Songwriting Theory Explained®
Chord Patterns
-
Tutorial 1
Standard Chord Library
4:32Get a review of all the chord qualities that will be used as the building blocks for various chord progressions.
-
Tutorial 2
Strong Chord Progressions
7:32Learn how root movement and shared common tones can make a chord progression strong by suggesting a strong tonal center.
-
Tutorial 3
Strong & Weak Progressions
5:32See how weak chord progressions, where no tonal center is suggested, can be combined with strong chord progressions to provide contrast and excitement to a song.
-
Tutorial 4
Adding Color to Progressions
10:13Explore some ways of adding variety to simple progressions by using pedal tones, inversion, and harmonic displacement.
-
Tutorial 5
Passing Chords & Bass Movement
6:36See how using diatonic or chromatic bass movement, either ascending or descending, can generate some nice contour and shape to your overall chord progression.
-
Tutorial 6
Cadences & Precadences
8:26Explore some different harmonic patterns that are used as alternates to standard cadences.
-
Tutorial 7
Chord Progression Toolbox Pt. 1
7:42Develop a repertoire of standard “go to” chord progressions that are useful as jumping off points for your own compositions.
-
Tutorial 8
Chord Progression Toolbox Pt. 2
7:07Develop a repertoire of standard “go to” chord progressions that are useful as jumping off points for your own compositions.
-
Tutorial 9
Analysis
9:33Discover how simple repeated chord patterns have been used as the foundation for some of history’s most loved pop tunes.
Melody
-
Tutorial 10
Melody/Harmony Relationships
8:40Discover the unique qualities different chord or scale tones have over different types of underlying chords.
-
Tutorial 11
Melodic Rhythm & Meter
8:41See how the placement of melodic phrases in relation to the beats in the bar and the chord changes affects the overall sense of melodic structure and order.
-
Tutorial 12
Tips for Writing Melodies
10:10Discover some tried and proven principles to consider when writing your own melodies.
Song Structure
-
Tutorial 13
The Pre Chorus & Bridge
7:52See how a pre chorus and a bridge can be used to add variety and intensity to your song’s structure.
-
Tutorial 14
Form & Structure
7:18Learn about some of the many common song forms such as the ways of linking together the different song sections.
-
Tutorial 15
Hooks
5:09Explore some of the ways to integrate hooks into your songwriting and song production.
-
Tutorial 16
Intros & Endings
8:24Discover some harmonic possibilities for introductions and endings to your songs.
Get Your Creative Juices Flowing
-
Tutorial 17
Stimulate Your Creativity
7:40See how to experiment with some different exercises to stimulate new ideas and push you in directions you might not otherwise have gone in.
-
Tutorial 18
Collaborate!
10:00Explore some of the ways the creative process can be enhanced through collaboration with other musicians and signers.
-
Tutorial 19
Light a Candle & Write a Song
9:43Another example of how collaboration can lead to a wealth of creative ideas and directions not necessarily originally intended.
-
Tutorial 20
Cut Me to the Bone
14:41Watch as a song is born, complete with lyrics, a vocal and an instrumental hook, and some rawkin’ guitar!
Eli's back with another awesome music theory based series! In this collection Eli reveals the mechanics and creativeness behind modern songwriting. Learn popular chord sequences and cadences as well as analyze the chord progressions of some of the most famous songs ever written.
Eli starts by diving deep into the various chord patterns used to write songs, showing you strong and weak progressions, how to add color to your progressions, and gives you a chord progression toolbox which can be used as great starting points when creating a new song. Eli then shows you some chord patterns that have been used as the foundation for some of history's most loved pop tunes, and then covers the importance of melody, song structure, ways to get creative when writing and much more.
Take your songwriting skills to the next level... Checkout "Songwriting Theory Explained" today.
NOTE: You should have a solid foundation in the skills taught in Music Theory Explained
Reviews
Submitted 4 months ago
Good stuff
Great explanations of basics.
I am a: Hobbyist, Semi-Pro, Musician, Audio Engineer, Pro Tools
Submitted 8 months ago
Nice work
This helped me out a lot.. learned quite a bit from these videos.. top videos
Submitted 10 months ago
Chordal menu of options
In music theory class in college, this information was supposed to be consumed through osmosis. This series of 'lessons' spells it all out crystal clearly.
I am a: Hobbyist, Musician, Cakewalk Sonar, Cubase
Submitted 1 year ago
What I Needed
I just started to study music recently. I'm 20 years old and never really practiced music as a child. I always loved music but, never had the opportunity to play an instrument till now. At my local junior college i'm taking a music fundamentals class that has taught me a lot. I have ambitions to become a producer and am using ableton. When I create music, I always have a hard time transitioning the form. Watching these videos definitely gave me a better understanding.
