I’ve been posting semi-regularly about music theory basics. While the basics aren’t the main focus of songwright, they are vital for anyone who is serious about the art of songwriting. At the very least you should know:
- The major and minor scales
- Basic chord construction
- What time signatures are and how they work
- What rhythm is and how it works
- What melody is and how it works
The most important basic skill is what I talked about in the last entry to this series, the ability to analyze. You should aim to be able to hear a song’s chord progressions and basic melodic shape just by listening.
How do you learn all this? Buy a book or three, take lessons, play other people’s songs. That last one is vital, do it lots.
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