The Songwriter Forum - songwriting reviews, tips and chat
Songwriter Forum => The Writing Process => Topic started by: Boydie on July 14, 2015, 10:54:16 PM
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Hi All
This post should be read in conjunction with Episode 4 of the SongWriterSelect Podcast, which can be found here:
http://www.songwriterforum.co.uk/the-bar/songwriter-select-podcast-episode-4/
In this episode we delve in to some music theory and how it can be directly applied to songwriting
The topic for this discussion was how to choose the right chords to form the foundation of your song
To keep things simple we will be sticking to the key of C Major
C Major is a very special scale as if you played it on a piano/keyboard and started on a C note you would play a C Major scale if you just played all of the white notes as the C Major scale does not contain any Sharps (#) or Flats (b)
This will also help understand some of the more complex chords where certain notes in the chord are changed
Roman Numerals are often used to describe the chords to make it easier to play songs in a different key (which we will not worry about for now)
CHORD SCALES
The chords that "fit together" in the key of C MAJOR are:
MAJOR CHORD SCALE
Degree of scale Roman Numeral Chord
1 I C
2 ii Dm
3 iii Em
4 IV F
5 V G
6 vi Am
7 vii Bdim
If you were new to songwriting, or looking for inspiration, this gives you a "palette" of chords to choose from
For now we will ignore the B Diminished chord as we will be looking at Diminished and Augmented chords a little later
If you experiment with playing these chords it is likely you will find some sequences that go particularly well together
Here are some examples of some common progressions:
I IV V - “3 chord trick” 12 bar blues Rock n Roll
I vi IV V - “Rock n Roll ballad” - Teenager In Love, Earth Angel etc.
I V vi IV - This is the “4 chord trick” that covers a whole raft of songs and parts of songs: Don’t Stop Believing, With Or Without You, Let It Be, Poker Face, Its My Life, Auld Lang Syne etc. etc.
For a fun example of just how many songs use this I V vi IV sequence (and to hear how it sounds) check out this excellent video by the AXIS OF AWESOME:
There is a very special relationship between the I chord and the vi chord - the vi chord is known as the RELATIVE MINOR
The RELATIVE MINOR uses exactly the same chords as its respective Major scale but by using the MINOR chord as the "tonal centre" the chord progression will have a different feel
The "tonal centre" is the chord that the progression wants to "resolve" to, which also indicates the Key of the progression
MINOR CHORD SCALE
Degree of scale Roman Numeral Chord
1 vi Am
2 vii Bdim
3 I C
4 ii Dm
5 iii Em
6 IV F
7 V G
This then gives 2 options for a palette of chords in a MAJOR and a MINOR key
Major keys often give happier sounding songs and Minor keys often give a more "melancholic" feel
The MAJOR and RELATIVE MINOR keys can also be mixed together in a single song
eg - The song could be in a MAJOR key but then in the BRIDGE section it might move to the RELATIVE MINOR to make it sound a little different for this section before returning to the MAJOR key
THE IV MINOR TRICK
Using this knowledge of the “rules” one of my favourite “songwriting tricks” is to break the rules and use a "non-chord scale" chord
e.g In the chorus of the Beatles song “I Saw Her Standing There” this little run of chords is played for a bar each:
C C7 F Fm
The Fm shouldn't “fit” very well, but it becomes a “stand out” moment of the song for me, emphasised by the high pitch “wooh”
The choice of these chords creates an interesting descending run of notes within the chords (C-Bb-A-Ab) as a counter the the vocal, which is going up:
C - the root note of C Major
Bb - the Dominant 7th (b7) note of C7
A - the Major 3rd note of F Major
Ab - the b3 (Minor 3rd) of F Minor
I used this “trick” in the chorus of my own song “Edge Of Never”
The chord sequence for the chorus is:
C C Maj 7 F F
C C Maj 7 F Fm (resolving to C)
It is important to note that "chord progressions" are not subject to copyright so you are free to "borrow" chord progressions from your favourite songs - just be sure to completely change the melody and lyrics ;)
This can be a great way to explore and understand chord sequences, key changes and other songwriting techniques
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EXTENDING THE CHORD SCALE
The basic chord scale can be "extended" to give an extra flavour and embellishment to the chords in the scale
MAJOR CHORD SCALE
Degree of scale Roman Numeral Chord Chord Extension
1 I C C Maj7
2 ii Dm D min7
3 iii Em E min7
4 IV F F Maj7
5 V G G7
6 vi Am Amin7
7 vii Bdim Bm7b5
A word of warning!
