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Category Archives: Chords and harmony

How to write a song with only one chord progression.

Posted on October 29, 2009 by Tom
6 comments


Here’s a link to the song, which won’t let me embed for reasons I don’t really understand…

Justin Timberlake’s Cry me a River might be guilty of stealing the title of a much better song, and having truly dreadful lyrics but I happen to think it’s an okay little ditty that does some interesting things.

Specifically, it only uses one chord progression. Most pop songs use chord changes to create interest, but here the songwriters have decided to stick with the same 4 chords and create interest in other ways.

Now, it’s a good set of chords – song starts with keybord arpeggios of G# min, D#7, E, D#7/C# which don’t stop until near the very end of the song.

There’s also the countermelody that starts at 13 secs, and is also used as the bridge melody. The rest of the song is all about different melodies and layers – the verse starts with a drum beat, bass line and staccato string pad chords emphasising the chord changes. The strings go legato for the chorus and Timberlake layers up the falsetto vox in his best Michael Jackson tribute mode.

The second verse adds some more interest by putting in a couple of short breaks from the drum beat and adding some extra vocal layers. I particularly like the staccato vocal melodies, eg at 3.28, which are a great example of one of my favourite features of modern rnb.

The whole point of the song is to create interest through the layering of different melodies and loops though, and there are certain points where the lack of harmonic changes starts to drag – essentially every time the song reaches ‘Cry me a river, cry me a river…’  where it sounds like an outro and therefore loses energy. And the ‘jammy jay’s done…’ rap sections are just laughable.

While it’s not a perfect song, and certainly needs some improvement in the lyrical department,  there are some great ideas that I’d steal if I was thinking of writing in this style:

1. Staccato vocal melodies (usually in the natural minor mode) – very RnB but rarely heard in other genres.
2. Complicated chords – that is a good chord progression, I like the D#7/C#. It’s essentially a clever play on the common harmonic minor i VI V7 progression (eg. Am, F E7)
3. Tiny percussion breaks – a second verse always needs something new – why not have the rhythm section drop out for just one bar?

Talking of RnB style vocals, here’s a much better songwriter who does some great vocal stuff: Trouble Over Tokyo

Categories: Chords and harmony

Know Your Modes – The Mixolydian

Posted on August 17, 2009 by Tom
3 comments

Character

The Mixolydian is a mode I associate with country, blues, heavy rock and the Beatles. It isn’t the only scale used in those styles, and it isn’t limited to those styles, but with it’s dominant seventh tonic chord and the emphasis on the seventh note of the scale, it always conjures up images of old fashioned, American rock. It’s a beer drinking, gibson chugging, guitar twangin’ mode (or at least, that’s how it feel to me).

Construction

The mixolydian mode is almost the same as the ‘normal’ major scale, except that the seventh note is flattened by one semitone. So in C Mixolydian the notes would be C D E F G A Bb C.

You can do the same to any major scale. For example, G mixolydian is G A B C D E F G (all the white notes on the keyboard starting at G). D mixolydian is D E F# G A B C D.

To generalise, the intervals in the mixolydian mode are:

Tone Tone Semitone Tone Tone Semitone, Tone

It might look like a tiny change but having that flattened seventh creates a very distinct harmony that is miles away from the major scale.

Chords:

The seven chords in those mode are:

I7 iimin7 iii Half-dim IV Maj7 v Min7 vi Min7 VII Maj7

In C Mixolydian: C7 Dmin7 E Half-dim F Maj7 G Min7 A Min7 Bb Maj7
In G Mixolydian: G7 Amin7 B Half-dim C Maj7 D Min7 E Min7 F Maj7

In the major scale, we’re used to chords VI and V being important. Chord V in particular often comes before I to form a cadence. In the Mixolydian mode, the VII chord performs a similar function, as in one of the most famous songs that uses the mixolydian mode, Sweet home Alabama:

What to do if you want that mixolydian sound? Try writing chord progressions that use chords I and VII, eg. C Bb F,    G C  F and work from there.

Categories: Chords and harmony, Know Your Modes

Ultimate Songwriting Lessons – Songwriting Hooks and Songwriting Meat

Posted on June 1, 2009 by Tom
No comments

I just stumbled across this video, via this post.

