How to Write a
Magic-Trick Bass Line.

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includes MIDI + WAV file examples

Intro.

As you probably know, Harry Houdini (né Erik Weisz) was a Hungarian-American magician who was especially famous for his seemingly impossible escape acts. He was also the inspiration behind Eminem’s recent song “Houdini”. This was the lead single from his new album “The Death of Slim Shady”, and it was a huge hit!

Eminem’s lyrics are controversial at the best of times, so we’re not here to comment on that element. But, regardless of what we all think of his potty-mouth, there’s magic and illusion bubbling up from the bass line in this song. So what’s causing the magic? Well, Eminem* creates two musical illusions by using a melodic sequence, as well as a non-diatonic note. It’s simple yet super effective, kinda like the musical equivalent of that classic pull a rabbit out a hat magic trick.**

If you’re new to these techniques, a melodic sequence is when a segment of the melody is repeated at a higher or lower pitch. It creates the illusion that you’re listening to something fresh yet familiar at the same time, because the notes are different but the contour is the same. The other technique Eminem uses for his magic trick is a non-diatonic note, which is just a note that’s not in the scale.

So, inspired by “Houdini”, here’s our 5-step method for writing a magic-trick bass line that creates a captivating sonic illusion. But first… let’s pull a nice cup of tea out the hat!

*There are other people who co-wrote “Houdini”, but for brevity we’ll just be saying Eminem.

**If you have a pet rabbit, please don’t try this at home. Well, unless you want poop in your hat!

Step 1. Scale

Open your DAW, leave the time signature on 4|4, but change your tempo to 127 BPM. Next, create a four-bar loop on your bass track, with a 1/16 note grid.

“Houdini” is in the key of A minor, which is all the white notes on the piano from A to A. We’ll be using A minor for our example in this tutorial, too.

A natural minor

1

2

♭3

4

5

♭6

♭7

A

B

C

D

E

F

G

A natural minor (root note highlighted)

There’s a couple tweaks to this scale. We’ll cover one now, and the other in Step 5.

The first tweak is that Eminem actually uses the pentatonic version of A minor. If you’re new to the minor pentatonic, it’s the same scale but without its 2 and ♭6.

So, delete the B (2) and F (♭6) from your A minor scale. The remaining five notes are the A minor pentatonic, and that’s what we’ll be working with for this bass line.

A minor pentatonic

1

2

♭3

4

5

♭6

♭7

A

-

C

D

E

-

G

The minor pentatonic scale is a favourite in blues and funk, but it can be used in any and all genres. For example, lots of those heavy Rage Against The Machine riffs are in the minor pentatonic scale. Its simplicity makes it incredibly versatile!

A minor pentatonic (root note highlighted)

Step 2. Arpeggio+

Alright, it’s time to get creative! So, the first thing you’re gonna do is write a one-bar arpeggio, i.e. play the Am chord one note at a time. You can start on the A, C, or E, and play them in any order. If you like, you can repeat a note or two.

The only guideline here is to use lots of rests. There’s two reasons for this. Firstly, you’re gonna smooth out your contour with some non-harmonic notes next, i.e. notes that are not in the chord (that’s D and G over Am). Secondly, rests add energy to a bass line. It sounds counterintuitive, but it’s true. Try both ways and compare. Use shorter notes with rests (like ours below). Then extend the notes to make them longer and don’t use any rests. You’ll hear instantly: rests add energy!

By the way, for maximum energy, use 1/8 notes and 1/16 notes for your arpeggio. Also, Eminem starts his bass line on an off-beat. This is a great hack for surprising your listeners right outta the gate, because beat 1 hits and there’s no bass, but then suddenly it comes in on beat 1+. We did this too, but you can start on another off-beat (i.e. beat 1e, or beat 1a). However, if you prefer, you can start on beat 1.

Our Am arpeggio in bar one (root note highlighted)

Now it’s time to create a more interesting contour. No diss to Eminem here, but he doesn’t do this. He only uses the harmonic notes (A, C, E). The teacher in me wants to give him a B grade for that. Good, but not great. It would’ve been more captivating with a non-harmonic note, or two. But hey, if you want your song to appeal to hundreds of millions of people, then keep it very simple. It’s your choice.

