3e).

A motif lasting four (or eight) 1/16 notes will repeat on the same beat, so it’ll get repetitive and boring extremely quickly. Therefore, avoid using an even-number motif here. For the record, though, they can sound great when played on melodic instruments, because you can repeat the same rhythm while changing the pitches.

Right, when you’re happy with your motif, copy and paste it into the first three 1/4 note beats of bar one. You wanna leave beat 4 open for now, as that’s where you’re gonna write a variation. Next, copy and paste your rhythm into bar two.

Snare rhythm copied and pasted into bar two (highlighted)

Now it’s time to write your variation in beat 4 of bar two. This variation will prevent the snare rhythm from getting boring, by turning it into a two-bar rhythm:

Two-bar snare rhythm created by adding variation (highlighted)

With such an unusual snare rhythm, it would be completely acceptable to move on and write the kick drum pattern now. But, Matt and Tony have one more brilliant snare trick up their sleeves. Instead of using the regular straight grid that you hear in almost every song, they use a swing grid. This is a game-changer!

If you’re new to the swing grid, you’re in for a treat. An easy way to think of the swing grid is that it’s a long note followed by a short note, and that occurs in each beat. But to be precise, the swing feel is what you get when you repeatedly play a triplet’s first and third notes. And that’s one way you can program swing rhythms.

DAWs allow us to use a swing grid, though, which gives us way more control over the feel (that’s actually the way drummers play swing rhythms, too). If you ask a drummer to play a swung beat for you, they’ll ask how strong you want the swing.

The stronger the swing (i.e. the later that second note is), the more “lazy” the rhythm feels. And the weaker the swing (i.e. the earlier that second note is, and therefore the closer it’ll be to a straight grid), the more rigid the rhythm feels.

The three MIDI screenshots below show the difference between using a triplet grid, a swing grid at 50% strength (usually the default in DAWs), and a swing grid at 66% strength.

Notice how the triplet and 66% swing grids are pretty much identical, but the 50% swing is slightly closer to a straight grid (we’ve left that second snare hit in the same place in all three MIDI screenshots, so you can see the grids’ differences).

Now, loop it up (or put the metronome on), and decide how much swing you like. We chose 65% strength, as we wanted it to have that stronger swing feel. While the swing strength you use is obviously up to you, we recommend going with something over 60%, otherwise your drums won’t have that super cool “lazy” vibe.

Grid set to 1/16 triplets

Grid set to 1/16 swing, at 50% strength

Grid set to 1/16 swing, at 66% strength

Right, now that you’ve chosen your swing strength, simply quantize your snare. If you’re new to quantizing, you can either try to find that function in your DAW, or you can just move your snare hits onto the new grid (that’s all quantizing is).

Snare rhythm quantized to 1/16 swing grid (swung notes highlighted)

A quick bonus hack before we move on. In “Snare Thing”, Matt and Tony mute the last three snare hits in every other loop. So, when you’re totally finished with your two-bar drum beat, copy and paste it, then mute those last few snares in bar four. This is an easy yet effective way to create variation. Remember, variation is not always about adding, the same effect can often be achieved by subtracting.

Last three snare hits muted (for variation) in every other loop, i.e. bar four

Now that your snare rhythm is swinging, literally, it’s time to add the dancey element. And when it comes to enticing people off their comfortable chairs, there’s no better remedy than a four-on-the-floor beat. If you’re new to that term, it’s simply a drum beat where the kick is on every 1/4 note beat. And usually the snare will be on beats 2 and 4 (i.e. a regular backbeat). While a four-on-the-floor drum beat is not very creative, it’s guaranteed to bring the dancey vibe to any song!

Right about now you may be thinking: But wait, we’ve already got a snare rhythm?! Yep, and this is where the French duo take their drums to a whole new level…

They have two snare drums playing simultaneously! And not only do the two snares have very different rhythms, but they also have very different sounds.

FYI: this beat will make most drummers angry (i.e. “How many freakin’ arms do you think I have?!”), so if you have a drummer friend, please don’t ask them to play this.

Four-on-the-Floor drum beat added (highlighted)

Okay, so if you thought the previous step was a drummer provoker, you ain’t seen nothin’ yet! We’re about to add hi-hats. But, one hi-hat isn’t enough for these ambitious Frenchmen. Yep, they also have two hi-hat rhythms playing. Madness!

They actually start with only one, but then when they wanna build up the energy, they bring in their second hi-hat rhythm. So let’s get the first rhythm written now, which will be played on the closed hi-hats (see MIDI screenshot below).

They have a relatively simple swung rhythm on the closed hats, with a couple rests.

You can go for something with more variation if you want, but be careful not to have a closed hat rhythm that’s too complex, as that will fight for your listeners’ attention. Remember, there’s only enough space in the spotlight for one element!

Also, be sure to have a slightly different closed hat rhythm in your second bar. Once again, though, don’t make the variation too noticeable. Simple is best here.

Closed hi-hat rhythm added (highlighted)

What you have now is your main drum beat. However, as you build up the energy in your other instruments throughout the song, you’ll wanna ramp up your drums too. And that’s when Matt and Tony introduce their second hi-hat rhythm, which is played on the open hi-hats. That swoosh sound of open hats is great for energy!

If you look at the MIDI screenshot below, you’ll see that we’re well into the realm of drummer impossibilities now. Not only are there moments where the closed and open hats are played together (which is impossible on most drumkits as they only have one set of hi-hats), but there are also moments where the drummer’s need for two hi-hats would be the least of their problems, as they’d also need three arms! A couple examples of this can be found on beats 2+ and 3+ in bar one.

Okay, so now that we’ve thoroughly annoyed most drummers (which, I confess, is one of my hobbies because my big brother is a professional drummer), let’s write our second hi-hat rhythm.

These Frenchmen may be wildly ambitious, but they certainly know when to balance complexity with simplicity. And that’s exactly what they do with their open hats, which plays a super simple off-beat rhythm on beats 1+, 2+, 3+, and 4+.

Along with the flour-on-the-floor, this off-beat hat rhythm is another classic dance element. You can do something slightly more complex if you prefer, but once again, simple is best here. Too much variation in your open hat rhythm will result in it fighting for your listeners’ attention. And this beat is all about that Snare Thing!

And with that, you’re done. So, clear some space, hit play, and get dancing. Enjoy :)

Final beat (open hi-hats highlighted)

PS: Did you enjoy this tutorial? Do you want more “musical recipes” like this one? If so, we can keep you cooking up new music with our library of PDF Tutorials.

I know you want to be a confident producer who finishes songs, and loves the results. In order to become a confident producer, though, you need decades of knowledge and experience. To gain that knowledge, you need a good teacher. To gain that experience, you need decades of practice. That’s overwhelming!

I understand that searching for a good teacher is frustrating. Most courses are taught by YouTubers who are not qualified in music, and are not qualified teachers either. The few who are qualified in both, have no industry experience. I feel your pain. Truly. Most of my music teachers were bad. That’s why I studied music and education in order to become a lecturer, and why I created Hack Music Theory.

Also, over my 30+ years of composing, I developed a unique method called Song-Whispering, which I’ve used to make music with multiplatinum Grammy winners. In my one-of-a-kind online apprenticeship, you’ll learn my method and turbocharge your music with my decades of knowledge and experience.

Enroll Now and stop wasting years of your life learning from bad teachers and trying to get better through trial-and-error. Transform into the confident producer you would be in 10+ years now, and start loving your music!

Ray Harmony
Multi award-winning college lecturer, teaching since 1995


 

“Song-Whispering may be the single greatest concept ever!”
–Glynne Owen (Japan)

“I followed their YouTube for a while before taking their course. I wish I'd taken it sooner!”
–Sagar Saluja (India)

“I wrote the first song in my life that I actually like!”
–Anastasia Lucas (USA)

Lastly, are you new to music theory? Or are you experienced, but you want a refresher? Then download our FREE BOOK (link opens in new tab). It only takes 30 minutes to read, then you’ll have a solid theory foundation that you can instantly apply to your songwriting and producing. Enjoy!

If the FREE BOOK link doesn't work, just visit our BOOKS page:
https://hackmusictheory.com/books

If the link above does not work, paste this into your browser:
https://hackmusictheory.com/album/2648019/displaced-bass

Do you ever write a bass line (or synth/guitar riff) that you love, but after a few loops it gets boring? No problem, you think to yourself, being here in the Hack Music Theory community you know that you need to write a variation for it. So you get to work on that. Fast forward an hour, and everything you’ve tried resulted in the magic of your original version being lost. This is a common problem, and Thom Yorke (Radiohead) and his band The Smile have a brilliant solution for you!

In their song “The Smoke”, they use a super creative method for turning a one-bar bass line (and guitar riff) into an epic ten-bar adventure. And most importantly, they do that without creating a conventional variation anywhere in their line/riff*. How? They take their one-bar riff and repeat it a few times, then just as it’s about to get boring, they displace it. What on earth does that mean? Well, this is how the dictionary defines the word “displace”: To move something from its usual place or position. So in musical terms, what displacement means is to play the exact same thing but in a different place/position in the bar (i.e. the riff starts on an earlier/later beat).

However, they don’t just displace their riff, they also cut it up and displace those segments. The result is mesmerising, and we’re captivated by this displacement as our brains try to figure out what’s going on. They then repeat their ten-bar riff, and the second loop feels even more captivating, as it catches us off-guard because we weren’t expecting it to repeat after ten bars (but more on that in Step 1).

So, inspired by “The Smoke”, here’s our 5-step method for writing a ten-bar riff that will totally captivate your listeners with its displacements. But first… Tea!

*Thom Yorke (bass) and Jonny Greenwood (guitar) play the exact same thing in the main section of this song, so to keep things simple, we’ll just be referring to what they both play as a riff.

Change your tempo to 93 BPM, then create a ten-bar loop on your bass track (or guitar track, if you prefer). When you’re done writing your riff, you’ll duplicate the track and load up the other instrument (guitar/bass), so it doesn’t actually matter which one you use to write the riff. Now, open your MIDI editor, set the grid to 1/16 notes, and let’s get to it!