It’s from this website.

First off, let me make clear that I have a very low opinion of sales pages like this one. I know they’ve been shown to work, that they’re ‘good marketing,’ but I really don’t like them.

However, don’t take that us an opinion of the book, as I haven’t read it, I’ve just seen the video.

A few thoughts occured as I watched, and I made some rough notes:

  • The narrator equates artistic worth with ‘lyrical depth’. Personally I would argue that lyrics are not the main conveyor of meaning in popular song – meaning comes from other parts of the song as well.
  • Suggesting that ‘Satisfaction’ by the Stones has lyrical depth is probably pushing things.
  • The Cardigans hook is great, but I want more meat in this analysis. For example, the hook is not just the guitar part, it’s the combination of a relatively static two pitch guitar riff over a moving chord progression. The rhythm of the guitar riff – emphasising beats 2 and 4 like the snare drum, probably has something to do with it, as does the A A A B structure of the riff.

Hooks are generally good because they emphasise or play with our expectations.

Take that fantastic Satisfaction guitar riff – yes it has only three pitches and a really unique timbre, but we can say more than that.

For a start, the chords underneath are E and A. The riff follows the chords starting on a B note in the E chord before moving through a Csharp to a D. When we come to the A chord the guitar is playing a D, creating an A sus4 chord that then resolves to the Csharp and a straight A chord.

So it’s taken a suspended chord we’re very used to from choral music (and lots of other styles) and transposed it to a rhythm and blues setting.

The Kylie Minogue hook is worth mentioning because the meat of it is so wonderfully simple – all those off beat notes, plus a melody that traces a simple line between two chords that are a fifth apart – just like in Satisfaction.

I’ve only watched the one video from this website, and they definitely look worthwhile. Whether the ugly sales page is a good move is up to you.

Categories: Chords and harmony, Lyrics, Melody, opinion, Other People

Harmonising a melody – Beyond the Primary Chords

Posted on May 29, 2009 by Tom
1 comment

Edit: The free ebook ‘How to Hamonize’ is now available. Click here!

This morning I had a comment on my previous post on how to harmonise with primary chords..

Emelia asked why I couldn’t harmonise ‘Oh When the Saints’ with a D minor chord.

Now fitting chords and melodies together is a big subject, and there’s lots to say on the matter. The point I want to make here is: there is always more than one possibility, when choosing chords.

Here’s the first half of the melody:

Oh when the saints, go marching in

C E F G C E F G

Oh when the saints go marching in

C E F G E C E D

Using primary chords (ie the chords on the first, fourth and fifth step of the scale, in this case C F and G) I harmonised it something like this:

C                                 C
Oh When the Saints, Go marching in

C                                  G
Oh When the Saints, Go marching in
C                      F
I want to be In that number
C              G             C
Oh When the Saints, Go marching in

Here’s what that sounds like:

Download Oh When The Saints

But Emelia has spotted that whenever I’ve use a G chord, the melody use a D. So couldn’t I use any chord with a d note in it?

Yes, Emelia, I could you’re right. The reason we start off with primary chords is to make sure people understand the principles, because with those three chords any melody that doesn’t change key can be harmonised. That doesn’t mean using the primary chords is always the best way.

In this situation for example, I could do replace the G chords with D minor. That would sound like this:

Download Oh When The Saints with a Dm chord.

I could replace the C chords with A minor as well, that would sound like this:

Download Oh When The Saints with Am and Dm chords.

The chords we use are very often a creative choice. Change the chords and you change the character, so it all depends on what mood you want things to have. The best way to find the correct mood is to improvise, experiment with other chords until you find what you think sounds best.

Personally, my favourite harmonisation of Oh When the Saints is during the later, darker verses, where I’ve heard it transposed into a minor key:
Download Oh When The Saints Minor.

Well known folk songs and hymns constantly change and evolve as people find new ways to harmonise them. There are always different choices, and once you’re sure of the basics, the best way to find the right chords for your melody is to explore all the possibilities.

