I’m 73 and I just discovered how fascinating music theory is. I’m a self taught musician and can’t read music. But the theory I understand. When I was in college other students said they were talking music theory. I wanted to but they said I had to be able to read music. I played bass in a band and on until I retired. Now I’m playing acoustic and electric guitars and really enjoying what I’ve learned about music theory. Too bad I’m not in Britain where I could take your class in college.
The way to learn how to read music is to play music while reading it. When I was a child I use to cheat on the staff and draw in the fingerings for the notes but as an adult when I picked my instrument back up I did not do that and my brain automatically connects the fingers to the note on the page so you are no longer consciously reading the notes as you play. It is more like recognizing a street sign without reading it or like speed readers of books recognizing word length and shape without reading each letter out. Partly your muscle memory learns songs you played before but the muscle memory learns where to put your fingers based on where your eyes see the notes so it helps with more songs than the one you played 100 times. As for the notation on the sheet music like when to raise in volume or when to isolate the notes and not slur them, when you slightly speed up, that can come just from listening to other recordings of the song and there is more leeway for you to fudge around and experiment with what you did or did not accentuate anyway. That is part of individual interpretation and originality. A purist will try to do exactly what the composer wanted and research the composer and their original markings or expectations. Anyway, my point is that the only way to learn to read music is to take your instrument and start playing the notes you see. Start off slow and you get better and faster.
This is awesome man! I'm also just now discovering music theory and realizing how many doors it opens for my music. If you want to learn to read music, it's really helpful in applying the theory and I recommend it! Im in a music theory class so I have been forced to learn how to read it, and if you want to, I recommend just googling free sheet music and going through slowly and determining what the notes are. The rest will come with practice. The acronyms Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge (Treble clef line notes) and Good Burritos Don't Fall Apart (Bass clef notes) as well as getting familiar with where Middle C is (On the line between the two clefs) is really all you need. Happy music making!
Through listening to lots of music i know where the bridge is and its effect on the song. This lesson has explained it very clearly what is happening with the cords and the theory behind it. I had a light bulb moment, thamk you for the lesson.
You're most welcome, and thanks for the comment. Much appreciated. I'm not sure if this would be of interest to you (it might be, if you are an active songwriter), but we put out other content and host monthly live Q&A sessions, which you can join here: www.patreon.com/howtowritesongs?fan_landing=true
I have just started my song writing journey (at age 59) and struggled with the bridge in my first two songs, think this information will help my future bridge attempts.
Self taught oboist from 10 years old. Dad a concert pianist taught at Yale for Paul Hindemith as a student. I turned pages for him since 8 years old, and he never tsught me any harmony. Then i started playing guitar and used all his fake books to learn how to play knowing the major mode and studying Jerry Coker Jazz Improvisation and learning modes from the Major mode. The way you explained and graphed the minor mode was excellent, and how to borrow here and there from mixolydian and minor modes. These are all suggestions i've used before, but explained in a way that gives me a more open and free way to think about how to find our contrasts in our progressions to maintain interest for ourselves and the listener. Kudos!
I only discovered your channel this morning and I am already completely immersed in it. You, quite accidentally, make me feel quite clever. Despite passing 'O' level Music (British schooling, forty years ago - a very basic school-leaving exam) I did not know that what I was doing was modal that I have been using the mixolydian scale all these decades. I love the diagrams showing the fretboard. You are very generous, freely giving away all your knowledge. I look forward to learning more, especially on the lyrics side of things, which is where I always fail miserably. Many thanks.
Keppie you do a marvelous job of explaining the strategies and theory. I have been using line cliches for 50 years - never heard the term! (The Beatles use this in the bridge of “And Your Bird Can Sing.”) Modal interchange - The Beatles use this effectively all the time. Two examples are “I Want to Hold Your Hand” (the Dm7 that starts the bridge) and “From Me to You” (does it twice - the Gm7 that starts the bridge, and the D7 that starts the second line of the bridge. When I think of it, I beleive the bridge ends with an ascending line cliché!) Your song is gorgeous. I’ll be studying that progression as an exercise.
Thanks for making this free. I am an unpaid church musician but I want to be good at what I love and this helps. Psychology of the song listener, cords theory, both good stuff you presented.
Not to take anything away from the content of the video, just want to express my admiration for that gorgeous guitar too. Love that fretboard inlay. Photographs well. Nice one.
I've written a couple handful of songs, whether it be for personal enjoyment or to play with the band. But honestly these videos help a lot, I've taken classes on how to be a great instrumentalist but never took the time or saw the importance in learning song writing in conjunction with it.