To read the rest of this tutorial, please buy the PDF. Supporting our work helps us keep teaching. Thank you :)

Download PDF Tutorial 

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!

Ray Harmony
Multi award-winning college lecturer

How to Write a
Staccato Chord Progression.

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includes MIDI + WAV file examples

Intro.

I was living in Los Angeles when Dr. Dre’s album “2001” was released. On the streets, it seemed like every car was blasting it. Every store I walked into was either playing a song from it, or if not, they would be before I walked out. I’ve never heard one album played so much, and for good reason: it’s a hip-hop masterpiece!

The lead single from the album was “Still D.R.E.” (feat. Snoop Dogg), and in LA during November 1999, this was the one song you’d be guaranteed to hear absolutely everywhere! To this day, every time I hear that intro with those staccato chords, I’m instantly transported back there. Those chords have since become iconic, and for good reason too: they’re somehow rough and smooth at the same time! In this PDF you’ll learn the hacks Dre* used to make his unique progression.

Also, in a genre where the emphasis is almost always on the drums and bass, the fact that “Still D.R.E.” put chords in the spotlight was also unique. Obviously there were lots of hip-hop songs that had chords before “Still D.R.E.”, however, their chords were almost always in the background. Hip-hop was, and still is, all about the drums and bass. But, “Still D.R.E.” is all about the chords. And a quarter of a century later, it still stands out in the genre. That’s mightily impressive!

So, inspired by “Still D.R.E.”, here’s our 6-step method for writing a staccato chord progression that instantly stands out. But first… Tea!

P.S. Cool story: If you watch the “Still D.R.E.” music video, at 2:35 there’s a tall dude dressed all in white with a black hat. That was the rapper in my old band :)

*There are other producers who co-wrote “Still D.R.E.”, but for brevity, we’re just saying Dre.

Step 1. Chords

Open your DAW, leave the time signature on 4|4, but change your tempo to 93 BPM. Next, create a two-bar loop on your chords track, with a 1/16 note grid. Just use a piano sound for now, then when you’re finished writing you can change the sound, if you want. But, staccato chords sound amazing on piano, so we kept it. “Still D.R.E.” is in the key of A minor (it’s tuned slightly off A, though). So, we’ll use A minor too, which is just all the white notes on the piano from A to A.

A natural minor (notes)

1

2

♭3

4

5

♭6

♭7

A

B

C

D

E

F

G

A natural minor (chords)

1

2

♭3

4

5

♭6

♭7

Am

Bdim

Cmaj

Dm

Em

Fmaj

Gmaj

The main feature of Dre’s chords are the staccato way that they’re played. If you’re new to that word, “staccato” just means “detached”. And in practical terms, staccato means you’re playing the note/chord as a really short note value, like a 1/32 note. Because the main characteristic of this progression is rhythmic, Dre only uses two chords. If he used more than that, the listener’s attention would be drawn away from the rhythm to the melodic/harmonic side. We’ll do this example like Dre’s, with only two chords, but if you’re into a different genre where more chords would be better, you can choose four chords and follow the same method.

There is one BIG problem with only using two chords, though. If you choose the same two that Dre used, you’ll be getting a scary letter from his legal team. We certainly don’t want that letter, and we don’t want you to get it either, so let’s all avoid using Am and Em. It’s essential to start on Am, as the root chord anchors the progression into the key. So, your choice for the second chord is: Cmaj, Dm, Fmaj, or Gmaj. You don’t wanna use Bdim either, as it’s dissonant. We chose Am and Dm. And we won’t send you a scary letter if you wanna use those chords, too!

After you’ve chosen your two chords, draw them into your DAW with each chord lasting one full bar. Also, draw in the root note of each chord in the octave below.

Our two chords (roots highlighted), with their root notes below, i.e. in the bass

Step 2. Suspension

Here comes the first part of making this progression smooth. Dre uses a creative (and clever) hack here to not only make the chords sound like they’re melting into each other, but this hack also results in the progression sounding like it has three chords instead of two.

You see, instead of going directly from Am to Em, Dre uses a sus chord in between, which acts as a transition between the two chords. If you’re new to sus chords, the “sus” means “suspended”. And the reason they’re called that is because the 3rd note is suspended (i.e. moved off the 3rd). The 3rd note is the magic note*, though, because it determines whether a chord is major or minor.

