Music Theory

I just posted on my website, “just enough theory.” In this songwriting tip, I tried to provide the minimum amount of theory needed to write a song. For years, I had written songs by the trial and error method, trying different chords until I found the ones that I liked. When I learned how the chords were related to a major scale, my ability to express myself went way up. No longer did I spend weeks searching for that next chord. For example, the chords you can use in the key of C are; C, Dm, Em, F, G, Am, Bdim. To many musicians, this is basic beyond belief. To a self taught person, it was unlocking one of the great mysteries.

My tips section is designed to be really basic. There are many sites on the web that provide much more detail. The one I like best on theory is Music Theory for Songwriters.

Knowledge is power!