Name: Recreating the Genre I Hate Most - Bro Country [Songwriting + Structure + Arrangement] @SignalsMusicStudio
Uploaded: 2026-09-23T08:17:00-05:00
Duration: 8 min 17 s
Description: Recreating the Genre I Hate Most - Bro Country [Songwriting + Structure + Arrangement]

Recreating the Genre I Hate Most - Bro Country [Songwriting + Structure + Arrangement]

Signals Music Studio 2026-09-23 | Recreating the Genre I Hate Most - Bro Country [Songwriting + Structure + Arrangement]

Intro To ALTERED DOMINANT Chords [SONGWRITING / JAZZ / MUSIC THEORY]

Signals Music Studio 2024-09-14 | If you like this video you’ll love the Chord Progression Codex!: https://shorturl.at/ezVY9
Check out my Theory and Songwriting Course: https://shorturl.at/evKMX
Altered Dominant chords are absolutely essential to writing complex jazz progressions. The topic can be very difficult to navigate though, so I’ve tried to simplify it down to the absolute basics in this video. To summarize this video:
-Take a regular dominant chord (1 3 5 b7) and move it’s 5th up or down a half step to alter it. This creates 7(b5) or 7(#5) (aka augmented 7th)
-Like ALL altered dominant chords, you can use these as a colorful replacement for V7 in a V7 – I cadence.
-Altered dominant chords of any type can be written with the symbol 7alt.
-It’s easy to use altered dominant chords right after or before regular dominant chords, like G7 – G7alt – C, or G7alt-G7-C
-Altered dominants can be used in secondary dominant movements. Instead of playing V7/vi - vi, try V7alt/vi – vi. Or, V7alt/vi -V7/vi - vi
Thanks to my Patreon subscribers for making this lesson possible! If you sign up, you’ll get access to a lot of videos that aren’t available here on youtube, as well as the monthly live Q+A’s and occasional production/composing streams. www.patreon.com/signalsmusicstudio

00:00 Intro
00:25 What is an altered dominant (easy mode)
01:30 Guitar Shapes
1:52 Use altered dominants wherever you see V7
2:56 Use them as part of a ii-V7-I
3:47 Don’t like it? Fix the voice leading!
4:47 Play them next to unaltered dominant chords
6:00 Use them in secondary cadence
7:00 Putting it all together
07:48 What is an altered dominant (hard mode)

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Free online guitar lessons for beginners, intermediate, and advanced players. Located in Crystal Lake, Jake Lizzio provides free jam tracks and video lessons for guitar players, as well as music theory videos and other music education content.

tfw the drummer plays half-time over the odd-meter riff #progrock #rhythm #guitarmusictheory

Signals Music Studio 2024-09-02 | im learning davinci resolve so i made this. if you want to learn what this rhythmic trick is all about, you can watch my decoding dream theater video.

Explaining Musical Intervals As CLEARLY As I Possibly Can [MUSIC THEORY FUNDAMENTALS]

Signals Music Studio 2024-08-28 | Read the entire chapter for free here (from the Chord Progression Codex): signalsmusicstudio.com/lessons/chapter-2-music-theory-fundamentals
If you want the printable PDF instead, just ask me over at my Patreon page!
www.patreon.com/signalsmusicstudio

This lesson is about the absolute fundamentals of western music theory: naming musical intervals. It's not the most exciting topic, I admit, but honestly you'll need to learn most of this stuff at least once. If you do it correctly, it will make your future studies MUCH EASIER and will help you avoid stupid internet arguments about augmented seconds versus minor thirds.

I designed this lesson to quickly teach intervals as quickly as possible, so if you're taking classes on the topic (and are regretting your decisions), you'll be able to use this video and the linked chapter as a reference. But also, if you're self taught, just keep in mind this is the kind of stuff they start music students with, so do pity them when you see them!

Just note - this is the kind of lesson I feel obligated to make because it's the kind of lesson I wish someone had sat me down and made me watch. But trust me that it's not what I consider to be "fun theory". SORRY! Hope it's helpful regardless. Also note - most everyday musicians won't be aware of the stuff after 6:54, and you probably won't really need to know those things unless you plan on doing some serious academic study into theory or are taking classes on the subject.

00:00 Intro
01:00 Intervals that EVERYONE should know
03:09 Letter Classes and Major/Minor Intervals
05:14 Perfect Intervals
06:54 Diminished and Augmented Intervals
08:47 Rare Intervals
09:55 What You Should Learn Next

Using Add11 Arpeggios To Write A Jazz Solo #musictheory #guitar #guitarlesson #guitarist

Signals Music Studio 2024-08-08 | From my video on the topic: youtu.be/4wGCy6d6RWM

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Free online guitar lessons for beginners, intermediate, and advanced players. Located in Crystal Lake, Jake Lizzio provides free jam tracks and video lessons for guitar players, as well as music theory videos and other music education content.

ADD11 ARPEGGIOS - Build Speed, Learn Theory, and Sound AMAZING! [MUSIC THEORY/GUITAR LESSON]

Signals Music Studio 2024-08-07 | Tabs and Charts at my Patreon! patreon.com/posts/109609113
My theory and songwriting course: https://shorturl.at/evKMX
My book, the Chord Progression Codex: https://shorturl.at/ezVY9
Add11 arpeggios are fun and easy, and learning them provides an opportunity to get faster on your instrument while also improving your knowledge of music theory AND giving you more cool ways to make music. That's what this lesson is all about!

If you're confused, here's some videos that might clear things up for you:
Diatonic Chords in Major: youtu.be/M8eItITv8QA?si=lfG7Dn3SMvmJ4H_G
Major 7th, Minor 7th, and 7th chords: youtu.be/3JizNRwHYNY?si=9tIoZ-GEbyBht7N8
Suspended Chords: youtu.be/qu49nYaBfdM?si=jo8MVdwBdl4tdNgs

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Table of Contents:
00:00 Intro
00:49 Four Different Add 11 Arpeggios
04:29 GUITARISTS ONLY!
07:50 The Diatonic Add11 Arpeggio Exercise
10:15 Making Music With Add11 Arpeggios
12:36 HEAR THE ARPEGGIOS
13:00 Advanced Usage of Add11 Arps
15:00 Related Concepts

Free online guitar lessons for beginners, intermediate, and advanced players. Located in Crystal Lake, Jake Lizzio provides free jam tracks and video lessons for guitar players, as well as music theory videos and other music education content.

We Fought Against Musical A.I. And Won

Signals Music Studio 2024-07-23 | Master chords and music theory with my new book! https://shorturl.at/bouLV
My full songwriting course:bit.ly/3Ej44Cz
IS AI THE DEATH OF MUSIC?!?! I know that’s what I'm supposed to title this video, but as you'll see, I'm not too worried about it. In defiance, I present to you an HONEST evaluation of AI music technology and what it might mean for modern composers, by setting up 6 challenges or battles of skill. Along the way, you might learn something about songwriting, music theory, or production!

To summarize this entire video: AI tech is really cool, and lots of composers will find it helpful. But if you have an artistic VISION, you can not rely on AI to create it for you. It’s untweakable- it spits something out and you either like it or you don’t. Want to change it? Then you’re gonna need some composing skills!

Please show your support for the HUMANS who participated in this video:

Karen Shook: karenshook.com/bio
instagram.com/karenshookmusic

Will Orlyk: instagram.com/will_orlyk

Dave Lizzio: cheesebone.bandcamp.com

Mike Muggli: youtu.be/oyJ6IbShvuI?si=BHV8Xu5mozDW2fkD

Beardstank: youtube.com/c/BeardStank
instagram.com/beard_stank

Provos:provos.org
soundcloud.com/activ8te
Parallax tool from Provos: github.com/provos/parallax-maker

I hope AI doesn’t take over music production and writing, otherwise I’d be out of a job! I teach theory and songwriting, and people really enjoy my paid courses. You can find them at www.signalsmusicstudio.com.

I also publish a lot of free lessons. The only way I can afford to do that is because of supporters who sign up at my Patreon over at www.patreon.com/signalsmusicstudio. Every bit of support helps!

Table of Contents:

00:00 Intro
00:52 Meet The Challenger
01:45 BATTLE 1: Radio Ad
02:40 Battle 1 Human Submission
03:35 Battle 1 AI Submission
04:32 BATTLE 2: Folksy Duet
06:13 Battle 2 Human Submission
08:03 Battle 2 AI Submission
09:21 BATTLE 3: Compose SONDER
10:05 Battle 3 Human Submission
10:53 Battle 3 AI Submission
12:31 BATTLE 4: Acoompany a melody
14:00 Battle 4 Human Submission
16:12 Battle 4 AI Submission
17:08 BATTLE 5: Write Drums
17:42 Battle 5 Human Submission
18:48 Battle 5 AI Submission
20:15 BATTLE CATTLE!!!
21:42 Battle 6 Human Submission
22:28 Battle 6 AI Submission
23:20 Final Thoughts

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Free online guitar lessons for beginners, intermediate, and advanced players. Located in Crystal Lake, Jake Lizzio provides free jam tracks and video lessons for guitar players, as well as music theory videos and other music education content.

15 Practical Tips for Songwriters, Composers, and Producers of ALL Genres

Signals Music Studio 2024-05-17 | Like my shirt? Beardstank made it! Buy one from him here: https://shorturl.at/WEwYr
My theory and songwriting course: bit.ly/3Ej44Cz
My new book is now out! The Chord Progression Codex: https://shorturl.at/bouLV

Here's some common sense tips that I endorse that should help you along your path to becoming a competent and confident composer, songwriter, or producer. I don't do advice videos often but there's a lot of things I wanted to get across here that my average video doesn't have room for. Hopefully you find it helpful!

A special thank you to my lovely Patreon supporters. They are why this channel exists, still! Join them here if you like - we do live Q+As once a month and also the occasional special lesson or live composing stream.
patreon.com/signalsmusicstudio

Table of contents:

00:00 Intro
00: 37 Tip 1 - Practice Songwriting As A Skill (not a talent)
01:55 Tip 2 - Start Recording (If you haven't already!)
02:38 Tip 3- Don't Worry About Unfinished Tracks...
03:13 Tip 4 -... But Make Yourself Finish A Track!
04:05 Tip 5 - Deeply Analyze Your Favorite Music
05:03 Tip 6 - Criticize Your OWN Music
05:30 Tip 7 - Know Your Own Tastes
06:45 Tip 8 - Find Good, Trustworthy Feedback
07:25 Tip 9 - Ego and Songwriting
08:24 Tip 10 - Why You Should Learn Basic Theory
09:24 Tip 11 - Learn About Other Instruments
10:35 Tip 12 - Find Collaborators
11:25 Tip 13 - Embrace Technology
12:54 Tip 14 - Inspiration
13:38 Tip 15 - Write Music For Yourself
14:23 BONUS TIP!!!!

These 2 Indian Rhythm Exercises Will Destroy You [ADVANCED RHYTHM THEORY + KONNAKOL]

Signals Music Studio 2024-04-30 | Part Two of this lesson, by Ben Levin, is found here! youtu.be/vJCPnu1XU5E
Confused? Take my rhythm course! signalsmusicstudio.com/product/signals-rhythm-course
In this lesson, we learn to perform some "simple exercises" from Indian konnakol (vocal percussion), then make music inspired by the concept. For most Western musicians like myself, these exercises will be wildly complex and advanced, since we rarely encounter such patterns in our music. However, reductive and growing patterns are common in Indian music, and keeping track of a steady pulse beneath them is a must! By learning konnakol and practicing these patterns, you should be able to easily expand your composing possibilities and start including "exotic rhythms" into your own music should you wish. As you'll see, these exercises easily lead into polyrhythms and polymeters of extreme complexity.

