A NEW way to write Chord Progressions

[@JamesonNathanJones]

Oh here's that eBook if you wanna get horizontal: bit.ly/FREEcompositionguide

[@TraxtasyMedia]

deadmau5 needs to hear this.

[@lewisforsythe1403]

Well... you're helping. Thanks. The ambient synth thing you did on the last vid was so good, too. A little sonic linear journey of sorts.

[@gplusplus314]

Drummer here, and that's all I do. I'm a one trick pony. That said, I enjoy noodling with midi controllers and DAWs. The way you explained this really made a lot of things click for me. You essentially connected dots in my brain that already existed, but were disconnected. You're a fantastic educator; thank you so much for your unorthodox approach.

[@BruceBalensiefer]

This is super legit. Sometimes I just write by following the voice leading of each part where it feels like it wants to go, and "discovering" the harmony that way.

[@sayelove2001]

ya i appreciate his effort and awesome content making skills... but tbh those chord progressions sound really muddy and the voicings (i.e. the structure of the chord) are a little too close (causing a bit too much of a rub... fine on a piano but not with that synth) which is causing the muddiness combined with the super long release. i appreciate the video tho... just wished he used a piano to explain it better instead of all the synths. but if i had that much analog gear i'd be doing the same lmfao.

[@tobytodelafontena]

NO ! I will continue coming up with chord progressions! I live my life as I want, you can't decide for me! Leave me aloooooooooooooooooone !!!

[@noisemodule]

in which JNJ nonchalantly establishes that he would make an incredibly accomplished Melodic Techno, Ambient House, or Goa Trance producer...

[@RobertoFrobs]

COULD YOU PLEASE RELEASE THIS TRACK FOR THE LOVE OF GOD

[@Lagrange_Point_6]

Yup. Dance version slaps like all hell. Fantastic groove with lots of lovely intricate detail. Loved it. This is inspiring.

[@JamesonNathanJones]

Thanks Jim!

[@beatjuggernauts]

I was really hoping for something innovative like a blockchain AI creatine infused chord method but I was nonetheless inspired by this video. Good work.

[@JamesonNathanJones]

😂 the “creatine infused” bit got me fam 🤣🤣

[@satanicconservative3935]

Using ai to create isn’t art. It’s a crutch.

[@Herfinnur]

Yeah, and for golly's sake, creatine is for lazy gosh darn dumbdumbs! Edit: Edited to less offensive words

[@docjoesweeney]

​@@satanicconservative3935 I hear that!!!. But, I am so old that I recall the same thing being said about synths! All the tools we use to make music are just that: tools. AI will create new options for experiments for some artists. For many, it will be just be used to deliver the same ol' rehash. Personally, I enjoy learning to do as much by hand as possible, which it why I love modular and custom synth setups. Making it hard makes it fun. But I also think anything that lets people play within music is a positive.

[@GravytyMusic]

Are you not already using creatine chords?

[@stateazure]

Great video...Now I realise, I really need to learn how to write choral music. I feel like it would benefit me a great deal to study this. Thanks to the choral video you showed, I stumbled upon the 'Tenebrae Choir' channel here on YT, and I'm just blown away by how incredible their performances are and really got me thinking about how to bring this style into ambient.

[@JamesonNathanJones]

Highly recommend any and all of the Rachmaninoff Vespers. Some of the most perfect music ever written imo.

[@jscj2066]

I love the Tenebrae Choir!

[@stateazure]

Amazing aren't they? Once I found them, I couldn't stop listening. Some of the most amazing group of vocalists. Their bass singers blow my mind. They have a playlist called 'Calming Music for Sleep' which is just incredible. Forget sleep, I'm studying the shit out of this stuff.@@jscj2066

[@krnflks]

Reading the section in the beginning of your ebook about voice leading rules brought me to an understanding of it that years of internet traversal could not. I love how in the example in the book (Chapter III) Bach is creating such a subtle bit of contrast by adding that 4th part which was almost like "introed" by the doubling. Looking at harmony with new eyes today because of you. Thanks. :D

[@Hummelsbusch]

Great video! I am a fan of drastic chord changes to keep it interesting. I often add 4th/7th/11th/13th notes to my chords, delete the root or just add the super tonic and make the chord „diffuse“. Let the bass anker the „feeling“ of the progression. Then it is nice to change the root of the bass while keeping the same chord progression which adds tension.