Fantastic! A music device question I’ve been longing to find an answer to: In John Lennon’s first attempt at a ballad, “If I Fell”, I read that Paul McCartney wrote the great Intro to that song. I’ve always marveled at its brilliant modulation device, starting 1/2 step above the tonic D, and chromatically walking until it resolves to D with the II-V Em-A. Knowing McCartney grew up on WW II music, do you know of any big band song where he might have heard this chromatic modulation device? I can’t think of another Beatles song where he uses this technique, but I’ve always found it to be one of the most masterfully musical devices of all modulations I’ve ever heard in any song. I’m hoping you can suggest a song or songs that use this technique. Now that I’m asking you, it comes to mind that it might be the kind of music device used by Glenn Miller’s Band. Thanks for your wonderful video! As others have said, you’re a great teacher and obviously very knowledgeable on song structure.
Great lesson! I have no formal training. My first songs were all verses😂. Then I discovered the verse. Now, I’m learning about bridges. The relative minor trick is something I look forward to exploring. Thank you….BTW, beautiful voice.
This teacher is correct! Listen to this bridge in your head from Dock Of The Bay by Otis Redding “Looks Like nothings gonna change Everything remans the same I can’t do what ten people ask me to do ! G C D perfect!
When you were describing some of your favorite parallel chords, for a split second I was expecting you to not mention the iv chord. Thankfully you didn’t! One of my favorite non-diatonic chord progressions
Very useful, thank you. I know line cliches and modal structures but, sometimes, it's really useful to get ideas and see how others think of using them.
Glad to hear it was useful, and thanks for the comment! Much appreciated. I'm not sure if this would be of interest to you (it might be, if you are an active songwriter), but we put out other content and host monthly live Q&A sessions, which you can join here: www.patreon.com/howtowritesongs?fan_landing=true
The extraordinary thing about the E-minor chord in the verse for me is that it comes so early in the song, when the key of F-major is not established yet. Be aware that it contains a B natural which is not part of the scale. The effect of harmonic ambiguity is even heightened by the fact that at this point, this note appears in the melody as well.
Thanks so much for this. I don’t know any theory and all of this kinda blows over my head, but listening to what you played while describing why you were playing really it brought me closer to understanding it more than I ever have. Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge and expertise. It’s greatly appreciated 🎉
This is a FABULOUS video. I have been a gigging musician for many years, written many songs that had local exposure/success. While I’ve successfully navigated some of the most challenging educational institutions in the world for non-musical education, music theory has always completely stumped me. Indeed, for the most part, I clutched Strategy 1 here and held on for dear life over the years (worked out fine). But this video really makes sense, and shows the path and value of other approaches without sounding like quantum mechanics and string theory expressed in Sanskrit. Bravo! (Almost makes me want to go beyond Strategy 1 for my next bridge! ; )
Thank you so much for your clear explanation of what are really fundamental aspects of song writing. I’m self taught and have very little formal knowledge of music theory but have just watched 2 of your videos which explain and demystify a number of what I’ve come to describe as happy accidents in my own stuff!
So I’ve been listening to a lot of Steely Dan and their bridges seem so random and out of the blue. Can you please find one and explain how and why they may have made that choice. Just found your channel and really enjoy it. Cheers from Seattle
thanks for the strategies, these work really well and are clearly explained. it might be helpful to turn the guitar volume up while youre singing though so that the examples you play are easier to hear
This is really great stuff. I've always wondered why things sound good and why they don't. So I searched on how to write a bridge and found this lesson. Thank you for creating this excellent explanation. I will be looking at more of your videos. Well done!
So many pop songs are now popping into my head where I now hear the relative minor change on the bridge and the line cliche. Daryl Hall's "Every Time You Go" just leapt right out at me. Thanks for spelling all this out.
Your videos are amazing ❤ I love watching them. You explain things in such an easy to understand way. I’d always wondered how for example a G to a Gm can work and now I know! Thank you 😊
Excellent! Very lucidly explained, and I appreciate that you do "assume" some knowledge on the part of your audience instead of getting bogged down in basics. I knew a lot of this stuff, but your way of explaining things really makes them understandable. I intend to binge watch your videos.
Wonderful info. Imediately applicable. Just trying to learn the wicked modes, didnt think about building chords with them. Definitely a most useful tool for the kit! Gracias.
Oh my god what an amazing video! This is exactly what i needed to know to finally step up my level of song structuring. I can now analyse all the bridges in my favourite songs and see what method they uses. Thats incredible. I used the relative minor method and i made probably my most advanced song ever today. Also the first song I analysed (God Bless America by Lana Del Rey) uses the Relative Minor method but uses the exact same progression in the bridge as in the pre-chorus. So thats also possible
HOW have I only discovered your channel today? I'm a huge fan of music theory channels....Adam Neely, 12 Tone, and especially Ben Levin. But this is the first time I've stumbled across your stuff. Immediate subscribe and like and all that fun stuff. :) I love that you apparently(?) focus on writing SONGS. Not just navel gazing at music theory for it's own sake. Love it!
i've started 3 songs/beats, using the tips you've shared! thanks very much. One track I have so far makes use of the (I -> v), while another uses progressions revolving around (IV - bVII - vi - III7). Love this channel, you guys take care!
