[HEADING=1]Music Theory for Beginners [/HEADING]
[HEADING=2]Introduction [/HEADING]
Hello there, you may have seen me around The Escapist and most know me as The Rockerfly, I am a musician. I have been playing music for about 10 years and have been writing for 3 years. I have an A level in music, grade 7 guitar, grade 5 in tuba, play the drums part time and sing for a group as well. It has come to my attention though that several Escapist members wish to become musicians or are in the process of becoming musicians and this guide is here to help you on your journey
Now to write music it is useful to have theory however it is NOT essential to writing music however it is useful if you to progress and write things out of your comfort zone
I know it is hard to know where to start with the theory and I find writing this article very difficult so please excuse me if you feel that I have not written it to your standards, every musician has been taught differently so their theory will be different
Now introductions are over here are the basics of writing the harmony of a music piece and how to write the lyrics
To learn there are, keys, chords, cadence, melody, how to change keys, keys you can go into, writing lyrics, rhythm, texture and writing in certain styles
[HEADING=2]Reading Sheet Music[/HEADING]
I believe I may have missed out some content. Music is played via notes, common western music has is diatonic and thus uses set notes, this stops the piece sounding atonal and really from sounding terrible.
An example of these diatonic notes is the C note. A C note is largely considered the starting note on most musical instruments and throughout this post I will use the C note in examples. A C note is a C because when you say the note at the correct pitch it sounds like a C due to the mouth position you have to make. It is a set a frequency?s which indicate a pitch of a note and this is the same for all notes
Now western notes are broken up by half tones and whole tones. A whole tone is the difference between one named note and another while a half tone is the difference between the note being sharpened or flattened. For example a C major scale starts of on C because that is the scale now a diatonic scale in C major goes C, D, E, F, G, A, B, C which is a full octave. This logic applies to all scales such as G major which goes G, A, B, C, D, E, F#, G.
Notice that the F is now sharpened, in every key apart from A minor, C Major and atonal keys a key has sharps and flats, your best bet is to research how many sharps and flats a key has because it can change the entire sound of the chord with different sharps and flats. However between the F# and a G is a half tone difference which if the F was double sharpened it would become a G note.
These are the list of notes ascending in half notes and these will be used throughout so make sure you remember these:
? C (or B#)
? C# or Db
? D
? D# or Eb
? E (or Fb)
? F (or E#)
? F# or Gb
? G
? G# or Ab
? A
? A# or Bb
? B (or Cb)
? C (or B#)
I have write out the entire scale for each key. If you look at the scales I have written out you can see that a scale gains more sharps and flats as you modulate further. This can be shown on a piano via the piano notes, see the picture below
This looks like this on sheet music in treble clef
For your right hand read the top line, for your left hand read the bottom line. However female singers can use the top line and male singers can use the bottom line
You?ll find that most instruments that are not guitar, bass or drums can and will use these charts because it?s the concert pitch
With guitar players I suggest learning how to read tablature as it is easier and most music with guitars have got tablature notation for it.
For bass parts reading is the same as reading guitar parts except lower and with only 4 strings. This can be seen as in this diagram
Drum reading is a bit different though. Since drums do not play the melody and add backing to the rhythm, melody and singer they have no true pitch. Reading for conventional western music is different as each notation displays a part of the drum kit itself instead of a pitched note. His looks a little something like this
However understand why and working out keys is not necessary to making songs so for the time being I will not write up about this
[HEADING=2]Intervals[/HEADING]
I have been asked this by a few members about intervals, an interval is the difference between one not and the other. Now I have a method for this, you should obvious look at pitch.
However the key signature is very important with this and the starting note, so for this is what I do:
1. Check the key
2. Listen to the first note
3. Hum the first note and go up in half steps until I find the next note
The last one takes some practice to be able to do but if you can do it then you will find intervals much easier. For this, get a Piano or guitar and just learn how to hum an octave from playing a chromatic scale (chromatic being all half tones). Once you have remembered how to do all of that then you will have no trouble in finding intervals
[HEADING=2]Basics [/HEADING]
Okay well to take it from the top to write a piece of music you need chords to make a melody and lyrics to fit the melody.
