How to Write Neo-Soul and R&B Chords - A Simple Method

[@maxkonyi]

*Hungry for more harmony?* The next part of my Musical Warp Drive course series will be available very soon! It's all about HARMONY 🥳 Stay tuned here or sign up for the mailing list on my website for more info: maxkonyi.com

[@geebashiri3315]

I’ve been producing for over 20 years and it’s almost shameful that I just started music c theory learning 🤦🏾‍♂️. Been making Melodie’s off ear alone and struggling with chords till now! Thanks to guys like you Max and the rest of the community!

[@maxkonyi]

Happy to hear it Gee 🙌 A little bit of theory can go a long way

[@AmnesiaxBeats]

Never too late bro 💪🥂

[@88keyzBeatz]

That's whi I'm here I been producing for about the sane time and now I just want to learn music theory too learn neo soul funk dr dre complex chords

[@djempathie.9889]

FANTASTIC. Absolutely blew me away. Please do more music theory like playing piano by ear and improvising. Or music hacks and secrets.

[@maxkonyi]

Thank you! Much more theory to come. Glad you enjoyed it

[@ivanrojasreischel]

I love the short but solid methods that you can use to build adding your imagination.... and the great dance at the end.

[@maxkonyi]

More to come...👌🏼

[@Sundji]

This video helped me realize how my workflow was limiting my creativity. I don't know any music theory so I defaulted to an overly simplistic workflow that produced lackluster results. I often found that I would use effects to try and cover-up that my chords were boring because I didn't know better and it was less stressful that way. Now that I have a bit more experience, I'm less afraid to do something "wrong" and I think I can put your suggestions to good use.

[@maxkonyi]

Wow, that's great! Thanks for the comment. Happy it was helpful 🙌

[@cheenergies]

This is a game changer for me. Really awesome video. Extremely helpful!! Thank you very much.

[@maxkonyi]

Great to hear! 🙌

[@skunchtv]

Watched this the other day. Incredible clarity. Glad to see the growth of your channel. You deserve it. i think i’ll have to buy your courses

[@maxkonyi]

Thanks Skunch! 🙌

[@dbp_pc3500]

Very very cool. For all my orchestral composition I always get the melody first in any of my sketches. Nice to know that we can do the same even for electronic music!

[@Lentreeo]

Hey, really great tips! Makes the process so much easier to findingg new cool chords without getting lost in the world of harmony and it is also such good ear training.

[@djeliahmusic7156]

Brilliant explanation, thank you so much!

[@joakimalkman6643]

Great method, will try it. Thanks a lot!

[@maxkonyi]

No worries 👌🏼

[@alfadidit2791]

Thank you for teaching in Am helps a lot.

[@YUSOMEAN]

Appreciate you sharing your invaluable knowledge G

[@maxkonyi]

My pleasure bro! 👌🏼

[@mohatykhraibah5927]

your videos are inspiring. Love your content!

[@maxkonyi]

🙏🙏🙏 Happy to hear it!

[@srshanta]

I really like your honesty and sincerity. This is a good video. Sometimes we get lost in the jungle of composition. This helps pull you out of that and look at things simply.

[@maxkonyi]

Great to hear! 🙏🏼

[@Johnworksdaily]

Awesome thanks

[@fusedot]

I got confused with harmonization for a very long time and this video really blew my mind sheesh Thanks Max for such awesome contents like this. really appreciate your work.

[@maxkonyi]

Oh that's great to hear! Harmonization is my heart 🌞

[@TheKt313]

glad i found your channel. im learning a lot in a short time

[@shamcra]

Watching you putting music theory to practice is invaluable. You get a clear picture of how to build melodies, chord progressions and harmonies. Throw in a mu Major and you got yourself a Steely Dan groove. :)

[@maxkonyi]

Hooray! Thanks Shamcra. I'm happy it's beneficial 🥳

[@amitharpaz1024]

Great video as always! ✨✨

[@maxkonyi]

Thank you Amit! 🙏🏼

[@Enatural_7]

A golden tutorial. Thank you sir.

[@maxkonyi]

Glad it was helpful!

[@ClaudeYoung]

Great tutorial!!!!

[@maxkonyi]

Glad you like it! 🙌

[@lboogie64]

Glad I found your channel I love neo soul. Great video easy to understand.

[@maxkonyi]

Awesome. I love it too!

[@DjScar]

Awesome method well explained. Thanks brother

[@maxkonyi]

👌🏼👌🏼👌🏼

[@iamian6673]

Great video! super easy and effective method

[@maxkonyi]

Thanks Ian! Always appreciate your support. Happy it was useful

[@capslock196]

i binge watched 10 of your videos. i really feel like our minds think alike, by that i mean your arguments resonate with me more than others. thx a lot for sharing your expertise, i will buy your courses.