Thanks so much Loh! We just put out a new online mini course, The Songwriting Process Start to Finish, which might be up your alley! You can check it out here: www.udemy.com/course/how-to-write-songs-the-songwriting-process-start-to-finish/?referralCode=8B3DC2EAEAC9833FECBF
You are wonderful! I love the spirit and clarity you bring to your teaching. I would love to hear you analyze "Year of the Cat". My wife think it's one of best written songs.
We could say it like this for the bridge... 'Go somewhere else and come back again'. There are no rules for where that 'somewhere else' is, but you will want to come back again.
Thank you so much for making this! The information you present is digestible and actionable. This is the first video I’m seeing from you, but it’s an instant subscribe. Can’t wait to watch more!
Thrilled to find you and your channel! I'm learning so much from you, already. Thanks for the absolute gold you pour into these videos, so very appreciated! And the song you're playing, "Last Call", is gorgeous.
Incredible video, thanks keppie. I didn't know the name for this kind of chromatic descent I've heard in so many tracks (including my own). I think the Line Cliche in Hey Jude is my favourite example of it
"and then if we're Paul McArtney we'll go . . ." Beautiful. Lovely vid - will check out your other stuff! Many thanks. Also, really happy you're using guitar - still a bit scared of keyboards :)
Terrific… and love the refined movements in Last Call. Any thoughts on what seems like a two bridge structure of say… ‘I want to hold your hand’? Or, how Bridges seem outlawed these days?
Great lesson, thank you so much. You just highlighted how bridge deficient my songs are and how vastly better they could be. I even considered doing a song in the form BBAB, utilising each style of bridge, 1,2 & 3, then realised the error of my ways. Seriously though, keep up the great videos, they’re much appreciated and it’s great seeing an Aussie on TH-cam for a change. Bruce, Canberra.
Love Bridge Composition theory. Billy Joel's New York State of Mind & Leon Russell/George Benson' s Masquerade goes from Cmajor in Verse to Emajor in the bridge using temporary downward modulatory II-Vs to get back home. Classical Guitar composer Leo Brouwer, when writing Free Fantasias on contemporary songs, begins the fantasia with motivic material from the bridge as an extended introduction before the A section. Love that idea. Often the lyrical content in the bridge is the most transcendent moment in the song. Why not emphasise that moment by using bridge motivic material in the introduction before the A section. I notice Keith Jarrett & Dave Gruisin do it on ballads. Bridge composition is so creative and Bridges have very rich material melodically & harmonically to worth with.
You are a wonderful instructor and present the material in an impeccable way. Having said that, how can that be a bridge in Yesterday? It repeats more than once; can we consider it a chorus instead?
Great lesson, thank you! I never heard the term line cliches, but I recognize them from the Beatles and Big Star. And that was the most accessible discussion of modes I've ever heard, usually I just run screaming when those terms get dropped!
Three part harmony is the only way to go when you need a great bridge..try it and you'll see what an amazing difference it makes. Song writing is a simple skill anyone can do as long as you remember what sounds good and makes music great to listen to. Just like all the major hit songs in the past hundred years have done with a few simple chords. My grandson has written hit songs since he was of the age of seven and now does it for a living and it very successful. Just remember to keep it simple and let your three part harmony take the wheels of success...💯👍
With what has been happening in the news lately concerning Ed Sheeren and his legal case with the estate of Marvin Gaye's co song writing partner. I found this video quiet fascinating and educational when seeing some of the possibilities song writers have at their disposal when it comes to harmony and chord progressions. With some knowledge of music theory and application it makes me wonder why do most modern songs today sound so harmonically similar i.e., 3 or 4 chords in the same diatonic key. This is especially true of music made in the country and western idiom. If you don't beleive me listen to the current country music charts. Great vid
(really need to wait til the end to comment) But this entire video was brilliant. So well explained. I didn’t know the cliche thing was a real thing. Thanks.
Been writing songs for ages so I understood most of the chord progressions used, however for beginners it would have been much more helpful to use a great song with a simple rock or folk progression such as G/C/G/C/D or the like and then just show how switching to the Em chord....the relative minor....gives a whole new feel to the bridge. There's probably tons of great songs using simple chords in the verses and then use the relative minor to start the bridge. If I was a beginner, I'd have been totally intimidated by this lesson! Don't forget, literally, thousands, if not millions, of hit songs were written using simple chord progressions.....be it folk, country, rock or blues. Not all rock songwriters were as knowledgeable as Paul McCartney about chord theory. Keith Richards and Lou Reed...Neil Young...Hank Williams...and on and on. Even many of John Lennon's best tunes use simple chord progressions. "Back in the USSR" by Lennon could have provided a good example of how to write an amazing bridge without unnecessarily complicated chords. They all had huge million selling hits using much simpler chords than the ones used here.