I’m currently writing a new ebook about harmonisation. Why not join my no-spam mailing list so you can get a free copy when I’m finished. There’s another free ebook available as well, and you can leave the mailing list any time you choose.

Categories: Chords and harmony

How to Harmonise – Part 1

Posted on May 17, 2009 by Tom
No comments

Edit: The free ebook ‘How to Hamonize’ is now available. Click here!

This is the opening section of a new Ebook I’m writing ‘How to Harmonise’.

What Does Harmonise Mean?

The most common subject people search for on www.songwright.co.uk is ‘how to harmonise’. When I talk to people, they seem to mean two slightly different things by this: how to add chords to a melody, or how to add vocal harmonies to a melody. These are similar concepts that both contain the idea of harmony, or more than one note sounding at the same time. Both also pre-suppose the existence of a melody. The idea of vocal harmony, however, concentrates on linear movement – parallel lines of melody weaving together – wheras chords are a vertical idea – blocks of notes changing from bar to bar.

When I was studying music I was taught a hugely simplified history of how harmony developed: monks singing plainchant in medieval Europe moved from unison song, with everyone singing the same note, to two notes at a time. As music developed through the Rennaissance systems of contrapuntal music developed, with different lines of melody weaving together. As time went on this was replaced with a system that put more emphasis on vertical chords, and the whole tonal system of scales and chords came into being. Composers noticed that their interweaving lines came together to form specific groups of notes, chords, that sounded good, so rather than thinking only in terms of the horizontal melody, they could start by thinking of the chords then ‘fill in’ the appropriate notes.

I don’t doubt that this history is so simple as to be incorrect, but this book isn’t about history. The only point I want to make is that the two ideas, of vocal harmony and putting chords to a melody, are not in fact different. If you want to know how to harmonise vocals, you will need to know which chords are being used. Liewise, if you want to put chords to a melody, you will need to consider not only which chord, but how to arrange vocal melodies and other important elements (such as the bass line) to fit the chord.

Simply put, ‘harmony’ is more than one note at the same time. Usually it means combinations of notes that sound good together, but what we mean by ‘good’ can change – you might want your music to sound ‘unharmonious’ and discordant. Achieving that also requires a knowledge of harmony.

Some basics :- Intervals and Drones.

Harmonising At An Interval

Here are the first few notes of the major scale:

Ex1.

Download Example 1

There are lots of ways I could harmonise this. I could use octaves, the same note but at double the frequency. This is what you might hear if a male and female singer were singing the same melody:

Ex2.

Download Example 2

Another common harmony is in ‘thirds’. If C is the first note, E is the third along. If D is the first, F is the third. So ‘thirds’ simply means adding the note that is two ‘up’ the scale. You can find this easily by singing the correct ‘third up’ harmony note E and singing up the same melodic contour.

Ex3.

Download Example 3

You could also do the same by going up a fifth (ie treating C as the first and starting on G), or down a third:

Ex4.

Download Example 4

Ex5.

Download Example 5

This is a basic idea that singers might have started with when music was first developing and it forms one of the most important ideas for harmonising your songs. The important point to take away is the idea of parellel lines a slight gap apart. Harmonising with a third above is by far the most common form of vocal harmony in pop song. The concept of going up a third is also a vital one in forming chords, which we’ll come to later.

Drones

Lots of musical genres, for example Indian music, use a drone to provide a harmonic basis to a melody. The most simple version of a drone is a single note, plus its fifth, for example G and D. These could be repeatedly plucked on a string instrument or played as sustained notes. A melody can be played over the top.

Ex6. Download A Drone in G

Drones can be very effective for certain moods and they also illustrate a very important concept. Unlike harmonising at an interval, where we followed the contour of the melody completely, changing harmony note when the melody changed, here were have a harmonic layer underneath the melody that does not change at all.

Things To Try

1. Take a melody you know well and try harmonising at an octave, a third, a fifth and so on.
2. Get a drone going using a keyboard or sequencer, or just use the one I’ve provided in example 6. try improvising melodies over the top.