Thank you to my Patreon supporters for making these videos possible - their support means I don't have to put sponsors or ads in the middle of my videos.
patreon.com/signalsmusicstudio

And a HUGE thank you to Ben Levin for being a part of this video! Make sure to visit his website here: benlevinmusicschool.com
And to @BeardStank (Jeff Schwertfeger) for his drumful prowess!

Like chords more than rhythms? Check out my new book, the Chord Progression Codex. I promise you'll love it! https://shorturl.at/bouLV

Here's the Adam Neely video with the Phrygian Challenge, featuring this rhythm: youtu.be/ZxQWbyaMzfg?si=7qEaI_V3KjyU7yW9

Table of Contents
00:00 Intro
01:35 Explaining Exercise 1
03:38 Keeping Tala With Your Hands
04:34 Hear Exercise 1
05:46 Converting Indian Rhythms to Western Notation
06:51 Hear The Exercise On Guitar
07:30 Turning Mad Rhythms Into Music
13:25 Hear The Song by Jake Lizzio + Ben Levin
14:56 Exercise 2
16:57 Closing Thoughts

The Chord That Should Not Be - 7#9 aka Jimi Hendrix Chord [MUSIC THEORY - MIXED THIRDS]

Signals Music Studio 2024-03-11 | The Chord Progression Codex is NOW AVAILABLE! https://shorturl.at/bouLV
Check out my Theory and Songwriting Course: bit.ly/3Ej44Cz
If all you've learned is classical theory, then this chord makes no sense. It contains both the major and minor 3rd, which used to be a big no-no. However, it's contains the absolute essence of rock and blues music - the clashing between two thirds. This lesson explores how the b3 interacts with major chords, and vice versa. Along the way you should gain some knowledge on how to use the Jimi Hendrix chord (7#9) and other ways to compose with "mixed thirds".

Here's the @AdamNeely video I mentioned at the end: youtu.be/mqsnqIw--RU?si=ar2xYoq9lVJVq66r

The following lessons should be great followups to this video since they involve some of the same concepts:
Pentatonic Possibilities: youtube.com/watch?v=OIggxG7Kon8
Mario Cadence: youtube.com/watch?v=jx7BcbS15tU
Borrowed Chords: youtube.com/watch?v=7IdttvJSedg
Modal Mixture: youtu.be/RyR98UEtt18?si=W4uxewcscWSMQ3yk
Picardy Third: youtu.be/Be2-Qr4htrA?si=C0X42fXGjtHflDPh

My Patreon: patreon.com/signalsmusicstudio
My Site with premium courses for songwriters and musicians: signalsmusicstudio.com

00:00 The Worst Chord In Music, IMO
01:27 A Musical Axiom
02:05 Major Triads + Minor 3rds
03:43 7(#9) chord
05:36 V7(#9)
07:10 Where To Place The 9th
07:55 Chromatically Approaching the 3rd
09:40 Mutually Exclusive Thirds
11:10 The Picardy 3rd
12:58 Additional Thoughts

The SMART Way To Think About Chord Names and Labels [+FREE PDF] [MUSIC THEORY LESSON]

Signals Music Studio 2024-01-25 | The Chord Progression Codex is NOW AVAILABLE! https://shorturl.at/bouLV
FREE Printable Chord Theory Cheat Sheet: https://shorturl.at/ezVY9
This is a lesson I WISH someone had taught me when I was younger! It's a pattern I stumbled across while writing my new book. I'm certainly not the first to realize it but I hope that this lesson will be a unique and effective way to teach the concept. I also don't know why this "works", because I don't know the history of chord names, and I question if anyone truly knows the whole story. All I know is that it works!

SUSPENDED VARIATIONS:
You can lower the 2nd in a suspended chord, or raise the 4th, to create chords like Gsus#4 or Gsusb2. If you really wanted to, you could also use the (b5) or (#5) symbols in conjunction with "sus" to create chords like Gsus2(#5), Gsus2(b5), or Gsus4(b5). However, sus4(#5) just creates an inverted minor triad, so it's appearance would be largely theoretical.

ILLEGAL COMBINATIONS:
Some symbols just shouldn't be combined. "sus" with "min" for example - these two labels defy one another, since "sus" means "remove the third", but "min" means "lower the third". Some other bad combos:
"aug" with "dim"
"aug" with "min" - This just creates an inverted major triad, and would be easier parsed as such
"m" with "dim"
"maj" with "dim"

For all of these examples: Remember that "aug" is also written as "+" or (#5).

MY COURSES:

I have a name-your-own-price Rhythm Theory course that is perfect for guitarists of all levels. https://shorturl.at/nzGIM

Here's a link to my Theory and Songwriting course. It's very light on chord theory so it's a perfect companion to the Chord Progression Codex. https://shorturl.at/evKMX

Lastly, my Patreon, if you'd like to support my free lessons (like this one!) In exchange, you'll get access to monthly live Q+A's and more lessons I've made.
patreon.com/signalsmusicstudio

00:00 Intro
01:02 WHERE ALL CHORDS ARE BORN
04:29 What "maj" does
05:10 What "min" does
05:41 Combining "min" and "maj"
06:20 "aug" or "+" or (#5)
07:08 Combining "maj" and (#5)
07:39 (b5), and combining it with "min" or "maj"
08:43 "dim"
09:33 Popular Alterations
10:42 "add" chords
11:54 Suspended Chords
12:54 "Jazz" 6th chords
14:26 "Classical" sixth chords
15:14 Slash Chords
15:40 7alt
16:26 Outro

Demonstrating 7 Ways that Composers Make Music Using Modes [SONGWRITING / THEORY]

Signals Music Studio 2024-01-01 | The Chord Progression Codex is NOW AVAILABLE! https://shorturl.at/bouLV
In this video we explore 7 different ways that the musical modes of major actually get used in modern sounding music, starting with some simple tips and ending with some more advanced concepts.

Here's the video I made for my Patreon subscribers showing how I wrote the Dorian melody. I did a poor job of describing this though - it's 15 minutes (not 20) and isn't primarily about melody. I do think it'll still be enlightening though! youtu.be/YqZkNw3hI5g I'll be posting more frequently on that channel as well with less polished content that is hopefully just as helpful as Signals videos.

If you're having trouble following along with this video, I'd recommend these other videos I did - they should fill in any gaps.

Modes and Tonal Center: youtu.be/lPDVo-7Ua28?si=aesvmtp5NwNU-r3c
Meet The Modes: youtu.be/bwaeBUYcO5o?si=TgX0yJxxkzCXYQNX
Modes on Guitar: youtu.be/96cydVB4w-A?si=Ek1iAXpmYldLp_ok
7th Chords: youtu.be/3JizNRwHYNY?si=zIHAOk5pP37_vZv9
Chords of Minor: youtu.be/j-j4g0ktPGw?si=zeiiaUaRIBcpGIhp

The chart I'm using is my Ultimate Modal Poster and can be purchased here: https://shorturl.at/rET34

My patreon: patreon.com/signalsmusicstudio

Chapters:
00:00 Intro
00:42 Writing exclusively in a mode
03:23 Demonstrating a piece in 100% Dorian
04:10 Writing in a mode but breaking it
07:15 Demonstrating Dorian mixed with natural 7ths
07:48 Modulating between relative modes
10:10 Demonstrating Phyrgian moving to Aeolian
11:21 Modulating between parallel modes
13:36 Demonstrating Major moving to Lydian
14:18 Writing in major and borrowing chords from anywhere
15:37 Demonstrating modal mixture in major
16:27 Modal Mixture in Minor
19:27 Using Modes or Scales to Play Over Chords
21:12 Demonstrating a New Scale for Each Chord

How To Arrange Chords into BEAUTIFUL 4-PART HARMONIES [Music Theory - Voice Leading]

Signals Music Studio 2022-02-14 | The Chord Progression Codex is NOW AVAILABLE! https://shorturl.at/bouLV
My Pro Songwriting+Theory Course: bit.ly/3uJ9HJi
My Patreon: bit.ly/3gE4sSL
Writing a 4 part harmony can be very difficult if you don't understand the basic principles behind voice leading and arrangement. There are countless rules one must follow to emulate the stylings of Bach, Mozart, and Beethoven. But these rules are not needed just to arrange a simple progression! This video goes through the fundamental concepts of harmony and arrangment without getting into the weeds of clefs, notation, and actual "rules".
By the end of the lesson, you should be able to arrange any chord progression for other instruments, and hopefully get new insight into the sorts of complex harmonies that can exist within a chord progression.
Thank you to my Patreon Supporters for all their help and kind words. They deserve as much credit for this channel as I do!

TAKE NOTE:
The arrangement I make in this video at the end violates several golden rules. For one, it includes parallel fifths (parallel motion that occurs a perfect fifth apart). As a teacher who lives in the year 2022, I don't want you to burden yourself with these rules unless you're trying to sound like music from the "common practice era", or unless you're trying to pass tests in music school (or if you're just really curious).

On Parallel Motion: If both voices are moving together in the same interval class, it's parallel. If one voice moves up a m3 while the other moves up a M3, those are both THIRDS. The motion is parallel. If one voice moves up a m3 while the other moves up a fourth, those are no longer the same interval class (thirds and fourths), and would not be called parallel motion, but instead would be called similar motion.

Professional arrangement and orchestration takes many more skills than just learning to voice lead. A real arranger/composer will keep in mind the range of the instrument and has to notate music in different clefs. Arrangers also take note of the tonal qualities of instruments and exploit their frequency spectrum to either blend well together or clash and sound juxtaposed.

So this lesson won't turn you into a pro arranger - but it WILL get you writing your first 3 and 4 part harmonies and I think it's a great start to composing more advanced harmony. I highly advise you combine this lesson with my last lesson on harmony, found here youtu.be/8lCf7q_VPHA

I also suggest you consider how many more options you will have when writing your voices if you are comfortable with your diatonic seventh chords, inversions, and secondary dominants.
Seventh Chords: youtu.be/3JizNRwHYNY
Inverted Chords: youtu.be/LFN-eKved_8
Secondary Dominants: youtu.be/py4HaueW50Q
If you know all this stuff, you'll know exactly how I wrote this arrangement!
youtu.be/EC_Fvs3TEj4

Also, I said at 17:50ish that there is only one way to play that E7 on guitar. But there is another....

00:00 Intro
01:51 Basic Concepts
06:15 Arranging in 3 voices
10:50 Why the V become V7
13:10 Arranging in 4 voices
16:20 Make It Into MUSIC!
19:41 Outro

The Awesome Power of the Andalusian Cadence - Making Music in 5 Styles [SONGWRITING + ARRANGEMENT]

Signals Music Studio 2022-01-03 | The Chord Progression Codex is NOW AVAILABLE! https://shorturl.at/bouLV
My Theory + Songwriting Course: bit.ly/3Ej44Cz
Mp3's + PDF at my Patreon: patreon.com/signalsmusicstudio
David Bruce- Composing A Melody over a Chord Progression youtu.be/jA7gdz56LtY
The Andalusian Cadence is an old fashioned chord progression that can be thought of as mainly deriving from the Minor Key (aeolian mode) but also includes the dominant chord. It's a killer progression, you've heard it in songs like Runaway by Del Shannon and Sultans of Swing by Dire Straits, as well as a million other songs.
This time, we're transforming into many different styles, and along the way, hopefully you pick up some composing tricks, music theory hacks, or general song writing inspiration.
These are the links I reference in this video. If you were confused something in this video, chances are it is explained in one of the following vids.
12tone- Andalusian Cadence: youtu.be/MSjVTZ_l9XA
David Bruce- The mystery at the Heart of Flamenco youtu.be/XYgTkW4WK80
David Bruce- Composing A Melody over a Chord Progression youtu.be/jA7gdz56LtY
Writing Progressions in Minor Keys youtu.be/j-j4g0ktPGw
Harmonic Minor Series youtube.com/playlist?list=PLTR7Cy9Sv2845ykqmNpmeGFq_v9yKZ_3A
Suspended Chords youtu.be/qu49nYaBfdM
Powerchords youtu.be/dbhF2wnnT7M
Pedal Tones + Drones youtu.be/5E4Nsa6RL9I

A quick note- there's some sloppy guitar playing in here. I absolutely have the production skills to elminate those mistakes (and probably would if these songs were to be released on an album) but I think it's important for you all to see/hear those mistakes!