First pick a key, a key is either sharp or flat and either major or minor
[HEADING=3]Sharp Major Keys[/HEADING]
C Major- C, D, E, F, G, A, B, C
G Major- G, A, B, C, D, E, F#, G
D Major- D, E, F#, G A, B, C#, D
A Major- A, B, C#, D, E, F#, G# A
E Major- E, F#, G# A, B, C#, D#, E
B Major- B, C#, D#, E, F#, G#, A#, B
F Sharp Major- F#, G# A#, B, C#, D#, E#, F#
C Sharp Major- C#, D#, E#, F#, G# A#, B#, C#
[HEADING=3]Flat Major Keys[/HEADING]
Open Key/Atonal (you do not want to do that though)
F Flat Major- F, G, A, Bb, C, D, E, F
B Flat Major- Bb, C, D, Eb, F, G, A, Bb
E Flat Major- Eb, F, G, Ab, Bb C, D, Eb
A Flat Major- Ab, Bb C, Db, Eb, F, G, Ab
D Flat Major- Db, Eb, F, Gb, Ab, Bb C, Db
G Flat Major- Gb, Ab, Bb Cb, Db, Eb, F, Gb
C Flat Major- Cb, Db, Eb, Fb, Gb, Ab, Bb Cb
[HEADING=3]Or Sharp Minor Keys[/HEADING]
A Minor- A, B, C, D, E, F, G, A
E Minor- E, F#, G, A, B, C, D, E
B Minor- B, C#, D, E, F#, G, A, B
F Sharp Minor- F#, G#, A, B, C#, D, E, F#
C Sharp Minor- C#, D#, E, F#, G#, A, B, C#
G Sharp Minor- G#, A#, B, C#, D#, E, F#, G#
D Sharp Minor- D#, E#, F#, G#, A#, B, C#, D#
A Sharp Minor- A#, B#, C#, D#, E#, F#, G#, A#
[HEADING=3]Flat Minor Keys[/HEADING]
Open/Atonal (again you don't want to)
D Minor- D, E, F, G, A, Bb, C, D
G Minor- G, A, Bb, C, D, Eb, F, G
C Minor- C, D, Eb, F, G, Ab, Bb, C
F Minor- F, G, Ab, Bb, C, Db, Eb, F
B Flat Minor- Bb, C, Db, Eb, F, Gb, Ab, Bb
E Flat Minor- Eb, F, Gb, Ab, Bb, Cb, Db, Eb
A Flat Minor- Ab, Bb, Cb, Db, Eb, F, Gb, Ab
Now once you have picked your key you will then have to pick a list of chords. Within a key it has a list of set chords, for example in C major it goes C Major, Dm, Em, F Major, G Major, A Minor and B Diminished
Each major key follows the same pattern and each minor key also follows the same pattern and there is a diagram for that below. I am going to use C major and C minor to demonstrate this because all major keys follow the same pattern and all minor keys also follow the same pattern
[HEADING=3]Major Key chord pattern[/HEADING]
1 (C) Major
2 (D) Minor
3 (E) Minor
4 (F) Major
5 (G) Major
6 (A) Minor
7 (B) diminished
[HEADING=3]Minor Key chord pattern[/HEADING]
1 (C) Minor
2 (D) Diminished
3 (Eb) Major
4 (F) Minor
5 (G) Minor. This chord is also commonly Major, especially when the next chord is 1 (c minor)
6 (Eb) Major
7 (Bb) Major
Now for saving time in this post I will just say research which ever key you pick on wikipedia and see what minor and major chords you have to use in each scale but you if you compare the keys template and the chord pattern template you can see which chords to use
However I would recommend against diminished chords unless you want your piece to be shocking and dark. If you truly want your piece to sound dark though I would suggest going to the relative minor though
[HEADING=2]Chord Writing[/HEADING]
If you just literally want to learn how to play a few chords as a very basic beginner thing then try this site:
http://www.chordbook.com/guitarchords.php
If you wish to actually learn about chords then read on
Once you have selected the key you are going to be in you having to think about the chords you use. Chords in a key can be broken up into numbers between 1 and 8; I am going to use an example of C major. C in the key of C major is the 1st chord, D minor is the 2nd, E minor is the 3rd, F is the 4th, G is the 5th, A is the 6th and B is the 7th. It then comes back to C as the 8th which is an octave higher than the 1st C major. This same pattern of major and minor chords is the same with all major keys
For Major keys the pattern is Major, Minor, Minor, Major, Major, Minor, Diminished
Now the use of chords depends on what sort of mood you want to make. If you want to make the piece sound a bit more depressing but remain in the major key then consider using minor chords while if you want to have a more perky piece consider using major chords.
There are loads of different chords as a chord is two or more notes put together and there so many endless combinations of chords, what is played in the bass and what key the section is in. However I will give you some suggestions that I use in my music writing style however you are free to research your own chords but you have to remember what key you?re in otherwise it will sound incorrect, playing a G major when it should be a G minor can make a section have an overall incorrect feel and will also sound out of place. SO without further ado, here is the list of chords that I use
Majors and Minors (As standard chords)
7th?s, usually I do it when I am ending a section but you are free to use it at your own risk. A 7th is getting the chord, finding the 7th and adding it to the chord. For example I will sue a C major chord which has C, E and G in it, now if I were to add a 7th this would be adding a B to the chord. This method can be used on both major and minor chords
You can find a seventh by getting the bass note in the chord and by finding either the major or minor 7th. For this I would recommend using this chart which shows note intervals going up in half tones. So to find the 7th you should get your bass note, see which place it is in the key determining if it is major or minor then adding either the 10th or 11th half tone depending on if it is major or minor
0(same note)-unison
1-minor second
2-Major second
3-minor third
4-Major third
5-Perfect fourth
6-Augmented fourth/diminished fifth/"tritone"
7-Perfect fifth
8-minor sixth
9-Major sixth
10-minor seventh
11-Major seventh
12-Octave
So your chords should look like this using a C major and C minor as a diagram
[HEADING=3]Major key seventh chord chart[/HEADING]
1 (C) Major 7
2 (D) minor 7
3 (E) minor 7
4 (F) Major 7
5 (G) Dominant 7 (aka Major minor 7)
6 (A) minor 7
7 (B) half diminished 7, aka minor 7 flat 5
[HEADING=3]Minor Key Chart[/HEADING]
1 (C) minor 7
2 (D) half diminished 7 aka minor 7 flat 5
3 (Eb) Major 7
4 (F) minor 7
5 (G) minor 7. This chord is also commonly Dominant 7 (aka Major minor 7), especially when the next chord is 1 (c minor)
6 (Eb) Major 7
7 (Bb) Dominant 7 (aka Major minor 7)
