Give your chord progressions colour and flair by introducing a handful of ‘out of key’ notes. We’ve previously looked at diatonic chords, ie, chords belonging to a scale or key. As their name suggests ...

Like major 7th chords, dominant 7ths are a major chord with an extra note added. And, as with all chords, we’ll be using formulas to help you remember how each one is built. Whenever you look at how a ...

If there’s one thing you can do to take your songwriting to the next level, it’s getting to grips with new chords. Use our ...

When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Credit: Gai Terrell/Redferns/Getty Images Complete mastery of the fretboard – as much as such a ...

A lot of the elements that make pop music successful relate to it being catchy and familiar. As a songwriter, there are many ways to engender this feeling in listeners, to do with song structure, ...

Have you ever wondered how jazz musicians can play along to a new song that they have never heard? It is all thanks to chord progressions. And there are only about 10-20 of those that musicians use ...

Lo-fi is to audio what black-and-white or sepia-tinted film is to visual. Often lo-fi tracks will loop a sample from an old vinyl record, complete with scratches and crackles, then drop it over a ...