Hack Music Theory

How to Write a Prog Melody

using the Major-Minor scale, aka Mixolydian ♭6

There aren’t many melodies that stand out nowadays. In an era where most musicians are trying to sound like the popular musicians in their genre, the result…

How to Write an Octatonic Riff

Using the Half-Whole Diminished Scale

Almost all popular music (in every genre and subgenre) is made using the major scale or the natural minor scale. That’s a vast ocean of music from only two…

How to Write a Beautiful Melody

There are 7 elements that create a beautiful melody. In our new PDF tutorial (download link below), you'll learn what they are and how to use them!

When I recently heard “Ray Of Solar”…

How to Write Beautiful Arpeggios

If you play all the notes of a chord simultaneously, you’ll create an instant emotion in your listener. This is a powerful technique, and the most common way to play chords. While allowing a chord…

How to Write a Melodic Bass Drop

EDM producers didn’t invent the bass drop, but it’s easy to argue they perfected it!

Having said that, though, the bass drop has long since gone stale. After becoming so popular, it was…

How to Write a Rhythmic CHORD Progression

One of the most common mistakes producers make when writing chord progressions is focusing exclusively on the notes (i.e. the harmony). Now, it obviously goes without saying that the notes are a vital…

How to Write "Peaceful Piano" Music

I’m just old enough that I got in my Grade 1 to 12 school years before computers and the internet took over. If you’re a Gen X like me, and there wasn’t a computer…

How to Write in 2 Modes Simultaneously

Humans are walking paradoxes! You know those times when you’re feeling two contradicting emotions at the same time? Like when you’re in a difficult situation but you feel hopeful about the future, while…

How to Write a Mixolydian MELODY

Music in a major key is uplifting, but the downside is that it often sounds childlike.

This is because the major scale is the most predictable scale. Predictable things are comforting and reassuring, so…

How to Write Calming CHORDS

Within seconds of hearing the opening chords in Portishead “Roads”, you can feel your cortisol levels dropping and your body’s tension releasing. This intro has to be one of the most calming moments in…

How to Write Standout DRUMS

A standout drum beat can make or break a song. Want proof? Listen to the new Aphex Twin single “Blackbox Life Recorder 21f”.

He’s actually reversed the roles of the instruments in this song, as…

How to Write Bass Lines
That Move People

I remember the first time I heard “Closer” by Nine Inch Nails in a club back in the ‘90s. I’d never before seen people literally running to the dance floor. Running!

My…