Sus 2?s and sus 4?s. These chords instead of playing the 3rd you will play a second or fourth in the chord. I will show you an example; in D major you play a D, F# and A note, now in a D sus 2 you will play a; D, E, A note. While a D sus 4 you will play a D, G, A notes. As you can see the F# is the removed from both chords and the F# is the 3rd and has been replaced with a major 2nd or a perfect 4th. A useful technique I have discovered is to play a sus chord then resolve it to the regular chord especially when ending a phrase as it sounds really nice. Please do note that sus 2nds won?t be completely tonal when used as a three chord but they can still make your composition sound more interesting
The final chord I use quite regularly is the minor 6ths. A minor sixth is done on a minor chord I find best in a major key. A 6th is a chord that instead of having a 5th has a 6th instead. For example I will use a C major chord; a usual C major chord is C, E and G note in the chord while a 6th has C, E and A note in the chord. Now this same logic applies to a minor chord but I just used a C major chord for easy of example sake
I do encourage you to experiment with the chords though, these are not all the chords I use and they should not be the same chords that you use
[HEADING=2]Cadences[/HEADING]
Now it?s time to start talking about cadences. A cadence is 2 chords which make a phrase; there are several types of cadences. These cadences are listed as: Perfect cadence, imperfect cadence, interruptive cadence and a plagal cadence
A perfect cadence is a 5 ? 1 progression and is usual meant for a very pure sound and sometimes signifies the end of a phrase
A half cadence is either; 1-5 2-5, 3-5 4-5 and an half is useful for writing more filler areas if you?re stuck. It?s considered a weak cadence
An imperfect cadence is just 1-5 cadence. It is weak cadence however it is usually given in areas where you want to keep the flow going
An interrupted cadence (or deceptive cadence) is 6-5. It usually gives a hanging feeling and is considered a weak cadence as a result
A plagal is 4-1. A plagal cadence is useful if you want your piece to sound religious very common in Bach pieces and Baroque music
This should give you some idea on how to end pieces, end phrases and give the piece more feeling
[HEADING=2]Melody[/HEADING]
Now once you have selected a set of chord you have to make a melody, this also has to be in the same key using the same sharps and flats you discover from researching your key you picked.
Now to do a melody you have to get your chord and play some notes relating to that key over it, best bet is to research whatever genre you are aiming for and make your melody like similar artists. For example let?s use C major and for a melody use the C major scale and play notes within the chords. Now if you want something a bit more interesting use quick notes that are outside the chord which adds a bit of spice to the piece
For this there is a diagram showing the notes within a major or minor chord, showing you which notes you can use
[HEADING=3]The Melody to Chord chart[/HEADING]
Major Chord => Root, Major third, Perfect Fifth
Minor Chord => Root, minor third, Perfect Fifth
Diminished Chord => Root, minor third, diminished fifth
Major Seventh Chord => Root, Major third, Perfect fifth, Major Seventh,
Major minor seventh chord (aka Dominant 7) => Root, Major third, Perfect fifth, minor seventh
Minor seventh Chord => root, minor third, Perfect fifth, minor seventh
Half diminished aka minor 7 flat 5 chord => Root, minor third, diminished fifth, minor seventh
So for this you must select your key, play a chord and from that chord you can use either a 3rd or a 5th
So using C major as an example
1 (C major) C, E, G
2 (D Minor) D, F, A
3 (E Minor) E, G, B
4 (F Major) F, A, C
5 (G Major) G, B, D
6 (A Minor) A, C, E
7 (B Diminished) B, D, F
8 (C Major Full Octave) C, E, G
C minor melody notes
1 (C Minor) C, E, G
2 (D Half Diminished) D, F, A
3 (Eb Major) E, G, B
4 (F Minor) F, A, C
5 (G Minor) G, B, D
6 (Ab Major) A, C, E
7 (Bb Diminished) B, D, F
8 (C Minor Full Octave) C, E, G
Once you have something good, make that your chorus and then write some less catchy for your verse but make the verse and chorus the same throughout, maybe change keys if you want but you can see my other posts for what key to change to and how to change key. This will make the piece a bit more interesting
Now whatever your piece sounds like, try and write lyrics to correspond with the feel of it. If the chorus is quite dark and depressing, maybe write about a loss of something? If the piece sounds quite happy and upbeat then write about something you like maybe?
[HEADING=2]Changing Key[/HEADING]
If you have picked a key, get your chord pattern from that scale. If you are working in D major this has a sharpened C and F just to be sure. You can use the chords; D, Em, F#m, G, A, Bm and C# diminished in that key, however you can make variations such as sus2's, sus4's and 7th's
Now if you want to change key you will need to select a key. If you are working in D major you can go to a few different keys. These keys can either be E major, A major, G major or B minor. Now whichever key you want to go in you can use 2 conventional harmonising methods. These are either by a 5-1 cadence or by using a swing chord.
Now a 5-1 is taken the 5th chord of the new key and the 1st chord of the new key. This is a very common way of doing it and it sounds very nice. Let's take for example going into E major from D. Now the chords in E major are E, F#m, G#m, A, B, C#m and D# diminished. Now to do this 5-1 cadence you have to use the B major chord then E major chord then you will be playing in the key of E. This is the same for going into any key
Now the other method is a swing chord (or pivot chord). A swing chord is using a chord that both keys have within each other. So you're in D major and for the purpose of example I will use E major this method is also a much more common these days because it is much easier and sounds smoother
Now D major has: D, Em, F#m, G, A, Bm and C# diminished
and E major has: E, F#m, G#m, A, B, C#m and D# diminished
Notice they have some similar chords? Now to change key using this method you will have to use a chord within both keys and for this method on this example we can use either F#m and A major.