As Lou Reed famously said, "one chord is good, two is pushing it, and three, you're playing jazz", LOL! A total exaggeration of course, but he wrote some amazing songs with two or three chords. Great songwriting is about the hook....and that can't be taught. It's pure inspiration when it comes.
Lennon didn't write "Back in the USSR", McCartney did. If you're a well travelled listener who knows Beatles and solo material, you would also know who has some recognizable bridges and turnarounds back into the verse. I'd love to list which tracks, but it would be very long. For Lennon, he had a knack for bridges ending on E major before going back to the verse using chords that under lesser writers wouldn't work. The manner in how it flows is why it works. Two prime examples of bridges and turnarounds ending on E major is "I Should Have Known Better" and "Happy Xmas (War is Over)". I know the last one is a holiday tune, however it's a great example of the juxtaposition that's a hallmark of Lennon's music. He may have picked that up from McCartney very early on.
You're most welcome, and thanks for the comment. Much appreciated. I'm not sure if this would be of interest to you (it might be, if you are an active songwriter), but we put out other content and host monthly live Q&A sessions, which you can join here: www.patreon.com/howtowritesongs?fan_landing=true
You're most welcome, and thanks for the comment. Much appreciated. I'm not sure if this would be of interest to you (it might be, if you are an active songwriter), but we put out other content and host monthly live Q&A sessions, which you can join here: www.patreon.com/howtowritesongs?fan_landing=true
Fantastic explanation of the techniques. For another example of a great bridge, I’d recommend “Just Like a Woman” by Bob Dylan, which goes to the 3-major chord in the bridge. I’m working on a song right now that’s in G minor, so I’m going to try technique #1 and see how a bridge in Bb major will work with the song. Also, your song was really cool, as was your guitar! Well done. Thanks!
Thanks for this instruction. Now I understand a little bit more what McCartney was doing in the bridge of "Here, There and Everywhere" with these chords: F7, Bb, Gm, Cm, and D7. Though still not sure about the F7 and D7 . . .
Hey there - I'd have to check it out in more detail but often sneaky Dom chords are either functioning as secondary dominants, or as modal borrowing chords - it's common (and also sounds great) to use a II7, and III7 or a IV7 in any key. Try it!
Who skipped college and learned anyways thanks to people willing to share their information for free on free platforms? What a world we’re living in. I think we’ve come along way
I’m so used to playing the E and A shaped bar chords and modifying them as necessary. I always knew I had trouble connecting everything together as if I had blind spots or something. I didn’t realize it was because I couldn’t form the chords on the frets below the tonic in the G and C shapes. Or anything with the tonic on the D string. I’ve watched many videos on the caged system but until you explained the importance of which string the tonic starts on I couldn’t put it to use. It so much easier to find the chord tones now. The 45 min video was well worth the time
I’m 73 and I just discovered how fascinating music theory is. I’m a self taught musician and can’t read music. But the theory I understand. When I was in college other students said they were talking music theory. I wanted to but they said I had to be able to read music. I played bass in a band and on until I retired. Now I’m playing acoustic and electric guitars and really enjoying what I’ve learned about music theory. Too bad I’m not in Britain where I could take your class in college.
lol Keppie’s an Aussie! Tho, I heard a few good songs have come out of Britain over the years 😉
The way to learn how to read music is to play music while reading it. When I was a child I use to cheat on the staff and draw in the fingerings for the notes but as an adult when I picked my instrument back up I did not do that and my brain automatically connects the fingers to the note on the page so you are no longer consciously reading the notes as you play. It is more like recognizing a street sign without reading it or like speed readers of books recognizing word length and shape without reading each letter out. Partly your muscle memory learns songs you played before but the muscle memory learns where to put your fingers based on where your eyes see the notes so it helps with more songs than the one you played 100 times. As for the notation on the sheet music like when to raise in volume or when to isolate the notes and not slur them, when you slightly speed up, that can come just from listening to other recordings of the song and there is more leeway for you to fudge around and experiment with what you did or did not accentuate anyway. That is part of individual interpretation and originality. A purist will try to do exactly what the composer wanted and research the composer and their original markings or expectations. Anyway, my point is that the only way to learn to read music is to take your instrument and start playing the notes you see. Start off slow and you get better and faster.
This is awesome man! I'm also just now discovering music theory and realizing how many doors it opens for my music. If you want to learn to read music, it's really helpful in applying the theory and I recommend it! Im in a music theory class so I have been forced to learn how to read it, and if you want to, I recommend just googling free sheet music and going through slowly and determining what the notes are. The rest will come with practice. The acronyms Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge (Treble clef line notes) and Good Burritos Don't Fall Apart (Bass clef notes) as well as getting familiar with where Middle C is (On the line between the two clefs) is really all you need. Happy music making!
Through listening to lots of music i know where the bridge is and its effect on the song. This lesson has explained it very clearly what is happening with the cords and the theory behind it. I had a light bulb moment, thamk you for the lesson.