Also the intro has many inversions and chord modifcations. I simplified the numerals. One more thing I want to point out- the Em scale over B can sound fine if you play it fast enough - pretty much anything is passable if you play it quickly. But you really can't build real harmonies off that V chord if you're using the b7 tone, and the more time your ear has to hear the dissonance, the worse it will sound!

I use Ableton Live 10 and Reason 10 (via rewire) together to produce.

A giant thank you to my Patreon supporters. They're the reason I'm able to offer a professional rhythm course at a name-your-own-price model. You can find that here: signalsmusicstudio.com/courses/signal-rhythm-course
I owe them a lot, and you might too :)
Table of Contents
00:00 Intro
00:45 Andalusian Cadence History
01:51 Music Theory
04:20 Latin Style Jam
05:46 LISTEN: Latin Jam
06:27 Epic Cinematic Film Score
09:55 LISTEN: Film Score Epicness
11:30 MegaMetal
15:52 LISTEN: MegaMetal
17:32 Psychedellic Gooves
20:08 LISTEN: Psychedellic Groove and Final Thoughts

How to Write Harmonies for Guitar / Piano / Vocals [MUSIC THEORY + SONGWRITING LESSON]

Signals Music Studio 2021-11-23 | The Chord Progression Codex is NOW AVAILABLE! https://shorturl.at/bouLV
Enroll in my Rhythm Training Course for ANY price! bit.ly/3xeaC3A
Or buy my Theory and Songwriting course: bit.ly/3DIfcJK

Writing harmonies can be HARD! Hopefully this video makes it easy. It's still just a launching pad, but it's pretty thorough. One quick thing I forgot to mention- You can get away with really weird/bad harmonies if they are on "weak beats", like in between the quarter notes or right before a downbeat. However, strong beats nearly REQUIRE a good solid harmony that matches the underlying chord.

If you were confused by anything in this video, you should check out these videos:
Interval Training Course: signalsmusicstudio.com/courses/guitar-interval-course
Chords of Major: youtu.be/M8eItITv8QA

Sincere thanks to my wonderful Patreon Supporters. They've been very patient with me :)
www.patreon.com/signalsmusicstudio

00:00 Intro
00:59 Harmonized Thirds
03:42 Sixths
07:20 Fourths and Fifths
08:27 Parallel vs Contrary Motion
10:41 Why Parallel Fifths are Weird
12:24 Writing a Vocal Harmony
17:23 Final Thoughts

How To Design Dark and Scary Sounds (For Producers / Composers / Musicians)

Signals Music Studio 2021-10-31 | The Chord Progression Codex is NOW AVAILABLE! https://shorturl.at/bouLV
My pro theory + songwriting course: bit.ly/2J2Nctn
Enroll in my Rhythm Training Course at ANY price! bit.ly/3wDacU4

This video is a basic tutorial on how to make dark and scary sounds- for ambience, sound design, composition, production, beats, whatever! It's scary audio, and it's surprisingly easy to make with just two techniques: reversing things, and slowing them down. Throughout this video, I demonstrate several concepts of how to combine these techniques and where you may have heard them before.

Here are my other "spooky" music videos:
Scary Chords: youtu.be/-dgicW1ioP0
Spooky Composing Techniques: youtu.be/CezFEDWth-c

Here is my video on the minor scale (includes the fake Tool song):
youtu.be/Bz_q96JhSOg

Here is my video on the Locrian scale (includes my song Pascal's Prison):
youtu.be/RhKXolkwyDM

Like this video? Thank my Patreon subscribers for sponsoring these lessons! They're the reason you don't see ads or sponsorships in the middle of my videos. You can join them here:
www.patreon.com/signalsmusicstudio

00:00 The Red Room
00:48 Backmasking
02:29 Backwards Reverb
03:50 Better Backwards Reverb
06:34 Lynchian Backwards Talk
07:23 Slowing it Down
08:17 Slowdown + Reverse
09:55 Outro

The BEST Way To Learn Rhythm, Counting + Strumming!

Signals Music Studio 2021-10-04 | The Chord Progression Codex is NOW AVAILABLE! https://shorturl.at/bouLV
Get the rhythm course here! signalsmusicstudio.com/product/signals-rhythm-course
The course contains 52 videos and teaches the basics and advanced concepts of rhythm, counting, strumming, and meter. It is taught on guitar, but you only need basic guitar skills (ability to play chords) to begin the course. As the course advances in rhythmic complexity, more guitar skills are introduced and taught with many exercises.

If you play banjo, mandolin, or ukelele, you should STILL take the course! Just replace the chords and picking/strumming techniques with those that are specific to your instrument.

This stuff isn't always taught. After making this course, it's clear to me why! It's very difficult to organize in a linear fashion that is practical, understandable, and efficient. I hope I've achieved that with the Signals Rhythm Training for Guitar Course (that's it's official name!)

A billion thanks to my Patreon subscribers for keeping me going in my YouTube absence! You can join them at www.patreon.com/signalsmusicstudio . They also get credit for error-checking and beta testing most of this course over the last month.

Now that this is done you can expect I'll start uploading to YouTube again. No promises on how quickly I get things done but I promise you I have some fun ideas that I'm excited to share....

Here's what's in the course:
Beats + Tempo
8th notes
Accents
Downbeats Upbeats Syncopation
Use Your Hands
Palm Mutes
Upstrokes + Strumming Technique
Faster Changes
RHYTHM GRID
Alternate Strumming Technique
Ties
Dotted Notes
Syncopated Chord Changes
Rests
Anacrusis, Staccato, Crescendo
Arpeggios
Playing Chord Sheets
Exercise - Playing Chord Sheets
Playing off Chords + Lyrics
Rhythm For Lead
Sixteenth Notes
Dotted Eighth Notes + Tresillo
Sixteenth Note Permutations
Barre Chords Tips + Advice
Muted Strums
FUNK
Acoustic Strumming
3/4 and 6/8 Time Signatures
Rhythmic Relativity / Tempo Markings
8th Note Triplets
Shuffle Feel and 12/8
Compound Meters / Simple Meters
Poymeter and 3 against 4
Odd Times
Alternative Counting + Konnakol
Parsing Rhythm
Slow Triplets
Polyrhythm
Tuplets
32nd Notes
Metric Modulation
Truncated Polymeter
Playing To A Drummer

Whats Going On With Signals Music?

Signals Music Studio 2021-07-11 | The Chord Progression Codex is NOW AVAILABLE! https://shorturl.at/bouLV
My pro theory + songwriting course: bit.ly/2J2Nctn
Enroll in my Rhythm Training Course at ANY price! bit.ly/3wDacU4

Thank you to my Patreon subscribers for sponsoring these lessons! They're the reason you don't see ads or sponsorships in the middle of my videos. You can join them here:
www.patreon.com/signalsmusicstudio

Jake Lizzio Channel: youtube.com/channel/UC6A2N-wLpFHC2drJZuxMdtg

Thanks yall!

Musical Drones and Pedal Tones [Theory and Songwriting]

Signals Music Studio 2021-06-02 | The Chord Progression Codex is NOW AVAILABLE! https://shorturl.at/bouLV
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patreon.com/signalsmusicstudio
Droning sounds simple right? Welp, yeah, but it can be way complex too! The pedal tone opens up a whole door of amazingly weird progressions and effects, and this lesson should walk you through what those might feel, sound, and look like.

TAKE NOTE- When I say "Western Mainstream", I'm speaking from an American Pop Music perspective. There are more styles of drone music than those from India- I did not mention the Hurdy Gurdy or the Bagpipes, two heavyweights in the world of droning. The bagpipes themselves drone on a single note while the rest of the pipes are tuned to a mixolydian scale relative to the drone. This is the second time I have likely offended the Scots, and twice now I must beg their forgiveness.

I also did not mention the importance of pedal tones as they apply to metal, since I went over that topic in my video on the Metallica Scale youtu.be/UuqvZDDm_bk and also in my video on Mixolydian Rock youtu.be/39iZqrZf66o.

Wanna jam over the same note for 10 minutes, you weirdo? Well so do I. Here's the track.
https://signalsmusicstudio.com/harmon...

If you run into one of my patreon subscribers, give them a big hug for me. If you are one of my patreon subscribers, THANK YOU!

00:00 INTRO
00:30 A Brief History Of Drone
04:45 Guitar Drones and Modern Acoustic Songs
06:29 Bass Pedal Tones
10:42 Writing with a Melody Pedal Tone
14:52 Infinite Scale Possibilities
16:50 6 Scales 1 Drone
18:30 Pedal Point

Demonstrating The Modes of Harmonic Minor [MUSIC THEORY / SCALES]

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GET THE FREE CHARTS AND MP3s: signalsmusicstudio.com/harmonic-minor-modes

The modes of harmonic minor are seldom explored and often misunderstood, but they contain an entire universe of abstract harmonies. Although the 1st and 5th modes are fairly common, I think more attention should be given to some of the others as they can create truly unique sounds.
If you want my new Harmonic Minor Poster you can click this link - there are versions in A and in C. signals-shop.creator-spring.com

MOST USEFUL, RANKED (in my opinion)
Harmonic Minor (mode 1)
Phrygian Dominant (mode 5)
Dorian #4 (mode 4)
Ionain #5 (mode 3)
Lydian #2 (mode 6)
Locrian Natural 6 (mode 2)
Ultralocrian (mode 7)

Jens Larsen's channel: youtube.com/user/jenslarsen02
NOTE- Quist does a good job of jamming with Ultralocrian in his jam track! I wish I had listened to his solo first, it would have given me some good ideas lol. Here's his track: youtu.be/ufif3rob_Vo

At 8:00 I forgot to include the flat signs after the E's when talking about A Dim chords
At 10:18 I should have said "A Augmented Major Seventh", not A Augmented Seventh.

If you're confused, you'll want to watch my videos on Harmonic Minor here: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLTR7Cy9Sv2845ykqmNpmeGFq_v9yKZ_3A

Special thanks to my Patreon Supporters for sponsoring these videos. This one took a while. If you enjoy the charts, you should thank them :)

www.patreon.com/signalsmusicstudio

Table Of Contents
00:00 Intro
01:18 Harmonic Minor Chords
05:40 DEMO Harmonic Minor
06:24 The Second Mode
08:41 DEMO Locrian Natural Six
09:10 The Third Mode
10:20 DEMO Ionian Sharp Five
10:56 The Fourth Mode
12:10 DEMO Dorian Sharp Four
13:44 The Fifth Mode
15:12 DEMO Phyrgian Dominant
15:57 The Sixth Mode
17:37 DEMO Lydian Sharp Two
18:21 The Seventh Mode
19:28 DEMO ULTRA LOCRIAN DO NOT LISTEN

Why Electric + Acoustic Guitars Get Double Tracked (and NOT copy pasted)

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There was some confusion over stuff I said in my last video (my fault, should have explained it!) so I figured I'd try to clear things up here. I'm not used to teaching production concepts, but am very experienced teaching music and theory, so when I do touch on production I think I am not quite in tune with what the average student is aware of like I am with my regular lessons.

Thanks to the comment section though, I realized the principle of double tracking is not very well understood, so in this video I demonstrate the difference between a "fake" double tracked guitar and a real double tracked guitar. This way you can draw your own conclusions on when and where you should single track vs double track.

