So, I’m kind of curious … what is your native language? These days, we have a lot of readers in different countries. Which means I’m guessing some of you speak English … or Spanish … or French … or German, Japanese, Dutch, Polish, Italian … or one of many other languages out there. But the nice thing

  (… continued from “Color Code, part 2“) When we apply numbers to music, the poor fit becomes obvious. While the musical pattern repeats seamlessly, the number labels look choppy and awkward. And it gets worse because letters have this same problem. Like the number line, the alphabet is also a linear pattern. So when

(… continued from “Color Code, part 1“) The old, medieval system of notation was sloppy … at best. The reason, my friends, has to do with the difference between linear and cyclical patterns. (Yes, that sounds geeky and technical. But it actually makes a lot of sense.) You see, music is really all about cyclical patterns.

  !!! Warning: Music nerdery ahead !!! Okay, so I’ve already said that traditional notation is confusing. And that standard music symbols are too complicated. But the truth is, there’s even more to it. Because the letters and numbers musicians use aren’t just inconvenient—they are fundamentally flawed. And that’s why students continue to struggle. In

Traditional music methods aren’t all bad. Mainly, because they give us a common vocabulary—a shared language that musicians can use to communicate. Over the centuries, music nerds have created all sorts of handy words to describe sound. So that when we talk about “tonics,” or “sharp-fives,” or “E-flat,” you know what I mean. The trouble is, traditional methods start with

When you think about it, building a song is fairly easy. We just repeat a few parts … and organize each section into a nice, logical order. Usually, our songs will have a couple of different melodies—like a verse and  chorus—that keep things moving forward. And together, these sections create a whole that is greater

When musicians write a song, they have to ask themselves a few questions. For example, does our song have a main melody? And if so, where do we repeat it? How many times? Do we need to add a second, contrasting melody, like a chorus? What about some buffer or break between the two melodies?

By dividing a melody into sections, we can rearrange and repeat certain parts to create something new and exciting. Of course, not all songs include every type of section. But the following outlines the most popular ones you’ll often hear: Like the rooms in a building or the acts in a play, each section is a small,

So far, we’ve been building our songs using simple layers. Starting with a melody and a few chords, we’ve played some pretty awesome tunes. And by repeating certain parts, we’ve expanded our music into larger and more interesting compositions. But before you start repeating any old random notes, remember this: the melody is still the most important