*If you wanna learn all about the magic of the 3rd note, read Hacks 8 and 9 in our Free Book.

So, when you suspend the 3rd (i.e. move it down to the 2, or up to the 4), your chord is not major or minor, it’s neutral. The major or minor quality only occurs when (or if) you move the 2 or 4 to the 3. A sus2 chord is when you play the 2 instead of the 3 (i.e. 1, 2, 5). And a sus4 chord is when you play the 4 instead of the 3 (i.e. 1, 4, 5). Dre uses Esus4. Then he resolves the 4 (A) down to the ♭3 (G). The Esus4 is neutral. The chord quality only becomes minor after that resolution.

Dre uses the Esus4 because its 4 is A, which is the root note of the first chord (Am). That way he continues playing the A through this chord change, which makes it sound like the Am is melting into the Em. So, when you choose whether to play a sus2 or sus4, make that decision based on the Am (i.e. A, C, E). In other words, you want to continue playing A, C or E through this chord change.

You may already have a common note between your two chords (like Dre and we do), but Dre’s idea behind using a sus chord here is to create another common note. However, if you already had two common notes to start with (like Am and Cmaj), then you’ll actually lose one of your common notes when you create the sus chord. That’s not a problem. As long as there’s one common note, you’re good!

But, before you start experimenting with a sus chord, slice your second chord on beat 2+. Now you can play around with moving its 3rd to the 2nd, or to the 4th. To read the rest of this tutorial, please buy the PDF. Supporting our work helps us to keep teaching. Thank you :)

Download PDF Tutorial 

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!

Ray Harmony
Multi award-winning college lecturer

How to Write a
Relaxing Piano Piece.

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includes MIDI + WAV file examples

Intro.

The world seems to get more stressful every week. It’s no wonder that more and more people are seeking relief wherever they can find it. Sadly, though, their relief usually involves a substance or activity that isn’t very healthy. But it doesn’t have to be that way. There’s an abundance of scientific studies proving the effectiveness of music therapy. While a qualified professional is necessary for more serious issues, we can all freely enjoy the stress-relieving effects of relaxing music. And it’s safe, too. The only side-effect is drowsiness! So when you’ve finished this tutorial and you have your new piano piece, please don’t listen to it while driving. Mmmkay?

When writing relaxing music, we have to think completely differently to how we think when writing songs. The reason for this is because our goal is not to end up with a good song, but a piece of music that induces relaxation. You can think of it like writing soundtrack music. In films, the best soundtracks are the ones you don’t notice. Directors don’t want soundtracks taking attention away from their films, so they ask composers to write music that induces particular emotions. When we sit down to write a relaxing piano piece, we can imagine we’re making it for a scene in a movie. Perhaps the actor is walking on a beautiful Caribbean beach at sunset?

We’ve based this tutorial on “Happiness Does Not Wait” by Icelandic producer Ólafur Arnalds. In this track Ólafur perfectly balances simplicity with creativity. That balance is vital. If the music is too simple, it will get repetitive and annoying. That’s the opposite of relaxing! But, if it’s too creative, it will be stimulating, and that’s not relaxing either. This balance is what the art of relaxing music is all about.

So, inspired by “Happiness Does Not Wait”, here’s our 7-step method for writing piano music with relaxing arpeggios (left-hand) and soothing melodies (right-hand). But first… Tea! And maybe it should be a decaf this time?

Step 1 [Chords]. Common Notes

Open your DAW, change your time signature to 3|4, and set your tempo to 123 BPM. Next, create an eight-bar loop on your piano track, with an 1/8 note grid.

“Happiness Does Not Wait” is in the key of F minor, but we’ll use A minor to keep things simple, cos it’s just all the white notes on the piano from A to A.

A natural minor (notes)

1

2

♭3

4

5

♭6

♭7

A

B

C

D

E

F

G

A natural minor (chords)

I

II

♭III

IV

V

♭VI

♭VII

Am

Bdim

Cmaj

Dm

Em

Fmaj

Gmaj

You’ll notice a recurring theme in this tutorial: balancing simplicity with creativity.

