🧠...scattered vs connected

Hey music maker!

Ever feel like you've learned a lot about harmony but can't actually use any of it?

I remember saving a bunch of videos in my watch later and piano YouTube playlists. At least 120 to be honest, and I probably watched like 10 and really worked to apply maybe 2 of the concepts.

That's a horrible percentage lol.

It personally took me years to accept that truth and change my approach to learning harmony as a system.

I was listening to an interview with Ryan Tedder where he talked about how he learned to write songs.

As a teenager, he'd listen to hits by Diane Warren and Babyface. Then he'd turn the music off, replay the chords, and write completely new melodies over them.

In this process, he was spotting patterns and learning how the same chords can create different emotions depending on what melody you put over them.

My process was far less effective. It went like this: I'd watch a tutorial, save it to a playlist, and take some notes. Then I'd sit down a week later and... nothing. Or the same few ideas played to different drums.

For the longest time, I questioned my talent. But it wasn't that.

It was a flaw in how I was learning. I was learning in fragments, and scattered information doesn't build skill. It just builds a pile.

💿 "Swim" by BTS

Key: A Major Progression:

D - D - C♯m - C♯m - A

D - D - C♯m - C♯m

Nashville Numbers: IV - IV - iii - iii - I - IV - IV - iii - iii

What makes this work:

This is a great way to add moodiness to a classic I - IV power progression.

BTS uses the iii chord more than the I chord, creating a more minor sound. The iii is in the tonic family so it works like the I chord but darker.

The progression also flips: IV - I instead of the usual I - IV.

This week: Try Ryan Tedder's method.