You’re gonna start by writing a one-bar riff. You really want to take your time here, as this one bar is the source material for the whole ten bars, so make it good! The Smile uses E minor pentatonic scale for their riff, so we’ll use it too. If you’re new to this scale, it’s just the natural minor scale without its 2nd and 6th notes.*

E natural minor scale

1

2

♭3

4

5

♭6

♭7

E

F♯

G

A

B

C

D

E minor pentatonic scale

1

♭3

4

5

♭7

E

G

A

B

D

You can use any notes from the scale, but there are four rhythm rules to follow:

*For help with writing in the minor pentatonic scale, as well as in the blues scale (a spicy variation of the minor pentatonic), use Hack 8 in our Songwriting & Producing PDF.

Here’s our one-bar riff:

One-bar riff, with the accented notes on beats 1 and 3 highlighted

The Smile repeats their one-bar riff four times, exactly as it is. Four bars is the absolute maximum you’d want to repeat such a short riff. Any more repetition than that, and it’ll not only be boring to your listeners, it’ll actually be annoying!

But, they’re very intentionally pushing their repetition to the max. The reason for that is because they need their listeners to be 100% familiar with the riff before they start messing with it. If the listeners don’t have the original version 100% stuck in their heads, then all the upcoming displacements would be completely disorientating, and therefore completely unpleasant to the ears.

But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. First things first, let’s get our riff stuck in the listeners’ heads! So, copy and paste your one-bar riff into bars two through four.

One-bar riff copied and pasted (highlighted) into bars two through four

Right, now the fun begins! Copy and paste your one-bar riff into bar seven, then…

One-bar riff copied and pasted (highlighted) into bar seven

Move that whole riff in bar seven to the right by two 1/4 note beats. In other words, in bar seven your riff should now begin on beat 3, instead of beat 1.

Riff in bar seven displaced to beat 3 (highlighted)

After those first four bars, their riff in bars seven/eight is the only time The Smile plays the full version again. But, instead of starting it on beat 1, they start halfway through the bar. While this sounds different, it’s a subtle difference, because beat 3 is a naturally accented beat in the 4|4 time signature. So, the riff still begins on a strong beat, just not the same beat. This means that when we hear their full riff again in bars seven/eight, it sounds comfortingly familiar, but at the same time it feels slightly different. This is the first of The Smile’s utterly brilliant displacement hacks. You can use this hack on any riff in any genre, and it’s super easy to apply!

If you thought that was cool, well… it was. But, it’s about to get a whole lot cooler! While this step is simple to do, it’s so crazy creative that it’s actually easier to just do it, then we’ll explain why it’s awesome afterwards. Are you ready for more fun?!

In bar four, copy the second half of your riff (i.e. beats 3 and 4). Then, paste that half-riff into bar five. But, instead of starting it on beat 3 like usual, move it earlier (i.e. to the left) so it starts on beat 1 of bar five. By the way, just to keep things simple, we’ll be referring to this as the “half-riff” for the remainder of this PDF.

Half-riff in bar five displaced to beat 1 (highlighted)

Okay now let’s explore why this simple hack is so awesome! You see, The Smile somehow found a way to give the listeners repetition and variation simultaneously. They haven’t changed the notes of their riff at all. They’re those same notes the listeners have stuck in their heads, and they’re played in the same order, too. However, the listeners are obviously expecting to once again hear the beginning of their riff on beat 1 of bar five, but instead they hear the second half of their riff. It’s so unexpected, yet familiar at the same time. It leaves the listeners mystified, in the best possible way, and entirely captivated to hear what on earth will come next.

Many many more displacements, that’s what comes next…

Right, so that half-riff you just pasted into bar five, copy and paste it again, but this time starting on beat 4+ of the same bar. This half-riff now runs over the bar line and into bar six, which is an amazing hack all on its own, because it begins to dissolve the previously rigid bar lines. This makes the music feel like it’s breaking free from the chains that were holding it back. It’s a liberating feeling for listeners.

Half-riff copied and pasted (highlighted), starting on beat 4+ of bar five

But, that’s not all The Smile is accomplishing with this creative hack. The half-riff is also now beginning on an off-beat (i.e. beat 4+) for the first time. This totally throws it off against the regular backbeat snare of the drums on beats 2 and 4. And what that does is give listeners the illusion that the drummer is playing something completely different, even though he’s repeating the exact same pattern.

That illusion is only achievable because we’re so familiar with the riff by now, that when we hear the same notes in the same order again and it sounds extremely different this time, our tricked brains assume (consciously or subconsciously) that it must be the drum pattern that changed. What a truly brilliant hack! In fact, I wonder if we’ll hear this hack on the next Meshuggah album?

Next, copy and past that half-riff into bar six. Except, instead of starting on beat 4+ like you did in bar five, move it earlier again and start it on beat 4. While this half-riff is back on a main beat, the listeners haven’t heard it start from this beat before. So once more there’s repetition and variation without even changing a note.

Half-riff copied and pasted (highlighted), starting on beat 4 of bar six

The Smile keeps shifting their half-riff earlier in every bar, so listeners can’t guess where it’s going to come next. It makes this section feel like it’s alive, a living and breathing piece of music that’s moving around right in front of our ears!

Next we’re coming into bar seven, which is already half written (from Step 2). So, where your full one-bar riff ends halfway through bar eight, paste your half-riff there. In other words, it’s going to start on beat 3 of bar eight.

By repeating and displacing their half-riff, instead of their full riff, The Smile makes it easier for listeners to follow along (after a few listens!). If they were displacing the full one-bar riff, it would sound a lot weirder. The ongoing displacement of a “bite size” version of their riff makes the whole section far more digestible.

Half-riff copied and pasted (highlighted), starting on beat 3 of bar eight

Next, paste your half-riff into bar nine, and this one they begin even earlier. Start it on beat 2+ (of bar nine). It’s so clever, as we’re back to starting the half-riff on an off-beat, and that syncopation throws it out (again) against the backbeat snare!

Half-riff copied and pasted (highlighted), starting on beat 2+ of bar nine

Then do one more paste of your half-riff into bar ten, and yep you guessed it, this one’s earlier yet again! So in bar ten, start it on beat 2. Also, this half-riff has shifted back onto a main beat now, but obviously not the beat we were expecting.

Half-riff copied and pasted (highlighted), starting on beat 2 of bar ten

Did you just hit play and listen to the whole thing? If you did, don’t be alarmed, as it’ll be sounding rather strange in its current form. That’s because The Smile has one more brilliant trick up their sleeve, which is linking all those messy bits together into a cohesive whole. So let’s get to it and link this up into one epic riff!

In that gap in bar five, from the end of your half-riff to the beginning of the next one, use a few notes to link those together. The Smile uses three notes here. We use four. You can use any notes from the E minor pentatonic scale, but make the last one of your link the same as the very first note of your riff in bar one. Also, use 1/16 notes and some rests for this link, just like you did when writing the riff.

This link in your loop will probably be a slightly different length to The Smile’s (and ours), because it depends on what beat the full version of your riff ends on. In other words, this step is not a super precise method like the previous steps.

Linking notes connect two half-riffs (highlighted)

When you’re happy with your link, copy and paste it into all the other gaps in your loop. Sometimes the whole link won’t fit, though. When that happens, just delete the end of it to make it fit. By the way, you’ll notice that your link moves earlier each time too (just like your half-riff). Your links also benefit from that great hack!

The only guideline to follow when pasting your links into the gaps is to make sure each link starts on a main beat, or on one of the 1/8 note beats in between them. In other words, don’t start your link on a 1/16 note beat, like beat 2e or 3a. That level of syncopation would throw your bass out way too much against the drums.

Also, if you have a rest between the last note of your half-riff in bar five, and the first note of your link, then be sure to keep that same rest value before each of the other links. That’s an 1/8 note in our example, so before every link in ours you’ll hear an 1/8 note rest. Doing this forms a pattern, which helps make it memorable. When you’re done, your loop should have a total of six links or partial-links. And with that, you’re done. Congrats, that was an epic adventure!

You can actually make two versions of your final riff: staccato and legato. The way it is now is staccato, which means the notes are short and disconnected. To make a legato version (where the notes are longer and connected), simply extend to the right every note that can be extended. Now, hit play and hold on, it’s a wild ride!

Final staccato version of bass line, with all links and partial-links highlighted

Final legato version of bass line

I know you want to be a confident producer who finishes songs, and loves the results. In order to become a confident producer, though, you need decades of knowledge and experience. To gain that knowledge, you need a good teacher. To gain that experience, you need decades of practice. That’s overwhelming!

I understand that searching for a good teacher is frustrating. Most courses are taught by YouTubers who are not qualified in music, and are not qualified teachers either. The few who are qualified in both, have no industry experience. I feel your pain. Truly. Most of my music teachers were bad. That’s why I studied music and education in order to become a lecturer, and why I created Hack Music Theory.

Also, over my 30+ years of composing, I developed a unique method called Song-Whispering, which I’ve used to make music with multiplatinum Grammy winners. In my one-of-a-kind online apprenticeship, you’ll learn my method and turbocharge your music with my decades of knowledge and experience.

Enroll Now and stop wasting years of your life learning from bad teachers and trying to get better through trial-and-error. Transform into the confident producer you would be in 10+ years now, and start loving your music!

Ray Harmony
Multi award-winning college lecturer, teaching since 1995


 

“Song-Whispering may be the single greatest concept ever!”
–Glynne Owen (Japan)

“I followed their YouTube for a while before taking their course. I wish I'd taken it sooner!”
–Sagar Saluja (India)

“I wrote the first song in my life that I actually like!”
–Anastasia Lucas (USA)

Lastly, are you new to music theory? Or are you experienced, but you want a refresher? Then download our FREE BOOK (link opens in new tab). It only takes 30 minutes to read, then you’ll have a solid theory foundation that you can instantly apply to your songwriting and producing. Enjoy!

If the FREE BOOK link doesn't work, just visit our BOOKS page:
https://hackmusictheory.com/books

If the link above does not work, paste this into your browser:
https://hackmusictheory.com/album/2639559/sweeping-arpeggios

Do your arpeggios all sound rather similar? It’s a common problem for producers.