We’re constantly gonna be striving to make the most creative music we can, but without stimulating our listeners. And when we listen to a chord progression, every time the chord changes, it has the potential to stimulate us with new notes. Newness and novelty are stimulating. So, we need to be extremely careful when introducing new notes. The best way to change chords without stimulating our listeners, is to use chords that have one or two notes in common. By doing this, we only introduce one or two new notes when the chords change, instead of all three.

Now, spend some time choosing four chords for your progression. Remember that your last chord will loop around to your first chord, so make sure those two chords also have a common note. Play your four chords for two full bars each. For interest sake, these are Ólafur’s chords: Im → ♭VImaj → ♭IIImaj → Vm. If you need help with roman numerals and chord symbols, read Hack 13 in our Free Book.

And here’s our progression: I (Am) → V (Em) → ♭VII (Gmaj) → IV (Dm).

As you’ll notice, Ólafur’s chord progression has two major (happy) chords and two minor (sad) chords, so his happy/sad balance is 50/50. If you want more of one, simply use three of that chord quality, and one of the other. We wanted a slightly more melancholic atmosphere, so we chose three minor chords and one major.

Also, although you can start on any chord in the key, beginning your progression on the root chord (Am) will be the most calming option. The reason for this is because starting on another chord will create some tension, as it’s not the “home” chord. While that’s fine in other circumstances, in this situation we want to instantly anchor our progression into the key, so the listeners feel instantly settled.

Our chord progression (root note of each chord highlighted)

Step 2 [Chords]. Inversions

The next way we’re gonna make our chord changes even more relaxed is to use inversions - the chords will actually sound like they’re melting into each other! If you’re new to inversions, it’s just when you re-arrange the notes of a chord.

By keeping the common note in the same place (i.e. bottom, middle, or top note) within adjacent chords, we create a common musical thread that’s deeply relaxing.

For example, in our progression the first chord (Am) and the second chord (Em) have the note E in common. E is the highest note in our Am chord, so we need to make E the highest note in our Em chord as well. We do this by inverting the Em chord. So in our Em chord, instead of playing E, G, B (see the second chord in MIDI above), we’re going to play G, B, E (see the second chord in MIDI below).

Chord progression with inversions (root note of each chord highlighted)

Then between our second chord (Em) and our third chord (Gmaj), there’s actually two common notes: G and B. And they’re already in the same place (bottom and middle) within both chords, so we don’t need to invert our Gmaj.

Finally, between our third chord (Gmaj) and our fourth chord (Dm), the common note is D. That note is at the top of our Gmaj chord, so we re-arranged Dm (D, F, A) to get D at the top of that chord too. So, our Dm chord is now F, A, D.

By the way, you’d usually wanna do this process from your last chord to your first chord as well, but in our progression that would involve playing two different versions of our last chord (see MIDI below) in order to get the common note (A) into the same place as it is in our first chord (bottom note). We’d do this in other situations, but it would add movement and therefore increase the energy, so we decided not to do that here. You can do whatever works best for your progression.

Two versions of last chord (highlighted), which we chose not to use

Step 3 [Chords]. Arpeggios v1

The next way we’re gonna soften our chords is by turning them into arpeggios. In other words, we’ll play each chord one note at a time. This is very relaxing indeed. To read the rest of this tutorial, please buy the PDF. Supporting our work helps us to keep teaching. Thank you :)

Download PDF Tutorial 

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!

Ray Harmony
Multi award-winning college lecturer

How to Write a
Catchy Melody.

Free PDF Tutorial
includes multitrack MIDI file

If the link above does not work, paste this into your browser:
https://hackmusictheory.com/album/2877864/catchy-melody

Intro.

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!

Step 1. The Chords

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)

Step 2. The Drama

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

Step 3. The Fall

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.

Step 4. Rhythmic Variation

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)

Step 5. The Climb

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

Step 6. Melodic Structure

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.

Free PDF Tutorial 

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

How to Write
Chromatic Bass Lines

Download PDF Tutorial
includes MIDI + WAV file examples

Intro.

There aren’t many songs where the bass is in the spotlight. And there’s a good reason for that: Most bass lines suck! Of course there are exceptions, but in most genres the bass is nothing more than a frequency. Its only function is to fill out the bottom end of the sound. Thankfully though, not all genres have sucky bass lines.

Thank you, funk! Yep, funk is one of the only genres in which most songs (usually) contain real bass lines. In other words, actual melodies played on the bass.

