Whether you mean to or not, you’ll almost inevitably work in a particular key when writing a song. You might decide “right, this will be in C minor,” or you might just string together a seemingly ...

Creating suspense in music can be achieved in a number of different ways, but for instant suspense gratification, there's nothing quite like a diminished chord. It's a fairly safe bet to suggest that ...

The presence of a well-crafted and performed chord progression can often be the glue that gels the song together. If executed well, it should support your melody and lyric, while grabbing listeners on ...

Often when discussing songwriting, we divide it into its two main elements, words and music. But just as lyrics contain a multitude of sub-categories and considerations, so does music. It contains the ...

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works. It almost goes without saying that a good chord progression is fundamental to a good song, but ...

Songwriting isn’t easy. Or, rather, writing good songs isn’t easy. If it was, everyone would be doing it. However, it’s not ‘magic’ either. Sure, you need inspiration, dedication and - let’s face it - ...

LIVE FROM FLAT V by Josh Smith SOLO EXPANSIONS, PART 1. Over the next few columns, Josh Smith will demonstrate three distinct approaches he likes to take to expand his soloing vocabulary within the ...