[@maxkonyi]

Nice! Glad you're enjoying the vids and resonate with the approach.

[@Audiorial]

that was very interesting for an approach to harmonization, thanks !

[@maxkonyi]

Glad it was helpful 🌞

[@MGMORIGINAL]

Really great video, thank you!

[@maxkonyi]

🙌🙌🙌

[@DanielAndersonGuitarTuition]

Max your tutorials on Studio One are the BEST on the internet I've found so far. I've been struggling with confidence in recording for years and finding Studio One and then you tutorials has been the best thing. You ability to explain things so easily without any of the jargon is soooo helpful. It makes it seem so less intimidating. Thankyou so so much.

[@maxkonyi]

That's so good to hear! Thank you for taking the time to comment and let me know. Feel free to join the Discord if you want to chat more or ask specific questions 👌🏼

[@dimitricerny6976]

This is so good!

[@maxkonyi]

Thanks bro! Glad you like it 🌞

[@DevinC_]

Nice video Max. I will try this melody thing in my next track. This should help me stop playing chords on the beat like a robot. 😊

[@maxkonyi]

If you do end up trying it, post your track in the Discord! I'd love to hear the result 🌞

[@Ahn-Ree]

Thanks for sharing this information I found it to be very informative.

[@maxkonyi]

Happy to share 👌🏼

[@thomasw5915]

Awesome!

[@maxkonyi]

Glad you dig it Thomas! 👌🏼

[@sofoklessantorini1888]

thank u max great tutorial

[@maxkonyi]

My pleasure 🙌

[@FanzOfTheCultureNetwork]

Dope!!!!.

[@maxkonyi]

🙌🙌🙌

[@AmnesiaxBeats]

You’re the goat dude

[@maxkonyi]

🙌🌞🙌 Glad you're diggin it!

[@ItsDarrenJames]

Subbed. Great stuff dude!

[@maxkonyi]

🙌🥳🙌

[@jeffreykasbohm7685]

Some of the theory talk is over my head (just a little Lol hahaha) but I love the approach to building a pattern! Awesomely presented.

[@antonioe.2396]

what a great lesson

[@maxkonyi]

Glad you dig it!

[@andybolee]

subscribed!👌

[@allistonhiggs225]

Great job you sound so much like the pianist Jeff Schneider.

[@maxkonyi]

😂 I've heard that a couple times before. Maybe a collab one day...

[@apollog7764]

amazing video

[@maxkonyi]

Glad you dig it 🌞

[@lesterfalcon1350]

Nice and clear approach. I think modal would be considered diationic though, as they would all be from one mode, and therefore diatonic to that mode.

[@maxkonyi]

Yup that makes sense. In this case, I'm using "modal chords/notes" to refer to chords/notes which are "borrowed" from parallel modes, which means a mixed-mode approach, not diatonic to any specific mode.

[@americasfinestmusicgroup534]

You're the man

[@maxkonyi]

🙏🏼🙌🙏🏼

[@justinpompeii9409]

It really is interesting watching someone who doesn’t really play an instrument create rhythmic music but fully build somethin out like that. I’m new to building out songs and daws in general but I’ve played bass and guitar for 16 years and know music and my brain feels broken everytime I try building a song out, from loops, self recordings, iso files. Shits hard man. I use S1 sphere and your channel has a lot of soldiers advice so thanks

[@maxkonyi]

Shit is hard! But fun (most of the time). I'm not sure if you're referring to me as "someone who doesn't really play an instrument", but just to clarify - I play a few instruments decently well. I taught guitar for nearly 20 years and also play bass, keyboards, and drums. I know the struggle!

[@Whopcap]

06:13 "...so for the simple man..." Me: Ah yes, I'm home!

[@maxkonyi]

Ha! 🙌

[@datman6242]

It blew my mind when said that you lay down a drum track first then get into a groove. I'm a drummer and I do just the opposite only because I'm a drummer and even if I use the beats on a workstation, I do it last or toward the end, but I understand totally about laying it down first.

[@maxkonyi]

Nice! There are so many ways to go about it...

[@devine_noise]

brilliant

[@maxkonyi]

✨🙏✨

[@DamamakeBeats-RnB]

🔥🔥🔥

[@maxkonyi]

✨🔥✨

[@AndreMusic2000]

Hey Max, awesome video as always. I just wanted to know if the bass notes you chose here are also diatonic to the key we're playing in.