TAKE NOTE!
-When I double track, I OFTEN record the second part on a different amp, guitar, impulse, or pickup selection. Not always, but often. It's nice to have some differences between the L + R as you can hear in the last part of the "fake double track" which sounds pretty good and could have use in some tracks.
-While there is no "wrong" or "right", I can confidently say that you need to double track your guitars (and not copy paste them) if you want to achieve a modern rock/metal sound for rhythm parts. I've yet to encounter a vst or effect that can replicate the effect for me. I have used Vocal Doublers on acoustic guitars for a fun fake-double-track but it's not quite the same (not better-not worse-just not the same)
-Phasing is cool, that is why the Phaser effect exists. It's easier to put a phaser on a track than it is to duplicate and offset like shown. Experiment with doubled guitar tracks, each with their own phaser dialed in with its own settings!
-Anyone can double track a lead these days with studio tools and edits. I still don't like the effect that much, and it's still much easier to just slap some sort of effect on there (i'd suggest phaser or chorus)
-My rock example falls a bit flat mainly cause it's programmed drums. Beardstank will be back soon!
-You can quad track, 8 track, etc. I don't ever find a use for more than 4 on the same part.
-This video is not about guitar LAYERING. That's a whole nother topic, though I did touch on it with the electric layer
-If you're not good enough to double track your part, I think you're better off trying to make a single track work. But the goal for ANY performing musician is to be able to play accurately and on time, and nothing builds that skill faster than studio work. So grab your metronome and start tapping your foot + counting :)

Thank you to my Patreon supporters for making these videos possible!!!

00:00 Intro
00:59 Recording in Mono
01:52 "Fake" Double Tracking
05:53 Real Double Tracking
08:47 Acoustic Guitars
13:27 Why you should double track

15 Mistakes That Can RUIN Your Studio Recording Sessions

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Enroll in my Rhythm Training Course at ANY price! bit.ly/3wDacU4

I'm no big-time producer, but I've tracked enough singles and albums with locals to know what brings down a session and what keeps things on pace. This is, in my opinion, a brief exploration of some of the pitfalls that live performers may not be aware of until they get into the studio. Hopefully, by reviewing this list, you'll be better prepared for your own studio sessions, either as a player or producer!

A few notes-
When double tracking guitars, there is sometimes a good reason to NOT do the identical part. This is to create interest and variance in the stereo field. However, these elements are usually crafted with intention, not just randomly thrown in. Although the accidental mistake in a double-track can sometimes result in some very cool effects, the skill of accurately recreating your playing is one that is pretty much required as a modern day rock guitarist looking to record.

In my examples on bass, you won't hear ANYTHING if you're just listening through your phone/tablet! Also, my example of arrangement isn't the best, mixing it in a way that allows you to hear it and also not hear it at the same time was difficult. A good concrete example would be the bass part in Metropolis Pt 1 by Dream Theater, which has a bass-tapping section that is nearly inaudible and therefore I transcribed incorrectly in my video on the song. The producer himself for that album complained often about the young and inexperienced band's ability to properly arrange parts (and Mike Portnoy's dynamics!) so it's not just a personal gripe.

Thanks to my Patreon supporters for sponsoring these vids :) I don't do often do advice-style videos but this one I do think can save people a lot of time, energy, and money. www.patreon.com/signalsmusicstudio

Table of Contents:
00:00 Intro
00:42 General Advice for ALL Musicians
04:26 Advice for Guitarists
07:03 Advice for Bassists
09:03 Advice for Drummers
10:12 Advice for Vocalists
12:24 Advice for Key Players

Seventeen Days - Jake Lizzio [Lo Fi Jazz Hip Hop]

Signals Music Studio 2021-03-08 | The Chord Progression Codex is NOW AVAILABLE! https://shorturl.at/bouLV
Streaming links (will be auto updated): distrokid.com/hyperfollow/jakelizzio/seventeen-days
How I made this song: youtu.be/cTO1KsC4Ono
My music theory + songwriting course: bit.ly/2J2Nctn
#LoFiHighStakes
Additional credits:
Mark Kahovec - Sax
Mike Muggli - Keys
Jeff Schwertfeger - Samples

Huge thank you to my Patreon subscribers for sponsoring my videos. I owe them!

Writing + Producing Jazzy Lo-Fi Hip-Hop Beats (the HARD way!)

Signals Music Studio 2021-03-08 | The Chord Progression Codex is NOW AVAILABLE! https://shorturl.at/bouLV
My pro theory + songwriting course: bit.ly/2J2Nctn
Enroll in my Rhythm Training Course at ANY price! bit.ly/3wDacU4

The whole song/music video is here: youtu.be/CR01l2THDOU
This video is a guided tutorial through writing and producing a lofi hiphop beat to study chill or smoke to. I say it's jazzy cause it has saxophone and some extended chords :P It actually can be thought of as 33/32 though I wouldn't notate it like that - you'll hear how and why it came together that way as the song progresses.

Special thanks to my Patreon subscribers, they are my favorite people on the whole planet and this video wouldn't exist without them. Additional thanks goes to Mike Muggli (Moog Lee) for his added keyboard line, Mark Kahovec for his Government Subsidized Saxophone, and Jeff Schwertfeger for sending me a bunch of random clips.
www.patreon.com/signalsmusicstudio

If you were confused at the theory in this video you should check out these other lessons I did:
Writing with 7th chords: youtu.be/3JizNRwHYNY
Motifs and chords: youtu.be/z3Dy6Mnp5Og
Hemiola: youtu.be/HhODahQ-U4U

Table of contents:
00:00 Intro
00:48 The Sloppiest Rhythm Ever
05:25 Writing a Melodic Theme
09:02 Adding Vocals
09:46 SAX
10:38 Creating Ambience and Atmosphere
11:34 Production Notes
13:40 The FINAL step to LoFi Goodness
15:06 Music Video "Seventeen Days"
18:06 Final Comments

Why is the 9/8 time signature so confusing?

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Enroll in my Rhythm Training Course at ANY price! bit.ly/3wDacU4

This is a giant exploration of rhythmic concepts for songwriters, and the confusion surrounding the 9/8 time signature as well as all other compound meters. There is a good solid rant in here that gets to the heart of a topic I’d like to explore more, which is the outdated and relic teaching methods still used by modern music educators in professional academic settings.

Liked this video? You’ll probably enjoy these other rhythmically related videos:
Polymeter- youtu.be/MqyrPzvN3Zc
3:4 Polyrhythms- youtu.be/c1pejTgLuhA
Sextuplets- youtu.be/3CjeZDUQUwM
Truncated Polymeter- youtu.be/o3LypkzywIw

A few things to mention- when converting 9/8 to 3/4 with triplets, it’s important to remember that the tempo markings must indicate the correct beat. If I’m doing 3/4 with triplets, my quarter note pulse is the one I’d be using for my metronome, while in compound triple meter, I’d write my tempo marker as a dotted quarter note.
Also, the graphics during one part of the animation show the wrong beaming of 8th notes. Minor detail but still, it should represent the underlying pulse (as I specifically state!).

Here’s the songs I mentioned:
Francisco Tarrega Etude in Em NOT CARCASSI! tab):classtab.org/tarrega_etude_in_em.txt
Twista – Get Me youtu.be/gCV01atcDz8?t=99
Dream Theater- Voices youtu.be/JDGSvbpB9Kg

Like this video? Thank my Patreon subscribers for sponsoring these lessons! They're the reason you don't see ads or sponsorships in the middle of my videos. You can join them here:
My Patreon! patreon.com/signalsmusicstudio

Table of Contents
00:00 Intro
00:42 Demonstrating Basic 9/8
02:30 Making a 9/8 Groove
07:14 The Traditional Approach
09:04 An Example from Francisco Tarrega
11:14 rant
12:36 Polymeter, Triplets, and Twista

Making Music with Pascals Triangle + the LOCRIAN scale [RIFFING WITH MODES #7]

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Every Episode of RIFFING WITH MODES: bit.ly/3r9oR5E

At long last, the seventh and final (?) episode of Riffing With Modes. I did not anticipate this series to take so long, as I expected to make most of the videos short little efficient lessons with quick-tips on riff writing. Instead I took this series as a personal excuse to write music to my heart’s content- starting from Rush style rock riffs in Major, to Dad Rock Dorian. Then crushing Phrygian morse code metal, followed by progressive Lydian vibes. An entire 80s rock single and music video for Mixolydian, and 3 different mini-songs for Minor.
And now, Locrian. I won’t lie- the mode hath bested me. I began writing this song in SEPTEMBER 2020 and it’s now January 2021. The music was done surprisingly early, but the video had many hurdles to overcome and technical screw-ups that I had to pay the temporal price for. But the battle is over, the dragon is slain, and here lies Locrian madness in all of its glory.
Hopefully by watching this video, you’ll see that you can make interesting and moving music even without the harmonic tools like “good notes” and “good chords” and “good melodies”. This entire piece is influenced from random algorithmically generated sequences, and still maintains a sense of groove at times, only to be fractured at others. I hope you find the piece interesting even if it isn’t your cup of tea, and more importantly, I hope you discover some useful songwriting, production, or arrangement techniques that can help you in your music making.

IMPORTANT LINKS BELOW!

Byzantine Pi Math Metal - youtu.be/6tNxfx2tetA
“Adore”-Faustas Udrenas (Produced by me!) - youtu.be/ILug0hqhD5U
Numberphile – Pascal’s Triangle - youtu.be/0iMtlus-afo
David Bennet Piano- A Song In Locrian - youtu.be/Q6JBsOzOFaQ
Adam Neely (and friends) – Making Locrian Sound Good - youtu.be/el1ZhkN85Mc
Pascal's Triangle Code : pastebin.com/w71ZePzU - Note that neither me nor Faustas are actual software engineers, so there is a LOT of room for improvement on this simple + quickly written program. I'd welcome someone to modify the code to allow for bigger triangles (currently an integer overflow error prevents inputs over 34) and also size/space the triangle better, or even enable midi-output/ sound! If you decide to improve on this let me know so I can repost the link here and share it with everyone else.
ADDITIONAL Pascal's Triangle code from a friend! pastebin.com/v39uhxpG

An outrageous amount of gratitude is owed to my Patreon supporters who have decided to fund my free lessons and videos. They’re the greatest folks on the planet, if you want to join them you can for live Q+A’s, special videos, and more. https://www.Patreon.com/signalsmusicstudio

TABLE OF CONTENTS
00:00- Why Locrian is Clumsy
02:07- Locrian Inspiration + Pascal's Triangle
05:07- Turning Chaos Into Groove
06:55- Arranging a random motif
09:11- Writing a Locrian Melody
12:38- MUSIC VIDEO: "Pascal's Prison"
15:50- Closing Thoughts

How To Write A Sea Shanty Song or Pirate Music

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Recently there’s been an upswell of interest in sea shanties, specifically the song The Wellerman (see here: youtu.be/-KO7cofMJH0). Since I’ve long planned for doing a video about pirate music, I figured now would be as good a time as any.

One important note I neglected to mention in the rhythm part of this video! If you DO decide to write in regular 4/4 (with no shuffle or swing) then I HIGHLY recommend you utilize the GALLOP. An eighth note followed by two sixteenth notes. This pattern works very fine for that oceanic rhythmic motion without relying on triple meter or swing.

