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 than the sum of its parts.

In fact, music is structured like any other art form. We arrange songs in the same way a playwright organizes a play or an architect designs a building. The same basic elements of beginning, middle, and end are used to give a song meaning and shape.

In other words, the way we construct a song isn’t random. Usually, our music is built with a sense of balance between unity and variety. Which means our songs include both repetition and change.

Unity satisfies the listener’s need for stability … while variety provides something new and unexpected for more interest. Together, these two sides support each other—and make the other stand out. You ear will usually tell you what sounds good. Too much repetition or too much change can get boring. So musicians try to strike a balance between the two.

To see what I mean, imagine the classic yin yang symbol. With a strong balance of both unity and variety, our music can be like this—full of energy and life. But when we have an imbalance of parts, everything bleeds into one another. And all we end up with is a bland, gray circle. Too much unity or too much variety isn’t nearly as cool. Which is why all the best musicians keep listeners engaged with a good dose of structure and balance.

Anyway … so, now that we’ve been trained in some ancient Chinese philosophy(!), let’s move on, shall we? I mean, it’s good to know how music is structured and all. But it gets even better when we add some style to our songs….

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? And how do we work our way into the main melody … or wrap things up at the end?

To help answer these questions, musicians use something called “song form”—which helps us outline the basic structure of a song. Using simple letters (like A, B, C, etc.), form gives us a bird’s-eye view of the melody. At a glance, we can see how every section is laid out … from start to finish.

In the example above, we would play each section in order as “A–B–A–B–C–B.” That is, “verse–chorus–verse–chorus–bridge–chorus.” The letters have nothing to do with individual notes or chords, of course. They simply outline the various sections in a song. By labeling each part of the melody, we can quickly see when and where to repeat each part.

There aren’t any strict rules on this. But in most popular music, each section is about eight measures long. Typically, the verse is the first melody in a song. It spans roughly eight measures and is repeated at least a couple of times. The chorus is then the second (and main) melody. It’s also about eight measures long, and alternates with each of the different verses. Musicians can combine these parts in any way they’d like. But here are a few of the most common forms you’ll hear:

Depending on the song form, some music may include a lot of verses … or several choruses … or an intro, bridge, coda, or whatever. But no matter what form you choose, these standard designs give our music some real structure and shape.

You might even say that song forms are a lot like templates. Ready-made placeholders for our melodies and progressions. We simply fill in the content, and let the song form give our music shape. All we have to do is repeat a section here … or cut-and-paste a section there … and we’re in business. Of course, each and every song is unique—with its own special notes, lyrics, and chord patterns. But the basic form we use may be totally common.

Whether you’re a beginner or an expert, Color Music is the smart, fast, and fun way to learn any instrument. Seriously, it’s like a roadmap into some strange, secret world, guiding you along … every step of the way. With color, sound is no longer invisible. Which means you can quickly learn how everything works.

You see, there’s really nothing too mysterious about music. Once you know what you’re doing, that is. Because scales, chords, progressions, and songs follow the same predictable patterns—just like any patterns you’ll find in nature. And if you don’t believe me, then take a look for yourself….

To get started, check out the “Color Music” category on the right side of the screen. It begins with the basics … assuming you know absolutely nothing about music. And then each post quickly gets you up and running—helping you play actual songs in no time. Just begin at the bottom of the category (where you’ll find the older posts), and then work your way up to the top (where newer posts are added each week).

If you’re wearing your glasses, then you’ll notice these first entries focus more on playing the piano keyboard. But keep reading, because later posts will cover stuff like guitar, violin, trumpet, banjo, etc. The list goes on, my friends. Enjoy!

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 up with all those extra sharp and flat symbols? I mean, with all this talk about tonic notes, major thirds, minor thirds, sharp fifths, flat fifths, etc., it might start to look like those added accidental symbols are totally important.

But before we get all distracted and confused, remember that those extra symbols—which we call “accidentals”—are there for only one reason. And that is to satisfy all you mega music nerds out there. (You know who you are.) For some people, music notation simply wouldn’t be the same without any sharps or flats. But for others, life would be a whole lot better without them.

Whether you’re for accidentals or you’re against them (can’t we call be friends?!), the basic truth is that you can ignore them if you want. In other words, feel free to put on your “accidentals-be-gone” goggles and just keep playing. If that’s your style, then go ahead and “tune out” the sharps and flats—so you can focus on only the notes and the intervals between. It really doesn’t matter … and no one will shoot you. Because the colored shapes show us exactly which notes to play anyway.

(If you don’t believe me, then go back and play each major and minor chord again. But this time, pay no attention to the sharps and flats. Did anything change? Nope, we’re still in good shape—because the colored notes show us everything we need.)

In fact, that’s the beautiful thing about Color Music. It’s both elegant and simple. All those old-fashioned symbols of music notation are not needed at all. Sure, they might be interesting. But they also add visual noise that we can live without. As musicians, all we need are some eyes, ears, hands, and feet. Oh, yeah … and maybe a little bit of rock ‘n’ roll. So try to remember which notes are “sharp” or “flat” … or ignore the whole mess. It’s really up to you.

Like I said … chords make music especially cool. They add weight to a song and provide support for the melody. By giving our ears something to listen to, chords just make life more interesting.

At the same time, chords also create a little more work for our hands. And that’s because, on a keyboard, the right hand focuses on the melody (in the treble staff), while the left hand picks out the notes of each chord (in the bass staff).