C Major 7 is a C chord with an added "7th" - ie the 7th degree of the scale is added to the Major chord (this chord is sometimes written using a little triangle after the chord name or in front of the 7)
In this case a B note is added to the chord
When a chord is written with just a "7" after it (e.g. C7) this actually means C Dominant 7
This type of chord adds a "flattened 7th" to the Major chords - which is a B flat (Bb)
Don't worry too much about how the chords are constructed at this point - just bear in mind that these "7" chords are different as this is an area that often confuses people new to music theory
In this example we have MAJOR 7 chords for the I and IV and a Dominant 7 chord for the V
A Major 7 chord has a really "happy" and "jazzy" sound
A Dominant 7 chord has a more "bluesy" sound and creates a bit of tension
These extensions add a further set of "colours" to your songwriting palette
The same rules apply to the chords of the relative minor:
MINOR CHORD SCALE
Degree of scale Roman Numeral Chord Chord Extension
1 vi Am Amin7
2 vii Bdim Bm7b5
3 I C C Maj7
4 ii Dm D min7
5 iii Em E min7
6 IV F F Maj7
7 V G G7
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DIMINISHED CHORDS
We have conveniently skipped over the vii chord in the Major Chord Scale - ie B Diminished, which can be extended to Bm7b5 (B minor seven flat five)
So what on earth is a Diminished chord!?!?!?
Diminished chords have a very "weird" sound - the intro to "Ghost Town" by the Specials consists ascending Diminished chords
A Diminished chord is essentially a MINOR chord with a b5 (flattened 5)
This means that every note in the chord is 3 semi-tones apart, which is what gives the chord its "eerie" feel when played on its own
When played within a sequence a Diminished chord can often provide a fantastic "tension", which leaves the listener hanging and wanting the chords to "resolve" to another chord
e.g. B Diminished sounds like it wants to resolve to C Major because of the notes within the chord
The notes that make up a B Diminished chord are B D F
These notes resolve nicely to the notes of C Major (CEG) : B-->C, D-->E, and F-->G
Diminished chords can sometimes be indicated by a small circle (similar to a degree sign for temperature) or simply dim or dimin
AUGMENTED CHORDS
Augmented chords are Major chords with a "raised" 5th - ie the 5th is raised by a semi-tone
Augmented chords work best as "passing chords" to add momentum to your songs as they often provide a "pull" to other chords or as a pivotal point for a key change
The V chord of the scale (G) is often a good candidate to replace with a G Augmented chord as it will provide a "pull" back to the I (C) chord
Augmented chords are often written with a "+" sign after the chord name (eg G+) or a aug (eg G aug)
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SUSPENDED CHORDS
There are 2 main types of Suspended chords
SUSPENDED 4th
This is often referred to as "sus4" and it replaces the 3rd note of the chord with a 4th
This really adds tension to the chord and provides a real desire to resolve the 4th back to the 3rd - think of the choral "Ahhhhh - Men" sound
SUSPENDED 2nd
This is often referred to as "sus2" and it replaces the 3rd note of the chord with a 2nd
I find that "sus2" chords sound really "open" and although it is less pronounced they still have a degree of tension and a desire to resolve back to the 3rd
Suspended chords can be mixed and matched to provide movement to a static chord
"Summer Of '69" by Bryan Adams is a classic example where the "sus 4" and "sus 2" chords (combined with the major chord) provide the actual instrumental hook of the song
"Needles & Pins" by the Searchers uses exactly the same technique
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Reserved
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Reserved
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This is fantastic, Boydie. 8) Your explanation makes it so easy to take in.
Learnt a lot. Thanks for sharing.
PS: Will be scouring the board for the previous tutorials.
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Thank you COOLCAT, that is much appreciated
You really should have a read through AND listen to the podcast as these are just the notes from the discussion
The Podcast discussion really brings the theory "alive" with played examples and more info
If you are new to music theory (or brushing up) we would not expect anyone to digest all the info in one sitting
Hopefully after each go through you might get some "a-ha" moments and some new ideas
I will update/amend the posts if there are any questions/comments to give a nice little resource but I can't stress enough that this should be read in conjunction with the Podcast: http://www.songwriterforum.co.uk/the-bar/songwriter-select-podcast-episode-4/
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Great podcast and great notes - I didn't see the "4th minor" trick here - perhaps still to come.