[@brianlespoir6287]

I remember my first inversions, there was no internet and I didn't know a lot of music theory, I couldn't even remember what musicians tried to teach me, so I did all by myself. It was like playing triads and I wanted the notes closer together, so I started lowering notes. Before I even knew it I was adding bass notes and then I understood what everyone was trying to teach me. It's been a long time I took the time to find something interesting and will dig into these chord progressions, love not so familiar sound of these progressions.

[@normietwiceremoved]

Same here, I experiemented with inversions before knowing what they were when I was trying to play something by ear because I remember everything sounding so unnatural.

[@brianlespoir6287]

@@normietwiceremoved My father and sister are musicians and we had many over the floor, somehow I was deaf for their teachings, but not for their musical tones. I learned everything by ear and when I understood what they where trying to teach me I learned pretty fast. Now It is very easy for me to teach others.

[@scottbyrne5271]

I have a degree in classical composition. The literal first rule of voice leading is aside from parallel fifths (which are fine for pop & contemporary anyway) is that notes should resolve to the nearest member of the new chord and notes should only be added to add 6/7/9 notes. But I guess it’s 2023 and I’m old now. Good chat everyone.

[@Bittamin]

I play a minor 7th, run it through a sampler, then just play E,G,F and instant banger 😂 I also make basic repetitive house tracks so, just found something that works for my novice self 😅

[@gabenght9316]

Would you be willing to point me to some sources on the matter you are talking about, please?

[@foljs5858]

@@gabenght9316 Try a harmony book, e.g. Walter Piston's is a classic one

[@albertoflanolombardo4155]

​@@foljs5858Man, Walter Piston is insanely dense and long for a newbie.

[@gabenght9316]

@@foljs5858 Thank you very much!

[@alexr1632]

this actually is really helpful! I always made chords and then hoped and prayed that they'd work well together, but this is a far more consistent means of confirming that the chords will work together. Thanks!

[@mark.sismore]

Wow…thanks for this, I am a couple of years down the line from being bitten by the synthesiser bug, and as I have come to it with no formal musical training, experimentation has been my main go to. I have just discovered your videos and have been really inspired by them, turns out that I’m actually doing some of the things that you mentioned, but without knowing what they were…. Now you’ve explained it to me in a way that I can “get”, I’m even more inspired…thank you.

[@CapelloProductions]

You're my new favorite content creator. Been loving your videos, your humor is very natural and hilarious. Keep it up!

[@JamesonNathanJones]

Much appreciated, and welcome! 🙏

[@gen-amb]

Also French fried pertayters.

[@XCompWiz]

JNJ: "...the way that choirs work..." Me, a long time chamber choir member, hearing the music in the background: "Wait, that's Bogoroditse Devo." I've only found your channel recently, but I'm loving it. Thank you!

[@ryan.noakes]

My exact reaction!

[@J-MLindeMusic]

Four voices? Inversions? Heresy, in metal we only need two. Power chords go brrr. PS: The ending track indeed slaps.

[@SylphDS]

...I was actually reminded of the counterpoints on Opeth's Orchid while watching this video 🤔

[@TraxtasyMedia]

@@SylphDS or deadmau5 Coasted/Saturn

[@yves_auger]

Thanks!

[@JamesonNathanJones]

Thank you!

[@goldbergermusic863]

Hahahah! You made me laugh out loud with your creepy left hand at 4:36 and then sliding across the screen at 5:50. Hahahah.