Now if you play that chord you can go into the new key however this swing chord is usually followed by a 5th chord. So for this example you are In D major, play an A major chord then a B major chord. This will show that the B is no longer a minor and that the key has been changed.
Both of these methods are very conventional but they sound good and are very useful methods for changing key
[HEADING=2]Keys you can go into[/HEADING]
This post is about keys you can and should go to and chords you should use.
You said you're in D major right? This means that you're using the chords, D, Em, F#m, G, A, Bm and C# diminished. Now the keys you can go in are usually the 2nd in the original key, the 5th of that key, the 4th of that key and if you want it to sound depressing the relative minor
Now the 1st, 4th and 5th ones are fairly easy, you're D so D, Em, F#m, G, A, Bm and C# diminished which means
The 2nd Super Tonic= E major
The 4th Sub Dominate= G major
The 5th Dominate= A major
These are all fairly simple and easy to grasp changing to and if you refer to my guide on changing key, you can learn how to change keys. However the most common one is A major especially when going to chorus?s, however going to the super tonic is fairly uncommon but still a very used key change
Now the relative minor is a bit more complicated. Now you're in D major and to get into the relative minor you have to go 3 half tones down.
A half tone is indicated by a flat or sharp. For example F to F# is going up by a half tone and B to B flat is going down by a half tone. Now from D major you have to go down 3 half tones so that's B minor this will make the piece sound depressing that's the choice you have
[HEADING=2]Writing Lyrics[/HEADING]
Take lyrics from poems and other songs
also take lyrics from other song this is the best way to write lyrics
This can be considered unpopular because people might just copy and paste songs so, if you want to write something truly original, think of something desperately sad or something extremely emotional to you as a person. For example has someone close to you died? Does someone inspire you?
Those are the kind ways to write lyrics
Finally remember to keep a structure, to write a pop song try an A B A C A structure which is very common but it does a good job. So this could translate to a verse, chorus, second verse, second chorus, 3 verse then final chorus and is also known as a rondo form. You should consider writing in this method for first time writers
There are also many other methods such as:
A B C B C- This is known as an Arch form which is a development on the Rondo form
A B A C A B A- Symmetrical Rondo form
A B A- Binary form
There are many other forms but these are the most basic and your own personal research should be made if you want advanced forms
[HEADING=2]Rhythm[/HEADING]
Now for my own convenience I am going to say you are writing for a rock band. This means writing for guitar, drums, bass and maybe rhythm guitar too. Now rhythm guitar and solo guitar should be playing the same strumming patterns as each other, it doesn?t matter if the strumming pattern changes but make sure the guitarist realise they are changing it
For a strum pattern pick a time signature. A time signature shows how many beats in each bar and which note value constitutes one beat. All western music is made entirely out of bars and depending on the top number is how many beats in a bar and the bottom number determines how many beats there are in the bar and these bars can be made of either
? A whole tone/Semi breeve- 4 beats
? Half Note/Minim- 2 beats
? Quarter Note/Crotchet- 1 beat
? Eighth Note/Quaver- ½ beat
? Sixteenth Note/Semi Quaver- ¼ beat
? Thirty Second Note/DemiSemi Quaver- 1/8 beat
This looks like this in sheet music
Time signature and when commonly used
1- Used very rarely
2- used in music that is either really slow or really fast
2, 1- cut time or alla breve used usually for marches
2, 2- Used in marches and fast orchestral music
3- An alternative to 3, 4 usually shows that the piece is getting faster or it?s going very slow
3, 2- known as double triple or major triple, because its pulse should be twice as slow as that of ordinary triple time (i.e. 3/4)
4, 2- alla breve, rare in music since 1600, usually used in counterpoints and recitatives
2, 4- used for polkas or marches, generally used in moderate speeds
3, 4- used for ballads, waltz?s,
4, 4- probably the most common time signature, used in many rock, pop, classical pieces, jazz and dance music.
5, 4- usually grouped in 3+2 or 2+3. I have heard this in some metal pieces and famously has the mission impossible theme tune is in 5, 4
6, 4- Used in very slow pieces and was very common in the baroque period of music
7, 4- used by pink Floyd and is very common in experimental music
9, 4- another moderate speed, generally used in baroque music
12, 4- is used in many romantic songs and has been described as the ?tender, affectionate kinds of expression, and sometimes for lively and animated kinds?
2, 8- Usually used for tambourines and is quite a rapid beat
3, 8- twice as fast as music in 3, 4 and is quite a rapid tempo
4, 8- sometimes used in place of 2/4, the marking 4/8 is usually to be thought of as a metre of two rapid beats
6, 8- usually used in jigs, fast waltzes and marches
7, 8- is usually mistaken between 7, 4 and is also used in a lot of experimental music
9, 8- Used very rarely and is to be taken half as fast again as its parallel 9/4
12, 8- Commonly used in blues music, slides and jigs. Used usual as well in tender pieces
3, 16- A rare compound time and used for extremely rapid pieces
6, 16- another extremely rare and fast rapid timing signature. The Italians describe it is as prestissimo
9, 16- a third rare compound time used also for fast music
12, 16- the fourth rare compound time that is used for rapid music
14, 16- cool time signature used in Jazz. Gives a 1, 1 2, 1 2 3 feel
However these are most general and to get all the rare and obscure time signatures I would suggest listening to pieces with the time signature. Here is a good place to start with obscure time signatures
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_musical_works_in_unusual_time_signatures
For most rock, pop and mainstream pieces you want a 4,4 time signature however 6,8 and 3,4 is sometimes used too. There are a lot of different time signatures but for these are usually quite advance and will require a bit of experience writing in that time signature
To measure a time signature take the top number and make a pulse with you foot. For a 4,4 time signature you want to beat your foot 4 times and that creates a bar.