Arpeggios are when you play a chord one note at a time, and it’s one of the best techniques for making your progressions more interesting. And while it’s definitely more rare to hear arpeggios than “block” chords in popular music genres, most of the arpeggios you do hear are rather boring. Merely playing chords one note at a time is not a foolproof way of making progressions more creative. If you want better arpeggios, you need to write an internal melody within them. Want even better arpeggios? Write two internal melodies, or maybe even three!

What are we talking about when we talk about “internal melodies”? Well, the melodies need to be formed from notes within the arpeggios, as opposed to writing a melody over the top of them. There’s obviously nothing wrong with doing that, but it will be heard as a separate melody, not as part of the arpeggios.

While there’s an abundance of genius examples of this in classical music, there are sadly not many to be found in popular music genres. If you’re into the rock side of things, Muse has plenty of creative arpeggios. Examples are even rarer on the electronic side of things, though, but Daft Punk comes to the rescue with their song “Motherboard” (check out their new “Drumless Edition” of this song, as it’s easier to hear the arpeggios). At 28 seconds into this track, the most beautiful arpeggios begin to sweep up and down. Despite their fast pace (i.e. 1/16 notes), they’re thoroughly calming due to their smooth, sweeping motion. And it’s not just the fast pace that makes their arpeggios so creative, it’s also their choice of notes.

So, inspired by “Motherboard”, here’s our 5-step method for writing sweeping arpeggios, which are guaranteed to stand out from all those boring, clichéd arpeggios. But first… Tea!

As arpeggios are simply broken up chords, the first step is to write a chord progression. So, set your tempo to 103 BPM, then create a four-bar loop and set your grid to 1/16 notes.

Daft Punk play their arpeggios on woodwind instruments, but we’ll get to that in the last step. For now, we actually recommend using a piano, for two reasons. Firstly, piano arpeggios are beautiful, so if you want, you can keep them on a piano sound (we did). Secondly, the piano has a much bigger range than any woodwind instrument, so you won’t be held back by not being able to play a note because it’s too high/low for that instrument.

Daft Punk’s arpeggios are in the key of E minor, so we’ll use it too:

E natural minor

1

2

♭3

4

5

♭6

♭7

Em

F♯dim

Gmaj

Am

Bm

Cmaj

Dmaj

Regarding what chords to choose. This PDF is all about arpeggios, so we’re not going to cover the “chord choice” topic. If you need help with writing better chord progressions, we recommend our Songwriting & Producing Course.

The only three guidelines we suggest are to choose four chords, avoid the diminished chord, and play the root chord somewhere (you don’t have to start with it, though). Here are the chords we chose for our progression:

Cmaj → Gmaj → Dmaj → Em

After you’ve chosen your four chords, draw in each chord’s root note for one bar.

Root note of each chord in progression

Just a heads up, those long root notes are just there for reference, they’re not going to be part of your final arpeggios (you’ll mute them in the last step). Having the root notes there while writing arpeggios is a super helpful hack, because it allows you to hear the interval/harmony between each note in your arpeggio and the root of that chord. This way you can hear if each note is conveying the right emotion.

Now, in this step you’re going to write the lower portion of your arpeggios. You see, sweeping arpeggios tend to cover a wide range. That’s what gives them their unique sound. Those boring, clichéd arpeggios that you hear most often usually only cover the range of each chord, which is almost always one octave or less.

The range of Daft Punk’s arpeggios is just over two and a half octaves, and the range of ours ended up being just over three octaves. Those are massive ranges! And that’s one of the most notable features of sweeping arpeggios.

As we mentioned in Step 1, writing this on the piano is ideal because not all instruments can accommodate huge ranges. We don’t know if this range issue was the inspiration behind Daft Punk dividing up their sweeping arpeggios between the clarinet and flute, but it sure is a beautiful outcome. The clarinet has a lower range than the flute, so their arpeggios start with four lower 1/16 notes on the clarinet, then the flute takes over and plays four higher 1/16 notes. So beautiful!

We decided to do three notes for the lower portion of our arpeggios, because it gives us five notes to navigate up to the climactic peak and back down again. However, please feel free to use Daft Punk’s four-and-four formula instead.

The lower portion of your arpeggio is going to be the first three (or four) 1/16 notes. So spend some time now experimenting with what notes you want to begin your arpeggios with. You’re going to use the same pattern for each chord, so make sure you really like the notes and their contour. We chose the (shockingly) simple pattern of 1, 2, 3, because we’ve got a trick up our sleeves that we’ll reveal below.

Lower portion (highlighted) of Cmaj arpeggio

This lower arpeggio portion needs to anchor it, so playing the root is a must. You don’t have to start on the root, but it’s not a bad idea. Daft Punk do, and so do we.

When you’re happy with your three/four notes, copy and paste them into beat 3.

And yes, you’re going to sweep up and down twice over each chord. There’s two reasons for this. Firstly, the repetition will help your arpeggios to be more memorable. And secondly, if you only did one sweep up and down in each bar, your range would be absolutely ridiculously gigantic! As we mentioned above, our final arpeggios ended up sweeping across three octaves in a mere two beats, so imagine the GARGANTUAN range you’d end up with if your arpeggios swept over four beats, instead of two. That’s definitely way too much of a good thing!

Now, here’s the trick we mentioned above. Instead of playing the same three/four notes in beat 3. Move them to create a variation. For the record, Daft Punk doesn’t do this in their song, it’s our little hack to add more melody into the arpeggios.

And to make things even more interesting here, we don’t start this second lower portion on the root note, we start on the 5. We then play the root, and then the 3.

Second lower portion (highlighted) of Cmaj arpeggio

When you’re happy with the second lower portion of your arpeggio, play the same pattern over your other three chords. Our lower pattern is: 1, 2, 3 and then 5, 1, 3.

Lower portion of Gmaj arpeggio

Lower portion of Dmaj arpeggio

Lower portion of Em arpeggio

Now that the lower part of your arpeggios is complete, it’s time for the upper part. Instead of writing this in one go, though, we’re going to divide it up. This allows us to bring more melody into the upper part, but we’ll get to that in the next step. For now, we’re focusing on the peak, which is where your arpeggios will reach their highest note. After that, they’ll begin their descent. High notes are attention-grabbing, so these peaks will stand out. Therefore, writing them first prevents us from getting distracted by the other high notes that’ll lead up to them.

So, choose two (or maybe three) notes that you like over your first chord. Your peak is going to happen in beat 2, and then again in beat 4. But, before you get too attached to the notes you’ve chosen, copy and paste them over the next two chords as well. In other words, you’re going to play the same two/three notes as your peak in bars one through three. That peak has to sound equally good over all three chords. If it doesn’t, try different notes. This is a brilliant hack of Daft Punk’s, as that repetition creates stability through all their fast-paced arpeggios.

We used F♯ and G as our peak notes. Over our first chord, Cmaj, the G is 5 and the F♯ is ♯4. Daft Punk plays the F♯ over Cmaj as well. We wanted to do that too, so we could share how clever this note choice is. You see, with their first chord being Cmaj, that ♯4 makes it sound like they’re in the Lydian mode*. This is a super clever and creative illusion, and makes their arpeggios instantly stand out!

*If you’re new to the modes, we recommend taking our Songwriting & Producing Course.

Peak notes over Cmaj

Peak notes copied and pasted (highlighted) into bars two and three

So what about the peak notes in your fourth bar? Well, Daft Punk use a double-hack in their fourth bar. They use different peak notes. This creates a variation, which keeps the listener’s attention. And, it becomes the climax of their arpeggios as well. So, your fourth bar is going to contain the highest two/three notes of all your arpeggios. Try to create a satisfying, concluding feeling with them too. Also, while Daft Punk uses the same notes for both peaks in their fourth bar, we used different notes. This adds even more melody into our arpeggios.

One thing to consider with your peak notes is to try a combination of harmonic notes (i.e. from the chord) and non-harmonic notes (i.e. not from the chord). If those concepts are new to you, here’s a couple of examples to demonstrate. Over the Cmaj chord, the harmonic notes are C (1), E (3), and G (5), because they’re in the chord. The non-harmonic notes over Cmaj are D (2), F♯ (♯4), A (6), and B (7).

If you only use harmonic notes for your peaks, it will sound boring. If you only use non-harmonic notes for your peaks, it will sound like you got lost in your own progression. And yes, as long as you use notes from the scale, they’ll all sound fine, but we’re not going for “fine” here, we’re going for jaw-droppingly beautiful. Lastly, leave space for at least one 1/16 note after each peak (for the next step).

Climax of peak notes (highlighted) over root chord, Em, in last bar

Now that we’ve got the top bit of our arpeggios written, as well as the complete lower part, we’re going to write a melody in between them.

This middle melody is probably our favourite thing about these arpeggios. Everything in these sweeping ascents and descents is beautiful, but this middle melody is like an extra special gem hidden amongst all that beauty. The reason for that is because you don’t notice it at first, but the more you listen, the more the movement of these middle notes begins to pop out as an independent melody.

For the record, this middle melody isn’t in the Daft Punk song, but we saw another opportunity to weave in even more melodic material to our arpeggios, and we just couldn’t help ourselves!

So right after your peak notes (in that space you left open in Step 3), you’re going to add a note. Depending on how much space you have there, you may have to add two notes, as this needs to link up to the lower part of your arpeggios.

With this step, it’s essential to hear these middle notes as a single melody across the whole four-bar loop. So, start by adding the middle notes over your first chord in bar one. As you move on to each new chord, though, be sure to keep listening to the entire four-bar loop. If you don’t, you’ll lose the context of these middle notes forming an independent melody. It’s a tricky step, because you need to find notes that sound good harmonically over each chord, while also sounding good melodically. Take your time finding these notes.

Over Cmaj we chose E and D, which are the 3 and 2 respectively.

Over Gmaj we chose D and A, which are the 5 and 2 respectively.

Over Dmaj we chose A and G, which are the 5 and 4 respectively.