One of the first things I do when writing is to write out all the chords of the home key at the top of the page. Saves time and sometimes corrects strange chords. And then ignore it (sometimes, maybe)...
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I didn't see the "4th minor" trick here - perhaps still to come.
This was well covered ???
The whole discussion about "I Saw Her Standing There" and the example from one of my own songs ("Edge Of Never")
Here are the notes from that bit:
Using this knowledge of the “rules” one of my favourite “songwriting tricks” is to break the rules and use a "non-chord scale" chord
e.g In the chorus of the Beatles song “I Saw Her Standing There” this little run of chords is played for a bar each:
C C7 F Fm
The Fm shouldn't “fit” very well, but it becomes a “stand out” moment of the song for me, emphasised by the high pitch “wooh”
The choice of these chords creates an interesting descending run of notes within the chords (C-Bb-A-Ab) as a counter the the vocal, which is going up:
C - the root note of C Major
Bb - the Dominant 7th (b7) note of C7
A - the Major 3rd note of F Major
Ab - the b3 (Minor 3rd) of F Minor
I used this “trick” in the chorus of my own song “Edge Of Never”
The chord sequence for the chorus is:
C C Maj 7 F F
C C Maj 7 F Fm (resolving to C)
I will go back and add a heading for this part in the notes though to make it more obvious
I am pleased you enjoyed the Podcast
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Ugh yes - was reading on phone - sorry and thanks! I actually think this is more useable than augmenteds and diminisheds - but therein maybe lies the story that there is a huge non-comfort zone of things for me to try.
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Fantastic job here Boydie.
Good to include examples of how things sound in practice...a great aid to understanding.
I've been playing guitar for years so the learning of progressions came progressively ( as it should!) just through exposure. It was only a year and a half ago or so that I learnt about harmonising the scale and the circle of fifths etc.....brilliant.
Now I am also one of those who, sometime during the process of writing the song, will write down the chords which harmonise the scale of the key I'm working in...usually at a sticky point.
Great stuff. Well done for taking the time and effort to put it all together.
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Boydie really effort gone in here as usual.
Just had a good listen down the M4 today and enjoyed the pod. I've been playing and writing for too long to remember and I start to glaze over around theory but it made sense when I heard it. All i'm saying is you can be unconsciously competent and never knowing understand it. Anyway one thing that really helped me was learning to transpose keys. The easiest key on the piano was C, the equivalent on the guitar was E. I followed the Beatles chords on one instrument and learnt how to transpose it to the other and vice versa. So what? Well it means the I, IV, V 3 chord trick can be moved up and down so if you want to change key to suit the singer or a particular instrument it becomes really easy. I never thought it was theory just learnt it as a practical thing by ear, but its pretty useful tool to have.
:)
Neil
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Wow Boydie thank you for sharing! You shure know what you talk about. Very good material, enjoyed it a lot! MM
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Thanks guys
One of the "reserved" posts I have made is there to share my biggest "nugget" of info relating to music theory
To keep the podcast to a reasonable length we consciously stuck to a single key ( C )
For my next trick I will show you the easiest way in the world to learn all the chords in all the keys, learn how many sharps & flats are in each key, and the order in which they appear!
When return from my hols I will post it here and see if my fellow "podcastites" want to include a discussion around it in a future podcast...
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Thanks guys
One of the "reserved" posts I have made is there to share my biggest "nugget" of info relating to music theory
To keep the podcast to a reasonable length we consciously stuck to a single key ( C )
For my next trick I will show you the easiest way in the world to learn all the chords in all the keys, learn how many sharps & flats are in each key, and the order in which they appear!
When return from my hols I will post it here and see if my fellow "podcastites" want to include a discussion around it in a future podcast...
Happy holidays Boydie and can't wait for the next chapter! MM
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A great refresher and good to have irt all in one place - may thanks#
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Very useful information, good explanation! I'd like to say more about VII in major chord scale:
I'd add bVII degree (Bb in C major scale), instead of VII, because it is widely used in pop/rock music. For example: A Hard Day’s Night by The Beatles (G-C-G-F-G, I-IV-I- bVII-I), All Right Now by Free (chorus) (A-G-D-A, I- bVII-IV-I), Crazy Little Thing Called Love by Queen (D-G-C-G, I-IV- bVII-IV).
