Hack Music Theory

HOW TO WRITE A CATCHY MELODY.     DOWNLOAD PDF TUTORIAL [https://hackmusictheory.com/album/2877864/catchy-melody] 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   *If you need help working out the chords in a key, read Hack 10 in our Free Book [/books].     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   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).     [https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/hxsLBcat-aWVsK23HtDvJX51gxp-4H9D9OHFEEQ3k8AE-kOsW-NZkzSgFssx0GDOfiyv_22oFPru7ipmh4Xpj7f9Y8YfEXTJm_iQhNTGrbPL-7S-fgnYp3y9EiV_R5RvZWnhx1CU1EYQSN1CIuUKLL8] 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. Download the PDF to read the rest of this tutorial…       DOWNLOAD PDF TUTORIAL [https://hackmusictheory.com/album/2877864/catchy-melody]          Lastly, are you new to music theory? Or are you experienced, but you want a refresher? Then download our FREE BOOK [/books] (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!       [https://d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/s:bzglfiles/u/64207/65e79fdcaf4a077d055edf5fedb28d506a02a358/original/book.png/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==]/books       If the FREE BOOK link doesn't work, just visit our BOOKS page: https://hackmusictheory.com/books     Ray Harmony Multi award-winning college lecturer

HOW TO WRITE A BETTER SNARE RHYTHM.     DOWNLOAD PDF TUTORIAL [https://hackmusictheory.com/album/2806684/snare-rhythms] 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 and 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.   [https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/sJa9w6J5oa3QMs6hpvlFbNeDlRKzOoEvbisc3mLfEhbyuCjbbZFlQVIa5U_HY6Tb1pN_97gsRApWwFscDaMTsIL-fGMTzPEh4-j9NnlJtaaWHNI699E4Es9MaIvI7eNdPMjnZ_ZuG_Wra9KykODy7s0] 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.   [https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/ZUoaZ_BOfsKeUkSe8adxRu4K4if0rhohYWpIT7H95m8f3iH2pFWkx0eRHAfzO4P8mat7ceW0MMWINTghKyRiC6AvA-G3SdHbEIMEFUPbyxUXFyteOMsdRXRLCZtaQ5ewYxgZH5W35JhJOtUY8fSQa3c] 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:   [https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/2VhxF5tAgYOt2AbIKA0xo-gAi0R7fH4OZ1muaRuYhScHt23Ak7PGQuLPp61jQkYdrRNOwoUqhwdzzX-7luJ-rogDWYDhTvvS9_iSBsYMwYWMA08Dr6X72F2nXiAyqqMLv-gVguD5O7HIJHnTxdXL-Oc] 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! Download the PDF to read the rest of this tutorial…       DOWNLOAD PDF TUTORIAL [https://hackmusictheory.com/album/2806684/snare-rhythms]          Lastly, are you new to music theory? Or are you experienced, but you want a refresher? Then download our FREE BOOK [/books] (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!     [https://d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/s:bzglfiles/u/64207/65e79fdcaf4a077d055edf5fedb28d506a02a358/original/book.png/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==]https://hackmusictheory.com/books     If the FREE BOOK link doesn't work, just visit our BOOKS page: https://hackmusictheory.com/books     Ray Harmony Multi award-winning college lecturer

HOW TO WRITE SWEEPING ARPEGGIOS USING A UNIQUE LAYERING TECHNIQUE       DOWNLOAD PDF TUTORIAL [https://hackmusictheory.com/album/2639559/sweeping-arpeggios] 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 [https://hackmusictheory.com/product/841067].   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.     [https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/4X9I6wlZgRYSQ94BDNaWyekcJA-3EhWLe4Ia7fC3vP6qD1grk9-uyNju6X6JI2Z6WTNypJ_U5c7PiFjyWGXoigOKtHGqSupERhjeCp58dru7woS-hARciMFbFK--TTfPweOR3Cb2eKMeThscwwHCseA] Root note of each chord in progression       Download the free PDF to read the rest of this tutorial…       DOWNLOAD PDF TUTORIAL [https://hackmusictheory.com/album/2639559/sweeping-arpeggios]            Lastly, are you new to music theory? Or are you experienced, but you want a refresher? Then download our FREE BOOK [/books] (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!     [//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/s:bzglfiles/u/64207/65e79fdcaf4a077d055edf5fedb28d506a02a358/original/book.png/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==]/books     If the FREE BOOK link doesn't work, just visit our BOOKS page: https://hackmusictheory.com/books     Ray Harmony Multi award-winning college lecturer