Over Em we chose G and E, which are the ♭3 and 1 respectively.

Once again, notice the combination of harmonic and non-harmonic notes. Each chord has one of each, other than our final chord, which is the root, Em. Over that chord we chose two harmonic notes, as we wanted a strong conclusion.

Final middle melody (highlighted)

Let’s wrap this up. As you can see in your MIDI, the only missing bits in your arpeggios now are in between your lower part and the peaks. So let’s link ‘em up!

Depending on how many notes you used in the previous steps, you’ll only need one or two to link them. Once again, use a combo of harmonic and non-harmonic notes. For example, over our first chord, Cmaj, we used C (1) and D (2).

While these links are important for creating a smooth and flowing contour, it’s not necessary for them to form an independent melody of their own. Your weave of melodic material is thick already, so these links only need to join everything up. Having said that, though, we don’t like wasting any opportunity to add more beauty, so…

As you can see in the MIDI below, we actually managed to create counterpoint* within our linking notes. We used two notes for these links. Each link’s first note forms a descending melody, while each link’s second note forms an ascending melody. This is subtle, but the counterpoint adds a depth that wasn’t there before.

*If you’re new to counterpoint, that’s also covered in our Songwriting & Producing Course.

Link notes (highlighted)

Your arpeggios are now complete. All that’s left is to decide how you want to play them. If you’ve fallen in love with them as piano arpeggios (like we did), then simply mute those long root notes at the bottom, and you’re done!

Otherwise, if you’d like to play your arpeggios on woodwind instruments like Daft Punk, then duplicate this track a couple times. On the one track, delete the low arpeggios and select a flute to play the remaining high arpeggios (the flute’s range is high). Then on the other track, delete the high arpeggios and select a clarinet to play the remaining low arpeggios (the clarinet’s range is lower than the flute’s). 

And with that, you’re done.

So sit back, hit play, and enjoy your sweeping arpeggios that are not only jaw-droppingly beautiful, they’re also gonna stand out from all those boring, clichéd arpeggios!

Final arpeggios, with low and high parts (highlighted) played on different instruments

[long root notes below are muted]

I know you want to be a confident producer who finishes songs, and loves the results. In order to become a confident producer, though, you need decades of knowledge and experience. To gain that knowledge, you need a good teacher. To gain that experience, you need decades of practice. That’s overwhelming!

I understand that searching for a good teacher is frustrating. Most courses are taught by YouTubers who are not qualified in music, and are not qualified teachers either. The few who are qualified in both, have no industry experience. I feel your pain. Truly. Most of my music teachers were bad. That’s why I studied music and education in order to become a lecturer, and why I created Hack Music Theory.

Also, over my 30+ years of composing, I developed a unique method called Song-Whispering, which I’ve used to make music with multiplatinum Grammy winners. In my one-of-a-kind online apprenticeship, you’ll learn my method and turbocharge your music with my decades of knowledge and experience.

Enroll Now and stop wasting years of your life learning from bad teachers and trying to get better through trial-and-error. Transform into the confident producer you would be in 10+ years now, and start loving your music!

Ray Harmony
Multi award-winning college lecturer, teaching since 1995


 

“Song-Whispering may be the single greatest concept ever!”
–Glynne Owen (Japan)

“I followed their YouTube for a while before taking their course. I wish I'd taken it sooner!”
–Sagar Saluja (India)

“I wrote the first song in my life that I actually like!”
–Anastasia Lucas (USA)

Lastly, are you new to music theory? Or are you experienced, but you want a refresher? Then download our FREE BOOK (link opens in new tab). It only takes 30 minutes to read, then you’ll have a solid theory foundation that you can instantly apply to your songwriting and producing. Enjoy!

If the FREE BOOK link doesn't work, just visit our BOOKS page:
https://hackmusictheory.com/books

If the link above does not work, paste this into your browser:
https://hackmusictheory.com/album/2620271/memorable-bass

Yes, your lead melody is important. But a great bass line has the power to make or break a section. Despite that fact, though, most producers approach their bass as an afterthought. Think about it. How many songs’ bass lines can you remember?

Almost all the bass lines we hear in the new releases each week are not really bass lines, they’re bass frequencies. If a producer merely plays each chord’s root note as their bass line, that’s not a melody (“line” is just an informal word for melody).

In order for it to be a bass line, it needs to be an actual melody. We’re obviously not saying that your bass should play a catchy melody like you’d want on the lead synth or vocals. But, it does need to contain the characteristics of a well-written melody, which will also make it memorable. And that’s a good test for yourself. The day after you’ve been writing, can you remember the bass line in your head?

A great example of a super memorable bass line, which doesn’t steal any attention away from the lead melody, can be found in the song “So Easy” by Norwegian electronic duo, Röyksopp. If you haven’t heard this song, have a quick listen, it’s the opening track on their brilliant album “Melody A.M.” from 2001. The song actually begins with both their bass line and lead melody playing, and while the lead is crazy catchy, the bass below is 100% memorable as well, without ever taking any attention away from the lead melody. It’s truly brilliant!

In this PDF you’ll learn the characteristics that make their bass line so memorable, as well as our 4-step method for writing memorable bass lines. But first… Tea!

Set your tempo to 104 BPM and leave your time signature on 4|4. Then create an eight-bar loop on your bass track, and set your grid to 1/16 notes. When you analyse Röyksopp’s bass line, one of the most obvious characteristics you’ll notice is that half of it isn’t there, or so it seems. In other words, they use a ton of rests! So many, in fact, that their bass line consists of about half notes and half rests.

That’s a rather counterintuitive approach to bass, as it’s the foundation upon which the music is built. If half your foundation isn’t there, then surely you’re heading for trouble, right? Nope. Their clever use of rests ensures their bass line stands out because it’s different. But, as it’s not even there half the time, it’s not taking attention away from the lead melody. On that note, their lead is the opposite. It consists of longer connected notes, with no rests other than where they phrase it.

Okay let’s get to it! So you’re gonna start by writing a two-bar rhythm on C, the root note. But remember, you want about half of it to be rests. Also, all the notes should be short, so use a combination of 1/8 notes and 1/16 notes. And don’t be shy with the syncopation! If you play too many notes on the beat, it’s going to sound stiff and rigid. Those off-beat accents are gonna bring your bass line to life.

Two-bar rhythm on root note, C

When you’re happy with your lively two-bar rhythm, copy and paste it into bars three and four. Now, delete beat 4 in the fourth bar. You’ll find out why in Step 4.

Two-bar rhythm copied and pasted (highlighted) with beat 4 in fourth bar deleted

Then for variation, make one tiny change to a note towards the end of bar four.

Tiny rhythmic variation created at end of fourth bar (highlighted)

The next thing you’ll notice about Röyksopp’s brilliant bass line is that it begins with three punchy on-beat root notes, before taking off to a bunch of other notes.

They repeat this pattern every two bars. That anchors the bass line into their key’s root note, as well as providing a rhythmic anchor. Every couple bars their bass briefly anchors melodically (to the root) and rhythmically (to the beat), before it ventures off to explore. And that exploration creates a melodic “arc” (i.e. contour), which we’ll get to in Step 3.

For now, you’re gonna select the first few notes at the beginning of bar one and bar three to function as your anchor. You can choose two, three or four notes, but don’t do more than that, otherwise you won’t have many notes left for your arc.

So, keep your anchor notes on C, then move all the other notes an octave higher. This separation is just a sketch for now. We’ll move those high notes into their arc in the next step. Even though your bass line is currently playing the root only, it should still sound energetic and full of potential. If it doesn’t, perhaps you’ve got too many anchor notes. So try a different combination of anchor and arc notes.

Bass line separated into “anchor” and “arc” notes (highlighted)

Currently your bass line is still pretty much a rhythm, but this step will transform it into a memorable melody!

As you can see from the MIDI above, you’re going to have two different arcs. Your first arc will start towards the end of bar one, and finish at the end of bar two. As always, you can do whatever you want, but here are a few guidelines:

Use a huge range. You don’t have a lot of notes here, and there’s a bunch of rests already. So to increase the impact of those few notes you have, be sure to cover a big range from your lowest to highest notes. Röyksopp’s bass line has a whopping range of 17 semitones, which is absolutely massive! We did the same, as the impact this makes is phenomenal. We encourage you to try to make your arc this high too.

Also, large intervals are great, and essential in order to cover a range of this size. But, try to make your contour as smooth as possible. In other words, in between those big jumps, use as many small intervals as you can. This will ensure it sounds like a cohesive and flowing melody, not like a cat jumping around on your bass.

And by the way, Röyksopp uses the C Dorian mode here, so we’ll use it too.

C Dorian mode

1

2

♭3

4

5

6

♭7

C

D

E♭

F

G

A

B♭

There’s two vital caveats, though. Don’t use E♭ (♭3) in your arc. You can use all the other notes, but not E♭. Not yet. You’ll find out why in Step 4. It’s a brilliant hack! Also, be sure to use B♭ (♭7) in your arc. If not your first one, then definitely your second. You’ll find out why in Step 4 too. It’s a super creative twist in the tale.

Bass line with first “arc” written (highlighted)

Right, now it’s time to write your second arc, which will start towards the end of bar three and finish at the end of bar four. And same thing here. To create a flowing melodic contour, use a combination of big and small intervals. That’s the only way to cover such a large range in a smooth way. Röyksopp actually repeats their first arc here with a little variation. You can do that too, if you want.

We decided to use this second arc as an opportunity to turn our two-bar melody into a four-bar melody. We did this by writing a similar arc to our first one, but using slightly different notes. This means that when bar three comes around, our listeners are expecting a repeat because it starts out the same as bar one (with those three roots), but then it goes somewhere new. And not just somewhere new, it goes to our highest note, i.e. our climax. Now our melody is four bars long!

This addition is a great hack for extending a melody’s longevity, as the shorter a melody is, the quicker it will become boring. If you also decide to do this, though, then use a motif (i.e. a short idea) from your first arc to write your second arc. We repeated the descending three-note motif from our first arc, but in our second arc we started it a note higher. This creates repetition and variation at the same time.