I am a: Beginner, Student, Producer, Beat Maker
Submitted 1 year ago
From Progressions to Melody to a Complete Song
Very direct explanation on music theory including templates for bridge, intros, endings and other useful recipes for writing complete songs.
I am a: Beginner
Submitted 1 year ago
Just what i needed
I am a music production graduate from full sail university and even with the great job they did, i was still lost on a few things like melody vs lyrics. I am still a little but you really helped. Can you come up with a tutorial that focuses on placing lyrics over a melody so they don't sound out of key?
I am a: Producer, Professional, Audio Engineer, Musician
Submitted 2 years ago
Great Theory Explained!!
It's so basic and also so theoretically fundamental. Really great Stuff!
I am a: Semi-Pro
Submitted 2 years ago
Basic Primer of Songwriting
This video series exposes one to the vocabulary of songwriting. You learn the mechanics and even get some creative exercises.
I am a: Semi-Pro, Musician
Submitted 2 years ago
And the Winner is: You.
If Eli Krantzberg authored it you can almost bet it's great. This has a lot of great information but the rest is up to you. You need to have a grasp of Music Theory first. And Eli has a course on that too.
I am a: Musician, Hobbyist, Sound for Film/TV
Submitted 2 years ago
Incorrect notations too hard to get past
It is very off-putting that the music in the examples is not played as notated. Dotted half notes followed by quarter note rests are sounded as whole notes; quarter notes followed by quarter note rests are sounded as half notes. That would be so confusing if I wasn't already musically educated. Your synth does not recognize rests apparently. Hard to trust a source for new information when the teacher does not seem to have a grasp on simple music notations (rests are silent!) Or simply cannot make his synthesizer pause for rests which is pretty sad, too. Tried to leave a comment but the disqus third party comment system is a pretty sad joke. If you don't want comments you should remove the comment section.
I am a: Musician, Audio Engineer, Hobbyist
Response from Author:
1. When did you start dabbling in music?
I started playing drums in high school at age fourteen. Like most kids my age around then, I was into progressive rock. Genesis, Emerson Lake and Palmer, and Yes. They rocked my world. A few short years later though, my musical life changed. While studying music in college I discovered Charlie Parker, Milt Jackson, Sonny Stitt, and John Coltrane. Milt Jackson spoke to me in such a profound way that it left me no choice but to take up vibraphone.
These great players, along with drummers like Philly Joe Jones, Max Roach, Art Blakey, and Elvin Jones changed not only the way I thought about drumming, but also music - and by extension, life - as a whole. I realized life was meant to be a creative endeavor. The idea of improvising based on a loose set of guidelines and rules permeated into my psyche even when I wasn't holding a pair of drumsticks or mallets. But if I am going to be perfectly truthful, I have to hold Henry Miller and Woody Allen equally responsible for shaping the way I view and experience the world around me.
2. What training have you had?
I am currently an Apple certified Logic Pro. Young and cocky, and armed with only a partial University degree, I dropped out of school and began playing steady commercial hotel engagements and jazz gigs when I could. This went on for many years until I decided it was time to complete my degree - which I ultimately did with a major in Political Science and a minor in music.
It was at this point that I formed my current band Nightshift. We are going in to our twenty third year now - playing commercial one nighters like weddings, corporate events, etc. Don't turn your nose up at it though - it has allowed me a wonderful quality of life. It gave me the freedom to go back to school and complete a post graduate degree in Communications Studies - all the while supporting myself by playing weddings.
3. When did you get into recording?
It was in this graduate program - in the early nineties - that I found myself drawn to the fledgling emerging universe of hard disc recording and midi sequencing. Based on nothing more than the recommendation of one of my band mates who had an old Atari, I jumped in head first and bought a Mac LC ll, along with a version 1.1 of what was then Notator Logic. I had no idea what I was getting myself into. But, in hindsight, it was a decision of epic importance in my life - shaping my future as much as the music of Milt Jackson and Charlie Parker did fifteen years prior.
I opened up my own commercial home studio in 1998 and began doing a variety of projects, working on radio jingles, artist CD projects, and whatever came my way. A couple of years later a colleague called me up - desperate. He was working at a post production house and one of the editors had just quit. They were doing audio post for a weekly TV series and needed a Pro Tools editor - and fast! And so, once again, I jumped in head first into what would ultimately open up my world even more - the world of Pro Tools.