If this lesson was confusing to you, try these other lessons I’ve done first:
The Minor Scale + Chords: youtu.be/j-j4g0ktPGw
The Dorian Scale + Chords: youtu.be/hyZPcYf1Pe4

Here’s a link to my favorite Korpiklaani song, Wooden Pints! youtu.be/QjZ1B897Tuk

A huge thank you to my Patreon supporters for sponsoring these videos. The reason you don't see me doing ads in the middle of my videos is thanks to them!
My Patreon: patreon.com/signalsmusicstudio

Table of Contents:
00:00– A Self-Referencing Shanty
00:42- Intro
01:21- Rhythmic Suggestions
02:51- Scale Suggestions
04:56- Orchestration
06:40- Chord Changes
08:37- Hear The Dorian Difference!
09:50- Additional Aspects

A Christmas Song That No One Wants To Hear

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My pro theory + songwriting course: bit.ly/2J2Nctn
Enroll in my Rhythm Training Course at ANY price! bit.ly/3wDacU4

Fun things in this song- The F/G chord is the lamest and cheesiest chord I've ever found. It just screams out 90's family sitcom. I've been carrying that chord around for years but never had any use for it until now.

There's quite a bit of the cadencial 6/4 movement going about in one form or another, and a classic abrupt half-step modulation in the style of a theater tune. The ending section uses a lot of borrowed chords from the parallel minor, just to head into another cadencial 6/4 to resolve.

I should have started this project earlier but I began on it right as soon as the last video posted so it was a rush to get it done in time before Christmas. Hope you get a kick out of it!

Music and lyrics by Jake Lizzio
Piano arrangement by Mike Muggli
First Verse and Choir by Joe Watychowicz
Ski Instructor Choir led by Jeff Schwertfeger

All my videos are sponsored by the amazing people who signed up to my Patreon. They're the best.
patreon.com/signalsmusicstudio

My site- signalsmusicstudio.com

43 Music Theory Concepts That EVERY Modern Composer Should Master [The Music Theory Map]

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Download the PDF:bit.ly/2J2Nctn
Check out NODA! http://noda.io

This is a tour of music theory for the modern composer. I think these concepts are very important to learn, and in this order specifically! This doesn't encapsulate all of music, but it is a very solid foundation. Knowing these topics will enable a songwriter to easily approach new advanced music theory topics with ease.

Sorry it's been so long since I've posted - I was working all day shifts to finish this course. I started it last year actually but gave up since it was so much work. Fortunately I found the motivation after my last video to wrap it up - I honestly think it's the greatest course available on the internet, and I think the price is great for the amount of content you get compared to actual guitar lessons.

Now that my course is done, I can start working on YT again. Expect the Locrian video soon, along with some surprises....

THANK YOU TO MY PATREON SUPPORTERS. Without them, there would be no YT channel or course!
www.patreon.com/signalsmusicstudio

Table of Contents:
00:00 - Intro
01:58 - Begin the Tour
25:33 - "Composers"

How To Produce PITCH PERFECT Acapella (when youre bad at singing) [Vocal Production + Mixing]

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I've posted a PDF of the 4-part harmony on my Patreon: patreon.com/posts/42733607
Producing modern vocals that sound crisp and clean is pretty easy these days if you have access to pitch correction software. Even without programs like Melodyne, Autotune, Wavetunes, or Nectar, you can still make your vocal mix sound WAY better just by using some common sense mixing principles like panning, doubletracking, compression, and EQ.

Most of my videos are theory based- this one breezes past the theory and writing to jump straight to production. In my opinion, the modern musician MUST consider production when writing his/her music, unless they strictly intend on only performing the music live. The more production knowledge a composer has, the more easily their songs can realize into the actual world without any hiccups. It also gives you a lot of confidence as a songwriter, knowing the sort of production techniques you intend to use when writing that can create certain sounds or cover up certain deficiencies.

Note- there are some strange audio glitches during the demonstration part of the video that really only pop up because of the way I filmed this. In the final rendered version that you hear at the beginning of the video, none of those strange glitches (clips and autotune freakouts) are audible (to me at least!). Also, if you have some criticisms on my arrangement, I'm game for a public call-out on what I did "wrong".

If you liked this video, definitely be on the lookout for the following folks and thank them for the generous support!

Adam Granger
Billyshes
Bradley Bower
Brandon Combs
BuzzWasHere
Christopher Swanson
CrippleMonkey
Daniel Danciu
Darrin Goren
Donal Botkin
Don Dachenhausen III
Don Watters
Erik Lange
Jared Yelton
Joe Buote
John Arnold
jon reddish
Kip Ingram
Linas Orentas
Lord of the Chords Live on Indiegogo Now!
Marc Bulandr
Marek Pawlowski
Markos Zouganelis
Martin
Michael Galli
Morgan M.
Nick White
Patrick Ryan
Philip Sharp
Stumann
Sophie SKG
Stephen Marz
Tyler Sherkin

Table of Contents:
00:00 "The Magic of Pitch Correction"
01:27 Intro
02:36 Writing and Arranging
06:52 Recording
07:48 Mixing without effects
14:23 Pitch Correction
21:43 Compression and EQ
25:53 Reverb
27:23 Summary

Analyzing The Chords of John Lennons Imagine - Perfect Progressions #4

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This video deeply analyzes John Lennon's Imagine, specifically the chord progressions used to make up the song. In addition, we take a look at the arrangement, production, and other musical choices that all sum up this iconic composition.

Music theory is simply a way to describe what songwriter's have done. All of the composing tricks used in this song were clearly in John Lennon's vocabulary, whether he used their proper academic name (secondary dominant / pedal tone / etc.) is not relevent. What matters is understanding why this composition feels the way it does, and use that knowledge to our own benefit as composers!
Take note- this song was written on piano. Even if you're a lousy key player, you should be able to take these chords to the piano and see how simple of a song it really is. You'll also see how the geometry of the piano itself probably played a giant part in why the song was written the way it was. It falls very easly on the hands.

Special thanks to my Patreon subscribers for making these videos possible! Especially these groovy folks:
Adam Granger
Billyshes
Bradley Bower
Brandon Combs
BuzzWasHere
Christopher Swanson
CrippleMonkey
Daniel Danciu
Darrin Goren
Donal Botkin
Don Dachenhausen III
Don Watters
Erik Lange
Jared Yelton
Joe Buote
John Arnold
jon reddish
Kip Ingram
Linas Orentas
Lord of the Chords Live on Indiegogo Now!
Marc Bulandr
Marek Pawlowski
Markos Zouganelis
Martin
Michael Galli
Morgan M.
Nick White
Patrick Ryan
Philip Sharp
Stumann
Sophie SKG
Stephen Marz
Tyler Sherkin

My Patreon: patreon.com/signalsmusicstudio

In This Video:
00:00 Intro
00:35 Verse Chords
03:00 Why Voicings Matter
04:15 Creating Melody Within Chords
06:25 Mystery Ninth
07:34 Double Tracking
08:16 Chorus Chords
10:44 Refrain
13:31 Summary

How to Sound Like Daft Punk, Tool, or EVERY Rock Band using Minor/Aeolian [Riffing With Modes #6]

Signals Music Studio 2020-09-04 | The Chord Progression Codex is NOW AVAILABLE! https://shorturl.at/bouLV
My pro theory + songwriting course: bit.ly/2J2Nctn
Enroll in my Rhythm Training Course at ANY price! bit.ly/3wDacU4

Mp3s at my Patreon: patreon.com/signalsmusicstudio
Thank you to Klos! klosguitars.com/pages/feature-page

This is the sixth video in a series on how to write riffs using the modes of major. Being the sixth in the episode, this lesson focuses on the Aeolian mode, which is identical to the natural minor scale. There is an argument to be made that there is a difference between Aeolian tonality and Minor tonality, which I touch on at the end.

The first style is a dancey funk song in the style of Daft Punk or Chromeo. In addition to basic music theory and songwriting advice, quite a bit of detail is mentioned on the audio production itself. Next, the riff is transformed into a Tool style crushing riff. Then lastly, a classic acoustic rock style intro that sounds all too recognizable.

Some videos you should have seen to be able to follow this one-
Minor Scale and Chords: youtu.be/j-j4g0ktPGw
Seventh Chords: youtu.be/3JizNRwHYNY
3+3+3+3+4: youtu.be/QFVS7y_zGRw

A few details I forgot to mention or want to clarify-
-ANY interval can funk in proper context. It’s purely subjective- please don’t pretend I’m citing fact when I say the flat seventh is the funkiest.
-The minor chords played in the background were inevitably going to become minor sevenths since I was writing funk. I don’t know how or why I neglected to mention this!
-If Aeolian had a signature sound, it would be the minor fifth chord (v). I’m slightly disappointed I didn’t feature it, since it is a unique sound of Aeolian. It’s very sad, and still usable. I may just make a video on the v chord so it doesn’t get ignored, but it really should have made an appearance here.
-I have met educated teachers who consider the fifth chord of a minor key to be major, even though it contains the leading tone which is out of the key signature. A lot of confusion about aeolian vs minor occurs because traditionally, the minor key is NOT thought of as a strict diatonic collection of only seven notes. Though clearly, if one were to build triads from the natural minor scale and not include the natural seventh, the fifth chord would be minor.
There is only one more Riffing with Modes lesson left – Locrian. It’s going to be weird.

Until then, thank my amazing patreon subscribers for making these lessons and videos possible! Joining there means monthly live Q+A lessons, exclusive videos, and lots of charts and mp3s. The following members deserve special thanks:

Adam Granger
Billyshes
Bradley Bower
Brandon Combs
BuzzWasHere
Christopher Swanson
CrippleMonkey
Daniel Danciu
Darrin Goren
Donal Botkin
Don Dachenhausen III
Don Watters
Erik Lange
Joe Buote
John Arnold
jon reddish
Kip Ingram
Linas Orentas
Lord of the Chords Live on Indiegogo Now!
Marc Bulandr
Marek Pawlowski
Markos Zouganelis
Martin
Michael Galli
Morgan M.
Nick White
Patrick Ryan
Philip Sharp
Stumann
Stephen Marz
Tyler Sherkin

Table of contents:
00:00 Intro
00:32 Writing a Funk Riff
08:52 Adding Vocals
10:20 Musical Pockets
12:55 DANCE / FUNK SONG
13:46 Writing Tool Riffs
18:29 TOOL SONG
19:30 Writing Acoustic Intros
24:28 EVERY ROCK SONG
26:24 Aeolian vs Minor

The Bizarre World of Augmented Chords

Signals Music Studio 2020-08-10 | The Chord Progression Codex is NOW AVAILABLE! https://shorturl.at/bouLV
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Enroll in my Rhythm Training Course at ANY price! bit.ly/3wDacU4

PDFs+MP3's for this lesson at my Patreon: patreon.com/posts/40293305

Augmented chords are awkward, weird, and can seem useless. It took me a while to
eventually grasp on what aug chords are capable of- as well as aug7 (or +7) chords. They're certainly a unique sounding chord, and in this lesson we go over the basics behind how the triad is built, but also how it can be used in musical settings. Depending on your knowledge of music theory, this lesson may get too advanced near the end, but it should be simple to follow for the first half at least.

Here's how Mike Muggli made the ragtime piano bit: youtu.be/TJ_m_6KczlI

In this video:
00:00 Intro
00:29 Augmented Triad Basics
02:20 Swapping V for V+
04:37 Adding Sevenths
05:48 Voice Leading
08:21 Augment Symmetry + Composing
10:54 Lydian Augmented
12:29 MinMaj7 Relationships

I made a mistake when walking through my "ragtime piano chords" piece. I accidentally played a B7 (and said V/ii) instead of a B+ (V+ / ii). Hope you'll forgive me!