Mailing List

This post is just the first draft of the first page of the new ebook I’m writing called ‘How to Harmonise’. For regular updates (and absolutely no spam) why not sign up to the Songwright mailing list:
Categories: Chords and harmony, Melody

Eurovision 2009 – Alexander Rybak – Fairytale

Posted on May 17, 2009 by Tom
14 comments

NB.I’ve since written a follow up to this post which can be found here

I watched Eurovision 2009 on Saturday. I even drank Bucks Fizz and managed to get through the interminably long scoring section without getting bored and turning over.

I’ve watched Eurovision for the last three or four years, and the standard is getting better. Now the rules have been changed to mollify the geographical bias of some countries, it’s nearer to being a song competition than it has for a while.

Were there any world beaters this year? No, even the best songs were merely okay. For this post, let’s take a look at the winner ‘Fairytale’ by Alexander Rybak to see if there are any songwriting ideas worth taking.

I know, I know. He’s obviously cut from the same charmingly-ugly mould as Zac Efron – he’s got the sort of face that little girls love and everyone else wants to hit. That was an unfortunate factor in his favour, as this probably wasn’t the best song of the night. However, it is a catchy little number.

  • Chords: The song is in Dm and uses just the one chord progression: Dm Gm Bb A. This is a very strong, familiar chord progression. The basic journey from I to VI to V in a minor key (eg. Dm Bb A) has been used in countless songs and has a vaguely ‘folk’ feel to it.
  • Bass Line: Again, very strong and familiar – constant motion from root to fifth and back again on every chord.
  • Violin refrain: Another folky element, the violin refrain with it’s constant pedal note on the A string. This we hear at the beginning of the song and after every chorus, including a small solo section after the second. It usesjust three notes apart from that open string: E F and G.
  • The Chorus Melody: Placed right at the top of Rybak’s voice, to make it sound passionate. This melody uses only E F and G and is simple and memorable enough to be catchy.
  • The Lyrics: These scan well enough for English written by a non-english speaker. Personally I’m much happier when the lyrics are in native languages, but that’s just me. The verses almost tell a story. Well… in the first verse he’s in love with his fairytale, in the second they argue a bit… and that’s it.
  • The Arrangement: There are some nice little moments, such as the pause before the second chorus. But like almost every song in this competition, Fairytale just fizzle’s out after the second chorus. There’s no attempt at a bridge or any real contrast and after the solo violin refrain it just leaps into another chorus.

If you’re looking for songwriting ideas to steal, the chord progression and bass line are up for grabs, as is the use of a recurring refrain. Placing the chorus melody at the top of your singer’s range can also be very effective if you want the song to sound passionate and heartfelt.

The ultimate effect of the song, given it’s week arrangengement after the second chorus, is to leave you feeling frustrated. Yes it’s a nice little chorus, yes the song mixes pop and generic folky elements well, but where’s the beef? Where’s the emotional journey. It might be pop, but that doesn’t mean you can short change the listener by not going anywhere.

To be fair, only a couple of songs in the competition did have anything to say after the second chorus, one of them Iceland’s contribution, the other the Uk’s, both of which I might write about in the next two posts.

Categories: Basics, Chords and harmony, Form in songwriting, Melody

How To Harmonise – Any Questions?

Posted on May 6, 2009 by Tom
2 comments

Edit: The free ebook ‘How to Hamonize’ is now available. Click here!

‘How to Harmonise’ is by far the most popular search item for this site.

Taking inspiration from this, and knowing this is the topic that interests you most, I’ve begun putting together a little ebook together.

Yes, like Worksheets for the Songwriting Guitarist, it won’t cost a thing except an entirely no obligation you-can-leave-any-time sign-up to the Songwright mailing list.

The Ebook will be called ‘How to Harmonise – a Songwriter’s Guide’.

Before I start off though, I thought I’d ask you for your harmonising questions. What don’t you get about this subject? What could you do with more information on? Not sure which chords to fit with your melody? Not sure how to work out your vocal harmonies? Not sure how to use more complex chords (7ths, 9ths etc.)?