In rhythm there is also the matter of notation. If we have a 4,4 bar
For strumming patterns or picking patterns the best thing to do is to research some songs you like and use similar methods. You can also have a list of different strumming patterns and switch between them for different parts of the form
[HEADING=2]Texture[/HEADING]
Now we move onto texture. Texture is the way the chords, melody, rhythm and instruments come together and overall affects the quality of the piece.
Most types of textures can be summed up into a few different types. These are
Monophonic
Homophonic
Contrapuntal/Polyphonic
Octave
Unison
Monophonic is literally having just one instrument playing and is usually done for introductions unless you have a solo throughout.
Homophonic is when there are chords and notes played regardless of rhythm. Most genres will end up landing in the homophonic section as they all the instruments will play a chord with a melody over this most of the time
Contrapuntal/Polyphonic texture is when all the instruments are playing different notes and these notes are interweaving. This is a more common feature in classical music and is very rare in most of the genres I will discuss. The key feature in this is that no one part shines from the other parts and usually everyone is playing at the same dynamic (loudness)
In octave is when all the instruments play the same note but some will play the note higher or lower, this is usually because some instruments won?t go as high as others
Unison is when everyone plays exactly the same notes, not in different octaves just exactly the same. Unison is very similar to monophonic as you cannot tell the parts apart very easily
[HEADING=2]Writing in different styles[/HEADING]
90% of all music can be summed up into a genre of some sort. I will go through the basics of each gene describing types of rhythm, harmony you should use, playing methods maybe particular chords.
However I am not an expert on any of these genres and can only give you an introduction to it and I encourage you to extend your knowledge by listening to genre artists, reading on their styles and expanding your knowledge
[HEADING=3]Classical[/HEADING]
Classical music is usually based off of a certain type of instrumentation. These are commonly an opera, a symphony, a string quartet, piano concerto and there are a lot of other types. However I am going to assume you are not writing for a classical piece as most people don?t have a ready available orchestra
String Quartet- Usually consists of 2 Violins, a Viola and a Cello
Piano Concerto- Is written for piano (or harpsichord) and Orchestra
Opera- Usually a singer with dramatic lyrics, usually with orchestral accompaniment
Symphony ? A symphony orchestra is divided up into 4 parts of; strings, woodwind, brass and percussion. The strings usually consist of; violin, viola, cello, and bass. The woodwind usually consists of flute, oboe, clarinet, and bassoon with 2-4 of each depending on orchestra size. The brass consists of; trumpet, French horn, trombone, and tuba with 2-4 of each depending on orchestra size. Please note with the brass they usually use silvery alloy instead of actually brass. Finally the percussion usually consists of timpani, cymbals, xylophone and a gong. However there are usually extra instruments that add extra colour such as tambourine, triangle, maracas and other shakers, castanets, claves and various wood blocks, and various bells and scrapers.
Orchestra ? an orchestra usually smaller than symphony?s and can have as little as six players and can have the same instruments as a symphony, the difference being an orchestra doesn?t have to include them and can be quite smaller in player count
If you are truly writing for a classical piece though, consider reading up on my harmony section. Try and change the piece throughout and use 5-1 cadences when changing keys. Rhythms is not such an important factor but for a beginner writing classical music, have an idea and then maybe change the key of that idea in different sections
Try and get some inspiration from other classical musicians such as Haydn, Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, Tchaikovsky, Vivaldi, Handel and Puccini. While we also have more modern musicians such as Ravel, Debussy, Stravinsky, Schoenberg, Ives, Glass and Reich
I would not recommend you write a classical piece until you have some experience though and you know how to write pieces to a basic standard. However if you want chord choices then just go for major and minor chords, nothing too fancy, maybe throw in a suspended chord or 7th but most classical music has mostly functional chords.
Artists include; Haydn, Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, Tchaikovsky, Vivaldi, Handel, Puccini, Ravel, Debussy, Stravinsky, Schoenberg, Ives, Glass and Reich
Most classical artists don?t have singers in but if you?re writing for opera then it?s usually about a story, certain parts or the story and there is a lot of word painting with words such as ?death? playing a diminished chord
For classical Bass playing I would suggest purchasing a double bass or a tuba instead of a bass guitar because it will sound more authentic to the classical tone. A lot of bass just play chords notes and then play 4-1 chords in notes of a chord however if you want to give the bass player something more interesting, it?s not unheard of for the bass line to be the melody (see toccata in D minor). If you do go with the 4-1 notes at the third play through play 4-1-2-3 as quavers. This is so common in classical bass I would recommend greatly especially first time writers
Usually the bass parts usually play the chords notes but occasionally they can play the 3rd of the 5th of the chord which is known as an inverted chord
[HEADING=3]Jazz[/HEADING]
Jazz can be fairly difficult to write for, especially if you want to go into experimental jazz which I?m not because in there lies madness. Jazz is usually built on instruments playing a simple phrase and then having another instrument. However it is recommended you not play the same idea more than once, depending on the type of Jazz you are aiming to play
For Jazz I would recommend using woodwind instruments and instead of a bass guitar have a double bass because tone is just so much nicer than a bass guitar.