[@jarkkokangas6150]

Really nice concept, thank you! Those choir and string quartet examples helped a lot.

[@slimyelow]

The Ravel in F is one of my favorites.

[@mathiasgammelgaard8036]

Tak!

[@alexgrunde6682]

Another great technique as seen in the synth quartet example is, don’t have all the notes of the chord start and stop at the same time. It helps breath dynamics into the song and doesn’t feel amateurish like a series of whole note triads does.

[@JamesonNathanJones]

Yep. More line independence which goes back to making them all feel more like individual melodies. While one voice holds, the other moves and vice versa 👍

[@jeedmodorn5494]

Wonderfully instructive. Thank you, Jameson Nathan Jones.

[@WizardOfArc]

I've been writing canons with "normal" instruments playing them- your video is inspiring me to consider writing canons for synths and other non-traditional instruments

[@secretchefcollective444]

Thats cool, I'd just like to point out that synths have been around for about 100 years at this point, when do they become traditional :)

[@derrickmickle5491]

A fantastic and engaging illustration of voice leading. Well done!

[@AntonMochalin]

What I like with this classical approach is that you can quite often hint at next chord progression step with just two notes or a single note so you can be lazy and nuanced at the same time saving full chords for the moments when you need to be really persuasive lol

[@Unison_Detune]

This content isn’t available anywhere else….. fantastic!

[@netuno60]

Thank you for this video. It was great. You are trying to teach us something like writing in simplified counterpoints, with three or four parts but not all the rules. I can write 2 or 3 (almost) independent melodies on a chosen scale, but as you said isn't so easy. I'm used to composing in the easier way: first the chords, then the melody( ies) that comes from repeat them.

[@DETERMINOLOGY]

True method with coming up with chords. Ear train. That's the best method not to many people will tell you about but they will give you "quick methods" Ear training covers all of that up

[@somilgupta6666]

I found you yesterday and I want to say, I love you and your videos. They are so helpful and informative and perfect for where I’m at, thanks for being a great teacher!! :)

[@TreyBruceable]

The shade thrown in this video 🎉 love your stuff!

[@marcus_ohreallyus]

I'm very new to song composition and I just recently finished my first ambient track. I barely know my way around a physical keyboard and I can play a little guitar. I've found the visual aspect of my DAW to be extremely helpful in writing music, as someone who isn't an expert instrument player. I started to notice that specific shapes of melodies (in the piano roll) were giving me the sound I was looking for...almost to the point where I was kind of painting a picture -- which had a mostly horizontal sweep and direction.

[@andycordy5190]

I came back here, prompted by the end of your more recent video on the Arpeggiator, having forgotten that you'd contextualised this exceptionally well here. Both of these now make inspirational waves for me. I may even set to work😱

[@electrosonicnebula]

Sometimes clever voice leading is correctly ignored because for whatever reason the "color" needed is *not* to employ inversions. Those long leaps can be thought of as just another flavor. Just like a triad can work better than an extended chord. Also, if you're working with modular in particular you might think of your voices as the voices in a choir or a quartet and forget all about chords. You can sit there and analyze it later to see what you've done. Or not.

[@nightoftheavalon]

I have been producing electronic music for the past few years. Although it can be challenging to create something that satisfies me, I find your videos informative and appreciate your fresh perspective. For what it's worth, I really enjoyed the "standard cliche dance syncopation" part haha.

[@samuelivascu7633]

This takes me back when I was just a beginner on piano and it took me 2 months to get my first Bach piece down 😢 the words "Herliebster Jesu was hast du veebochen" are burned into my mind forever

[@JamesonNathanJones]

It’s a banger 😂

[@marvin902x]

"Herzliebster Jesu, was hast du verbrochen." Sorry, but I am german and your words doesn't sounded right for my german brain. So I corrected it.

[@gen-amb]

You are CORRECT, SIR! (Ed McMahon reference, nevermind)

[@amsterdamned6209]

Fantastic sounds!!!

