Musicians are always creating cool, new sounds by using different chord patterns in a song. Together with scales and melodies, chords and progressions are like the nuts and bolts of music. All we have to do is combine these patterns, and we really start to see the payoff of everything we’ve learned so far. You see, it

Sometimes, I wish I was an archeologist. Because, you know … if you’ve ever seen any of the “Indiana Jones” movies, then you know what I mean. There’s just something mysterious and exciting about uncovering lost treasure. Especially when it’s been sitting there all along—right under your nose. At first glance, some layer of dirt

The nice thing about seventh chords is that they have just four notes … which means they’re as easy to play as our old friends, the basic triads. And while you’ll sometimes see different types of seventh chords in music, the most common one is definitely the dominant seventh chord. For some reason, notes “1-3-5-b7” just sound good together.

Let’s face it, the world would be a pretty strange place without maps. Having a clear, bird’s-eye view of an area makes it possible to really get around. Otherwise, how would we know where we’re going? If we want to easily move from “point A” to “point B,” then we’ve got to get a lay

In most of the music you’ll play, each chord will have only three notes. The average song includes only basic major triads and minor triads. And occasionally, you might see a few augmented triads and diminished chords. But for the most part, musicians keep it simple … and they stick with the major chords and minor

Because all four basic triads are similar, they’re all easy to play. Each one has just three notes … and each one is pretty common in music. But the major triad and minor triad are (by far) the most popular. Together, they just sound more pleasant to the ears. So musicians use them a lot more often. To see what

E. S. P. – those three little letters are like magic to some people. And they stand for “ExtraSensory Perception.” Normally, if someone (without pants) said to me, “Hi, my name is Tim … and I have ESP,” I’d say they were crazy. That’s because, in a nutshell, people “with ESP” make some far-out claims about

Musicians are artists … and artists like color. For example, color shows up all the time on album covers. And what would a live concert be without colorful stage designs and light shows. Color is a big part of the whole “musical experience.” What can I say? Color just makes music (and life) more interesting. Which

Say it with me, people: “Chords are totally easy to play.” That’s right … chords are really simple. Like everything else in music, they’re made of the same, old notes and intervals we already know and love. So there isn’t much to them. But let’s pause for a moment to think about one thing. And that is, what’s

You’ve got to admit … music just sounds better with chords. And in our last song, it was pretty fun to move between two different chords. But things would have been a lot easier to play if our left hand didn’t have to move so much. I mean, when we go from playing a C major