Bass line with second “arc” written (highlighted)

Okay this is the step where your bass line is gonna be magically catapulted to a whole nother level! Yes, it’s sounding good already, but with the hacks in this step it’s gonna become truly memorable. So what makes something memorable? Well, it has to stand out in some way, as our brains are hardwired to notice unusual things.

I always use the example of names. If you meet someone and his name is Dave*, it’s much easier to forget their name than if it was Spatula. And yes that’s a name. My brother went to university with a guy named Spatula. True story! That was over 20 years ago, and I never even personally met him, but how can you ever forget a dude called Spatula?! Alright, are you ready to Spatula-up your bass line?

*If you’re David, we’re sorry for using your name as an example, but please know that Davids are especially important to us, as that’s the most common name in our Apprentice Network.

Firstly, copy and paste your four-bar bass line into bars five through eight.

Four-bar bass line copied and pasted (highlighted) into bars five through eight

Now, do you remember in Step 1 when you deleted the notes in beat 4 of bar four? Well, you just pasted that gap into your eighth bar, and that’s where a little magic is gonna happen now. So, add some notes in there. If you have space in beat 3 too, start there. Whatever you do, be sure to end on an 1/8 note on E♭ (♭3).

Small variation added to end of bar eight (highlighted), ending on E♭

You’re obviously wondering what’s up with having to end on the ♭3 (E♭)? So do you remember in Step 3 where we told you not to use E♭ in your arcs? Well, your bass line doesn’t play the mode’s 3rd note until the very end. And as you know, the 3rd note is what determines whether something is in the major or minor family.

So what does this mean in a practical sense, for your listeners? They’re gonna be (subconsciously) feeling your bass line as more Mixolydian* than Dorian. Well, until the very last note, when suddenly… Surprise! You pull the rabbit out the hat and reveal that your bass line is actually in Dorian. This magic trick creates modal ambiguity, because until that last note, your bass line could be in either mode.

*Need to brush up on the modes? Use our 3 hacks in the Songwriting & Producing PDF.

You see, the major 3rd is more consonant than the minor 3rd, so if you don’t play any 3rd note at all, your listeners’ brains will automatically fill in the major 3rd (in their imaginations). It’s like if I write the incomplete word: computr. Your brain has no problem filling in the missing vowel (e) and reading the word “computer”. Same with scales/modes. If there’s a missing note, our brains will fill it in with the most consonant option. So, your listeners will be imagining a major 3rd all the way through (i.e. C Mixolydian), but then on the very last note, BOOM! It’s Dorian.

The only difference between Dorian and Mixolydian is their 3rd note:

C Dorian mode

1

2

♭3

4

5

6

♭7

C

D

E♭

F

G

A

B♭

C Mixolydian mode

1

2

3

4

5

6

♭7

C

D

E

F

G

A

B♭

Quick disclaimer. Röyksopp actually plays E♭ (♭3) in their melody over the top, so our ears do in fact hear their bass line in a Dorian context. But, it makes for a way cooler hack to start our song with only bass and drums, so the ♭3 is a big surprise!

Lastly, on top of that magic trick, Röyksopp also borrows a note from the parallel Ionian mode (i.e. C major scale). If you’re new to the term “parallel”, it’s just the fancy word for another mode with the same root. And we call this borrowed note “non-diatonic” (or “chromatic”), which means it’s not in the scale/mode we’re in.

Röyksopp plays B, which is the major 7th, and acts to further muddy the modal waters. Playing that major 7 (B) helps to trick the ear into thinking the 3rd will also be major. It’s brilliant! As we mentioned above, though, they spoil the surprise by playing the minor 3rd in their melody over top, but if you start with only bass and drums, this major 7th will really trick your listeners into expecting the major 3rd.

So, somewhere in your bass line, move two or three notes to the 7 (B). We moved three notes that were on B♭ up to B. If you also have a bunch of B♭ notes, you can do that too, but leave at least two or three on B♭. With that, you’re done! Sit back, hit play, and enjoy your memorable bass, also known as Spatula music ;)

Final bass line with borrowed 7 (highlighted) from parallel Ionian mode, i.e. C major scale

I know you want to be a confident producer who finishes songs, and loves the results. In order to become a confident producer, though, you need decades of knowledge and experience. To gain that knowledge, you need a good teacher. To gain that experience, you need decades of practice. That’s overwhelming!

I understand that searching for a good teacher is frustrating. Most courses are taught by YouTubers who are not qualified in music, and are not qualified teachers either. The few who are qualified in both, have no industry experience. I feel your pain. Truly. Most of my music teachers were bad. That’s why I studied music and education in order to become a lecturer, and why I created Hack Music Theory.

Also, over my 30+ years of composing, I developed a unique method called Song-Whispering, which I’ve used to make music with multiplatinum Grammy winners. In my one-of-a-kind online apprenticeship, you’ll learn my method and turbocharge your music with my decades of knowledge and experience.

Enroll Now and stop wasting years of your life learning from bad teachers and trying to get better through trial-and-error. Transform into the confident producer you would be in 10+ years now, and start loving your music!

Ray Harmony
Multi award-winning college lecturer, teaching since 1995


 

“Song-Whispering may be the single greatest concept ever!”
–Glynne Owen (Japan)

“I followed their YouTube for a while before taking their course. I wish I'd taken it sooner!”
–Sagar Saluja (India)

“I wrote the first song in my life that I actually like!”
–Anastasia Lucas (USA)

Lastly, are you new to music theory? Or are you experienced, but you want a refresher? Then download our FREE BOOK (link opens in new tab). It only takes 30 minutes to read, then you’ll have a solid theory foundation that you can instantly apply to your songwriting and producing. Enjoy!

If the FREE BOOK link doesn't work, just visit our BOOKS page:
https://hackmusictheory.com/books

If the link above does not work, paste this into your browser:
https://hackmusictheory.com/album/2579130/tech-drums

If you’ve been in the Hack Music Theory family for a while, you’ll know we love technical drum beats! And there probably ain’t nothin’ more tech’ than polymeters*. While polymeters were relatively popular with those bold “modern classical” composers of the early 20th century, they haven’t been used much since then.

And yes, over the last few decades there have been a few rare examples of polymeters in popular music. But, it wasn’t until a group of hairy Swedes with exceptional talent (otherwise known as Meshuggah) came along and re-popularised the polymeter.

What made Meshuggah’s polymeters unique, though, is their genius idea of having their drummer’s hands (snare & cymbals) play in 4|4 as the one time signature, while his feet (kick) play in an odd time signature, like 17|16.

The genius of the Meshuggah method is that listeners can nod (or mosh) along to the 4|4 time signature, while the odd time signature slithers around unpredictably. The brilliance of this can’t be overstated. They created a way to play in odd time while the audience dances in 4|4.

To get an idea of how weird odd time signatures sound without this method, listen to “March of the Pigs” by Nine Inch Nails. They alternate three bars of 7|8 with one bar of 4|4. And while we love this song, you have to have a relatively high level of music theory knowledge just to be able to dance along to it. That’s obviously not ideal for the average listener. Also, 7|8 isn’t even that weird. Meshuggah uses far weirder time signatures! But, because they’re playing them against 4|4, you can dance along.

Meshuggah’s method has become a favourite for prog/tech bands over the last couple decades, and TesseracT are one of them. Their new album “War of Being” kicks off with a great polymeter (in the track “Natural Disaster”) which finds them adding a few creative twists to Meshuggah’s method.

So, inspired by “Natural Disaster”, here’s our 6-step method for making technical polymetric drum beats. But first… Tea!

*If you’re new to polymeters, it’s the term for playing in two (or more) time signatures simultaneously.

When it comes to the Meshuggah polymeter method, the one time signature is usually 4|4 played by the drummer’s hands (snare and cymbals), so that’s where we’re gonna start. And this is where TesseracT brings their first creative twist to the table. This type of polymeter almost always loops every eight (or sixteen) bars of 4|4. However, TesseracT loops their polymeter every four and a half bars!

So, set your DAW’s time signature to 4|4. Then, create a loop on your drums track of four bars and a bar of 2|4 at the end, making the polymeter’s loop a total of eighteen 1/4 notes. And for this step you can set your grid to 1/8 notes.

If you look up the tempo of this song online at one of the many BPM websites, they say the tempo is 165 BPM. But, the pulse of this song (measured in 1/4 notes) is clearly half that, so set your tempo to 82.5 BPM. It might not seem like that’ll make any difference, but at 165 BPM all the notes values will be twice as fast as their normal range. For example, a 1/4 note pulse, which is the range your heart beats in when it’s resting, will instead feel like you’ve just been for a really fast run!

Now, draw in 1/8 notes on your crash (or hi-hats, if you don’t want the section to sound heavy). Then, draw in a regular backbeat snare, which is on beats 2 and 4.

4|4 pattern consisting of 1/4 note pulse on crash and regular backbeat snare (highlighted)

Right, now it’s time to get this polymeter party started, so change your grid to 1/16 notes. TesseracT chose 17|16 for their odd time signature, so we’ll use it too. It’s a super fun time signature, because it’s only one 1/16 note longer than a bar of 4|4, so it feels like a slightly stretched out 4|4. Now, spend some time making a creative kick pattern in 17|16 (i.e. the pattern’s length is seventeen 1/16 notes). You can play two or three (or more) consecutive 1/16 notes, but be sure to leave some rests too, as that contrast will actually make your drums groove way more!

Kick pattern in 17|16

Okay so while that previous step was straight outta Meshuggah’s polymeter playbook, this step is a creative addition (literally). Usually this is where you would copy and paste your 17|16 kick pattern all the way to the end. And honestly, that sounds really cool! However, when every song follows the same formula, it does get old. So just like Meshuggah have added countless creative twists to their own polymeter method, TesseracT have also brought their own flavour into the mix.

Start by copying your 17|16 kick pattern and pasting it on beat 1e of the second bar. Then if you have any kicks that fall on regular backbeats (beats 2 and 4) under the snare, mute those kicks. It sounds tighter when the snare doesn’t have a kick with it.