You see, that’s what makes a real bass line. If a bass merely plays the root note of each chord, then that bass is perceived by the listeners as a frequency (not a melody). That’s why songs with good bass lines also have more depth, because their bass is adding a musical layer with both melodic and rhythmic independence.

An example of a great bass line can be heard in the new single “We Got U” by American funk band The Motet. Not only does this song kick off with an amazing bass line, but respect is due to their bassist Garrett Sayers for being able to play so fast, and with so much groove. It’s a complex bass line, but in this PDF we’ll break down its elements and teach you how to use them to make your own version.

So, inspired by “We Got U”, here’s our easy method for writing great bass lines (in any genre) with chromaticism. What’s that? Read on to find out. But first… Tea!

Step 1. Mixolydian Mode

Open your DAW, leave the time signature on 4|4, but change your tempo to 111 BPM. Next, create a four-bar loop on your bass track, with a 1/16 note grid.

Right, so the first unusual element about this bass line is its mode: Mixolydian. Mixolydian is a very underused mode, and that makes this bass line instantly stand out. If you’re new to Mixolydian, it’s just all the white notes from G up to G.

G Mixolydian

1

2

3

4

5

6

♭7

G

A

B

C

D

E

F

The first thing you’ll notice about Mixolydian is that it’s a major mode, i.e. it has a major 3rd (3). The next thing you’ll notice about it is its last note, which is a minor 7th (♭7).* As Mixolydian is major, listeners will be expecting a major 7th (7).**

The ♭7 is the only note that makes Mixolydian different to the major scale, so it’s vital to play that ♭7, otherwise it will just sound like the major scale. If you play Mixolydian a few times, you’ll hear that it sounds like a slightly sad version of the major scale, a.k.a. the “happy” scale. It’s amazing the difference one note makes, right? The major scale is known for its use in children’s music (and Christmas songs), due to its uplifting childlike quality. However, by simply moving its 7th note down one semitone, we create a mode that sounds like an adult version of the major scale. And that’s why Mixolydian should be used way more often: it brings the uplifting nature of the major scale, but without its childlike vibe.

Before we get writing, just a quick update. The Motet use E Mixolydian for their bass line, so if you programmed in those MIDI notes we mentioned above (from G to G), grab them all and move ‘em down to E. Now you’ve got E Mixolydian.

E Mixolydian

1

2

3

4

5

6

♭7

E

F♯

G♯

A

B

C♯

D

*Remember to use 3 and ♭7 a few times in your bass, as they’re what make Mixolydian unique!

**Wanna learn all the modes & how to use them? Read our Songwriting & Producing PDF.

Step 2. Chromatic Notes

For the record, a bass line in Mixolydian would already stand out. But, that wasn’t enough for The Motet. They spiced up this underused mode with not one but two chromatic notes! So what’s a chromatic note? It’s simply a note that is not in the scale/mode. And by the way, another word for chromatic is non-diatonic, so you’ll see both of those terms being used to describe notes outside the scale/mode. So, what two chromatic notes did they add? To read the rest of this tutorial, please buy the PDF. Supporting our work helps us to keep teaching. Thank you :)

Download PDF Tutorial 

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!

Ray Harmony
Multi award-winning college lecturer

How to Write a
Better Snare Rhythm.

Free PDF Tutorial
includes MIDI + WAV file examples

If the link above does not work, paste this into your browser:
https://hackmusictheory.com/album/2806684/snare-rhythms

Intro.

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:

1. Regular backbeat (beats 2 and 4): used in most songs
2. Half-time backbeat (beat 3): used for a slower vibe
3. Double-time backbeat (beats 1+, 2+, 3+, 4+): used for a faster vibe

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!

Step 1. Motif

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)

Step 2. Swing

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

Step 3. Dance

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)

Step 4. Spice

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.

Make Music You LOVE.

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)

Free PDF Tutorial 

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

How to Write a Crazy Drum Beat

Download Tutorial as PDF
includes MIDI + WAV file examples

Drums nowadays are arguably the most boring element in music! That’s probably due to the widespread use of drum loops. If you listen to the new releases on Spotify every Friday, you’ll hear the same handful of drum patterns over and over again. The best you can hope for is a few variations of those popular patterns.

