Today's blog starts in the dentist's office. I'm in the chair, staring at a flow of intentionally calming waves which texture the ceiling, trying to think happy thoughts when a song comes on.It's Mariah Carey’s "Always Be My Baby."The piano part grabs my attention. It's just really good. It's got all this chromatic (fret-wise) movement … Continue reading Mariah Carey’s Always Be My Baby

What do songs like "Pancho and Lefty" by Townes Van Zandt and "You're Beautiful" by James Blunt" have in common? It's the Axis of Awesome Chords. If you're a songwriter, these chords are a great foundation. They can help you get a feeling for how chords work and how chords sound in context. But how do you find them? And why … Continue reading Diving into the Axis of Awesome

One of my housemates fell in love with Elliot Smith my sophomore year of college. For the better part of a semester, “Say Yes” played on repeat in our dorm. Somehow, I didn’t really listen for another three years until I picked up his album “Either/Or."   Soon after, I found myself listening to “Say Yes” endlessly on … Continue reading Elliot Smith’s Say Yes

I got into something of a foofaraw last weekend. I posted my blog Chord Flow: Darkness and Light to a Facebook group and the first commenter said: "I don’t get it. This is just the Circle of Fifths."Soon another commenter chimed in: Root movement by fifths is one of the most fundamental elements of common practice harmony. … Continue reading Chord Flow and The Circle of Fifths

Chord Flow is a great way to play around with chords and chord progressions. Just pick a few chords in a row and play around with them until you find sounds you like. It’s also a great way to begin to listen to the sound of different chord changes. Chords that are next to each other … Continue reading Chord Flow, Darkness and Light