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Slowly working my way through this and the podcast. Thank you for the time you spent on it.
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Thank you, this was very helpful and I have actually gone all the way to determining all the major keys.
Now, what I don't understand:
Everyone keeps saying that if you know the key of a song you can determine its chords. I understand how and that this is based exactly on this above. But my question is: can there be no exceptions? Can there be a song out there that simply uses let's say additional chords in it, that are outside its key? Can there be a situation when even if you know the key of a song, that you don't necessarily find all the chords used in it?
I am just trying to understand if there are exceptions to this rule and if there aren't, why is that? Why can there be no exceptions?
With that said, if I want to compose a song in the key of G for example:
G
Am
Bm
C
D
Em
F#m
Let's say I start using the majors, G, C and D; and I get a nice progression; then, I want to throw in something different for the chorus. Can I throw in a chord that is not in this key? For example an A Major? Even if the A in this key is minor?
And if the answers is yes, then how can we determine precisely what chords a song uses knowing the key if there are exceptions and songwriters can throw in borrowed chords all the time?
Thanks!
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The answer is a resounding YES
You can put any chord anywhere and as long as it "sounds right" you are fine
The best way to learn what "works" is to throw the theory book out of the window and just experiment - or listen to other songs that do this and work out why it works
Sometimes it will be a "modulation" (change of key) and sometimes it will just be a "wrong" (non-chord scale) chord
Using your example a "wrong" chord that I often hear in the key of G Major is the chord Cm
Try this section of a progression in G Major:
| G | G7 | C | Cm | G | D | G ||
And if the answers is yes, then how can we determine precisely what chords a song uses knowing the key if there are exceptions and songwriters can throw in borrowed chords all the time?
You gotta use those flappy things on the side of your head!!!! ;D
If you want to work out the chords to a song finding the "key" (tonal centre) will help you narrow down your search to the likely chords (ie the ones in the chord scale)
You will eventually be able to hear (and even anticipate) what chords are being used - then when a more unusual chord appears you should be able to hear it and then find out what it is
Music theory is "the map" not "the journey"
ALWAYS use your ear!!!
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The answer is a resounding YES
You can put any chord anywhere and as long as it "sounds right" you are fine
The best way to learn what "works" is to throw the theory book out of the window and just experiment - or listen to other songs that do this and work out why it works
Sometimes it will be a "modulation" (change of key) and sometimes it will just be a "wrong" (non-chord scale) chord
Using your example a "wrong" chord that I often hear in the key of G Major is the chord Cm
Try this section of a progression in G Major:
| G | G7 | C | Cm | G | D | G ||
And if the answers is yes, then how can we determine precisely what chords a song uses knowing the key if there are exceptions and songwriters can throw in borrowed chords all the time?
You gotta use those flappy things on the side of your head!!!! ;D
If you want to work out the chords to a song finding the "key" (tonal centre) will help you narrow down your search to the likely chords (ie the ones in the chord scale)
You will eventually be able to hear (and even anticipate) what chords are being used - then when a more unusual chord appears you should be able to hear it and then find out what it is
Music theory is "the map" not "the journey"
ALWAYS use your ear!!!
Well said!
Paul
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Fair enough, thank you, that makes sense.
What if a song only uses these 3 chords: Am Dm and C; no other chords in the whole except these.
How can we tell if it's in the C key or in the F key since these chords are in both keys?
Thank
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The "key" is the "tonal centre" so it would depend on how the chords are arranged and what key the melody
As this particular chord sequences includes a C Major chord I would immediately suspect the key C rather than F
However, if the melody contained a Bb and melodic phrases kept pulling towards F (e.g. the not F was used at the end of phrases) then it is possible that the "tonal centre" of the song could be F Major
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Boydie,
Very useful info and much appreciated. If I could just put my limited experience to bear, I would just say that although this is a very informative and fundamentally accurate portrayal of the building blocks of songwriting, it is useful to bear in mind that this can all be completely ignored and you can still write a killer song with no reference to this at all.