It would be an interesting experiment to actually count how many different drum patterns are used in the New Music Friday playlist, which usually contains 100 songs. We’re pretty sure it’ll only be a handful of patterns, but that’s some super boring research, so we won’t be volunteering to conduct that experiment. AI can do it!

Having said all that, for us producers, this is actually a blessing in disguise. Why? Because it makes it easier than ever to stand out and grab people’s attention. All you need to do is use an unusual drum beat. Or even better, a crazy drum beat!

This is exactly what happened when the song “Never Doubt” started playing. It’s by the UK duo Blue Lab Beats. Their drums are unlike anything else we heard on that playlist! And after listening to their crazy beats, and then continuing through the remainder of that playlist, the other songs’ drums sounded even more boring.

Drum beats usually consist of three elements: kick, snare, and cymbals. Giving one or two of these an unusual pattern would be enough to make a beat stand out, but Blue Lab Beats have made the patterns of all three elements unusual. That’s crazy!

So, inspired by “Never Doubt”, here’s our 4-step method for writing crazy beats. But first… Tea!

Step 1. Snare

Set your tempo to 75 BPM and your time signature to 7|8.

And yes, that’s a crazy time signature! It’s the foundation of crazy upon which they build their standout beats. Why is 7|8 a crazy time signature? Because it sounds like 4|4 on a broken drum machine, as the last 1/8 note of each bar is cut off. This makes it sound like the record (or CD) is skipping. Ah, remember those days?

Next, create a two-bar loop on your drum track, with the grid set to 1/32 notes.

So, when it comes to a snare pattern in 7|8, the most common one is to play the snare on beats 3 and 7. That’s because in 4|4 the snare is almost always played on beats 2 and 4, which is called a regular backbeat. And if you count 4|4 in 1/8 note beats, then the snare hits of that regular backbeat fall on beats 3 and 7.

Standard 7|8 drum pattern with regular backbeat snare (highlighted) on beats 3 and 7

As you can hear (and see in the MIDI above), the bar is cut short by an 1/8 note.

And to be clear, while that’s the snare pattern you’ll most usually hear in 7|8, that definitely doesn’t make it sound normal. It still sounds crazy! That fact will give you an idea of exactly how crazy the snare patterns are in this Blue Lab Beats song.

And without further ado. Here’s their snare pattern: beat 6. Yep, that’s all they play on the snare. That’s way more space than you’d usually hear in a 7|8 beat. But, spoiler alert: they’re not done with the snare yet. It’ll be revisited in Step 4 below.

Lastly, to give your beat 6 snare a reference point, draw in a kick drum on beat 1.

Also, there’s so much space in this snare pattern that you’ll need to hear the 1/8 note pulse to put the snare in context. So, turn on the metronome when listening.

Kick on beat 1, snare (highlighted) on beat 6

Step 2. Kick

With hardly any snares in this beat (currently), all that space can be filled with kicks. And that’s precisely what Blue Lab Beats do. They play a kick on beat 1 and a super syncopated kick on the fourth 1/32 note. If you’re new to the concept of syncopation, it’s simply when an off-beat is accented. Their kick on the fourth 1/32 note is the perfect example of syncopation. And obviously when you accent a 1/32 note off-beat, it sounds a lot more syncopated than a 1/16 note off-beat.

Kick added on fourth 1/32 note (highlighted)

For the rest of the tutorial, please buy the PDF. Supporting our work helps us to keep teaching. Thank you :)

Download PDF Tutorial 

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!

Ray Harmony
Multi award-winning college lecturer

How to Write a Dreamy
Chord Progression

Download Tutorial as PDF
includes MIDI + WAV file examples

New single “Loved” by British producer Four Tet (Kieran Hebden) is a dreamy soundscape that floats your thoughts away on its neuro-massaging vibrations!

If you listen to it with your eyes closed, you can easily imagine sitting by a window on a rainy morning, sipping your tea and day-dreaming as you stare out into quantum clouds of possibility. Even the pitter-patter accent of his hi-hat rhythm mirrors the sound of rain drops on the roof.