As it turns out, it’s all pretty easy. Sure, it might take a little more coordination … as we play melodies with one hand and chords with the other. But it’s also very basic. Like learning to dance, ride a bike, or jump rope, it just takes some focus … and a little practice.

And who knows … after a little while, you might even learn to play like this:

Let’s face it … making music is all about the hands. Sure, we’ve got to understand what we’re actually doing if we want to get really good. (Thank you, Color Music.) But it’s just as important to have nice, flexible fingers. After all, your hands are what connect your brain with your instrument. So if your hands ain’t workin’, then everything stops.

That’s why it’s totally important to take care of your hands … and treat ‘em like babies. (That is, if you’re good with babies….) Because if your fingers are in good shape, then your music will sound better.

Don’t get me wrong … I’m not saying we all should go out and get a manicure every Saturday night. But as a rule of thumb, try doing the following and you’ll be able to make music for a long, long time:

1. Try not to crack your knuckles
2. Keep your hands warm (wear fingerless gloves if you have to play in cold weather)
3. Use hand lotion if your skin gets really dry
4. Always do finger warm-ups before you play (gently stretching your hands for better flexibility)
5. Trim your nails (for better sensation and grip), and finally …
6. Avoid rock climbing, fist fights, and other activities that might mangle your hands

That last one is especially good advice … in general, really. Because a broken hand is a sad hand. Of course, you’ll sometimes hear about musicians who live on the edge and do crazy stuff with their hands. (Like Richard Hughes of the band, Keane—who is an avid rock climber. Or Kid Rock—who has an odd reputation for punching people.) But most of the time, musicians take it easy when it comes to their fingers.

So the bottom line is this: Take care of your digits … because your music depends on it. As they (should) say, “Happy hands make great musicians.”

Okay, admit it. You crack your knuckles. I’m not saying you do it 86 times a day or anything. But sometimes you just can’t help it … right? Well I do—maybe only once or twice a day. But it sort of feels nice.

Anyway, it’s got me feeling kind of guilty. Because I’ve always heard that it’s bad for you. Really bad for you. In fact, the stories are pretty terrible. I’ve heard that if you crack your knuckles too much, you’ll end up looking like this guy:

Have mercy! I guarantee that wouldn’t be cool. And it would be pretty hard to whip out a guitar or piano solo with those hands. Seriously.

So it’s got me thinking … should I quit my “crack” problem? Like RIGHT NOW? I mean, what’s going to happen to me? What’s going to happen to us? We musicians don’t want to be getting our hands all mangled!

But before we all start freaking out, let me do a little research on this. Hold on, I’ll be right back….

Alright, I’m back. And this is what I found. I asked Google if cracking my knuckles will give me arthritis and this is what it said: “Probably not.”

Hallelujah!

But here’s the catch: According to Peter Bonafede, M.D. (the director of an arthritis center in Oregon), knuckle cracking isn’t necessarily good for you. It’s just not the end of the world. As it turns out, he recommends you avoid cracking your knuckles—just in case.

Dr. Bonefede says that the popping sound you hear is caused by an air bubble that bursts in the space between your joints when your finger bones are suddenly stretched apart. Whoa.

He also says that there’s no real benefit to cracking your knuckles. So while some people might crack their knuckles after writing for a long time—or a musician might stop to pop after practicing a really hard song—it doesn’t do you any good. Instead, the experts say it’s better to take a short break to bend and stretch your fingers a few times. That way you can keep on rockin’. Which is good to know, since we’ll be making a lot of music.

Besides maybe war, poverty, and disease, there’s nothing worse than forgetting the idea for a really great song. Seriously … it’s happened to me more than I’d like to admit. Sometimes, I would be out on a hike, or in the car—or anywhere, really—when I’d think of a cool lyric or melody. But by the time I got home, I just couldn’t remember how it went. In fact, this happened so many times, it was painful … especially if the idea I lost was really good.

So finally, I got wise. And I decided to make a music emergency kit … for those times when I definitely want to remember a great idea. This kit has everything I need. And best of all, it’s easy to take anywhere.

For starters, the simplest thing you can do is just carry a small voice recorder. That way, you can sing or hum a melody right when inspiration strikes. If you’re in the market, prices range anywhere from $20 (USD) on the low end to hundreds of dollars on the high end. I’d personally go with something cheap … but if you want more bells and whistles, a more expensive recorder will also do the trick.

And if you really want to get the ideas flowing, I recommend buying a small notepad and pocket pen. Moleskine® brand notepads are pretty awesome (I bought mine at Barnes & Noble bookseller). These little notepads come in a variety of sizes and page types … like blank pages, lined pages, pages with grid lines, and even pages with music notation staff lines. The best pen I found is the Fisher® Space Pen (which I got at Office Depot—an office supply store).

To be honest, my brother did all the research on these items … he’s been carrying around an idea notepad for a long time. (I think he got the idea from Leonardo da Vinci, who took a notebook with him everywhere he went.)

Anyway, this music emergency kit has been very good to me. I seem to come up with cool ideas a lot more often. And the nice thing is, I never forget them anymore. My notepad and pen are always with me … even when I go for a jog.

In fact … maybe this is over-the-top, but my wife just custom designed an easy-to-reach carrying pouch for me that I take on my jogs. That way, I can quickly stop, write down an idea, and then keep going. I’m pretty sure the people I jog past think it looks awesome (!) Pretty cool, yes?