17|16 kick pattern copied and pasted (highlighted), with kick muted that coincided with snare

[vertical red line shows beat 1 of kick’s second bar]

Now, here’s the first TesseracT twist. Add one kick somewhere in your second bar.

One kick added for variation, making polymeter harder to follow

[vertical red line shows beat 1 of kick’s second bar]

Why add a kick? Well, two reasons. Firstly, it creates a little variation, which keeps things fresh. Secondly, it makes your original 17|16 kick pattern less recognizable, which makes the 17|16 time signature less rigid, so the polymeter sounds fluid.

Now, here comes the second TesseracT twist. They add an extra kick to the end of their 17|16 pattern, turning it into a 20|16 pattern. This is super creative. While the first twist made the original 17|16 kick pattern less rigid, the second twist goes so far beyond that, that the pattern isn’t even in the same time signature anymore!

You can do this like Tesseract, and add one kick to the end of your 17|16 pattern (in the third bar of 4|4), or you can add a couple kicks, it’s up to you. Just make sure that this second bar of your kick patterns adds up to 20|16 when you’re done.

17|16 kick pattern extended to 20|16 by adding one kick to the end (highlighted)

[vertical red line shows beat 1 of kick’s third bar]

Okay this step is proper quick and easy! Simply copy and paste your original 17|16 pattern into your kick’s third bar, which starts on beat 2e in the third bar of 4|4.

As usual, though, remember to check if you have any kicks that fall on snare hits. If you do, mute those kicks. That’ll keep your drums sounding tighter and neater!

17|16 kick pattern copied & pasted into third bar, with kick muted that coincided with snare

[vertical red line shows beat 1 of kick’s third bar]

The end is in sight. So, to finish out your drum beat, copy and paste your original 17|16 pattern. Polymeters can get confusing the longer you go, so just to confirm, make sure that you pasted your 17|16 pattern on beat 2+ of your fourth bar. And once again, if you have any kicks that fall on snare hits, mute those kicks.

Now, here’s the next TesseracT twist. If you count from the beginning of this 17|16 pattern (starting on beat 2+ of the fourth bar) to the end of your drum loop, you’ll notice there’s an extra 1/16 note. In other words, this last kick pattern is actually in 18|16.

Let’s take a minute to appreciate all TesseracT’s twists. Instead of their kick just repeating a 17|16 pattern, it’s ended up with almost every bar being different: a bar of 17|16, then a bar of 20|16, then a bar of 17|16 again, then a bar of 18|16. If you like maths, that’s a total of seventy-two 1/16 notes (i.e. eighteen 1/4 notes).

17|16 kick pattern copied and pasted (highlighted), with kick muted that coincided with snare

[vertical red line shows beat 1 of kick’s fourth bar]

To make the end of your kick pattern a stronger and more stomping ending, delete the kicks in your fifth bar (i.e. the bar of 2|4). Now, draw in kicks on beat 1+ and beat 2+. This simplicity after all that complexity will not only give your listeners a little breathing room to recover, but it’s also a heads-up that the loop is about to repeat.

Last two 1/4 notes of kick pattern are simple, revealing the cycle to listeners

[vertical red line shows beat 1 of kick’s fourth bar]

This step is the cherry on top. We’re gonna throw in a few accents on other cymbals. You can use another crash, a china, or even a ride or open hats. Start by accenting the first beat in each bar of your kick pattern, then add a few other accents for spice.

Accent every beat 1 of kick pattern with a cymbal (highlighted)

A few other cymbal accents (highlighted) added for interest

Yes this is a drums PDF, but TesseracT’s riff is so good that we just had to include a quick bonus hack about it. They use the half-whole diminished scale, which we recently taught in our Octatonic Riff PDF. Here are the notes and their spelling:

Half-Whole Diminished Scale

1

♭2

♯2

3

♯4

5

6

♭7

A

B♭

B♯

C♯

D♯

E

F♯

G

There’s a weird enharmonic there (i.e. calling the ♯2 a B♯ instead of just saying C, which is what it is in practice). There’s a good reason for that, but this is a big topic, so if you’re interested in learning this scale, read the Octatonic Riff PDF.

Now, if you wanna write a riff to go along with your drum beat, copy and paste your kick pattern into your bass track. But, remember to unmute all the kicks you muted because they fell on snare hits, otherwise you’ll miss some notes. You now have the riff’s rhythm. Next, move the notes up and down to fit the scale. And finally, boil the kettle, make a tea, and get ready for your very own polymeter party!

Riff in the half-whole diminished scale (riff’s first note highlighted for reference)

I know you want to be a confident producer who finishes songs, and loves the results. In order to become a confident producer, though, you need decades of knowledge and experience. To gain that knowledge, you need a good teacher. To gain that experience, you need decades of practice. That’s overwhelming!

I understand that searching for a good teacher is frustrating. Most courses are taught by YouTubers who are not qualified in music, and are not qualified teachers either. The few who are qualified in both, have no industry experience. I feel your pain. Truly. Most of my music teachers were bad. That’s why I studied music and education in order to become a lecturer, and why I created Hack Music Theory.

Also, over my 30+ years of composing, I developed a unique method called Song-Whispering, which I’ve used to make music with multiplatinum Grammy winners. In my one-of-a-kind online apprenticeship, you’ll learn my method and turbocharge your music with my decades of knowledge and experience.

Enroll Now and stop wasting years of your life learning from bad teachers and trying to get better through trial-and-error. Transform into the confident producer you would be in 10+ years now, and start loving your music!

Ray Harmony
Multi award-winning college lecturer, teaching since 1995


 

“Song-Whispering may be the single greatest concept ever!”
–Glynne Owen (Japan)

“I followed their YouTube for a while before taking their course. I wish I'd taken it sooner!”
–Sagar Saluja (India)

“I wrote the first song in my life that I actually like!”
–Anastasia Lucas (USA)

Lastly, are you new to music theory? Or are you experienced, but you want a refresher? Then download our FREE BOOK (link opens in new tab). It only takes 30 minutes to read, then you’ll have a solid theory foundation that you can instantly apply to your songwriting and producing. Enjoy!

If the FREE BOOK link doesn't work, just visit our BOOKS page:
https://hackmusictheory.com/books

If the link above does not work, paste this into your browser:
https://hackmusictheory.com/album/2568001/octatonic-riff

Almost all popular music (in every genre and subgenre) is made using the major scale or the natural minor scale. That’s a vast ocean of music from only two scales! And yes, some of the more creative producers will use the modes. That’s great. But, the modes are also 7-note scales (just like the major and natural minor scales).

And, like those two scales, they also contain a major 3rd or a minor 3rd. In other words, each one of the five rarer modes sound either like a variation of the major scale, or a variation of the natural minor scale. So yes, the Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, Mixolydian and Locian modes open a lot more doors, however, they all lead into the same 7-note house.

For the record, Mozart had no problems writing genius-level music using only the major and minor scales, so there’s obviously nothing wrong with using those scales. But, as a counter argument, there was significantly less music when Mozart was alive. Nowadays, it can easily feel like all the possibilities that those two scales offer have been thoroughly explored already. I don’t believe that’s true, though it’s undeniable that it is significantly harder to create something new with those scales.

So, if you’re looking to explore some new musical territory, one of the best ways to get there is with 8-note scales. These are called octatonic scales. They were relatively common in the “modern” classical music of the early 20th century, but you hardly ever hear them in popular music. One of our favourite examples of an octatonic scale in popular music is in the song “I Am That Thirst” by Meshuggah. And another song we recently heard that features an octatonic scale is “Goddamn White Trash” by Ministry. They use it in a heavy breakdown riff (starts at 2:03).

So, if you’re ready to try the exciting world of 8-note scales, then in this tutorial you’re gonna learn our 5-step method for writing octatonic riffs. But first… Tea!

When it comes to unorthodox scales, there isn’t a tradition of hundreds of years of theory and practice. Most of these outside-the-box scales only came into use just over a hundred years ago. So, compared to the major and minor scales, they’re still infants. As a result, there isn’t a consensus around their theory and terminology.

Here at Hack Music Theory, we’re all about the creative and practical application of theory, so we don’t care too much about what terms are used to explain it. The scale we’re using in this tutorial has been called the half-whole diminished scale, the half-whole step scale, the dominant diminished scale, or sometimes it’s simply referred to as the octatonic scale. As you can see, it’s got many names. So, you could even call it the Uncle Bob Scale if you prefer. The name is not important, the notes are! And in terms of its spelling, that’s also a mess. We believe the spelling below is the one that makes the most sense (for numerous reasons, but they aren’t relevant here), so in this PDF we’ll be referring to the notes in this way:

Half-Whole Diminished Scale

1

♭2

♯2

3

♯4

5

6

♭7

C

D♭

D♯

E

F♯

G

A

B♭

Repeating the pattern of a semitone followed by a tone, produces the half-whole diminished scale

You’ll notice that the scale spelling above has two 2s: the ♭2 and the ♯2. The ♯2 is the enharmonic* equivalent of the ♭3. But, if we spelled the ♯2 as ♭3, then the scale would have both the minor 3rd (♭3) and the major 3rd (3). That’s confusing! Despite this being an 8-note scale, it’s still good theory to only have one 3rd note. This is helpful in categorising the scale, and it’s also helpful with building chords.

As you can see in the MIDI screenshot above, this scale is created by repeating the pattern of a semitone followed by a tone. So, you may now be wondering: What if we reverse that pattern and start with a tone instead, then follow with a semitone?

Great question! And the answer is: you get the Aunt Betty Scale. Well, once again you can pretty much call it whatever you want, because everyone else seems to. But, one of the most “official” names it goes by, is the whole-half diminished scale. However, it’s also sometimes called the diminished scale. Or simply the octatonic scale, though that’s rather offensive to the Uncle Bob Scale, who’s also octatonic. Or, it’s also sometimes referred to as the whole-half step scale, or apparently even the auxiliary diminished scale, though I’ve never heard it being called that. And regarding the spelling. Same thing. There’s many different ways that people spell this scale, but here’s the version we believe makes the most sense:

Whole-Half Diminished Scale

1

2

♭3

4

♭5

♭6

♭♭7

7

C

D

E♭

F

G♭

A♭

B♭♭

B

Don’t be scared by that B♭♭. The double-flat just means that the note is two semitones below B (i.e. each flat is the symbol for “one semitone down”). And yes, B♭♭ is the enharmonic equivalent of A. Same note, different name.