Your best bet with writing a jazz piece is to have accompaniment playing something in the background (be it funky or a depressing parts) and have everyone play that idea, once you have played it then have solo instruments on top. The solo instruments usually are trombone, guitar, saxophone or drums
For chord ideas you can used diminished chords on a regular basis, 7th?s, 9th?s, 6th?s, 6 & 9th?s, 11th?s, 7th?s with flatten 5th?s and finally 9th?s with flattened 5ths. However with Jazz guitar chords there is so much flexibility that the choices are endless
For jazz drumming is a bit more difficult as it depends on the mood you are trying to set. For a funkier piece consider reading up on this but I warn you Jazz drumming is probably the hardest drumming type and I would not recommend a beginner starting there. However if you are going for something maybe moodier or classier then learn to love the high hat pedal and double tapping the high hat and playing quietly. These are very common features of basic jazz drumming but I strongly advise new writers to not write for jazz drumming at all as it?s the hardest type as most Jazz drumming is not written out
Advance features worth reading up about are modes which are very useful for improvising which is a heavy impact on most Jazz especially for advance levels of playing where the drummer becomes the leading instrument
Artists include; Turnabout Jazz Soul, Al Bowlly, the Andrew Sisters, Bing Crosby, Charles Mingus Miles Davis, Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Frank Sinatra, Wes Montgomery, Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea and John Coltrane.
Jazz has a very wide range of topics and singers however you should take note of skat soloing where the singer usually sings off beat just skating is very common with Jazz singers. It?s very hard to explain without seeing it but just look up skat solo on youtube and you?ll see
Jazz bass is hard to write for usually because it is all improvised but arpeggios and scales are usually the key to a good bass line. Bassist usually get a solo in jazz songs so I suggest using the jazz pentatonic minor scale for this but go with the flow is the main point of jazz and improvising so try looking at other artists for this such as Scott LaFaro
[HEADING=3]Blues[/HEADING]
Blues is very easy to write for just use the 12 bar blues as a general template for the entire song. A twelve bar blues consists of a starting note, for example a C chord played for 4 bars, a perfect fourth for 2 bars so following the same example n F for 2 bars, back to the C for 2 bars, then going up to the fifth for two bars descending to the fourth again for two bars then starting the pattern again.
So this a diagram showing the 12 bar blues in C major
? 4 bars- C
? 2 bars- F
? 2 bars- C
? 2 bars- G
? 2 bars- F
? Then go back to the start
For chords just stick with the twelve bar blues, 7th?s and 13th?s. I have never really found any other types however there probably are blues artists that use different chords
Use fills at the end of the phrases to make it a little bit more interesting, have a solo of some sort either from a brass player (such as trumpet or trombone) or a guitarist
The guitarist wants to have very low distortion and a lot of bass to get that full bluesy tone. Try to make your tone as simple as possible from here on because the blues was created when technology was very little so effects were none existent.
For soloing in the blues you will want to use a pentatonic minor scale, learn all 5 positions and you can make some really cool solos. I suggest using bends, off beat notes and just try and make it sound smooth when going back to the regular phrase
Drums is fairly simple, keep a steady beat and have the occasional fill at the end of phrases but don?t go too fast with the fill, make sure it sounds smooth because that?s a large part of playing the blues
Artists include; Eric Clapton, B.B King, Johnny Cash, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Louis Armstrong, Robert Johnson, Howlin? Wolf and Mississippi Fred McDowell
Lyrics usually include folk stories, love (not sex), and people dying, people leaving you, loved one (with the so title usually being their name) and being oppressed for social reasons. Lyrics usually have a gritty feel so having saliva, a cough but keep the singing low if you have the range
For blues bass playing an arpeggio on the 12 bar blues is very common and sounds great and allows the guitarist to solo away or play a tune. Chromatic bass lines are also common when ending a phrase and can make the piece sound a little bit more interesting than just playing the 1st chord note
[HEADING=3]Pop[/HEADING]
Pop is little bit out of my comfort zone but I know a fair bit. Pop music needs to have a hook, an idea or anything that sticks in your mind. This is usually from major keys and playing 1st, 4th and 5th chords within that key. Try using major chords, 5th?s, added 9th?s and major 7th?s but make sure that you don?t change chords too often because the point of a pop song is that it is simple
The guitar should be fairly quiet unless the main idea is on the guitar because if it goes too loud and it will just sound like a rock song.
If you are going to be soloing in a pop song, keep it short, keep it sweet but most importantly keep it in a major scale. Pop solos are usually played for by beginners and need to be easy on the ears so I would avoid playing anything too technical.
As for drums, keep it simple and boring. It sucks but that?s what a lot of pop listeners want, obviously with exceptions however you can still make changes at a chorus and do a fill before the chorus.
One last thing you may want to consider doing is changing keys for the final chorus. This is a very common feature in pop songs and is good for making the piece sound as cheesy as physically possible. It also makes it a bit more interesting which is good because a lot of pop songs can get boring quickly.