The outro (from 2:43) further lowers the energy, deepening the introspection. There’s a sprinkling of arpeggios (i.e. chords played one note at a time) throughout the song, but in the outro he uses them exclusively. That’s only one of the many elements that make this section sooooo soothing. Right, inspired by the “Loved” outro, here’s our 6-step method for writing dreamy chords. But first… Tea!

Step 1. Arpeggio

Set your tempo to 82 BPM and your time signature to 4|4. Then, create an eight-bar section with a 1/16 note grid. Next, load up a gentle keyboard sound like a Rhodes organ, or something similar. You can find the perfect sound afterwards.

One of the most interesting elements of this section is that Four Tet wrote it in the major scale. Nowadays, the major scale is hugely unpopular, which is a shame and a loss. You’ll only really hear this scale in children’s music or Christmas songs. But, it’s the most consonant scale, which means the harmonies it creates are the most peaceful for us. In these dissonant times, we believe there needs to be far more music written in major keys to help people let go of their daily stress and anxiety.

To be fair, there’s a valid reason why most producers don’t use the major scale: all that consonance makes it predictable! Therefore, music written in a major key is at a high risk of being boring. That’s no problem for Four Tet, though, as he has some great hacks up his sleeve to avoid this problem.

Right, so Four Tet uses G major for this section. We chose C major, as it’s simply all the white notes from C to C, but you can use whatever major scale you like.

C major scale:

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

C

D

E

F

G

A

B

He starts this outro section by playing the root chord (Cmaj in our example), and the first hack he uses to create a dreamy vibe is to play the chord as an arpeggio. Also, he plays the root note in two octaves: C (1) → G (5) → C (8, i.e. the root an octave higher than 1). Technically this is a harmony (or interval) and not a chord, as it only contains 1 and 5 (it’s missing 3), but he does play 3 in the melody above.

FYI: If you wanna play this on the keyboard instead of drawing in the MIDI, you’ll play the arpeggio in your left hand, and the melody above in your right hand.

While the technique of playing a left-hand 1→5→8 arpeggio is nothing new (it was common in Mozart’s day), the way Four Tet weaves in his melody is original. He doesn’t just add a melody over the top, like most producers would do, he tricks the listener into hearing his melody as part of the arpeggio. Well, at first…

But then it sounds like his melody begins to break away from the arpeggio. We then hear it as a separate layer. And then it seems to join the arpeggio again?! This uncertainty as to whether it’s a separate melody or part of the arpeggios is one of the brilliant hacks Four Tet uses to create his dream-like atmosphere. It gives us that feeling of waking up from a dream and thinking: Did that really happen?

So, start by drawing in a 1→5→8 arpeggio from your root (C in our example). Let your arpeggio sound for half the bar, then copy and paste it into the second half.

1→5→8 Arpeggio

screenshot is zoomed in to the first two beats

1→5→8 Arpeggio copied and pasted (highlighted)

screenshot is zoomed out to the full eight-bar loop

Step 2. Repeat

Here’s a question for you: Have you ever had that dream where you’re running but you’re going nowhere?! Well, that’s the next hack Four Tet uses to create a dream-like quality to his chords. For the rest of the tutorial, please buy the PDF. Supporting our work helps us to keep teaching. Thank you :)

Download PDF Tutorial 

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!

Ray Harmony
Multi award-winning college lecturer

How to Write a Non-Cheesy
Festive Melody

Download Tutorial as PDF
includes MIDI + WAV file examples

“Noël Nouvelet” is a traditional French Christmas Carol dating from the 15th or 16th century. So what on earth can we learn from a 500-year old holiday tune? A game-changing melody hack that will totally transform your festive season music!

You see, almost all Christmas songs are written in major keys. And as you can hear from walking into any shop in December, the results are usually very very very cheesy songs! And yes of course there are exceptions, but most of the new holiday music being released is blatantly trying (and failing) to cash in on the “happy holiday” song formula. That brings us back to our traditional tune…

The composer of “Noël Nouvelet” used the most innovative cheese-removal magic trick, as this Christmas carol is 100% cheese-free. And it could so easily have been cheesy because the melody is upbeat and uplifting (like most Christmas music), but it somehow stays far away from the cheese. It’s a Christmas miracle! So there you go, that’s what we can learn from a 500-year old Christmas carol.

And on that note, inspired by “Noël Nouvelet”, here’s our 4-step method for writing an upbeat and uplifting festive melody, without the cheese. But first… Tea!