[@adriansolis5362]

The irony is that the advert at the end of this video is the exact thing you were throwing shade at. That aside, voicing is something that I've been trying to focus on when making music. It really does go a long way to making good music

[@JamesonNathanJones]

Haha not surprised. They prey on any and all music channels. 😂

[@goldbergermusic863]

I just devoured your new e-book on Harmony. Played the examples. Learned a lot.

[@KirklandWilliamsWorkout3000]

Love the synth Quartet. I grew up playing in sax quartet. This has actually helped me to arrange music on my 4 voice synth ms2000

[@JamesonNathanJones]

Great synth!

[@panos3246]

Actually THIS is the only way to write music. It has the least friction for documenting what you actually hear in you and the final result that gets into your ears... Excellent video!😉

[@Wolfbabypuppylove]

Really like this content a thinking mans approach to composition/theory/production. You and Venus theory along with Benn Jordan rule the roost bravo excellent work.

[@tobcom3542]

Fantastico, the final song is great, and i hear the richness of the chord-melody variations. Great

[@jaqummh]

I understood like nothing said in this video, but maybe I should try to concetrate on thing at the time. And it is good to test these advanced video tips every now and then and some beautiful day it will click!

[@grimpiece]

Thank God I came with the idea to search for "music composition" instead of "music production" and found your channel. Contrary to most videos on the topic, your are actually inspiring and they don't make me feel like doing math homework.

[@JamesonNathanJones]

Haha glad to hear it! 🙏

[@tonyrapa-tonyrapa]

Yes - that certainly jigged! Very nice work, indeed.

[@fentanyljones6956]

Damn, i have a fairly good grasp of theory and this was extremely helpful and useful to me. Subscribing and downloading your book now!

[@goodcircuit4485]

I really love chord progression like that, deadmau5 vibe

[@kbuks]

This just changed my life

[@nathanfinnegan522]

Good old fashioned counterpoint. Love it! 👍

[@CRayBeats]

I like to write a lead over my chord progressions either 4 or 8 bars in length starting on the fifth or 3rd of the scale. I will then will add one or two long legato notes either the root of the scale or any pentatonic note that's in the scale under the lead melody. I will then arpeggiate that. Not the chords itself..

[@darpsyxer]

Holy ssshhh... , that's a very cool way to teach some chords, from start to finish! awesome man thanks a lot for doing this

[@davidmcgirr]

Great, as always. I recently tried to learn four part harmony, got stuck, and just start playing independent lines. According to an analyzer I used a lot of dominant chords.

[@jdanielcramer]

🤠 Dixieland!

[@kostisv]

driving into the sunrise kind of vibe. cool.

[@MythMakerMusik]

Oof! So lovely. The American Kiasmos. Lookin' forward to your full-length techno record that I am sure you are working on. Because it would be killer. For real.

[@michaelkonomos]

I spend too much time watching damn gear videos when this is what I should be watching. I have everything I need already to make great music - except the actual musical skills at this level! Thanks, this is super helpful.

[@gen-amb]

(Slaps own hand away from “buy” button again)

[@benjaminleahy2840]

I'm working in ableton and with hardware as well. What are you working in?

[@michaelkonomos]

@@benjaminleahy2840 Ableton also, with a bunch of Arturia VSTs

[@Glandulf19]

That synth quartet reminded me a lot of some organ pieces Bach wrote that my harmony teacher had us study, great work! I don't think I was the intented target of this video, already knew all that, but still loved it and will share for sure ❤

[@davelordy]

I bought a C# major from Unison, it's excellent, I use it everywhere, really punchy.

[@balbinat]

Nice one! (Again) Thx! Also: can’t wait for next week’s topic!

[@francistomalik]

Right,.. you just nailed it like it's nothing 😅

[@SonicCartography]

I just wanted to confirm that, yes, that does slap. Great video (and songs)!