HOW TO WRITE A TECHNICAL DRUM BEAT.     DOWNLOAD PDF TUTORIAL [https://hackmusictheory.com/album/2579130/tech-drums] INCLUDES MULTITRACK MIDI FILE   If the link above does not work, paste this into your browser: https://hackmusictheory.com/album/2579130/tech-drums         INTRO.   If you’ve been in the Hack Music Theory family for a while, you’ll know we love technical drum beats! And there probably ain’t nothin’ more tech’ than polymeters*. While polymeters were relatively popular with those bold “modern classical” composers of the early 20th century, they haven’t been used much since then.   And yes, over the last few decades there have been a few rare examples of polymeters in popular music. But, it wasn’t until a group of hairy Swedes with exceptional talent (otherwise known as Meshuggah) came along and re-popularised the polymeter. What made Meshuggah’s polymeters unique, though, is their genius idea of having their drummer’s hands (snare & cymbals) play in 4|4 as the one time signature, while his feet (kick) play in an odd time signature, like 17|16. The genius of the Meshuggah method is that listeners can nod (or mosh) along to the 4|4 time signature, while the odd time signature slithers around unpredictably. The brilliance of this can’t be overstated. They created a way to play in odd time while the audience dances in 4|4.   To get an idea of how weird odd time signatures sound without this method, listen to “March of the Pigs” by Nine Inch Nails. They alternate three bars of 7|8 with one bar of 4|4. And while we love this song, you have to have a relatively high level of music theory knowledge just to be able to dance along to it. That’s obviously not ideal for the average listener. Also, 7|8 isn’t even that weird. Meshuggah uses far weirder time signatures! But, because they’re playing them against 4|4, you can dance along.   Meshuggah’s method has become a favourite for prog/tech bands over the last couple decades, and TesseracT are one of them. Their new album “War of Being” kicks off with a great polymeter (in the track “Natural Disaster”) which finds them adding a few creative twists to Meshuggah’s method. So, inspired by “Natural Disaster”, here’s our 6-step method for making technical polymetric drum beats. But first… Tea!   *If you’re new to polymeters, it’s the term for playing in two (or more) time signatures simultaneously.       STEP 1. THE EVEN   When it comes to the Meshuggah polymeter method, the one time signature is usually 4|4 played by the drummer’s hands (snare and cymbals), so that’s where we’re gonna start. And this is where TesseracT brings their first creative twist to the table. This type of polymeter almost always loops every eight (or sixteen) bars of 4|4. However, TesseracT loops their polymeter every four and a half bars!   So, set your DAW’s time signature to 4|4. Then, create a loop on your drums track of four bars and a bar of 2|4 at the end, making the polymeter’s loop a total of eighteen 1/4 notes. And for this step you can set your grid to 1/8 notes.   If you look up the tempo of this song online at one of the many BPM websites, they say the tempo is 165 BPM. But, the pulse of this song (measured in 1/4 notes) is clearly half that, so set your tempo to 82.5 BPM. It might not seem like that’ll make any difference, but at 165 BPM all the notes values will be twice as fast as their normal range. For example, a 1/4 note pulse, which is the range your heart beats in when it’s resting, will instead feel like you’ve just been for a really fast run!   Now, draw in 1/8 notes on your crash (or hi-hats, if you don’t want the section to sound heavy). Then, draw in a regular backbeat snare, which is on beats 2 and 4.   [https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/docsz/AD_4nXfOzLQdGHprP3yxTt13YV8dlF_XI30_Pwlgiqc8oqpOZ-k4km8c1sVX-jFNr9gn-be9GXxkahGLKNn-fZd0HfkZ7rdy2SdyJ6huy36gFUUSUqHQdmuM5HKHATIVHSkaTnl3Ek6MfF_rSZfAOzkRvDWlwqdP?key=HUFefV2_3RSzpo0ixTHjaA] 4|4 pattern consisting of 1/4 note pulse on crash and regular backbeat snare (highlighted)       STEP 2. THE ODD   Right, now it’s time to get this polymeter party started, so change your grid to 1/16 notes. TesseracT chose 17|16 for their odd time signature, so we’ll use it too. It’s a super fun time signature, because it’s only one 1/16 note longer than a bar of 4|4, so it feels like a slightly stretched out 4|4. Now, spend some time making a creative kick pattern in 17|16 (i.e. the pattern’s length is seventeen 1/16 notes). You can play two or three (or more) consecutive 1/16 notes, but be sure to leave some rests too, as that contrast will actually make your drums groove way more! Download the PDF to read the rest of this tutorial…   [https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/docsz/AD_4nXfAULBtqOQSLyA9DZs3LuqNMPjnFukGKIIIRHjaalNU3FORpOe7ZSF28VZ8MYsn6Lw6OwN6ca40nfOKWOaJi0_tffj2EOM6tI25jduD7LRl7x4xxpLk5cdNqB5Ak0EJbs48H8F5JpeLUMvCas5tapXfEtSB?key=HUFefV2_3RSzpo0ixTHjaA] Kick pattern in 17|16       DOWNLOAD PDF TUTORIAL [https://hackmusictheory.com/album/2579130/tech-drums]        Lastly, are you new to music theory? Or are you experienced, but you want a refresher? Then download our FREE BOOK [/books] (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!     [//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/s:bzglfiles/u/64207/65e79fdcaf4a077d055edf5fedb28d506a02a358/original/book.png/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==]/books       If the FREE BOOK link doesn't work, just visit our BOOKS page: https://hackmusictheory.com/books     Ray Harmony Multi award-winning college lecturer