Artists include; The Beatles, Fleetwood Mac, Deep Purple, Disney Soundtracks, Sting, Robbie Williams, Michael Jackson, Madonna and the Eagles
Lyrics are usually about a member of the opposite sex, love, sex, peace or empowerment. Try not to sound too whiny when writing lyrics because that verges on emo. Pop music should be sung usually on the beat, clean vocals but it is much easier to sing pop music than anything else
Pop is very simple, just play crotchets on the beat and play the bass note of the chord. The bass is usually quite loud though and usually sticks out with the drums and overpowers the guitar
[HEADING=3]Rock[/HEADING]
For rock the best method to play rock music is the power chord. A power chord is the simplest of chords containing a note, a 5th above and then a 5th above that note. An example of a power chord is the E major power chord which consists of E, B and an F# This is very common in rock music and is the sort of chord you should be looking to use. However it should be noted that a lot of rock music uses traditional harmonising that I described earlier
Another feature of the rock is the use of distortion, distortion should be however much you want but don?t use too much that it clouds the chord. This will give you a very basic rock tone but if you are going to be solo I would use an echo effect as well which gives it a really authentic sound
For drums, it really depends on how fast the piece is going. If it is a faster piece, consider using the snare and other parts such as tom toms, spurs and not just the high hat and snare otherwise it will make the drummer bored and the listener even more bored. When going in to a chorus suggest using the crash symbol on the first note as it signifies a new section
With a lot of rock bands they can be debatable with what genre they are in (e.i. Sub genres) or if they are a pop band however here is a good start
Artists include; Pink Floyd, Green Day, Led Zeppelin, the Ramones, Queen, the Who, AC/DC, Aerosmith, Guns and Roses, Sex Pistols, Blink 182 and the Scorpions
For rock it is very similar to the pop section except the bass is the same dynamic (loudness) as the guitar player. It is boring but it also allows the bassist to do other things such as play backing vocals. If you want to get more creative use the major pentatonic scale but it is a boring genre to play on bass. It is also common for the bassist just to follow the guitar entirely
[HEADING=3]Hip Hop[/HEADING]
Hip hop features mainly consist of rhythm. I have found when playing hip hop or funk the chords are played on the thinner strings but the chord doesn?t matter massively. For a truly great hip hop or funky feeling play offbeat chords. Using up strokes on a guitar also gives for great effect
For drums I would consider using the high hat more often, try lifting the snare at the end of every bar or on the off beats. Another common feature is using playing quavers with bass pedal. A quaver is an 8th of a bar when it?s in 4, 4. If you look back at my rhythm section you will see that a quaver is a half note and depending on the top number of the time signature and is very useful for doing off beat rhythms
However the drumming ones are rather stereotypical and with all drumming I advise you experiment with your own content. Though I would advise with hip hop and funk playing to keep if free and make sure it feels funky
With Hip hop a lot of artists can seen as funk, r?n?b or rap so I will try but please don?t try and split hairs because they all use very similar styles
Artists include; Jimmy Hendrix, Outkast, NWA, Fat John, Jay-Z, Sugar Hill Gang, Tupac, Run D.M.C and Cyne.
Hip-Hop lyrics cover a vast array of topics, varying from more mainstream song, which cover simple topics like women, money, cars and the like, whereas slightly less mainstream songs can cover subjects like dead friends, street life, or more interesting songs, like, for example a story told backwards. There is of course one last type of song, the 'diss' track. This has been around since almost the start of hip-hop/rap, when MCs used to engage in 'battles' to determine the better lyricist, however it has evolved to the stage where if an MC finds reason to have a dispute with a fellow rapper, they will write a song viciously criticizing their music, their style, and their life.
These are sung with smooth voices that I?ve found to be quite low; another benefit is being black because that is the vocal style that is most popular. However if you?re white and singing hip hop try avoid making your voice croaky or having too much saliva and keeping the rhythm going with your singing
Now this is a bit more interesting. Bassists usually play the melody and make it is as funky as you can. Involve big gaps between each note, play around different parts of the chord and try to make it sound as much fun as possible. The most important part is enjoy yourself when playing hip hop styles because the enjoyment is part of the style
[HEADING=3]Metal[/HEADING]
Now this is back to more of my comfort zone. Metal is fairly easy to play even though it sounds very technical so without further ado. For chords I would suggest using power chords as it?s one of the only chords that sound good with distortion which metal heavily revolves around. However I have used 7th?s before and have seen them used before but chords are not a massive part of metal
The tone of instruments should be large amounts of distortion and whichever genre depends on how much bass or treble to use. For death metal I would consider using a more bassy distortion however if you want a sound more like Megadeth for example you should consider using more treble with your tone.
Metal guitarists usually play singular notes and these notes are played fairly quickly but consistently. If you have a rhythm, keep it constant it doesn?t matter how technical the rhythm is but I have found most metal guitarist avoid using up strokes and off beats.
A lot of metal guitarist use pinch harmonics in their phrases which is played by picking the note but making sure your thumb holding the pick kind of mutes the note at the same time. This should give a give a very high pitched sound and is usually there to signify the end of a phrase.
Another common feature is the use of palm muting. Palm muting is strumming the strings with your right hand and using the palm of the hands to lightly rest on the strings. This will make the note sound less clear but is common for metal guitarist to strum a note or chord then palm mutes it for the rest of the bar
Another common feature of metal guitar playing is the use of down strokes on the strings. This sounds very silly but the extra bass on the string gives extra distortion and overall makes the tone sound a bit chunkier. It is very hard to explain but pick a chord, play it on the up stroke and ten down stroke, the down stroke sounds bassier right? This is a very useful feature when writing metal guitar parts
For soloing I would recommend using the harmonic minor, melodic minor or diminished scales. Both of these are very common with metal guitar playing and just keep to the key and you should go mental. Play as many notes as you can as fast as you can, avoid making it sound too funkier unless you are going for a groove metal sound. However you can do whatever you want in metal guitar playing and still get away with it qualifying as good but experiment with the two scales or maybe even use another one
Moving on to metal drums is very easy. The main type of metal drumming my experience is the fairly simple with double bass pedals constantly or double bass pedals in certain sections. This style usually involves having fills at the end of phrases too which can be whatever you make up as long as it moves to the next phrase. There are other ways too but this is up to the band to decide as it can massively alter what the music sounds like
Advance features of metal writing is the use of drop tunings such as drop D which gives the chords a bigger bass sound and makes the chord sound meatier and using 7 strings for those truly wanting to go as low and metal as possible. Another advance feature is the use of modes in soloing.