You're most welcome, and thanks for the comment. Much appreciated. I'm not sure if this would be of interest to you (it might be, if you are an active songwriter), but we put out other content and host monthly live Q&A sessions, which you can join here: www.patreon.com/howtowritesongs?fan_landing=true
Nice pfp
😅l😅
I have just started my song writing journey (at age 59) and struggled with the bridge in my first two songs, think this information will help my future bridge attempts.
Self taught oboist from 10 years old. Dad a concert pianist taught at Yale for Paul Hindemith as a student. I turned pages for him since 8 years old, and he never tsught me any harmony. Then i started playing guitar and used all his fake books to learn how to play knowing the major mode and studying Jerry Coker Jazz Improvisation and learning modes from the Major mode. The way you explained and graphed the minor mode was excellent, and how to borrow here and there from mixolydian and minor modes. These are all suggestions i've used before, but explained in a way that gives me a more open and free way to think about how to find our contrasts in our progressions to maintain interest for ourselves and the listener. Kudos!
I only discovered your channel this morning and I am already completely immersed in it. You, quite accidentally, make me feel quite clever. Despite passing 'O' level Music (British schooling, forty years ago - a very basic school-leaving exam) I did not know that what I was doing was modal that I have been using the mixolydian scale all these decades. I love the diagrams showing the fretboard. You are very generous, freely giving away all your knowledge. I look forward to learning more, especially on the lyrics side of things, which is where I always fail miserably. Many thanks.
Keppie you do a marvelous job of explaining the strategies and theory.
I have been using line cliches for 50 years - never heard the term! (The Beatles use this in the bridge of “And Your Bird Can Sing.”)
Modal interchange - The Beatles use this effectively all the time. Two examples are “I Want to Hold Your Hand” (the Dm7 that starts the bridge) and “From Me to You” (does it twice - the Gm7 that starts the bridge, and the D7 that starts the second line of the bridge. When I think of it, I beleive the bridge ends with an ascending line cliché!)
Your song is gorgeous. I’ll be studying that progression as an exercise.
Thanks for making this free. I am an unpaid church musician but I want to be good at what I love and this helps. Psychology of the song listener, cords theory, both good stuff you presented.
Neil Finn is a MASTER of the bridge. Song after song of perfect bridges e.g. Twice if You’re Lucky. Just wow.
Agreed. He makes them feel and sound seamless.
Not to take anything away from the content of the video, just want to express my admiration for that gorgeous guitar too. Love that fretboard inlay. Photographs well. Nice one.
tree of life 🤠
I've written a couple handful of songs, whether it be for personal enjoyment or to play with the band. But honestly these videos help a lot, I've taken classes on how to be a great instrumentalist but never took the time or saw the importance in learning song writing in conjunction with it.
Last Call is magic! Another great video. Very clear.
Fantastic! A music device question I’ve been longing to find an answer to: In John Lennon’s first attempt at a ballad, “If I Fell”, I read that Paul McCartney wrote the great Intro to that song. I’ve always marveled at its brilliant modulation device, starting 1/2 step above the tonic D, and chromatically walking until it resolves to D with the II-V Em-A.
Knowing McCartney grew up on WW II music, do you know of any big band song where he might have heard this chromatic modulation device?
I can’t think of another Beatles song where he uses this technique, but I’ve always found it to be one of the most masterfully musical devices of all modulations I’ve ever heard in any song. I’m hoping you can suggest a song or songs that use this technique. Now that I’m asking you, it comes to mind that it might be the kind of music device used by Glenn Miller’s Band.
Thanks for your wonderful video! As others have said, you’re a great teacher and obviously very knowledgeable on song structure.
Great lesson! I have no formal training. My first songs were all verses😂. Then I discovered the verse. Now, I’m learning about bridges. The relative minor trick is something I look forward to exploring.
Thank you….BTW, beautiful voice.
This teacher is correct! Listen to this bridge in your head from Dock Of The Bay by Otis Redding “Looks Like nothings gonna change Everything remans the same I can’t do what ten people ask me to do !
G C D perfect!
When you were describing some of your favorite parallel chords, for a split second I was expecting you to not mention the iv chord. Thankfully you didn’t! One of my favorite non-diatonic chord progressions
Very useful, thank you. I know line cliches and modal structures but, sometimes, it's really useful to get ideas and see how others think of using them.
Glad to hear it was useful, and thanks for the comment! Much appreciated. I'm not sure if this would be of interest to you (it might be, if you are an active songwriter), but we put out other content and host monthly live Q&A sessions, which you can join here: www.patreon.com/howtowritesongs?fan_landing=true
The extraordinary thing about the E-minor chord in the verse for me is that it comes so early in the song, when the key of F-major is not established yet. Be aware that it contains a B natural which is not part of the scale. The effect of harmonic ambiguity is even heightened by the fact that at this point, this note appears in the melody as well.