HOW TO WRITE HEAVY BASS LINES     STEP 1. SYNCOPATED OCTAVES Set up one bar of 4|4 with your grid on 1/16 notes, and your tempo at 110 BPM. You’re gonna start by using only one note, and the octave of that note. We’re using A in our example. So, draw in every 1/16 note on the low A. Now, play around with moving a handful of them one octave up. These high notes will make accents in your bass line, so you want them to create a cool rhythm all on their own. And one of the best ways to do that is to syncopate most of them. In other words, most of them will not be on the main beats. All that syncopation adds tons of energy!   STEP 2. HIGH LINE Your bass line actually consists of two lines now: a high line, and a low line. So in this step you’re gonna add a melodic element to your high line. A great note to start on is the ♭3 (which is C in our example), as it’s super strong and moody! And by the way, if these flats and numbers confuse you, no problem, just read hack 8 in our free book (link below). Right, so what other notes should you use in your high line? Well, as we’re writing a heavy bass line, you wanna crank up the dissonance, so throw in a ♭2 somewhere (which is B♭ in our example). And if you use the ♭3 and the ♭2, then you could also use the 2, which is the note in between. And feel free to repeat notes. In our example, we played the ♭3 twice, the 2 twice, and the ♭2 once. And a shoutout to local Vancouver BC legends Front Line Assembly, as this lesson is based on the song “Purge” from their 2021 album “Mechanical Soul”.     FREE BOOK Also, are you new to music theory? Or are you experienced, but you want a refresher? Then download our FREE BOOK [/books] (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. [//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/s:bzglfiles/u/64207/57fb9a29bcb4a80d7a891756ae3327a3b7941f79/original/book.png/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==]/books     STEP 3. LOW LINE So as you could hear, the bass line is already sounding good. And to be honest, most producers would think it’s now complete, but not Front Line Assembly! No, they’ve got one more trick up their sleeves, and that’s the dissonance they add to their low line. Most of their low line remains on the root note, however, they’ve moved a few notes down one semitone to the 7 (which is G♯ in our example). Also, at the very end, you could throw in a ♭3 for a little variation. This makes the bass line loop more smoothly as well. Adding this dissonance to your low line is a game-changer, as it’s super subtle (seriously, most people won’t even notice it), but it adds a feeling of heaviness that you simply can’t achieve without it!     PODCAST Listen below, or on any podcast app.