Thanks to my outstanding Patreon subscribers for sponsoring these lessons. If you learned something from this video, your appreciation should go to them. Especially the following fine folks!
Adam Granger
Billyshes
Bradley Bower
Brandon Combs
BuzzWasHere
Christopher Swanson
CrippleMonkey
Daniel Danciu
Darrin Goren
Donal Botkin
Don Dachenhausen III
Don Watters
Erik Lange
Joe Buote
John Arnold
jon reddish
Kip Ingram
Linas Orentas
Lord of the Chords Live on Indiegogo Now!
Marc Bulandr
Marek Pawlowski
Markos Zouganelis
Martin
Michael Galli
Morgan M.
Nick White
Patrick Ryan
Philip Sharp
Stumann
Stephen Marz
Tyler Sherkin

Learn AND Apply Two Hand Tapping: Technique + Theory [GUITAR LESSON]

Signals Music Studio 2020-07-17 | The Chord Progression Codex is NOW AVAILABLE! https://shorturl.at/bouLV
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Enroll in my Rhythm Training Course at ANY price! bit.ly/3wDacU4

My Patreon: patreon.com/signalsmusicstudio
This lesson is a detailed guide to get you started on learning the two-handed tapping technique for guitar. There are two important skills that must be learned first: left hand legato, and the right hand tap. After that, we will break down the most common tapping pattern (heard in Van Halen’s “Eruption,” Metallica’s “One,” and countless other tracks) into three simple steps.

After learning how to synch up our practice with a metronome, we will then explore different patterns of varying difficulty, including 4-note sixteenth note patterns, 5 note quintuplet patterns, and 6-note sextuplet patterns.

A small amount of music theory will also be taught relating to minor and major arpeggios, which are the most common way to perform tapping sequences. However, you are encouraged to EXPERIMENT with new shapes, patterns, strings, etc.

Included with this lesson is a backing track using the chords Em-G-A-C. Try using the skills taught in this lesson to create a tapped arpeggio sequence that matches each chord. Also included is a 2 page PDF detailing the steps to tapping, arpeggio theory, and tabs/music for the tapping patterns.

These lessons are sponsored by my incredible Patreon supporters. They deserve my appreciation, and if you enjoy these lessons, yours as well!
Shout out to the following heros:

Adam Granger
Billyshes
Bradley Bower
Brandon Combs
BuzzWasHere
Christopher Swanson
CrippleMonkey
Daniel Danciu
Darrin Goren
Donal Botkin
Don Dachenhausen III
Don Watters
Erik Lange
Joe Buote
John Arnold
jon reddish
Kip Ingram
Linas Orentas
Lord of the Chords Live on Indiegogo Now!
Marc Bulandr
Marek Pawlowski
Markos Zouganelis
Martin
Michael Galli
Morgan M.
Nick White
Patrick Ryan
Philip Sharp
Stumann
Stephen Marz
Tyler Sherkin

00:00 Intro
00:50 Getting Started
04:42 Three Steps To Tapping
07:23 Technique advice
09:11 Descending Threes
10:22 Metronome Practice
12:11 Beyond Triplets
13:53 Tapped Arpeggio Music Theory
17:23 Arpeggio Passages
18:54 Advanced concepts
21:28 Practice Advice

6 Ways To Solo Over 4 Simple Chords [Dorian + Minor Modal Mixture]

Signals Music Studio 2020-06-25 | The Chord Progression Codex is NOW AVAILABLE! https://shorturl.at/bouLV
My pro theory + songwriting course: bit.ly/2J2Nctn
Enroll in my Rhythm Training Course at ANY price! bit.ly/3wDacU4

Get the PDF + MP3 here: bit.ly/2BD1E7m
This lesson explores modal interchange AKA modal mixture between Dorian and Minor. Specifically with the tonal center of E. The four chords we are working with are Em – G – A and C, and these do not fit conveniently into a single mode of major. Therefore switching between scales is a valid and helpful approach to writing melodies or leads over these chords.
We explore several different varieties of scale-blending, arpeggios, and voice leading to discover new ways to solo over a set of chords without just repeating the same licks over and over.
If you’re interested in recording/production, you can watch my 1 hour tutorial on how I mixed and made the backing track for this video: youtu.be/OaXcTchsmss

If you’re confused about this lesson I recommend you watch the following videos:
Minor Scale: youtube.com/watch?v=j-j4g0ktPGw
Dorian Scale: youtube.com/watch?v=_r6ftqp1bkA
Modal Mixture: youtube.com/watch?v=RyR98UEtt18
Arpeggio Basics: youtube.com/watch?v=tnwCnkYHv9U&t=232s

Special thanks to my Patreon subscribers who sponsor these videos. I post special goodies there for all members, including mp3s, pdfs, and lesson videos.

A big shoutout to the following folks:
Adam Granger
Billyshes
Bradley Bower
Brandon Combs
BuzzWasHere
Christopher Swanson
CrippleMonkey
Daniel Danciu
Darrin Goren
Donal Botkin
Don Dachenhausen III
Don Watters
Erik Lange
Joe Buote
John Arnold
jon reddish
Kip Ingram
Linas Orentas
Lord of the Chords Live on Indiegogo Now!
Marc Bulandr
Marek Pawlowski
Markos Zouganelis
Martin
Morgan M.
Nick White
Patrick Ryan
Philip Sharp
Stephen Marz
Tyler Sherkin

You can join them here: www.patreon.com/signalsmusicstudio

Table of Contents:
00:00 Intro
00:45 Method #1: Pentatonic Minor Scale
02:11 Method #2: Using the Minor Scale While Borrowing from Dorian
04:10 Method #3: Pentatonic Minor + Natural Sixth
05:19 Method #4: Using the Dorian Scale While Borrowing From Minor
06:41 Method #5: Using Arpeggios
09:19 Method #6.1: Finding and Highlighting Harmonic Movement
10:45 Method #6.1: Using Harmonic Movement Inside Licks and Phrases
11:59 Wrap-Up

How To Write Solos That SHRED!

Signals Music Studio 2020-06-10 | The Chord Progression Codex is NOW AVAILABLE! https://shorturl.at/bouLV
My pro theory + songwriting course: bit.ly/2J2Nctn
Enroll in my Rhythm Training Course at ANY price! bit.ly/3wDacU4

ShredMaster Scott’s Modal Lesson: youtube.com/watch?v=DfMmP9vb2WA

Writing shredding and fast lead lines is tough business. Too many notes and it gets repetitive and robotic, too few and the kids won’t think you’re cool. But by combining simple melodic techniques with fast scale passages and arpeggios, as well as sufficient practice, you can compose an impressive technical solo on any instrument.
Throughout the video I refer to the chords as A and B. To be more specific, the B chord is played as a B/A, so the bass remains unchanged, and stays playing an A over the B chord.
SHREDDIAN RESOURCES- Videos that are mentioned or are related to this one-

The Lydian Mode:
Lydian Basics: youtube.com/watch?v=Ou_Z9ol8r0I
Maj7 Arpeggios: youtube.com/watch?v=geGr0c-qwoA
Economy Picking: youtube.com/watch?v=c0tq2PNpbok
Sextuplets: youtube.com/watch?v=3CjeZDUQUwM
3 notes per string: youtube.com/watch?v=ZORL0JBBscY
Composing Lydian Prog: youtube.com/watch?v=i7X4YAoHEow
Sweeping: youtube.com/watch?v=gChLdrC57hw

A big giant huge wonderful thank you to my Patreon supporters. They’re the reason these videos continue to get made, and the following folks deserve a special bit of recognition:
Adam Granger
Billyshes
Bradley Bower
Brandon Combs
BuzzWasHere
Christopher Swanson
CrippleMonkey
Daniel Danciu
Darrin Goren
Donal Botkin
Don Dachenhausen III
Don Watters
Erik Lange
Joe Buote
John Arnold
jon reddish
Kip Ingram
Linas Orentas
Lord of the Chords Live on Indiegogo Now!
Marc Bulandr
Marek Pawlowski
Markos Zouganelis
Martin
Morgan M.
Nick White
Patrick Ryan
Philip Sharp
Stephen Marz
Tyler Sherkin

My Patreon: patreon.com/signalsmusicstudio

The BEST Way to Learn Scales and Make Music [Composing with Bebop Dominant]

Signals Music Studio 2020-05-26 | The Chord Progression Codex is NOW AVAILABLE! https://shorturl.at/bouLV
My pro theory + songwriting course: bit.ly/2J2Nctn
Enroll in my Rhythm Training Course at ANY price! bit.ly/3wDacU4

FRETASTIC is free, no downloads! fretastic.com

I can’t wait to share with you all the absolute best way to learn scales and shapes on the guitar, and it’s totally free- I swear this isn’t an ad!!! It’s just literally the best resource I’ve found for guitarists who are into learning scales and shapes (hope you are!) and should actually save you quite a bit of cash on paper charts and books.

In addition to showing you all how I use and practice with Fretastic, I demonstrate how easily your scale practicing can turn into a real song, by walking through the process of finding a scale, choosing it’s accompanying chords, and adding other instruments like bass, drums, and keys. I composed and produced the music in Ableton 10 and Reason 11, and as I mention, there were quite a few technical difficulties that needed to be overcome.

Regardless, with patience and persistence I was able to get back on track, and even film a music video for the concept. If I were to finish this track into a whole song, it would take way more time than I am comfortable with just to upload it for this video. So instead, I’ll be completing this song on my own time and will upload it to Spotify when it’s done – I’ll let you all know when that happens!

Huge thank you to Gary Simon from DesignCourse. He’s a fan of the channel, and if it weren’t for him, we wouldn’t have this awesome resource to learn with. Here’s his channel on web design:
youtube.com/user/DesignCourse
And his guitar channel as well!
youtube.com/channel/UCZbZKXvxqvBeRY0F6gDwv6w

And most of all, thank you to my Patreon Supporters for making these lessons possible. Since I don’t do ads, they’re the real sponsors. Join them here: www.patreon.com/signalsmusicstudio
The following Patreon members get special recognition for their gratitude!

Adam Granger
Billyshes
Bradley Bower
Brandon Combs
BuzzWasHere
Christopher Swanson
CrippleMonkey
Daniel Danciu
Darrin Goren
Donal Botkin
Don Dachenhausen III
Don Watters
Erik Lange
Joe Buote
John Arnold
jon reddish
Kip Ingram
Linas Orentas
Lord of the Chords Live on Indiegogo Now!
Marc Bulandr
Marek Pawlowski
Markos Zouganelis
Martin
Morgan M.
Nick White
Patrick Ryan
Philip Sharp
Stephen Marz
Tyler Sherkin

Table of Contents
00:00 Intro
01:23- Lesson begins
06:19- Bebop Composition
11:58- New song!

Jake Lizzio / Kerry Devine - Whats Comin To Ya [Classic Rock / 80s Hair Metal Genre]

Signals Music Studio 2020-05-09 | My Complete Theory and Songwriting course is NOW OUT! bit.ly/38fs0sx See how I made this song: youtu.be/39iZqrZf66o
Get the song on spotify / itunes, etc: bit.ly/3coZQwk
For my fifth episode of Riffing With The Modes, I decided to write an entire 80's rock single to demonstrate the power of Mixolydian. Kerry Devine performed vocals and Jeff Schwertfeger played drums. The video was filmed at a tiny suburban concert venue during quarantine, and then I filmed some greenscreen shots later on. The effects are all stock premiere effects- lots of color adjustments, channel blur, and automated zooms. Plus fake shakey cam when needed!

Hope you enjoy this one, it's the sort of song I would love to hear on the radio once a year and not much more than that, lol

THANK YOU TO MY PATREON SUBSCRIBERS FOR SUPPORTING MY VIDEOS
www.patreon.com/signalsmusicstudio

How To Make A Classic Rock Hit Single 35 Years Late [RIFFING WITH MODES #5 - MIXOLYDIAN]

Signals Music Studio 2020-05-05 | The Chord Progression Codex is NOW AVAILABLE! https://shorturl.at/bouLV
My pro theory + songwriting course: bit.ly/2J2Nctn
Enroll in my Rhythm Training Course at ANY price! bit.ly/3wDacU4

Guitar tabs at my Patreon: patreon.com/posts/36780106
This giant lesson is essentially a mini documentary on how to create a classic rock 80s metal hit track. Of course it's several decades late, but I certainly don't mind- there's so much to learn through out this process, from wielding music theory to collaborating with other musicians, and I believe this lesson does a good job of demonstrating that entire process and what it can lead to.