Thanks so much for this. I don’t know any theory and all of this kinda blows over my head, but listening to what you played while describing why you were playing really it brought me closer to understanding it more than I ever have. Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge and expertise. It’s greatly appreciated 🎉
This is a FABULOUS video. I have been a gigging musician for many years, written many songs that had local exposure/success. While I’ve successfully navigated some of the most challenging educational institutions in the world for non-musical education, music theory has always completely stumped me. Indeed, for the most part, I clutched Strategy 1 here and held on for dear life over the years (worked out fine). But this video really makes sense, and shows the path and value of other approaches without sounding like quantum mechanics and string theory expressed in Sanskrit. Bravo! (Almost makes me want to go beyond Strategy 1 for my next bridge! ; )
Young lady, you are brilliant. Thank you for your gifts via these videos.
Thank you so much for your clear explanation of what are really fundamental aspects of song writing. I’m self taught and have very little formal knowledge of music theory but have just watched 2 of your videos which explain and demystify a number of what I’ve come to describe as happy accidents in my own stuff!
Great explanation. I finally understand how modes are used.
Best and Clearest Explanations I’ve ever heard. Thank you so much. 😊you are a Brilliant Teacher.
So I’ve been listening to a lot of Steely Dan and their bridges seem so random and out of the blue. Can you please find one and explain how and why they may have made that choice. Just found your channel and really enjoy it. Cheers from Seattle
Hard Days Night is a total beauty
thanks for the strategies, these work really well and are clearly explained. it might be helpful to turn the guitar volume up while youre singing though so that the examples you play are easier to hear
Fabulous. You're such an amazing teacher. You make difficult stuff transparent.
Thank you for sharing
Tyler created my love for bridges ngl
Just what I needed!
This is really great stuff. I've always wondered why things sound good and why they don't. So I searched on how to write a bridge and found this lesson. Thank you for creating this excellent explanation. I will be looking at more of your videos. Well done!
So many pop songs are now popping into my head where I now hear the relative minor change on the bridge and the line cliche. Daryl Hall's "Every Time You Go" just leapt right out at me. Thanks for spelling all this out.
This is the best tutorial on this subject I've ever seen! And there are some good ones out there too...
Your videos are amazing ❤ I love watching them. You explain things in such an easy to understand way. I’d always wondered how for example a G to a Gm can work and now I know! Thank you 😊
Excellent! Very lucidly explained, and I appreciate that you do "assume" some knowledge on the part of your audience instead of getting bogged down in basics. I knew a lot of this stuff, but your way of explaining things really makes them understandable. I intend to binge watch your videos.
Wonderful info. Imediately applicable. Just trying to learn the wicked modes, didnt think about building chords with them. Definitely a most useful tool for the kit! Gracias.
Oh my god what an amazing video! This is exactly what i needed to know to finally step up my level of song structuring.
I can now analyse all the bridges in my favourite songs and see what method they uses. Thats incredible.
I used the relative minor method and i made probably my most advanced song ever today.
Also the first song I analysed (God Bless America by Lana Del Rey) uses the Relative Minor method but uses the exact same progression in the bridge as in the pre-chorus.
So thats also possible
HOW have I only discovered your channel today?
I'm a huge fan of music theory channels....Adam Neely, 12 Tone, and especially Ben Levin.
But this is the first time I've stumbled across your stuff. Immediate subscribe and like and all that fun stuff. :)
I love that you apparently(?) focus on writing SONGS. Not just navel gazing at music theory for it's own sake. Love it!
Also.....you have super cool hair and a super cool look. I love it. :D
@@avedic bokbkkkkkk
She's a hot a$$ beyatch, but I think she's taken. And yeah, that's a term of endearment, in USA. Chicago vernacular.
Me, I’m into the navel gazing-but here’s to your songwriting and to *finishing* well-crafted tunes that really nail it.
adam neely "touring sucks. i cant believe i lost thousands flying from gig to gig. dont people know im a youtube star?"
i've started 3 songs/beats, using the tips you've shared! thanks very much. One track I have so far makes use of the (I -> v), while another uses progressions revolving around (IV - bVII - vi - III7). Love this channel, you guys take care!
Thanks so much Loh! We just put out a new online mini course, The Songwriting Process Start to Finish, which might be up your alley! You can check it out here: www.udemy.com/course/how-to-write-songs-the-songwriting-process-start-to-finish/?referralCode=8B3DC2EAEAC9833FECBF
great video - great instruction - I almost fell over when I saw that g'tar - WOW
The fret board on that guitar is super fun
The bridge in 'Born To Run'. One of the best ever written.
Last call is a beautiful song.
You are wonderful! I love the spirit and clarity you bring to your teaching. I would love to hear you analyze "Year of the Cat". My wife think it's one of best written songs.
This has quickly become my most watched channel.
Your videos teach me more than 10 years of listening to music. Thank you Thank you Thank you
Thanks so much! Much appreciated. We put out a monthly newsletter, if you're interested! howtowritesongs.org/subscribe-to-the-newsletter
This was absolutely great! You are a wonderful teacher. Thank you!