Step 1. Festive Rhythm

First, regarding the tempo. As with most 500-year old music, you can more-or-less interpret the performance of it however you want. There are lots of breathtakingly beautiful versions of “Noël Nouvelet”, but our favourite is by Libera, a boy’s choir in London, UK. Libera’s performance is around 77 BPM, so we’ll use that too.

Now, create an eight-bar loop with a 1/16 note grid, then load up a piano sound on that track. And yes, piano, that’s not a typo. Piano is the perfect instrument for writing on, because it’s about as “neutral” sounding as you can get, and the attack of the instrument is instant (due to the piano’s hammer action).

Some choir plugins have a very slow attack, and we’ll be using some quicker notes in our melody because it’s a lively one, so we don’t want the choir plugin holding us back. At the end of the writing process, though, you can go through all your choir plugins and see which one works best for your final melody.

Right, spend some time writing a two-bar rhythm now, and be sure to use a vibrant combination of 1/4 notes, 1/8 notes, and two 1/16 notes. Regarding those 1/16 notes. Don’t make them syncopated. Approach them like an 1/8 note split in two.

Also, don’t use any rests within your rhythm. After your rhythm, though, you’ll use a rest. So, don’t play anything on beat 4 of your second bar. This 1/4 note rest is for phrasing (i.e. where the singers would breathe if your melody was sung). And lastly, remember that your rhythm needs to be an upbeat, festive one, so have fun!

Two-bar rhythm, ending with 1/4 note rest

Step 2. Cheesy Melody

Wait, what?! We promised you a cheese-free melody, and now we’re telling you to write a cheesy melody? Yep! That’s the genius of the “Noël Nouvelet” composer’s cheese-removal magic trick, but that will only be revealed in Step 4.

For the record, we obviously have no idea if this is how the anonymous composer wrote the carol, but when reverse-engineering this melody and trying to figure out their method (that’s the process we use to make all our PDF tutorials, by the way), it seems this method is certainly plausible. In fact, we can totally imagine the story…

It’s December 1st, 1499. Our composer turns up to choir rehearsal with their brand new carol, all pleased and proud of it. The choir gives it a run through. There’s an awkward silence as someone tries to think of a nice way to say it. Someone pipes up with “Erm… it’s very Christmassy!” More erms from the choir. Then a brave soul says: “Any chance of making it… erm… [silence] less cheesy?”

The composer storms out. Fast forward a couple hours. They’ve had a walk in the fresh December air and calmed down. Now, back in their study, they pull out the manuscript, dip their quill in the ink. And… Boom! A stroke of genius. They scream Hallelujah!, run out the room and back to the church, screaming Hallelujah! all the way. Choir sings it. Everyone cries. They love it. Composer sighs with relief.

The End.

[roll the credits]

Surely that’s a better story than the one where our composer walks into their study, sits down, then proceeds to write a non-cheesy Christmas carol in one go. Boring!

Alright, let’s write a melody. So we’re in the key of D major, and here’s our scale:

D major scale

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

D

E

F♯

G

A

B

C♯

In order for this method to work, there are 5 rules you need to follow in this step…

For the rest of the tutorial, please buy the PDF. Supporting our work helps us to keep teaching. Thank you :)

Download PDF Tutorial 

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!

Ray Harmony
Multi award-winning college lecturer

How to Write Captivating Bass
Using Displacements for Variations

Download Tutorial as PDF
includes MIDI + WAV file examples

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.

Step 1. One-Bar 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:

1. use 1/16 notes exclusively
2. use a few rests
3. accent beat 1 by playing a note on it
4. accent beat 3 by playing a note on it

*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

Step 2. Repeat & Displace

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.

For the rest of the tutorial, please buy the PDF. Supporting our work helps us to keep teaching. Thank you :)

Download PDF Tutorial 

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!

Ray Harmony
Multi award-winning college lecturer

How to Write
Sweeping Arpeggios.

Free PDF Tutorial
includes multitrack MIDI file

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

Intro.

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!

Step 1. Chords

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

Step 2. Low

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

Step 3. Peak

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

Step 4. Middle

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)

Step 5. Link

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]

Make Music You LOVE.

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)

Free PDF Tutorial 

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