A lot of people think the musical modes exist just to confuse guitar players, but the truth is that modes are extremely useful practical tools for any modern composer...
Author - Jake Lizzio
I teach music theory and songwriting for a modern generation of musicians who want to grow and excel at their craft.
How Voice Leading Creates Better Sounding Chord Progressions
If you give a simple chord progression to a dozen guitarists, there’s a good chance that half of them will play it the exact same way. That’s because guitar...
Analyzing “What A Wonderful World” by Louis Armstrong
“What A Wonderful World” is not only a beloved standard, but also a wonderful example of how modern music theory tricks can add support to simple harmonic...
In this lesson I will drone on about musical drones (and the concept of pedal tones). This is a simple concept that can lead to some wonderful complexity...
In this video we’re going to explore the effect of double-tracked guitars, why should you be double tracking, when should you be double tracking, and more...
Performing live and recording in the studio are completely different skills. I’ve worked with great musicians who completely stumble in the studio environment...
Here’s an original lo-fi track I wrote, and a video on how the song was produced. To summarize, composing lo-fi requires some “slop.” I achieved that...
This video tutorial describes step-by-step how to compose and produce an original lo-fi beat from scratch (the hard way!). There’s a lot going on in the video that...
Understanding the 9/8 Time Signature There’s a lot of confusion surrounding this time signature because music teachers tend to teach it one way, while music...
This video is a fun demonstration of how to write a modern sea shanty, or pirate-themed song. Real shanties are much richer in history and form than what...