Thank you so much! You explain it so simply and yet it's not a simple topic.
We could say it like this for the bridge... 'Go somewhere else and come back again'. There are no rules for where that 'somewhere else' is, but you will want to come back again.
Thanx for the video! Very well explained the nature of bridge and the ways to approach it for a new author! Loved your song "The last call".
Incredibly helpful and genius
I liked your song "Last call" thanks for singing it.
Thank you so much for making this! The information you present is digestible and actionable. This is the first video I’m seeing from you, but it’s an instant subscribe. Can’t wait to watch more!
Thrilled to find you and your channel! I'm learning so much from you, already. Thanks for the absolute gold you pour into these videos, so very appreciated! And the song you're playing, "Last Call", is gorgeous.
Excellent what a great teacher great song brilliant!!!!
This is my first tine to the channel. Just an excellent excellent tutorial here on chord progressions and modes. Thanks! Subscribed ♡
Billy Joel is a master of bridges!
no is paul simon! ( bridge over troubled water)😁
Excellent video! Thanks 👍
Hmm, that's very interesting Keppie. Especially that modal strategy. Thank you.
This is really wonderful stuff! Thanks.
Incredible video, thanks keppie. I didn't know the name for this kind of chromatic descent I've heard in so many tracks (including my own). I think the Line Cliche in Hey Jude is my favourite example of it
"and then if we're Paul McArtney we'll go . . ." Beautiful. Lovely vid - will check out your other stuff! Many thanks. Also, really happy you're using guitar - still a bit scared of keyboards :)
that song you did was beautiful
I find these tutorials really insightful
Terrific… and love the refined movements in Last Call.
Any thoughts on what seems like a two bridge structure of say… ‘I want to hold your hand’?
Or, how Bridges seem outlawed these days?
I'm glad to have discovered your channel. The content you offer is fantastic and I have subscribed.
Great lesson, thank you so much. You just highlighted how bridge deficient my songs are and how vastly better they could be. I even considered doing a song in the form BBAB, utilising each style of bridge, 1,2 & 3, then realised the error of my ways.
Seriously though, keep up the great videos, they’re much appreciated and it’s great seeing an Aussie on TH-cam for a change.
Bruce, Canberra.
Love Bridge Composition theory.
Billy Joel's New York State of Mind & Leon Russell/George Benson' s Masquerade goes from Cmajor in Verse to Emajor in the bridge using temporary downward modulatory II-Vs to get back home.
Classical Guitar composer Leo Brouwer, when writing Free Fantasias on contemporary songs, begins the fantasia with motivic material from the bridge as an extended introduction before the A section. Love that idea. Often the lyrical content in the bridge is the most transcendent moment in the song. Why not emphasise that moment by using bridge motivic material in the introduction before the A section. I notice Keith Jarrett & Dave Gruisin do it on ballads.
Bridge composition is so creative and Bridges have very rich material melodically & harmonically to worth with.
You are a wonderful instructor and present the material in an impeccable way. Having said that, how can that be a bridge in Yesterday? It repeats more than once; can we consider it a chorus instead?
Thissss channel is gonna be huge. Fantastic content!
Thank you. I found this very helpful and memorable.
You're such a good teacher
Wow, that song is interesting and your singing voice is beautiful...
I play line cliches all the time! Never knew it had a name. Thanks.
Thanks so much! Much appreciated. We put out a monthly newsletter, if you're interested! howtowritesongs.org/subscribe-to-the-newsletter
So well explained for someone like me without any idea of music theory. Thanks
Great lesson, thank you! I never heard the term line cliches, but I recognize them from the Beatles and Big Star. And that was the most accessible discussion of modes I've ever heard, usually I just run screaming when those terms get dropped!
very nicely done and explained and exampled! thank you!
Three part harmony is the only way to go when you need a great bridge..try it and you'll see what an amazing difference it makes. Song writing is a simple skill anyone can do as long as you remember what sounds good and makes music great to listen to. Just like all the major hit songs in the past hundred years have done with a few simple chords. My grandson has written hit songs since he was of the age of seven and now does it for a living and it very successful. Just remember to keep it simple and let your three part harmony take the wheels of success...💯👍
With what has been happening in the news lately concerning Ed Sheeren and his legal case with the estate of Marvin Gaye's co song writing partner. I found this video quiet fascinating and educational when seeing some of the possibilities song writers have at their disposal when it comes to harmony and chord progressions. With some knowledge of music theory and application it makes me wonder why do most modern songs today sound so harmonically similar i.e., 3 or 4 chords in the same diatonic key. This is especially true of music made in the country and western idiom. If you don't beleive me listen to the current country music charts. Great vid
(really need to wait til the end to comment) But this entire video was brilliant. So well explained. I didn’t know the cliche thing was a real thing. Thanks.