[@Jay-ru6kn]

great examples! i do feel like this could be summed up by saying "mind your voice leading"

[@JamesonNathanJones]

Thanks! That would assume that all viewers were well versed in voice leading techniques, or had even heard of the concept before.

[@sailingstar8176]

It kind of reminds me of the way I've seen Deadmau5 work, but using the piano roll rather than by playing a keyboard. He'll just plonk parallel notes down on the grid, then drag them up and down until he's happy with the intervals and harmonic progression. I get the feeling that he's thinking horizontally, using his ears, and not about chords or key changes. The end result is similar to yours, and to choral music, in that you hear a series of parallel melodies, rather than block chords. I guess you could do similar things with chains of clips in a sequencer - write a measure or two of melody, copy it and chain it, then edit the pitch of a note or two, and/or the rhythmic pattern, then keep repeating this process, to make the tune evolve. Then copy the original clip to another track, edit the pitches to make a counterpoint, then copy-and-paste to make that evolve too. I was thinking this out as I was writing, now I need to go and try it!

[@remyvegamedia]

Dang that's crazy. The EDM thing you put together solved my annoyance with that style of music. Same with most electronic instrumental hip-hop. It almost never has any musical development besides dynamic changes. I play jazz music and so much of how I write is thinking of how to blend the harmony I want with fluid melodic lines. I've gotta find a way to do this with a more melodically minded approach like this so I've been studying Ravel and Chopin for the first time in my life. Wish me luck haha. I need help hahaha.

[@JamesonNathanJones]

Love Ravel 🖤

[@martintf]

Loved this. Thank you very much!

[@ashe_]

'yeah but can it slap' - instant sub :D answering the question on everyone's minds!!

[@WizardOfArc]

I, too, wondered exactly what you meant when I came to that section of your book

[@chambre466]

very cool and nice and all the good stuff. Great musician

[@pixelbender5897]

7:40 has to be the coolest chord progression ever - oh how happy to see you toss the auto-chord methods where they belong. that is killing the creative potential of any producer/player behind a keyboard...thank you so much. SO inspired to start using my kicks to alter my pads...and...get a warm lightbulb to create with !

[@adijames]

It slapps.

[@leadpipejustice9253]

Best music channel

[@dreikycaprice]

Can't wait for your release of more up tempo bangers

[@JamesonNathanJones]

Haha not sure I’ll be making a habit of it

[@jexner]

@@JamesonNathanJones My guess: you are "deadmau5"

[@gen-amb]

My own personal journey in music over the last half century started with SATB choral singing (both Broadway and liturgical) including choral hymn arrangements and eventually reaching into Gregorian Chant, and even a little choral direction. I was also a DJ. I thought that long experience made my understanding dated and worthless… “BORING”. Thank you for vividly demonstrating to me a validation of my own half century seeking musical relevance.

[@bretdecelle3717]

This slaps. You just earned a subscriber :)

[@alfasonicstudios]

Great content! Love the mix of Theory, Synths & Humor 👍

[@LondraCalibro9]

a very good lesson, thank you!

[@irradix213]

Thanks again for the insight

[@nicovandenberg_]

This is why I love my Matriarch. Is does a wall of insane analog goodness as well as a light magical arp.

[@suitandtieguy]

This is great. Those of us with SATB experience know this instinctively but these basics of theory and arrangement should be discussed more.

[@CoffinNachtmahr]

Gonna go make myself use and borrow these techniques thank you 1000 times

[@fentanyljones6956]

That P12 got me drooling

[@badaegis]

Slaps; yes. Love that soft riser and that snare; tasty af.