In my own experience, the most important thing is to find a key which suits your voice. Everyone's voice has a sweet spot between sounding too comfortable and sounding strained. It should be a key where you can stretch but not overextend your voice and where you are comfortable but not too comfortable. Once you have established this, you can use Boydie's basic building blocks to guide you. There are a lot of chords in each key (and outside it) which don't fit into the "rules" that Boydie has outlined but when used carefully can create magic.
My method is to hold a melody in my head and then play all the chords I know (which are mainly open chords on the guitar) until I find a sequence that fits that melody. Don't be restricted to the common chords - try holding down one or two strings of a chord shape or move it from it's original spot to somewhere else on the fret board. Sometimes all you need is two complementary chords and the whole song can be told there. Also, if you come across a chord change by just experimenting which sounds great, then bend the song to fit it, Just messing around on the guitar is a great way to spark ideas. Sometimes they fit the classic formula and sometimes they don't.
What I'm trying to say is that "the rules" are a useful slave but a terrible master.
Thanks once again to Boydie
Alan
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I couldn't agree more ALAN
I was very keen to point this out in the original post:
Using this knowledge of the “rules” one of my favourite “songwriting tricks” is to break the rules and use a "non-chord scale" chord
The bottom line is if it sounds how you want it go for it
Music theory will ALWAYS be able to explain the "why" something sounds like it does, whether it be an interesting "clash" or notes or something that sounds "right"
I love:
"the rules" are a useful slave but a terrible master.
My personal "mantra" regarding music theory, which I think fits with what ALAN is saying is:
"Music theory is the map, not the journey"
A knowledge of music theory WILL enable you to find quick ways to right songs, and contrary to popular belief a knowledge of music theory does NOT mean you can't come up with interesting songs
However, like a journey it can sometimes be beneficial to not follow the map and see where it takes you
You may find a "hidden" forest, a beautiful lake, some scenic views to make the journey more interesting
BUT - all of these things were still on the map and you can find them after your journey - if you knew what you were looking for you could have still found them on the map and got to them quicker
I think this analogy works really well for songwriting / music theory
The point is that it doesn't matter how you get there - as long as you get there!!!
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need to check this podcast out, only quickly scrolled through stuff but sounds pretty good to look into and study up up on things! nice work Boydie!
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Hi Boydie!
It's always great to refresh the old theory!
Firstly I must say that I haven't listened to the whole podcast so it might be mentioned there. At the moment I can't get the link to work it just sends me to the start page.
What I want to point out is the relationship of thirds that seems to go unmentioned. The major chord is a stack (3) of thirds and the 7th chord is an added third to a 'regular' chord. 9 and 11 chords follow the same pattern.
Also the diminished chord ie Bdim is much like a G7 without the root note. A G7 without the first third.
Martin
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Hi All
This post should be read in conjunction with Episode 4 of the SongWriterSelect Podcast, which can be found here:
http://www.songwriterforum.co.uk/the-bar/songwriter-select-podcast-episode-4/
In this episode we delve in to some music theory and how it can be directly applied to songwriting
The topic for this discussion was how to choose the right chords to form the foundation of your song
To keep things simple we will be sticking to the key of C Major
C Major is a very special scale as if you played it on a piano/keyboard and started on a C note you would play a C Major scale if you just played all of the white notes as the C Major scale does not contain any Sharps (#) or Flats (b)
This will also help understand some of the more complex chords where certain notes in the chord are changed
Roman Numerals are often used to describe the chords to make it easier to play songs in a different key (which we will not worry about for now)
CHORD SCALES
The chords that "fit together" in the key of C MAJOR are:
MAJOR CHORD SCALE
Degree of scale Roman Numeral Chord
1 I C
2 ii Dm
3 iii Em
4 IV F
5 V G
6 vi Am
7 vii Bdim
If you were new to songwriting, or looking for inspiration, this gives you a "palette" of chords to choose from
For now we will ignore the B Diminished chord as we will be looking at Diminished and Augmented chords a little later
If you experiment with playing these chords it is likely you will find some sequences that go particularly well together
Here are some examples of some common progressions:
I IV V - “3 chord trick” 12 bar blues Rock n Roll
I vi IV V - “Rock n Roll ballad” - Teenager In Love, Earth Angel etc.
I V vi IV - This is the “4 chord trick” that covers a whole raft of songs and parts of songs: Don’t Stop Believing, With Or Without You, Let It Be, Poker Face, Its My Life, Auld Lang Syne etc. etc.