We encourage you to play around with this scale too, as it’s surprising how different it sounds to its spouse scale. And the chords are very different too. The most obvious being the root triad, which is diminished here, but in the half-whole diminished scale it’s major.

*To learn all about enharmonics, read Hack 7 in our book: Hack Music Theory, Part 1.

Repeating the pattern of a tone followed by a semitone, produces the whole-half diminished scale

Okay that’s enough theory, let’s get to the practical! Where shall we begin? What better place than beat 1, right? A punchy beat 1 is gonna make your riff heavy!

So, create a two-bar loop on your guitar (or synth) track, with the time signature set to 4|4 and the grid on 1/16 notes. The tempo in this example is 95 BPM, but feel free to make that faster or slower depending on how energetic you’re feeling.

We’re gonna start by writing the first 1/4 note. That doesn’t sound like much, but it’s actually four notes. Ministry only plays the first three 1/16 notes of beat 1, but we’re playing all four. You can do either, or you can even play only the first two 1/16 notes. As always, do whatever you want, because it’s your music, but we have four suggestions for this example. Firstly, be sure to play the first 1/16 note, otherwise your riff will lack impact. Secondly, play at least two 1/16 notes, otherwise your riff won’t make a very big first impression. Thirdly, whether you play two, three or four 1/16 notes here, play them all in a row, otherwise your riff won’t have that Ministry momentum. And lastly, keep the range small, as you don’t want to give too much away. Our range is a mere 3 semitones, from C up to D♯.

The first note of your riff doesn’t need to be the root. We start on the root, but the Ministry riff starts on the ♭2, followed by the 1 (which they play twice). The first 1/4 note of our riff goes like this: 1 → ♯2 → ♭2 → 1.

The first 1/4 note creates the riff’s “punch”

Next, copy and paste your notes into the first 1/4 note of your second bar.

First 1/4 note of first bar copied and pasted into first 1/4 note of second bar (highlighted)

This step is a bonus, as Ministry doesn’t actually do this in their riff, but we added it just for fun. So, if you want some extra groove, extend the last note in your second bar. You can also play that note another time, or even twice (like we did).

The only caveat in this step is that you need to stop around beat 3, or just after beat 3. This is because you’ll be writing a 1/16 note run (in the next step) to end your riff, so you need to leave space for that.

Last note in second bar extended and repeated (highlighted)

Making music is a creative process, and creative processes are usually not linear. For example, sometimes we’ll begin the writing process by making the end. Or sometimes we’ll end the writing process by making the beginning. Yet other times we’ll make the end somewhere in the middle of the writing process, which is what this method calls for.

So, just like you began your riff with a “punch”, you’re gonna end it the same way. The only difference is that you want your 1/16 note run at the end to be longer.

Also, you want your ending to have a much larger range. That will create an expansive feeling at the end, which will loop back into that tight opening punch. We reached all the way up to the scale’s highest note, the ♭7 (B♭), but you obviously don’t need to have such a big range in the run at the end of your riff.

Ministry exclusively uses 1/16 notes in their riff, and as a result, it sounds super punchy and energetic. So, other than the note you extended for more groove in Step 3, we definitely recommend sticking with 1/16 notes for your whole riff.

Ending 1/16 note run (highlighted)

And now we come to the end of the writing process, which means it’s time to make the middle of your riff. This is gonna be the climax, so we’ve saved the best till last! What makes a melodic climax is usually twofold: height, and duration.

And seeing as you can’t take advantage of the duration element (i.e. holding the note for a long time), it’s all up to the height element. This means you gotta reach way up, as far as your riff will allow you! What do we mean by “allow”? Well, you don’t wanna lose your riff’s flow by randomly jumping up to a high note. You need to write a captivating contour that lifts it up. But, you don’t have much space to do this. That’s why your riff will only allow you to go to a certain height.

You can think of it like an airplane taking off. It needs a long runway to pick up speed. But, your riff only has a short runway to reach its climax, so don’t overdo it. Having said that, though, you can get plenty high with the space you have. We wrote a smooth contour that peaked at the D♭ just over an octave above our root.

Also, as you’ll notice in the MIDI screenshot below, the second 1/4 note in our first bar is empty. That space is vital, because the contrast between “running” and “resting” is one of the main features that make Ministry’s riff so heavy. And on that note, it’s time to sit back… No wait, forget that! Get up, make some space in your studio for a circle pit of one, put your tea safely out of the way, and hit play!

Final riff, with the climax run highlighted

PS: For the theory nerds, Ministry doesn’t use all 8 notes of the half-whole diminished scale. Therefore, it could be argued that their riff is actually in the altered scale. That’s also a 7-note scale, though, and we felt that a tutorial on an 8-note scale would be far more interesting :)

I know you want to be a confident producer who finishes songs, and loves the results. In order to become a confident producer, though, you need decades of knowledge and experience. To gain that knowledge, you need a good teacher. To gain that experience, you need decades of practice. That’s overwhelming!

I understand that searching for a good teacher is frustrating. Most courses are taught by YouTubers who are not qualified in music, and are not qualified teachers either. The few who are qualified in both, have no industry experience. I feel your pain. Truly. Most of my music teachers were bad. That’s why I studied music and education in order to become a lecturer, and why I created Hack Music Theory.

Also, over my 30+ years of composing, I developed a unique method called Song-Whispering, which I’ve used to make music with multiplatinum Grammy winners. In my one-of-a-kind online apprenticeship, you’ll learn my method and turbocharge your music with my decades of knowledge and experience.

Enroll Now and stop wasting years of your life learning from bad teachers and trying to get better through trial-and-error. Transform into the confident producer you would be in 10+ years now, and start loving your music!

Ray Harmony
Multi award-winning college lecturer


 

“Song-Whispering may be the single greatest concept ever!”
–Glynne Owen (Japan)

“I followed their YouTube for a while before taking their course. I wish I’d taken it sooner!” –Sagar Saluja (India)

“I wrote the first song in my life that I actually like!”
–Anastasia Lucas (USA)

Lastly, are you new to music theory? Or are you experienced, but you want a refresher? Then download our FREE BOOK (link opens in new tab). It only takes 30 minutes to read, then you’ll have a solid theory foundation that you can instantly apply to your songwriting and producing. Enjoy!

If the FREE BOOK link doesn't work, just visit our BOOKS page:
https://hackmusictheory.com/books

There are 7 elements that create a beautiful melody.

In this PDF tutorial you'll learn what they are, and how to use them!

If the link above does not work, paste this into your browser:
https://hackmusictheory.com/album/2554562/beautiful-melody

When I recently heard “Ray Of Solar” by Swedish House Mafia on Spotify’s “New Music Friday” playlist, the song’s beauty jumped out at me from amongst the almost 150 tracks that all seem to be sounding more and more alike each week.

And for the record, while I’ve heard the name Swedish House Mafia, I don’t think I’d ever listened to them before. In fact, I don’t even know if they’re from Sweden. I mean, you’d think the electronic duo Boards of Canada are from Canada, right? Wrong. They’re from Scotland! What?! Yep, it’s true. But I digress…

So, despite not being a Swedish House Mafia fan, the beauty of this song is undeniable. And as a result, we’ve ended up in the rare situation of making two tutorials on the same song.

In last week’s tutorial How to Write Beautiful Arpeggios (Free PDF) we taught our 6-step method for making a beautiful chord progression like you hear in “Ray Of Solar”. In this tutorial, inspired by the same section, you’ll learn our 7-step method for writing a beautiful melody.

And no, you don’t need to have done the previous tutorial, this one is completely independent. If you have, though, then you can write a melody for the beautiful arpeggios you made from that tutorial.

Alright, read on to learn the music theory hacks that create this undeniable beauty, and how you can use them to write your own beautiful melody. But first… Tea!

Before we get to the melody, we need to talk chords. All beautiful melodies either have chords accompanying them, or if it’s a solo melody, the melody itself will imply chords. For more on implied chords, read MELODIC BASS DROP (PDF).

So let’s start by choosing some chords for a progression. If you did the other Swedish House Mafia tutorial mentioned in the intro, then load up that file in your DAW. You can write this melody over those chords. If you didn’t do that tutorial though, no problem, you can just write an eight-bar chord progression now.

“Ray Of Solar” actually has a sixteen-bar chord progression, which is super rare. Most songs nowadays don’t even have an eight-bar progression! Four-bars is standard. If you’re feeling adventurous, you can write a sixteen-bar progression, but there’s no need for that, as eight bars is plenty for writing a beautiful melody.

So, set up eight bars of 4|4 with a 1/4 note grid, and your tempo at 135 BPM. Swedish House Mafia is in the key of F♯ minor, but we’ll use A minor instead, as it keep things simple because it’s just all the white notes. Here are the chords:

1

2

♭3

4

5

♭6

♭7

Am

Bdim

Cmaj

Dm

Em

Fmaj

Gmaj

You can use whichever chords you want, but start on the root chord (Am), as that will anchor your progression into the key. Here are the chords we chose:

Am → Cmaj → Dm → Em

Dm → Cmaj → Dm → Em

If you’re making a new progression, then four chords is all you need. We have eight chords because it’s our sixteen-bar progression from the previous Swedish House Mafia tutorial. We’ll only use the first half for now, though, then as a bonus (Step 8), we’ll show you what to do with your eight-bar melody if you’ve also got a sixteen-bar progression.

Right, so once you’ve chosen your chords, draw the root note of each chord on the grid. If you have four chords, start by drawing each root for two bars. But, it will sound better if they’re not all the same length. So keep a couple roots two bars long, but then make one root shorter (i.e. one and a half bars), and one root longer (i.e. two and a half bars).

If you’re writing a new progression, duplicate this track and draw in the full chords. Load up a warm pad sound on that other track with the full chords. That will make for a lovely accompaniment to your melody. Then on your melody track, mute the root notes, as they’re only there for reference while we write the melody.