I love it when yotubers point to a video link that they forgot to put in during post-production. ha ha ha
Loved your song and your bridge!
This is great 👍. First time viewer here. Really enjoyed this lesson. Thank you 💯🎸
Very informative. Thank you.
Been writing songs for ages so I understood most of the chord progressions used, however for beginners it would have been much more helpful to use a great song with a simple rock or folk progression such as G/C/G/C/D or the like and then just show how switching to the Em chord....the relative minor....gives a whole new feel to the bridge. There's probably tons of great songs using simple chords in the verses and then use the relative minor to start the bridge. If I was a beginner, I'd have been totally intimidated by this lesson! Don't forget, literally, thousands, if not millions, of hit songs were written using simple chord progressions.....be it folk, country, rock or blues. Not all rock songwriters were as knowledgeable as Paul McCartney about chord theory. Keith Richards and Lou Reed...Neil Young...Hank Williams...and on and on. Even many of John Lennon's best tunes use simple chord progressions. "Back in the USSR" by Lennon could have provided a good example of how to write an amazing bridge without unnecessarily complicated chords. They all had huge million selling hits using much simpler chords than the ones used here.
As Lou Reed famously said, "one chord is good, two is pushing it, and three, you're playing jazz", LOL! A total exaggeration of course, but he wrote some amazing songs with two or three chords. Great songwriting is about the hook....and that can't be taught. It's pure inspiration when it comes.
Lennon didn't write "Back in the USSR", McCartney did. If you're a well travelled listener who knows Beatles and solo material, you would also know who has some recognizable bridges and turnarounds back into the verse.
I'd love to list which tracks, but it would be very long. For Lennon, he had a knack for bridges ending on E major before going back to the verse using chords that under lesser writers wouldn't work. The manner in how it flows is why it works. Two prime examples of bridges and turnarounds ending on E major is "I Should Have Known Better" and "Happy Xmas (War is Over)". I know the last one is a holiday tune, however it's a great example of the juxtaposition that's a hallmark of Lennon's music. He may have picked that up from McCartney very early on.
I love your lessons and I loved your song
Your song Last Call sounds great.
Many thanks - most useful stuff
This was so useful. Thank you. I’ve subscribed based on this video and look forward to watching more from your channel.
Thank you so much!! 🎶
Ok, question: at 15:26, about modal chord building: Why do you take the 3rd and the 5th?
Great info, thanks!
You're most welcome, and thanks for the comment. Much appreciated. I'm not sure if this would be of interest to you (it might be, if you are an active songwriter), but we put out other content and host monthly live Q&A sessions, which you can join here: www.patreon.com/howtowritesongs?fan_landing=true
you had helped me to understand music so much more which really has brought life to something i was giving up on. thank you so much, Cheers
You're most welcome, and thanks for the comment. Much appreciated. I'm not sure if this would be of interest to you (it might be, if you are an active songwriter), but we put out other content and host monthly live Q&A sessions, which you can join here: www.patreon.com/howtowritesongs?fan_landing=true
Fantastic explanation of the techniques. For another example of a great bridge, I’d recommend “Just Like a Woman” by Bob Dylan, which goes to the 3-major chord in the bridge. I’m working on a song right now that’s in G minor, so I’m going to try technique #1 and see how a bridge in Bb major will work with the song. Also, your song was really cool, as was your guitar! Well done. Thanks!
Thanks so much! And thanks for all your kind comments and support for our content. We notice :)
@@htws Aw, shucks. Thanks. That means a lot. I really enjoy your channel. Keep up the great work!
Very well articulated. Clarified a lot of hazy stuff for me. Thanks.
Glad it was helpful!
I love you so much for explaining this to me like this ❤
Best channel ever. Where have you been?
Thank you!! My next task 😂❤🎸
You're a great teacher!
Thanks for this instruction. Now I understand a little bit more what McCartney was doing in the bridge of "Here, There and Everywhere" with these chords: F7, Bb, Gm, Cm, and D7. Though still not sure about the F7 and D7 . . .
Hey there - I'd have to check it out in more detail but often sneaky Dom chords are either functioning as secondary dominants, or as modal borrowing chords - it's common (and also sounds great) to use a II7, and III7 or a IV7 in any key. Try it!
@@htwswe’ve neither heard from Paul neither John since 1966 .. and even then.. if you do your own research it all gets quite muddy 😬
Aimee Nolte Music 🎹
Who skipped college and learned anyways thanks to people willing to share their information for free on free platforms? What a world we’re living in. I think we’ve come along way
I’m so used to playing the E and A shaped bar chords and modifying them as necessary. I always knew I had trouble connecting everything together as if I had blind spots or something. I didn’t realize it was because I couldn’t form the chords on the frets below the tonic in the G and C shapes. Or anything with the tonic on the D string. I’ve watched many videos on the caged system but until you explained the importance of which string the tonic starts on I couldn’t put it to use. It so much easier to find the chord tones now. The 45 min video was well worth the time