Creating Calm Through Song Structure.

How to make a sonic sanctuary, like Tamikrest.

My favourite Saharan rock band Tamikrest just released their new album “Assikel”, and I’ve had it on repeat this week. Why? Well firstly, this is a…

Every song is a musical story. When we read a story, we don't want a timeline of events. We want an unfolding narrative with scene setting, emotional dynamics, and exciting twists in the journey. In music, this is the ​…

If your chord changes sound disjointed, you probably need to use inversions. That's just the fancy word for re-ordering the notes of a chord. For example, Am can be A C E, or C E A, or E A C…

If your melody is sounding boring, it probably lacks a motif. A motif is a short idea that's repeated to give the melody structure.

So, play your melody and listen for the catchiest bit. Next, delete the boring bit. Now…

Got a boring melody? It may be due to a small range, i.e. the distance between its lowest and highest note. This should be around a 7th or an octave. If it's not, extend the range and add some passing…

If your beats all sound kinda similar, here's a hack to spice 'em up. Copy & paste your bass line into your drum track. Then divide those notes between the kick and snare, to make a pattern you like. Now…

An epic bass line needs 2 things: root notes to make it solid, and non-root notes to make it interesting.

So, start by playing the root of each chord. Then towards the end of each chord, add one or two…

To write an epic chord progression, you need common notes. For example, Am and Em both contain the note E, so E is a common note. It creates a strong link between those chords, which sounds powerful. If every chord…

To write an epic melody, start with a phrase of small intervals (i.e. 2nds and 3rds). Then, jump straight to a high note using a big interval (i.e. 6th or 7th). This dramatic climax will give your melody that epic…

It's rare to hear toms in drum beats. They're usually only in fills. That's a shame, because toms can add variety to your beats in a way that nothing else can. So to spice up any drum beat, simply move…

Every chord progression tells a musical story. So regardless of the key, think about how many major chords you want compared to minor chords. This ratio determines the overall feel of your progression. The order of the chords makes a…

Most new songs are in the same key from start to finish, which is one of the main reasons why they get boring after a few listens. Musically they don't go anywhere!

Wanna make better songs? Change keys.

The easiest…

Most bass lines consist of only roots, or roots and 5ths. Boring! Remember, bass lines are melodies. They need contour, too.

So, if your bass lines jump around between roots and 5ths, smooth them out by using small intervals to…

The 3rd note in a chord holds its emotion. So, to emphasize the happiness of a major chord, play its 3rd in the melody above (e.g. over Cmaj, play E). To emphasize the sadness of a minor chord, play its…

Modes are easy. They're just scales with different moods. For example, if you wanna make dark music, use Phrygian. That's all the white notes, with E as the root. Using uncommon modes will transform your music!

Ray & Kate :)

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Most drum fills end on beat 1. This usually makes them predictable and boring. Try this instead: End your fill on a snare hit – normally around beat 2. This makes your fill longer than expected, which is unpredictable and…

Drum beats get boring after a few loops. The main reason is 1-bar kick patterns. So, try this: Repeat your snare and cymbal patterns every bar, like usual, but make your kick pattern 4 bars. This will instantly improve your…

Harmonic notes are in the chord, so they feel resolved. Non-harmonic notes are not in the chord, so they feel tense. Balance these two types of notes in your melodies, and your listeners will be thrilled and fulfilled. Have fun!

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