[@L1ghtOn3]

Hey, thanks for the lessons, big Trance music fan and used to Dj during the 90s, early 00s was a special time for Trance music. I do like the drum bass used from the...I'm assuming TR-909/808 keyboard Synth Work flow? Your song is gd and I can see you love your stuff, best way to be, get stuck in. I was going to enrol in a music course back in 2002 but my life took a turn and it never happened, I had an interview and got shown around the campus, the cubase installed on the computers, the Analogue and Digital workflows in the studios looked fantastic, and they had Technics 1210s as well to use which I was very familar with from the clubs, it looked like paradise to me, but as I said unfortunately it wasn't to be. Nowadays I've just downloaded a DAW and trying to put together some ambient background music, which is fun and videos like this help a lot. Thanks a lot, all the best for the future. 👍

[@Lordxfx]

So tasteful Jameson. There is a reason, I buy all of your stuf. (Shut up take my money). The moment I discovered you, I felt you're this harmony slash melody wizard who loves rhythmic suggestions and actually hates the sound of clean drums. I'll soon be spending more time on music theory. It's a ton of work for a hobbyist cycling between sound design, technical setups, music style analysis, music theory, soft and hardware device knowledge .. I wonder when it's time to make music : ))))) Great vid!

[@goldbergermusic863]

JNJ says, "No chord exists by itself." Yup, that's profound.🧠

[@alexfraughton9938]

While I imagine it's not something you'd pursue, I would definitely be interested in seeing more EDM content from you. This was a cool video and I really appreciate you showing the applications to dance music

[@JamesonNathanJones]

Yeah it’s not really my scene, but I respect it

[@riccello]

Instantly subscribed, and liked!

[@TrekStar11]

awesome stuff, earned my sub

[@JamesonNathanJones]

Welcome!

[@rodrigolaporte274]

This is excellent!

[@lanierwexford2582]

Loving the click bate title for good old fashion basic information! Also it feels like you are imbeding the normal snark in the demos. Such good delivery!

[@BeekuBird]

Ascending progressions are also fine (e.g. Trans-Europe Express) just as ascending melodies are also fine.

[@Dave-nm8uk]

Reallly interesting. I didn't watch the Melodies video first, but went back to that one - very good. One comment though - why restrict composition to just one horizontal melodic line? That would lead on to counterpoint - but why not. Sometimes just "mashing" two or even more melodies - probably in the same key - actually works. If there are any harmony clashes - well either rewrite or experiment, or just say "too bad that's the way it is!" Your experience as an organist and pianist really shows up here. Your suggestion that Bach didn't really think vertically is interesting - though his compositional methods may not actually have been quite like that. He clearly was very talented, and by the time he moved to Leipzig he was producing so much music that in fact he was really running a kind of music production line - using his students - eventually many of them - to do a lot of the grunt work. It's really worth taking a trip to the Bach museum opposite the church in Leipzig to get just a slight feel for the magnitude of what he was doing.

[@fentanyljones6956]

I definitely need to get my keyboard skills up

[@davidsanfeliumarco9664]

Such interesting!!! Thank u so much!! Have u ever heard the song Saturate by The Chemical Brothers? Reminds me the one you played here 😅

[@gen-amb]

The irony of this title is hilarious. It took me a while to notice.

[@allenholmankus8880]

Excellent video! How about a lesson on tonal counterpoint as applied to ambient style composition (and for some extra fun) as well as "EDM" music as you've done in this video? Keep up the excellent composing (I've purchased some of your works already).

[@vvcv__00]

Reading and learning about basic voice-leading and harmony will go far. Spending time with this alone (you can get by with basic theory) should singlehandedly take the mystery out of progressions/harmony, while also expanding your bag of tricky-tricks. Nothing lends itself as a metaphorical magic key, or holy grail, to better writing (can you think of such a black-art for composing poetry or prose), but some reading -with videos to supplement- into voice-leading and harmony, will go a long way towards getting you through better, and faster, writing. If you want more than basics, one of the best books is by Edward Aldwell and Carl Schachter. However, you will need private lessons, with a composer, to work your way into the more advanced lessons it offers -if that's what you're looking for.

[@Joe_fr0sty]

Great video!