Looking to spice up your chord progressions? Why not borrow a chord or two from a different mode or scale? Borrowed chords are a tried-and-true way to add an unexpected touch to songs. Read the post.
While major and minor chords get all the attention, don’t neglect music’s lovely diminished chords. They can spice up your boring chord progressions and add drama to your songs. Read the post.
Have you got the music in you and want to start writing songs? Here’s a no-nonsense primer to getting your songwriting career started. Read the post.
We’ve posted songwriting tips that cover music theory, the use of interesting chords, lyric writing advice, and ways to channel creativity. Read and enjoy.
If you are a lyricist, or if you also write melody but you think your strength is more lyric, this is for you. This is more mindset stuff, so this will be helpful no matter what your thing is. Read the post.
While it might be difficult to keep a song interesting if you limit it to one chord, it can help create tension, highlight your lyrics, or drive a hypnotic groove. Read the post.
Are you a songwriter ready to record your songs but not exactly sure how to go from song idea to music producer? These ideas will get you started. Read the post.
For some extended guitar chords — like a fully voiced thirteenth — there are more notes in the chord than there are strings. That’s where slash chords come in … with a little help from your bassist. Read the post
While Nashville tuning uses the same notes as a standard guitar tuning, used by itself and in layers with other guitars, this tuning can bring an articulate presence to a recording. Read the post.
Song lyrics are not poems put to music. Lyrics can be poetic and should be interesting, but there’s power in conversational lyrics that sound like something the character in your song would actually say. Read the post.
Eleventh chords can provide lush texture to your songs, but they can be confusing. We’ve got charts and real-world examples to help you better understand these extended chords. Read the post.
The flat-six chord can add drama to your music, and with some exceptions, is best used sparingly in your songwriting. Read the post.
Sixth chords have an inherent lack of identity and purpose that can be riveting — a sixth chord can provide ambiguity, set curiously dark moods, and add a layer of complexity to your music. Read the post.
There are many kinds of ninth chords, and they can be used in different ways. This post explores different kinds of ninth chords and how you can use them, with plenty of examples of their use in popular music. Read the post.
Jazz musicians know and integrate substitution chords on a regular basis, but musicians who play other genres of music can also employ this concept to great effect. Read the post.