Let me know, either in the comments or be email tomslattermusic AT gmail.com

Categories: Chords and harmony

Take That, Kings of Leon, Foo Fighters, and many many more…

Posted on April 26, 2009 by Tom
No comments

There’s a moment in ‘mission documentaries’ (those TV programs that involve members of the public overcoming some lifestyle problem, or solving some idiot task) that is always illustrated by the same kind of music. It’s the moment of triumph, where we see the contestants suddenly smiling and wearing clothes that fit them, their lives changed for ever by their ability to lose five pounds and go two days without consuming their own body-weight in fried lard.

Invariably it is accompanied by a song like this:

or this:

Now, fans of Kings of Leon might object to their favourite artist being compared to Take That, but these songs are strikingly similar (and hey, Take That’s recent songs are pretty good. And the guys can actually sing now! I’d rather hear them than Kings…). Both have been used in similar moments in TV programs as well.

So if you want to write a song like this, what do you need to do?

  • Tempo and Groove – Both songs are medium paced and share an interesting rhythmic grouping: – the 4/4 bar is divided into quavers – two groups of three, and one of two. ONE two three ONE two three ONE two. In the case of the Take That song, the snare drum is played on the last beat of each group.

The Kings of Leon song has a few variations on this,

  • a longer version for the refrain,
  • a simple stating of it in the guitar chords to the verse
  • later in the song a emphasis on the first beat of the last two groupings (one two three ONE two three ONE two).

The effect of this playing with three beat rhythms against a 4/4 is to avoid the regular kick SNARE kick SNARE rhythm of the generic rock beat. In songs like this it seems to be saying ‘we’re taking a break from a rock/dance beat. It’s time for a more meaningful song’.

  • Lyrics: Neither have much to say lyrically, beyond the idea that both are very personal, emotional songs. Both talk about intense connections with others that perhaps are more meaningful than every day pop affair.
  • Chords: Both songs are in the key of C and follow chord progressions that lead from chord I to chord IV. Both also make use of inversions.
    Kings of Leon: C C/E F
    Take That: C C/B Am F

The effect of moving to different inversions of the same chord in combination with the drum beat mentioned above is create an almost static mood. There isn’t huge amounts of movement going on here. It’s almost like both songs are trying to create a static, soaring, triumphant feeling. This helped by avoiding the V to I cadence: everything is instead about getting us to chord IV before returning to the tonic chord in a plagal cadence.

  • Dynamics – Both songs also build up from a quieter verse to a loud chorus via a long crescendo of pounding toms. They also feature abrupt shifts from the loud, exultant chorus to the quiet verse, and back again.

These aren’t the first songs to use these features, and I wouldn’t want you to think I intend any criticism by pointing out the techniques the songwriters have used. Both Greatest Day and Use Somebody are good songs and it’s always worth stealing ideas from good songs.

I’ll leave you with another track that uses some of these ideas:

Categories: Chords and harmony

Basics – More Guitar Chord Shapes Explained

Posted on April 8, 2009 by Tom
No comments

Following on from yesterday’s post, here are two other guitar chord shapes with the root, third, fifth and octave labelled.

The E Shape

The D Shape

Categories: Basics, Chords and harmony

Basics – Guitar Chords Explained

Posted on April 7, 2009 by Tom
3 comments

A couple of people have emailed to ask if I could go through my recent post about the C chord shape in a little more detail.

Happy to oblige.

Every major chord contains these notes:

  • The Root Note
  • The Major Third
  • The Fifth

Guitar chord shapes often have the same note twice in different octaves. For example, the note I’ve labelled ‘Octave’ in this diagram is the same note as the root.

There are lots of common changes you can make to this chord shape to get other chords. In fact you can make the same changes to any chord shape.

Eg.

To create a minor chord, move the major third down a fret (this particular shape can be tricky to play)

To create a major seventh, move the octave down a fret

You can do the same with other shapes. For example, here’s the same with the A shape chord.

A shape

A minor shape – the major third moves down a fret.

A maj 7 shape- the octave moves down a fret

I hope that helps sort things out.

PS. Other ideas to try:

  • Move the fifth down a fret to creat a b-5 chord
  • Move the fifth up a fret to create an augmented chord
  • move the octave 2 notes down in a major chord to create a seventh note, or in a minor chord to create a minor seventh.
Categories: Basics, Chords and harmony
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