A mode is essentially a scale with a certain amount of sharps or flats and moved around to have a different starting note. Modes are very common within metal guitar playing and a very common one is the Lydian mode. To understand modes, read up on the section on modes
Artists include; Megadeth, Metallica, Testament, Iron Maiden, Testament, Dream Theatre, Pantera, Dio, Black Sabbath, Rage Against The Machine and Machine Head
Lyrics usually found in the genre are usually aggressive and sung with a shout singing vocals on the beat. There are two main different types of shout singing, the low growl and high shriek. To do a shout scream vocal puff out your chest and try to not use your head voice as it will damage your vocal chords, lean back and stretch your jaw as wide as possible. However for writing lower growls make sure the singing comes from your diaphragm and is quite low. I have found that the best method for this is to make your mouth into a small circular shape and attempt to use tonsils to add the growl which will avoid damaging our vocal chords.
If you?re a female I would not attempt to do the low vocal growl because it is impossible to hit the same notes as men do and doesn?t sound that great when they attempt to. However with women it is a growing popularity of girls with operatic voices to sing in metal bands and it sounds really good so that?s one advantage you have
Look for inspiration about cruelty to humanity, torture, crimes against humanity and just generally subjects that shock you
Metal is another very uncreative thing for bassists to play. The bass line is usually just the rhythm guitar chord note. However, I have heard bass lines that play solos such as ?Becoming the dragon? by Trivium on the outro or ?Souls of Black? intro by Testament. However most metal guitarists just follow the guitarist similar to the rock bassists
[HEADING=2]Modes (Advance)[/HEADING]
There are 7 different mode types which all represent a different number in the key, these modes are:
? Ionian- 1st
? Dorian- 2nd
? Phrygian- 3rd
? Lydian- 4th
? Mixolydian- 5th
? Aeolian- 6th
? Locrian- 7th
? Ionian- 8th
Now if you play a C major scale which consists C, D, E, F, G, A, B, C this is the standard key and is known as the Ionian mode however if we want to use a mode we shall shift the bass note up from C to D which would make D, E, F, G, A, B, C, D. This is the known as the Dorian mode, notice how it doesn?t have any sharps or flats? This is crucial to notice because D major consists of D, E, F#, G, A, B, C# while the Dorian mode does not have either an F# or C#
Now this same rule applies the other modes such as the second mode. The second mode of C will start with an E and will go E, F G, A, B, C, D, E
Now say I were to do it in another key such as G major which consists of G, A, B, C, D, E, F#, G now if I were to go in the Dorian mode the bass note would shift by one whole tone so it would start as A. This can be displayed as:
G to A = Whole tone
A to B = Whole tone
B to C = Half tone
C to D = Whole tone
D to E = Whole tone
E to F# = Whole tone
F# to G = Half tone
Each key goes up in this much, a regular note goes up by a half tone while a sharpened or flattened note while a whole toe goes up by an entire letter but please refer to my guide near the start. So the G Major Dorian mode would go like this: A, B, C, D, E, F#, G, A. Notice how the F is still sharpened in the Dorian mode? No matter what mode you put G major in, the F will always be sharpened and this applies to all keys
So if a key has an F# and C#, all modes of that key will have an F# and C#
Each key has a 7 different modes and goes up in different values, just refer back to my scale guide, view where the note goes up by a whole tone or half tone
[HEADING=2]The end[/HEADING]
Thank you for reading this and I hope you develop great music that we can all someday listen to and appreciate
If you want to show some of your work on the page just record you playing, upload it to youtube and then post it on here by placing [you tube= the numbers at the end] and without the space between you and tube
I believe I may also be up for one of the longest posts ever
[HEADING=3]With special thanks to:[/HEADING]
Revelen- Massively tidy up various sections that had spelling errors and due to fatigue content errors. Also for reminding me of metal techniques, providing a few diagrams and overall general tidy up. You have been a big help buddy
Novskij- For inspiring me to create this thread in the first place
Berethond- Helping me tidy up the Jazz section
BonsaiK- Helped clear up grammar and got me to add texture and clear up overall structure of this
ICantBelieveItGoesBoom- Help confirm bass lines and add further information on writing for bass
baggyn- For suggestions on version 6 to change
Roaminthecrimesolvingpaladin!- For giving a much needed depth to the hip hop lyric section
I would also like to thank these following websites for the diagrams on reading sheet music
www.guitarnoise.com
www.steve-nelson.co.uk
www.piano-lessons-info.com
http://www.colomar.com
http://www.drumwise.co.uk
As I did not have the software to create my own and I give full credit to these sites for the diagrams.
If you have any questions, would like to criticise or comment on this then please do but be respectful as this entirely for leisurely and educational to others purposes
Word count: 9,632
Version: 7
Holy crap, almost 200,000 views. Thank you everyone I hope you enjoy my music theory thread