[@maxkonyi]

Thanks Andre 🌞 All the bass notes are diatonic in my version except the last. When adding non-diatonic chords, the bass and/or inner notes can be chromatic depending on which chord and inversion you choose

[@truth_beauty_love]

🙌🏻👑⚡️🔥🌟✨

[@maxkonyi]

🎇✨🌞🚀🌞✨🎇

[@johnsammers]

Great video as always Max - I plan to try the idea on some pre-choruses first to see what happens. BTW - what software do you use for these vids - they are really clean and clear?

[@maxkonyi]

I use OBS for the recording and Adobe Premiere for editing and export. Lots of research into both for settings, along with experimentation. I'm also using a 2K ultrawide monitor and have S1 setup in a 1920x1080 space on it. Glad you like it!

[@johnsammers]

@@maxkonyi - thanks Max for replying, but how do you get the output of your DAW onto the vid? I've been battling with this for more than a week, trying plugins and fixes (different software) and so on. I have an Apollo UAD interface, which OBS sees but i can't seem to select it as a sound source (weirdly, it does pick up my mic, but not the output of the mixer).

[@maxkonyi]

@@johnsammers Ah yes, the eternal question. I use a physical loopback where I route a pair of outputs from my interface back into a pair of inputs with actual cables. If your interface doesn't have enough in/outs, you need a software solution. On Mac, use Loopback. Job done. On PC, you can use Reastream (a Reaper plugin that you can configure to do inter-app audio). Or use VoiceMeeter. Many newer interfaces have loopback built into them now, which makes things much easier.

[@johnsammers]

@@maxkonyi - thanks Max, appreciate your generosity.

[@maxkonyi]

@@johnsammers My pleasure!

[@michaelfitzpatrick9701]

Hi Max, I’ve just discovered your channel and love all the content. I’d also like to ask if you have any go to VSTs or could recommend some packs for those who would like to expand their library beyond the stock VSTs in Studio One 5 Artist. Thank you 🙏🏼

[@maxkonyi]

Hey, glad you're enjoying the videos! My desert island instruments are: - Omnisphere (hybrid and unique sounds) - Keyscape (piano and other keyboards) - Serum (synth sounds) - Addictive Drums 2 (real drums) - Battery 4 (electronic drums) There are of course many others that I use all the time. But these are in essentially every session!

[@_I_like_music]

for those who don't know what A minor is and just happened to stumble upon this video, it's just C major starting on A instead of C, no sharps/flats.

[@maxkonyi]

Yessir 👌🏼

[@normanlove222]

Yes. Each Major scale has a relative minor scale which uses the exact same notes. So when you learn one scale, you really just learned 2. For instance G major is same as E minor, F is same as D minor. You can find the list of relative minors online searching google images for something like "relative minor".

[@normanlove222]

And just to be thorough, a scale don't always have to start with the root note, it can end with it also, or it can just be the recurring tone of the melody...the note the piece seems to center around.

[@normanlove222]

Also...a trick i use a lot when writing the bridge to a song is just try changing the key to the relative minor of the key the rest of the song is in. It always works and is always a good tonal fit to your verse and chorus while at the same time doing a key change to rest the ear etc. So just make the first note in your bridge the relative minor or major of the key you are writing I. And viola! It will sound fine...and then just build your bridge chord progression from there.

[@hickszn]

3 years later and the meaning of the comment has completely changed if you listen to rap music

[@masonthomassax]

Those drums slap. Can you do a video on those Questlove style sloppy drums specifically? Or have you already done one? Thanks!

[@maxkonyi]

Thanks 👌🏼 I don't have anything on that particular style yet. I'd be happy to make a video about that stuff

[@snaredrum954]

This! 🔥

[@maxkonyi]

🙏🏼🔥🙏🏼

[@chrisohanlon69]

Hi Max, I have been using your videos to learn studio one. Great help. Have you or would you do something on 3/4 or 6/8 beats? I use them a lot but no one else seems to much and the loops are fairly rare.

[@maxkonyi]

6/8 is probably my favourite time signature, so I'd be happy to do something on this topic. Thanks for the suggestion!

[@chrisohanlon69]

@@maxkonyi fantastic!!

[@maxkonyi]

@@chrisohanlon69 🙌🙌🙌

[@WojciechKobus]

Hi Max! Which drums you think are best for producing any jazzy style music? Addictive Drums 2, any of Native Instruments picks, Battery 4 or something else? Best - I mean realistic, catchy, maybe with interesting ready-to-use midi sequences/fills?