It also features the one and only Kerry Devine as a guest vocalist to guide us through the twists and turns of melodies in the fifth mode. His work can be found here:
Rockstar Roadshow (National Act): rockstarroadshow.com
LAVA Rock (Chicagoland Area): lavarockband.com/home

All of this was done to highlight how to use the Mixolydian scale/mode but I got a bit carried away. Once I realized I was having a vocalist help, I felt obligated to turn it into a full single instead of a little musical tidbit as I've made in my other Riffing With The Modes videos. It takes me a TON of time to finish a single like this, well over 100hrs was spent just on the song for recording, tracking, editing, mixing, mastering, tweaking. The lesson video was nearly as taxing, but I did elicit some help in editing the basic parts of my music video so thanks to Joe Watychowicz for filming some of those fun 80s shots for the video and doing some basic editing work.

What's really weird, is Ben Eller happened to post a video describing 80's hair metal pedal tone riffing on the exact same day as I posted this video. Check out his video here to understand the concept in MUCH more detail! youtu.be/B4lWLqp0U6g

The song will post separately as a music video here in a few days once the track is up on spotify. To be quite honest, I could talk for another 40 minutes about obscure and tiny decisions that HAD to have been made when producing this song but I had to reign it in somewhere, so if you're interested in a part two let me know!

Videos mentioned or referenced this one:
ACDC + Mixolydian: youtu.be/5kYsVpLtOmc
Metallica Scale: youtu.be/UuqvZDDm_bk
Blues Lead lesson with microbends: youtu.be/roVM2n2BX14

An incredible earnest thank you goes to my Patreon subscribers who sponsored this lesson. Without them I'd be doing review videos and jewelry ads instead of making music and lessons. A special shoutout to the following fine folks:

Adam Granger
Billyshes
Bradley Bower
Brandon Combs
BuzzWasHere
Christopher Swanson
CrippleMonkey
Daniel Danciu
Darrin Goren
Donal Botkin
Don Dachenhausen III
Don Watters
Erik Lange
Joe Buote
John Arnold
jon reddish
Kip Ingram
Linas Orentas
Lord of the Chords Live on Indiegogo Now!
Marc Bulandr
Marek Pawlowski
Markos Zouganelis
Martin
Morgan M.
Nick White
Patrick Ryan
Philip Sharp
Stephen Marz

My Patreon: www.patreon.com/signalsmusicstudio
Table of Contents:
00:00 Intro
00:37 Mixolydian Vibe + Inspiration
02:55 Writing An Intro Riff
06:49 Recording and Producing an Intro
09:23 Bass Guitar Options
12:00 Intonation Issues with Major Thirds
14:35 Writing a Verse with Movable Thirds
17:09 Writing a Prechorus
20:22 Writing a Chorus
22:17 Using the Neutral Third
25:50 Crafting a Solo Section
17:32 Writing a Bridge
29:48 Extra elements of a song
31:52 WHAT'S COMIN' TO YA?
25:48 Composing with Intent
37:37 Succesful Collaborations

Does The Diminished viiº Chord Even Exist?

Signals Music Studio 2020-04-07 | The Chord Progression Codex is NOW AVAILABLE! https://shorturl.at/bouLV
My pro theory + songwriting course: bit.ly/2J2Nctn
Enroll in my Rhythm Training Course at ANY price! bit.ly/3wDacU4

PDF at my Patreon: bit.ly/2UQnhbr
Thx to KLOS for the carbon fiber acoustic! klosguitars.com

This is a deep lesson, not for the faint of heart. To sweeten the burden of all this knowledge I’ve made a silly intro that I hope you enjoy. If I get demonetized, so be it, I think its worth it cause its still cracking me up and I’ve watched in a hundred times already.

Long story short - the diatonic seven chord is diminished, everyone knows that. But what does that actually mean, and is it even helpful to think of viiº , the simple triad, as its own independent chord? This video demonstrates several of its relationships with other chords, in particular the dominant chord V7 and its variations. The goal of this lesson is to have more options, possibilities, and techniques to working with a viiº chord.

If you’re confused about secondary dominants, check my video here: youtu.be/py4HaueW50Q

And to know more about using dim7 chords, check my videos here:
Using Diminished Chords: youtu.be/koulaYcijEE
Diminished Portals: youtu.be/olSSi6GOKZ8
Harmonized Diminished 7th: youtu.be/0VJHqvtz12c

Like this video? Thank my Patreon subscribers for sponsoring these lessons! They're the reason you don't see ads or sponsorships in the middle of my videos. Especially the following folks:

Adam Granger
Billyshes
Bradley Bower
Brandon Combs
BuzzWasHere
Christopher Swanson
CrippleMonkey
Daniel Danciu
Darrin Goren
Donal Botkin
Don Dachenhausen III
Don Watters
Erik Lange
Joe Buote
John Arnold
jon reddish
Kip Ingram
Linas Orentas
Lord of the Chords Live on Indiegogo Now!
Marc Bulandr
Marek Pawlowski
Markos Zouganelis
Martin
Morgan M.
Nick White
Patrick Ryan
Philip Sharp
Stephen Marz

You can join them here: www.patreon.com/signalsmusicstudio

Table of Contents:
00:00 Secrets Of The Seven Chord
00:57 Intro
01:30 Dominant Function
02:57 Advantages Of V Over viiº
03:40 How To Arrive At viiº
04:15 Half-Diminished Chords
05:22 Treating the Half-Diminished Chord as V9
06:13 What About viiº7?
07:56 How to use viiº7
09:20 Context and The Art Of Using vii Chords
11:33 Conclusion

Live Quarantine Lessons - Blues Guitar Day 5 [Band Arrangement]

Signals Music Studio 2020-03-27 | Graduation day! You can download the lesson resources for free (many pdfs, and mp3s) at my website, all you need is an email. signalsmusicstudio.com/home/signup
This lesson was livestreamed on 3/27/2020.
Thank my Patreon supporters for making this free course possible!
www.patreon.com/signalsmusicstudio

Live Quarantine Lessons - Blues Guitar Day 4 [Minor Blues]

Signals Music Studio 2020-03-26 | Note- I did edit out a mistake in this video since it made the presentation confusing. I alude to the mistake later on in case you're wondering. You can download the lesson resources for free (many pdfs, and mp3s) at my website, all you need is an email. signalsmusicstudio.com/home/signup
This lesson was livestreamed on 3/26/2020. Tomorrow I'll be wrapping up this course (as long as my internet doesn't die on me like it did today!)
Thank my Patreon supporters for making this free course possible!
www.patreon.com/signalsmusicstudio

Live Quarantine Lessons - Blues Guitar Day 3 [Lead Playing]

Signals Music Studio 2020-03-25 | Download the lesson resources for free (many pdfs, and mp3s) at my website
signalsmusicstudio.com/courses/5-day-blues
This lesson was livestreamed on 3/25/2020. Every day this week I'll be live streaming the remainder of this course at 2PM CST, and then will upload the video afterwards.
Thank my Patreon supporters for making this free course possible!
www.patreon.com/signalsmusicstudio

Live Quarantine Lessons - Blues Guitar day 2

Signals Music Studio 2020-03-24 | Download the lesson resources for free (many pdfs, and mp3s) at my website signalsmusicstudio.com/courses/5-day-blues
This lesson was livestreamed on 3/24/2020. Every day this week I'll be live streaming the remainder of this course at 2PM CST, and then will upload the video afterwards.
Thank my Patreon supporters for making this free course possible!
www.patreon.com/signalsmusicstudio

Quarantine Lessons- Blues Guitar Crash Course 1/5

Signals Music Studio 2020-03-23 | The Chord Progression Codex is NOW AVAILABLE! https://shorturl.at/bouLV
My Complete Theory and Songwriting course is NOW OUT! bit.ly/38fs0sx
Get all the PDFs for THIS course here: signalsmusicstudio.com/courses/5-day-blues
This lesson was livestreamed on 3/23/2020. Every day this week I'll be live streaming the remainder of this course at 2PM CST, and then will upload the video afterwards.
Thank my Patreon supporters for making this free course possible!
www.patreon.com/signalsmusicstudio

What Makes A BAD Teacher? An Interview with Levi Clay

Signals Music Studio 2020-03-09 | The Chord Progression Codex is NOW AVAILABLE! https://shorturl.at/bouLV
My Complete Theory and Songwriting course is NOW OUT! bit.ly/38fs0sx Full Interview at Levi's Channel- youtu.be/YQBhQgG9fsk
What's the deal with crappy teachers? My own traumatic experience of bad instructors is not unique, so I probed the topic with experienced teacher and YouTuber Levi Clay. To get a taste of what Levi is all about, check out this great video on fanned frets:
youtube.com/watch?v=LDrwqPgAGF4

Or this lesson on Melodic Minor:
youtube.com/watch?v=Up8eW107S-0

The full conversation can be found on his channel. This video is a shortened down version. Thanks a billion to Levi for contributing his time and thoughts for this video.

The Riffing With Modes: Mixolydian video is gonna be wild, and is going to take a long time to get finished so I plan on posting at least one other video before that one is out. This one was a fun opportunity to try something different. I do the occasional podcast for my Patreon subscribers and intend on doing more for YouTube soon, but I'd never done this sort of recorded skype interview. It turned out to be a great project but actually took more time than I anticipated because I'm a total n00b at all things webcam+streaming+interview related. There were a ton of process issues I had to overcome for the first (and hopefully last) time. Fortunately, Levi was willing to put up with my technical issues (he couldn't even see me!) and throughout the process I learned some things. For example, next time around, the video will be in much higher quality as it SHOULD be. I didn't have OBS configured properly (still).

Thanks to my patreon supporters for sponsoring these videos. You can join them here -
patreon.com/signalsmusicstudio

A special thanks is owed to the following folks:
Adam Granger
Billyshes
Bradley Bower
Brandon Combs
BuzzWasHere
Christopher Swanson
CrippleMonkey
Daniel Danciu
Darrin Goren
Don Dachenhausen III
Don Watters
Erik Lange
Joe Buote
John Arnold
jon reddish
Kip Ingram
Linas Orentas
Lord of the Chords Live on Indiegogo Now!
Marc Bulandr
Marek Pawlowski
Markos Zouganelis
Martin
Morgan M.
Nick White
Patrick Ryan
Philip Sharp
Stephen Marz

Lydian + 7/4 = Writing Dreamy Instrumental Prog Rock [RIFFING WITH MODES #4]

Signals Music Studio 2020-03-01 | The Chord Progression Codex is NOW AVAILABLE! https://shorturl.at/bouLV
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Skip to 19:13 to hear the dreamy lydian grooves.
If you like Lydian you will LOVE my ultimate modal poster: bit.ly/2URf0Ex
Mp3 and Tabs at my Patreon: patreon.com/posts/34465055

This is a demonstration and lesson on how to exploit the Lydian mode’s properties and features in order to create dreamy prog rock riffs and sections. We explore several ideas outside of Lydian, including writing in 7/4, polymeter, line clichés, and more.

