🧠 The 4-phase system I used under pressure

Hey music makers!

I once had three weeks to write an EP honoring Gamble & Huff—the Philadelphia legends who produced Teddy Pendergrass, The Stylistics, and The O'Jays.

Tight deadline.

The musicians were waiting on demos for our up-coming 10hr recording session.

I couldn't guess. So I reverse-engineered their classics. I broke down the progressions, extracted the techniques, built a toolkit I could use the moment we started writing.

I used a strategy that became The Vault Method.

Four phases that turn any song into documented techniques you can pull from the moment you need them.

This week, I'm breaking down the exact system that helped me deliver under pressure.

Key: Ab Major

Progressions:

Quick note: We covered this song a few weeks ago. Read the full breakdown here →

This week's focus is the system I used to analyze it. Full video walkthrough linked below in WEB STUFF.

Collecting chord progressions is just the starting point. The real value is knowing how to decode songs and extract techniques you can actually use.

Without a system, song analysis feels random and overwhelming. You notice cool chords but don't know why they work or how to use them. You hear something inspiring but can't unpack it or store it for your own work.

The Vault Method changes that. You'll hear a progression you love, break it down in minutes, and file it as a technique you can use whenever you need it.

The right questions turn 'All of Me' into at least 7 techniques you can use in your next song.

Phase 1: Key, Tonic, and Chord Inventory

Start here.

What key are we in? What's the tonic? What chords does the song actually use?

This is your foundation.

Simple questions that reveal immediate insights.

Pro tip: Notice when the tonic appears. Delayed tonic creates some tension. "All of Me" delays it in the verse but opens the chorus with it. Intentional.

Phase 2: Functional Labeling

What is each chord doing? Is it Tonic, Predominant, or Dominant?

This reveals the emotional job of each chord. Not "what chord is this?" but "what role does it play?"

Example: "All of Me" starts the verse on vi. That's a Tonic function chord, but with different color (feeling).

Now you can recreate that exact feeling in your own songs.

Phase 3: Root Motion and Harmonic Rhythm

How do the chords connect? What's the bass doing? How fast do they change?

Root motion reveals momentum. Harmonic rhythm reveals pacing.

"All of Me" uses circular root motion in the verse (walking the circle of fifths). The chorus motion is different it climbs, builds energy, and resolves. Hence the different section feelings.

Phase 4: Cadences and Emotion

How does each section end? Perfect cadence (resolved) or half cadence (hanging)?

This is where emotional storytelling lives.

Fun fact: "All of Me" ends every section on a half cadence—even the final note. That unresolved tension is why it feels like it could loop forever. Harmonic storytelling.

Now you don't need to analyze everything. Focus on these four areas:

These give you 80% of the value in 20% of the time.

So each song you analyze adds techniques to your creative arsenal.

The more you break down, the faster you recognize patterns and the easier it becomes to use them in your own writing.

Charles Stepney transcribed entire records by ear to study harmony. You don't need bionic ears. You just need. The Vault Method.

P.S. The Vault Method is one piece of what I teach Harmony GPS students.

The full course includes the CARS System™ (makes progressions stick), voice leading and root motion fundamentals (smooths your writing), power progressions (expands your toolkit), and systematic song analysis (turns any track into creative fuel). Check it out →