A few days ago I was recommended a book by one of my teacher friends that we both weren't told about in our music studies. He happened across it while doing some research for his project. It's called "What to Listen for In Music" by Aaron Copland. He was an American composer and originally published the book in the '30s and renewed it up into the '80s before his death. This is an excellent book if your just getting into figuring out theory or just want to figure out what you are listening to on the radio. It's a timeless book and written for the person with little background in theory. Check it out if you have some time.

I created this video as a general education in mainstream music. It analyzes the ways in which the mainstream is fixed on a certain formula and not so much on the musical aspects that make music...music. Sort of like a guide in what to listen for in music. Check it out and let me know what you think.

This weekend I have been obessively playing around with an idea to a melody I had stuck in my head. Probably watching Elvis documentaries this weekend helped. 🤣 But I wrote down a popular rock-n-roll chord progression of C-Am-F-G from the good ol days of rock-n-roll and broke out the keyboard. What I did is an experiment with rock themes under an orchestra and I think its coming along nicely. I'd like to know your thoughts on this UNFINISHED obsession and see what you think. Take a listen and look and let me know 👇

That’s a chord progression doing its job. Think of a chord progression like a path. Each chord is a step, and your ears like certain steps more than others. 🎹 Start with one keyPick a key (C is the easiest). All your chords come from the notes in that key. Beginner win: If you stay in one key, your chords already match — no guesswork. 🎶 Some chords feel stable, some want to move: - One chord feels like home - Some chords feel like motion - One chord usually wants to go back home That’s the basic engine behind most songs. Easy trick: Start on the 1 chord, end on the 1 chord. Your ears will believe it every time. 👉Progressions are patterns, not math. You don’t need to build new chords every time. Most progressions are just reordered familiar shapes. Beginner shortcut: Try this pattern: 1 → 5 → 6 → 4 back to 1 If it sounds like a song… that’s because it is. 🎯 Less chords = more understanding Use 3 or 4 chords only. Play them slowly. Listen to how each one feels. Quick challenge: Pick a key. Choose 3 chords from it. Loop them and notice which one feels like home. If it sounds good and makes sense to your ears — you’re doing theory correctly.

I have created a short video on how to build simple major chords the quick and easy way! Most of my videos are simple and you get everything, bloopers, dog moving in the background, etc. In this one I explain the easiest way to build major chords to enhance your understanding without all the fancy blah blah. I hope this helps and you find it interesting. https://youtu.be/tw-TTTR9NNY