Modules & Lessons

1. THE SKETCH TO PRODUCTION WORKFLOW

   1 lesson

   1. Sketch to Production Workflow

2. THEORY FUNDAMENTALS

   6 lessons

   1. Chords In The Major Scale & Intro to Roman Numerals System
   2. Chords In The Minor Scale & Roman Numerals
   3. Major vs Minor: It's Just Perspective!
   4. How to Get the Chords In ANY Scale (Featuring Double Harmonic Minor Scale)
   5. How to "Hear" Emotion in Scales
   6. Rhythm Fundamentals & "Feeling" Groove

3. HOW TO WRITE CHORD PROGRESSIONS

   17 lessons

   1. DOWNLOADS: MIDI Pack & Chord Progression Database
   2. How to Use Tonic, Subdominant & Dominant Functions
   3. Tip: Start from I vi or IV
   4. How to use "Substitute Chords"
   5. Substitute Chords In Action
   6. Writing Longer Progressions With Substitutes
   7. Writing Progressions In Minor
   8. Substitutions In Minor
   9. How To Use "Bass Inversions"
   10. How to Use Chord "Voicing" for Storytelling
   11. A Few Practical Voicings
   12. The Magic of I V vi IV
   13. The Magic of the i III VI VII
   14. "Diads" - How to Make Less into More
   15. STUDENT RECORDING: What are "passing chords?"
   16. Hooktheory
   17. Google Search for Chords

4. HOW TO ADD COLOR WITH CHORD EXTENSIONS

   7 lessons

   1. Building 7th Chords
   2. Building Extended Chords
   3. Sharp and Flat Extended Chords
   4. Writing Progressions With 7th Extended and Suspended
   5. Playing on the Keyboard
   6. 7th and Extensions under an Ostinato Examples
   7. Quick Tip: Suspended Chords vs Add Chords

5. HOW TO USE MODES: THE DOORWAY TO NEW WORLDS

   10 lessons

   1. Mode Chord Chart PDFs & Lesson
   2. Introduction to Modes
   3. Major vs Minor Modes
   4. Dorian
   5. Phrygian
   6. Lydian
   7. Mixolydian
   8. Locrian
   9. Modal Interchange
   10. Major Minor Interchange

6. HOW TO CREATE ADVANCED CHORDS & JAZZ-INFLUENCED MOVEMENT

   12 lessons

   1. IMPORTANT NOTE BEFORE WE START
   2. Intro to Secondary Dominant Chords
   3. Secondary Dominants In Action
   4. The Most Common Secondary Dominant Major V in Minor Progressions
   5. Instant Soul - Minor 7 9 Major 7 9 Trick
   6. Tritone Substitution
   7. Passing Diminished Chords
   8. