In the desire to make Songbay more inclusive and to tap into the creative experience of our users, we will be regularly inviting Songbay songwriters, lyricists and buyers to contribute articles to our blog. This Month we are honoured to present an article written by Anthony Martin. Anthony has a diverse career spanning art, horticulture and music. For the last five years he has been dividing his time between teaching music performance and theory with the selling of his original Continue
Songwriting thought of the Day
Strong Chord Progressions for your Songs
Catchy Chord Progressions- a must!
Catchy tunes are built melodically on strong pop chord progressions. These are straightforward but effective, encompassing patterns such as the I-V-VI-IV or I-VI-IV-V. These major/minor chord progressions provide a musical canvas where catchy hooks and catchy melodies flourish, making hits unforgettable. They also give diversity and familiarity. Here are some top chord progressions:- I - IV - V (commonly used in many pop, rock, and blues songs)
- I - V - vi - IV (known as the "pop-punk" or "doo-wop" progression)
- ii - V - I (frequently used in jazz music)
- vi - IV - I - V (often found in many pop songs)
- I - vi - IV - V (commonly used in various genres including pop, rock, and folk).
Musicality Wake up call! Musical expression has always fascinated me throughout my career as a session musician and teacher. On one of my first recording sessions, straight out of music college (Trinity College of Music, London), I overheard the MD/Producer talking to the string section- ‘Nice feel, but more musicality please at bar,,,”. At that time, I didn’t really know what he meant and worryingly for me (about to overdub some percussion), how I was supposed to implement it should he say the Continue