Root note of each chord in our eight-bar progression (muted), for reference

Alright, it’s melody time! Well, kinda. You’re gonna start by first writing your melody’s rhythm. You see, one way to think of a melody is that it’s a rhythm with pitches assigned. By approaching it this way and starting with the rhythm, you’re tapping into a primitive musical element. That’s a powerful way to express yourself.

So, spend some time playing around with a two-bar rhythm. The rhythm Swedish House Mafia uses consists almost exclusively of a hypnotic 1/4 note pulse. However, they use one 1/2 note in their two-bar rhythm. This creates a beautiful balance between regularity and surprise, as you’re not expecting that 1/2 note.

We changed the rhythm, but used the same note values. Try it too, as there are actually so many different ways to arrange these six 1/4 notes and one 1/2 note. And just use the root note (A) to write your rhythm on.

Two-bar rhythm consisting of six 1/4 notes and one 1/2 note (highlighted)

Once you’ve written your two-bar rhythm, copy and paste it into bars three and four. One of the many clever hacks used in the “Ray Of Solar” vocal melody, is repeating a two-bar rhythm but changing the assigned pitches. In other words, the melody repeats every four bars, but its rhythm actually repeats every two bars.

Okay, so now that you’ve got your four-bar rhythm, you can start assigning pitches.

Two-bar rhythm copied and pasted (highlighted) to create four-bar rhythm

A motif is a short musical idea that you repeat in order to give your music structure, which in turn makes it more memorable. Swedish House Mafia uses a beautiful ascending 3rds motif. In other words, they start on the root (A), then go up a 3rd (to C). They then repeat this ascending 3rd motif from B up to D. And again, from C up to E.

So in this step, you’re gonna spend some time creating a motif of about four notes, which you’ll then repeat later in your melody. As always, it’s your music, so you can do whatever you want. The only guideline here is that it should be catchy. And funnily enough, it’s actually far easier to know what isn’t catchy! For example, playing four notes in a row ascending through the scale (A, B, C, D) is definitely not catchy. It sounds like someone practising scales, not playing a melody.

Making motifs is a really fun process, so play around with a bunch of different ideas and see what ends up sticking in your head. If it doesn’t stick, keep playing.

For our motif, we started on the emotional ♭3 (C), then went to the notes on either side of it - the 2 (B) and the 4 (D). Then to end our motif, we returned to the note we started on, the ♭3 (C).

Four-note motif (highlighted)

Once you’ve written your motif, you can repeat it later in your melody on different notes. But before you do that, you need to consider your melody’s range.

The range of a melody is the distance between its lowest note and its highest note. The vocal melody in “Ray Of Solar” has a range of way over an octave. In fact, it’s almost an octave and a half. That’s HUGE! Sadly, nowadays there aren’t many vocal melodies that even have a range of one octave. The huge range that Swedish House Mafia uses is probably one of the first things people notice (consciously or subconsciously) about their melody. It’s definitely a standout feature, so let’s use it.

You don’t need to use a melodic range as big as “Ray Of Solar” though, i.e. 17 semitones. Our range ended up being 15 semitones, but anything over an octave is plenty big. Especially if you or a friend is planning on singing this. A melody with a 17-semitone range is difficult to sing, so it’s a good way to lose your singer friends!

When you repeat your motif later in the melody, you want to do it somewhere else in your range. In other words, if your original motif is low, then go high with the repeat. If the original is high, then go low with the repeat. And if the original is in the middle, then you can go higher or lower with the repeat. But then be sure to reach in the opposite direction elsewhere, in order to extend your melody’s range.

Four-note motif repeated on different notes later in melody (highlighted)

Regarding those notes (on A) in your rhythm that you haven’t yet assigned pitches. We recommend muting them in this step, because they’ll interfere with listening to your two motifs. There are six of these notes (on A) in our melody, which we muted. This also helps with listening to the current range of your melody. But, don’t worry if it’s not quite big enough yet (i.e. an octave or more), as you can extend the range with those remaining notes, which we’ll assign pitches to next.

Current range of our melody is just over an octave, from B2 (highlighted) up to C4 (highlighted)

Please note that in the MIDI screenshot directly above, we muted the six notes (on A) in our melody that we haven’t assigned pitches to yet.

Six notes of our melody (highlighted) still need to be moved into place

Whatever number of notes you have remaining that still need to be assigned pitches (probably about six), it’s essential to use them mindfully. Because, you need to create a beautiful melodic contour, and it’s all up to these remaining notes.

As you can see from our melody above, there’s a massive jump in between the two motifs. Having a big interval in your melody is great, because a well-written melodic leap sounds epic! But, small intervals are essential in creating a smooth melodic contour that flows. Without a smooth contour, your melody will sound like a cat walked across the keyboard while you were recording. Don’t get me wrong, cats are beautiful, but their melodies aren’t.

Take your time with this step. It’s gonna feel like a puzzle, as you’ve only got a few notes left, but they’re going to make or break your melody. Remember, these notes actually have two jobs. Firstly, they need to create a flowing contour. And secondly, they need to extend your melody’s range (unless it was already big enough in the last step). When you get these notes locked into position, though, you’ll have that amazing feeling we get when popping the last piece of a jigsaw puzzle into place.

Six remaining notes assigned pitches (highlighted) to create smooth contour and extend range

Congrats! The hard work is done. You’ve got a beautiful four-bar melody. Now comes the easy part. Simply copy and paste your melody into bars five to eight.

Four-bar melody copied and pasted (highlighted) into bars five to eight

Now go ahead and hit play, but don’t make your second cup of tea yet, because it’s slightly too early to be sitting back and enjoying the fruits of your labour. That’s because there’s a very good chance one (or more) of the notes in your melody will clash with the different chords in bars five through eight.

And when we say “clash” here, we’re not talking like Stravinsky’s “Rite Of Spring”, which was so dissonant it caused a riot at its premiere in 1913. No. All the notes you’re using are from the key of A minor, so it won’t clash badly, but it may be a subtle clash. But, that’s enough to ruin the beauty you worked so hard to create.

So, listen through to your melody in bars five to eight, and check if any notes aren’t sitting quite right over the different chords. Highlight those notes, then move them up or down until the beauty is restored. This little variation in the melody creates even more beauty, as it’s not repetitive now.

For the record, Swedish House Mafia don’t do this, as they don’t have any clashes. As a result, their melody is copied and pasted with no variations.

In our melody, the second last note in bar eight (C) didn’t sound great over the Em chord. That’s because C is the ♭6 of Em, so it clashes with the 5 (B), as they’re a semitone apart.

This was an easy fix, though. We just moved that C one semitone down to B, and the beauty was back, with interest, thanks to this variation!

C moved one semitone down to B (highlighted), to fix clash

Now we’ve just gotta put the finishing touches on, then you’re ready for your second cup of tea and the final playthrough. So, change your grid to 1/8 notes, and let’s give your melody some room to breathe, literally. This is called phrasing.

A lot of producers think phrasing is only for singers, as they need rests in the melody so they can breathe. And while it’s true that a synth (or cello, piano, guitar, etc.) doesn’t need to breathe, instrumental melodies still benefit from phrasing.

So, to add phrasing to your melody, sing along with it, and where you naturally take a breath, create a rest. You do this by simply shortening the note (by an 1/8 note). We did this on our longer notes, and that may be a good place for you, too. Because, shortening a 1/2 note still leaves a longer note, but shortening a 1/4 note leaves a short staccato-like note, which sounds abrupt. However, that may sound cool, depending on your melody. So, this is entirely between you and your melody.

The most important thing with phrasing is to make it sound natural, i.e. it should make your melody sound like it’s being sung, even if it’s being played on a synth.

Three of our four longer notes shortened to create places to breathe (highlighted), i.e. phrasing

Lastly, if you’re working over a sixteen-bar chord progression (like we are), then copy and paste your eight-bar melody into bars nine to sixteen.

Now, repeat the hack from Step 6, where you check for clashes over the different chords. And if you have any clashes, highlight those notes, then move them up or down to notes that work better over those chords.

We didn’t have any clashes in our melody against the different chords in bars nine to sixteen. So for our example, this step consisted of an easy copy and paste job.

Right, now you can put the kettle on, as your creation is ready for its debut. Then sit back, sip slowly, and savour every moment of your beautiful melody.

Eight-bar melody copied and pasted (highlighted) over second half of sixteen-bar chord progression

I know you want to be a confident producer who finishes songs, and loves the results. In order to become a confident producer, though, you need decades of knowledge and experience. To gain that knowledge, you need a good teacher. To gain that experience, you need decades of practice. That’s overwhelming!

I understand that searching for a good teacher is frustrating. Most courses are taught by YouTubers who are not qualified in music, and are not qualified teachers either. The few who are qualified in both, have no industry experience. I feel your pain. Truly. Most of my music teachers were bad. That’s why I studied music and education in order to become a lecturer, and why I created Hack Music Theory.

Also, over my 30+ years of composing, I developed a unique method called Song-Whispering, which I’ve used to make music with multiplatinum Grammy winners. In my one-of-a-kind online apprenticeship, you’ll learn my method and turbocharge your music with my decades of knowledge and experience.

Enroll Now and stop wasting years of your life learning from bad teachers and trying to get better through trial-and-error. Transform into the confident producer you would be in 10+ years now, and start loving your music!

Ray Harmony
Multi award-winning college lecturer, teaching since 1995


 

“Song-Whispering may be the single greatest concept ever!”
–Glynne Owen (Japan)

“I followed their YouTube for a while before taking their course. I wish I'd taken it sooner!”
–Sagar Saluja (India)

“I wrote the first song in my life that I actually like!”
–Anastasia Lucas (USA)

Lastly, are you new to music theory? Or are you experienced, but you want a refresher? Then download our FREE BOOK (link opens in new tab). It only takes 30 minutes to read, then you’ll have a solid theory foundation that you can instantly apply to your songwriting and producing. Enjoy!

If the FREE BOOK link doesn't work, just visit our BOOKS page:
https://hackmusictheory.com/books