For a fun example of just how many songs use this I V vi IV sequence (and to hear how it sounds) check out this excellent video by the AXIS OF AWESOME:
There is a very special relationship between the I chord and the vi chord - the vi chord is known as the RELATIVE MINOR
The RELATIVE MINOR uses exactly the same chords as its respective Major scale but by using the MINOR chord as the "tonal centre" the chord progression will have a different feel
The "tonal centre" is the chord that the progression wants to "resolve" to, which also indicates the Key of the progression
MINOR CHORD SCALE
Degree of scale Roman Numeral Chord
1 vi Am
2 vii Bdim
3 I C
4 ii Dm
5 iii Em
6 IV F
7 V G
This then gives 2 options for a palette of chords in a MAJOR and a MINOR key
Major keys often give happier sounding songs and Minor keys often give a more "melancholic" feel
The MAJOR and RELATIVE MINOR keys can also be mixed together in a single song
eg - The song could be in a MAJOR key but then in the BRIDGE section it might move to the RELATIVE MINOR to make it sound a little different for this section before returning to the MAJOR key
THE IV MINOR TRICK
Using this knowledge of the “rules” one of my favourite “songwriting tricks” is to break the rules and use a "non-chord scale" chord
e.g In the chorus of the Beatles song “I Saw Her Standing There” this little run of chords is played for a bar each:
C C7 F Fm
The Fm shouldn't “fit” very well, but it becomes a “stand out” moment of the song for me, emphasised by the high pitch “wooh”
The choice of these chords creates an interesting descending run of notes within the chords (C-Bb-A-Ab) as a counter the the vocal, which is going up:
C - the root note of C Major
Bb - the Dominant 7th (b7) note of C7
A - the Major 3rd note of F Major
Ab - the b3 (Minor 3rd) of F Minor
I used this “trick” in the chorus of my own song “Edge Of Never”
The chord sequence for the chorus is:
C C Maj 7 F F
C C Maj 7 F Fm (resolving to C)
It is important to note that "chord progressions" are not subject to copyright so you are free to "borrow" chord progressions from your favourite songs - just be sure to completely change the melody and lyrics ;)
This can be a great way to explore and understand chord sequences, key changes and other songwriting techniques
Fantastic post.
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Hi Boydie!
Can hardly wait for you to post the circle of fifths. Please use a graphic.
When you describe the relative minor( in this case A minor starting with vi), you describe it as a mode of the major scale.
It would imo provide more information if you also mentioned it as a minor key. That might add understanding of the major dominant, in this case E major, and the double dominant, in this case D major.
/Martin
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This is extremely helpful. . . and timely in my case.
I've been franticaly learning on my own just to get advanced enough so that I can comprehend and utilize these types of posts. Really, until you have achieved a "critical mass" of information, new information all looks like gibberish.
I "got" most of this, and I can (if you don't mind) cut and paste it into a document and study it and gain a greater "critical mass" of understanding.
Thank you. . . thank you. . . thank you.
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@hardtwistmusic (http://www.songwriterforum.co.uk/index.php?action=profile;u=19215)
I am sooooooo pleased to hear that - copy and paste away!!
The reason for doing this podcast, and writing up the theory bit, was to try to achieve EXACTLY what you have described - pull out and distill the bits of music theory that are directly relevant to songwriters
I do have a "life long goal" to produce a book (and or other mediums such as video etc.) that simplifies music theory, recording and production in to a single resource for songwriters and musicians to get them up and running as quickly as possible
Unfortunately "time" is the big barrier but it is still very much in my "life plan" and feedback like this helps keep me focussed on trying to achieve the goal
If you have any questions at all please post them here and tag me in
Cheers
Boydie
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I do have a "life long goal" to produce a book (and or other mediums such as video etc.) that simplifies music theory, recording and production in to a single resource for songwriters and musicians to get them up and running as quickly as possible
I fully support you in this journey of putting together this modern composer's music theory compendium. I have yet to come across one that's adapted to the day and age we're living in and that's a pity because as awesome as classical music and composers might be, the works they make students study in the existing textbooks are really off-putting and irrelevant for the young composers who just want to make music for today's audience.
I've studied music theory for more than 12 years both in school and independently and don't get me wrong, loved every minute of it as opposed to my peers who hated it. But even I had to admit what's taught today in an academic environment and the resources you find out there on music theory do little to nothing for the modern composer.