4. People you have worked with/for?
Focusing on Logic, I built up a small but loyal client base and my phone kept ringing for Logic tech support and instruction. Film composers and studio owners all over the city were calling me. Even the music stores were giving out my phone number at this point! This kind of stuff becomes a self fulfilling prophecy. The more of it you do, the more calls you get to keep doing it. At least that's the way it should be!
As my Logic chops kept growing, I was hired by an old buddy of mine, Len Sasso, who was then an associate editor at Electronic Musician magazine, and began writing some columns for them. I had a blast doing them - and really learned to focus and express my thoughts in a concise and clear manner. This lead to a collaboration with LA based composer Terry Michael Huud on the 2006 film called Civic Duty - which was certainly one of the highlights of my professional life as a composer.
5. Why are you so good at training people?
I wake up every day excited to boot up, and create. Whether it's instructional videos, creating music, working with a studio client, performing with my band, or teaching at the schools - my days are filled with what I love doing. Enriched by the stimulation and creative freedom this modern music making software brings to my life. I bring that excitement and passion to each and every training product I create. My years of experience both using and teaching these programs has taught me the best way to make the user comfortable with these complex programs.
Products by Eli
-
tutorial videoAAS Chromaphone Explained
Eli Krantzberg returns, this time showing you the incredible AAS Chromaphone creative percussive synthesizer. This synth is capable of creating incredibly expressive drum, percussion, string, and synth-like instruments, so hold the phone and check it out!
-
tutorial videoAAS Strum GS-2 Explained
In this FREE series commissioned by Applied Acoustic Systems, Eli Krantzberg covers the expansive performance library of electric and acoustic guitar strumming inside and out, and shows you how to make Strum GS-2 your new favorite session guitarist!
-
tutorial videoAirEQ Explained
Eli Krantzberg returns with an in-depth series on the amazing AirEQ by Eiosis, which was designed with a vision of achieving musical, technical and sonic excellence in equalization. This just might become your to go-to EQ!
-
tutorial videoAlchemy 2 Explained
Logic Pro X 10.2 integrated Alchemy 2, one of the most powerful virtual instruments ever made. In this three-hour video training tutorial series, Eli Krantzberg teaches you how to become a Alchemy wizard and unleash all of its power on your music!
-
tutorial videoApogee Maestro 2 Explained
Maestro 2 is Apogee's flexible and powerful OS X Mixer software solution that's included with all Apogee interfaces. Studio master Eli Krantzberg shows you everything you need to know about Maestro 2, as well as how to get the best performance out of your Apogee interface and improve your workflow.
You might be also interested in
The All-Access Pass gives you just that, instant online access to every single video tutorial currently on the site and any ones that get added during your membership.
Studio guru Marcus Huyskens gives you an in-depth look at how to take a string arrangement composed in notation software and bring it to life inside your DAW using virtual instruments and more. Shot with Presonus Studio One and Notion, the ideas can also be applied to any DAW and score software!
Theory pro Tom Regis reveals some of the most common but most important chord progressions and how to train your ear to instantly recognize them, so you can better understand their structure and apply them to your own compositions!
In this in-depth video series, theory wiz Tom Regis explains the essential components of harmony, and emphasizes the simplicity of a music system based on a seven note scale, all while providing inspirational musical examples and ideas!
In these simplified video tutorials, piano master Tom Regis lays out the basics of the blues structure, simple left hand comping, and scales and blues expressions for the right hand so you can start playing authentic Blues right away!
In this video tutorial series, Toontrack guru Luke Oswald and vocal extraordinaire Spencer Hansen return, and this time create a stunning Dream Pop song from scratch, using only Toontrack products and a DAW. See it built from nothing, all the way to mix and master!
In this video tutorial series, Toontrack expert Luke Oswald walks you through the process of creating a funky fusion track from scratch using only Toontrack EZdrummer 2, EZKeys, Superior Drummer 2 and EZmix 2. Get your groove on!
Eli Krantzberg shows you how to use the awesome sounding RealGuitar and RealStrat from MusicLab to flesh out a whole song from top to bottom. Anyone who writes songs can benefit from this series as well!
In these simplified video tutorials, piano master Tom Regis explores different Modes as one of the keys to unlocking the art of improvisation, and includes a bit of approachable theory that can be immediately put into practice!
In this video tutorial series, Toontrack guru Luke Oswald and vocal extraordinaire Spencer Hansen create a groovy Neo Soul song from scratch, all the way to master mix using only Toontrack products and a DAW. Plus, the info can be applied to any genre too!