[@maxkonyi]

Addictive Drums 2 is my pick. They have a couple of Jazz expansion packs, which sound amazing, and also come with MIDI files played by real drummers. All of my acoustic drum sounds come from AD.

[@WojciechKobus]

@@maxkonyi Thank you! I suspected that answer - wanted to make sure. You're my guru. I have AD2 - got it with Cakewalk Sonar long time ago I suppose - back then I just collected software I have to admit. Only some months ago started really doing stuff. Now in S1 Pro too. XLN AD2 addons are quite expensive. And just bought their RC-20 for lofi.

[@maxkonyi]

@@WojciechKobus Oh great! They do go on sale quite often, so just wait and the price will drop soon enough 🌞 RC-20 is THE BEST.

[@normanlove222]

Wow your chords are labeled above the notes, is that something Studio One does? if so I love that.

[@maxkonyi]

Yes! Such a great feature. The chord track is actually very powerful. Check out some videos to see what I mean

[@whtamess]

if you search for a way to get your notes shown in ableton while you are playing, there is a max plugin for that ✌️

[@stranger5312]

wow why didn't i tried this way before? i always use the same boring chords. damn those muscles memory

[@maxkonyi]

Curious to hear how it works for you 🌞

[@mharvey-cl4rj]

01:38 RAP

[@maxkonyi]

LOL Wow, that's great

[@MrTADEUSARIUS]

Hello and thank you so much for your videos!I am not so good to create chords by one by one note.Is there any way with the chord track in Studio One automatically create 13,11,9 etc chords?am not a piano player but more a guitar player.Thank you again!I

[@maxkonyi]

I don't think so but there are many plugins you can buy to do this. You can also use MIDI files or audio loops. That being said, maybe you should learn to make them yourself! 😉

[@MrTADEUSARIUS]

@@maxkonyi I have bought Scaler but the best is toy learn to make myself for sure!Thank you again!

[@maxkonyi]

@@MrTADEUSARIUS 👌🏼👌🏼👌🏼

[@pheromw3657]

what is omnisphere preset name?(chord and bass both) i want to know !

[@maxkonyi]

Keys (Keyscape Creative): Layer 1: Looking for a Solution Layer 2: Palette Cleanser Keys Bass (Trillian): TR Six-String Ballad These all have a bunch of external effects being applied as well. Hope that helps!

[@pheromw3657]

@@maxkonyi thank you so much!!!🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙇‍♂️

[@basthejokester]

I thought to myself why does this man looks like someone I know then I realized you look like you could be Noah Kellman's brother. He's another KZbinr who makes neo soul piano tutorials. Look him up, both of you have a very similar resemblance

[@maxkonyi]

Ha! I see what you mean. Future collaboration maybe...

[@kendrick10601]

What's the difference between A minor and C major? I'm always curious how people view them in their head lol.

[@maxkonyi]

The differences are: - In A Minor, the tonic (the note that feels like home, the key center, the resolving tone) is A. In C Major, it is C. - Minor keys feel darker overall than major keys. Though they use the same notes (white keys), both keys feel quite different due to the points above. Hope that helps!

[@kendrick10601]

@@maxkonyi Ok, for instance Luther's If only for one night song. Would you consider it a A minor song or a C major? Quite frankly, I find it easier to think everything in major lol.

[@maxkonyi]

@@kendrick10601 The song is pretty split down the middle - sometimes clearly in major and sometimes clearly the relative minor. If I had to choose one for the one whole song, I'd say major but it definitely changes throughout.

[@kendrick10601]

@@maxkonyi Thank you man, very kind of you to answer my questions!

[@WojciechKobus]

Do you have Spotify artist account? I only found your user account there. Lots on Soundcloud but can't find your stuff on Spotify.

[@maxkonyi]

Nope, nothing on Spotify yet. Most of the music I've made in the past years has been for work rather than personal music. Hopefully I'll get some stuff released soon...

[@WojciechKobus]

@@maxkonyi I really like your Synthwave piece, awesome. Consider doing 5-6 synthwave pieces and release it as EP on Spotify as soon as possible :) You should be releasing music all the time!

[@maxkonyi]

@@WojciechKobus Thank you my friend 🙏🏼 I appreciate that! Good idea...

[@WojciechKobus]

@@maxkonyi Take it deeply though. I know what I'm saying. You have ease in creating melodies and harmonies, you could be releasing tons of music! You could be writing melodies for Dua Lipa (for example).

[@maxkonyi]

I've definitely got plans to release music this year so I'm happy to have your vote of confidence! Thank you for all the support ✨

[@slov1499]

15:51 strong bully maguire vibes