To learn the basics of Lydian, check my lesson here: youtu.be/Ou_Z9ol8r0I

This is part four of a series. The other episodes are found here:
Ionian: youtu.be/gbNLhx2eCXs
Dorian: youtu.be/_r6ftqp1bkA
Phrygian: youtu.be/cSSAJ0goWiE

My patreon supporters make these videos possible. I post extra lessons for them there, as well as tabs and pdf’s for ALL members. Special thanks to the following:

Adam Granger
Billyshes
Bradley Bower
Brandon Combs
BuzzWasHere
Christopher Swanson
CrippleMonkey
Daniel Danciu
Darrin Goren
Don Dachenhausen III
Don Watters
Erik Lange
Joe Buote
John Arnold
jon reddish
Kip Ingram
Linas Orentas
Lord of the Chords Live on Indiegogo Now!
Marc Bulandr
Marek Pawlowski
Markos Zouganelis
Martin
Morgan M.
Nick White
Patrick Ryan
Philip Sharp
Stephen Marz

You can join them here: www.patreon.com/signalsmusicstudio

Table of Contents:
00:00 Intro
01:05 Doing More With 7/4
02:01 Finding Your Rhythm, Scale Key and Shape Patterns
04:03 Tone and Timbre
04:42 Layering: Building the Lydian Cloud
07:06 Giant Power Chords
07:39 Finding a Motif
08:34 Introducing the Riff
09:05 Making a Riff From Our Motif
09:46 Using a Line Cliche
10:44 Supporting the Line Cliche
12:30 Bringing In a Lead
13:44 Key Modulation
15:47 Writing a Solo
16:53 Modulating Back To Your Original Key
17:53 Composing an Outro
19:13 Lotus Latus (Full Composition)
21:45 Wrap-Up

Writing Morse Code Math Metal in Phrygian - Riffing with Modes #3

Signals Music Studio 2020-02-15 | The Chord Progression Codex is NOW AVAILABLE! https://shorturl.at/bouLV
My pro theory + songwriting course: bit.ly/2J2Nctn
Enroll in my Rhythm Training Course at ANY price! bit.ly/3wDacU4

Skip to 14:10 to hear "War Monks". Like Phrygian? You’ll LOVE my Ultimate Modal Poster: bit.ly/2URf0Ex
Tabs At My Patreon: patreon.com/posts/34061528

Writing and composing riffs with Phrygian is ripe ground for growing dark, doomy, and chaotic metal riffs. This video explores some compositional options, including modulations, odd time signatures, overlapping meters, and poor attempts at choral arrangement.
The basis of this song is a rhythm constructed from morse code. A note to the attentive- I did not completely honor or respect the resting pattern, instead, I used the rhythmic pulses to direct the rhythm of my riff. If you were to try to reverse engineer my rhythm just by listening to it, it would be quite difficult considering the rests are smudged a bit.

Shout out to Early Music Sources for the inspiration: earlymusicsources.com/youtube
And thanks to Mike Muggli aka Moog Lee for adding synth layers: youtube.com/user/Midiman741
GIANT thank you to my Patrons, who sponsor these videos! Special thanks to the following:

Adam Granger
Billyshes
Bradley Bower
Brandon Combs
BuzzWasHere
Christopher Swanson
CrippleMonkey
Daniel Danciu
Darrin Goren
Don Dachenhausen III
Don Watters
Erik Lange
Joe Buote
John Arnold
jon reddish
Kip Ingram
Linas Orentas
Lord of the Chords Live on Indiegogo Now!
Marc Bulandr
Marek Pawlowski
Markos Zouganelis
Martin
Morgan M.
Nick White
Patrick Ryan
Philip Sharp
Stephen Marz

You can join them here: www.patreon.com/signalsmusicstudio

Table of Contents:
00:00 Intro
00:51 Phrygian: The Third Mode
02:08 Inspiration
02:58 Adding Chaotic Rhythms Using Morse Code to Build Your Riff
05:23 How To Use Your Rhythm
06:21 Adding Chords with Phrygian Flavor
08:36 Writing a Phrygian Solo
09:19 Adding Something New
10:15 Modulating Between Whole Steps
12:52 Adding Variety to Your Main Riff
14:10 "War Monks"
16:40 Closing Notes

How Inversions and Slash Chords Create Better Progressions [MUSIC THEORY]

Signals Music Studio 2020-02-02 | The Chord Progression Codex is NOW AVAILABLE! https://shorturl.at/bouLV
My pro theory + songwriting course: bit.ly/2J2Nctn
Enroll in my Rhythm Training Course at ANY price! bit.ly/3wDacU4

I've posted a PDF to my Patreon that contains all the info taught in this video. patreon.com/posts/new-video-pdf-33657311

Inverted chords are extremely useful. Working with inversions allows us to create better sounding progressions, since the bass is no longer stuck to jumping in parallel with the chord. This video explains the basic music theory of chords in first and second inversion, also called 63 and 64 chords respectively. In addition, we explore slash chord notation and 4 examples in full of how inversions can help us write more interesting and likable progressions.

The following videos are referenced in this lesson:
Writing Progressions in Major: youtu.be/M8eItITv8QA
Writing Progressions in Minor: youtu.be/j-j4g0ktPGw
Borrowed Chords: youtu.be/7IdttvJSedg
Secondary Dominant:youtu.be/py4HaueW50Q
Analyzing George Harrison's "Something": youtu.be/wcG7G1Ixb6E
My song, Generations: youtu.be/5Z5Ljhbp3A0

Want to support my channel AND get a cool studying resource? Buy my Ultimate Modal Poster!
teespring.com/signals-ultimate-modal-poster

You can also support me through my Patreon: ww.patreon.com/signalsmusicstudio
Special recognition to the following members! Without them these videos would not exist:

Adam Granger
Billyshes
Bradley Bower
Brandon Combs
BuzzWasHere
Christopher Swanson
CrippleMonkey
Daniel Danciu
Darrin Goren
Don Dachenhausen III
Don Watters
Erik Lange
Joe Buote
John Arnold
jon reddish
Kip Ingram
Linas Orentas
Lord of the Chords Live on Indiegogo Now!
Marc Bulandr
Marek Pawlowski
Markos Zouganelis
Martin
Morgan M.
Nick White
Patrick Ryan
Philip Sharp
Stephen Marz

You can join them here: www.patreon.com/signalsmusicstudio

Table of Contents:
00:00 Intro
00:40 What Are Inversions?
01:23 First Inversion
02:23 Using Slash Chords
03:07 Second Inversion
03:58 Minor Chord Inversions
04:28 Using Inversions
06:51 Inversions In Action: George Harrison "Something"
08:35 Inversions In Action: Dream Theater "Scene One: Regression"
10:20 Inversions In Action: Jake Lizzio "Generations"
12:37 Wrapping Up

Writing Powerful Dorian Dad Rock in 6/8 - Riffing with Modes #2

Signals Music Studio 2020-01-18 | The Chord Progression Codex is NOW AVAILABLE! https://shorturl.at/bouLV
My pro theory + songwriting course: bit.ly/2J2Nctn
Enroll in my Rhythm Training Course at ANY price! bit.ly/3wDacU4

Skip to 15:50 to hear the full dorian dad rock demo! Buy the Ultimate Modal Poster: bit.ly/30vHeWc
Confused about Dorian? Watch my lesson here: youtu.be/hyZPcYf1Pe4
There is an ERROR here at 13:48, the "bVI - bVII - I" chords are incorrectly labeled - should be "Bb - C - Dm. (thanks icanplaytehdrums)
Riffing with Modes part 1 (Ionian) found here: youtu.be/gbNLhx2eCXs

Dorian is capable of way more than just jazz and funk. This video teaches how to write riffs with the Dorian mode, and also how to arrange those riffs into a full song. We explore a little bit of modal interchange, by borrowing from the parallel minor key, but mostly focus in on the 2nd mode.
Don’t take me too seriously when I say that dad rock isn’t “too complicated or insightful”. I’m generalizing, for better or for worse.

FAQ:
Q: Why does your song sound like “Turn The Page”?
A: Because the chord progression for that song is the same- except it is in E dorian instead of D, and this song the chord changes every measure instead of every two. Also he sings the lyric "There I go", and I sing the lyric "There he goes"
Q: Why does your song sound like Metallica?
A: Because I’m trying to sound like James Hetfield
Q: Why does your song sound like Bon Jovi’s “Wanted: Dead or Alive”?
A: Because it’s played on an acoustic guitar, the tonal center is D, and I bend the minor third into that twangin territory.
Q: Why does your song sound like Bon Jovi’s “You Give Love A Bad Name”?
A: Because of that big major IV chord in the prechorus that resolves to the tonic. It’s heard in the prechorus of both songs.
Q: Why does your song remind me of “Norweigan Wood” by the Beatles?
A: Because the pick-strumma-strumma in 6/8 is similar to the pick-strumma-strumma in that song.

This video is brought to you by my patreon subscribers. You can join them here: patreon.com/signalsmusicstudio
HUGE THANKS to the following Patreon members!

Adam Granger
Billyshes
Bradley Bower
Brandon Combs
BuzzWasHere
Christopher Swanson
CrippleMonkey
Daniel Danciu
Darrin Goren
Don Dachenhausen III
Don Watters
Erik Lange
Joe Buote
John Arnold
jon reddish
Kip Ingram
Linas Orentas
Lord of the Chords Live on Indiegogo Now!
Marc Bulandr
Marek Pawlowski
Markos Zouganelis
Martin
Morgan M.
Nick White
Patrick Ryan
Philip Sharp

Table of Contents:
00:00 Intro
01:44 Picking a Dorian Key
02:43 Writing a Dorian Chord Progression
03:31 Using Rhythms in 6/8
05:51 Writing Riffs
08:55 Applying Guitar Layers
10:10 Writing a Verse
10:41 Adding a Bassline
11:26 Adding Vocals
11:58 Writing a New Chord Progression
14:23 Writing a Chorus
15:04 Closing the Song
15:48 "Willing To Bleed"
17:37 Wrapping Up

Riffing With Modes #1: Writing with Major/Ionian [Rock/Prog style]

Signals Music Studio 2019-12-21 | The Chord Progression Codex is NOW AVAILABLE! https://shorturl.at/bouLV
My pro theory + songwriting course: bit.ly/2J2Nctn
Enroll in my Rhythm Training Course at ANY price! bit.ly/3wDacU4

I posted a video on how I wrote the solo (at 16:52) with tabs at my Patreon: bit.ly/35Ll3x1

Riffing with Modes part 2- Dorian Dad Rock:youtu.be/_r6ftqp1bkA
This is the first of a seven part series on how to write riffs. Every guitarist should be able to make a decent riff, and throughout these videos, I’ll be demonstrating the strategies and techniques I use to writing music on the guitar.
Each video will focus on a different mode of major, but will not always be totally limited to that key. In the case of this video, we perform a relative modulation by resolving to the vi chord for long enough to make it feel like our new tonal center. In future videos, we’ll build on the skills we learned before and explore new possibilities.

To fully understand this video you’ll want to know the following topics-
Major Scale + Chords: youtu.be/M8eItITv8QA
Seventh Chords: youtu.be/3JizNRwHYNY
Suspended Chords Pt 1: youtu.be/qu49nYaBfdM

This video is brought to you by an incredible subsection of the human race known as MY PATREON SUBSCRIBERS. I owe them my thanks for their support, and so do you if you learned something from this video! You can join them here:
www.patreon.com/signalsmusicstudio
Special thanks to the following members:

Adam Granger
Billyshes
Bradley Bower
Brandon Combs
BuzzWasHere
Christopher Swanson
CrippleMonkey
Daniel Danciu
Darrin Goren
Don Dachenhausen III
Don Watters
Erik Lange
Joe Buote
John Arnold
jon reddish
Kip Ingram
Linas Orentas
Lord of the Chords Live on Indiegogo Now!
Marc Bulandr
Marek Pawlowski
Markos Zouganelis
Martin
Morgan M.
Nick White
Patrick Ryan
Philip Sharp

Table of Contents:
00:00 Intro
01:33 Riffing in Major Basics
02:12 Constructing a Major Riff
04:15 Expanding your Major Riff
06:51 Spicing Up the Rhythm
09:35 Next Steps
10:20 Repackaging your Major Riff
11:06 Adding a B Section
14:36 Happy Rhythmic Accidents
16:25 Finished Product!
17:23 Closing Notes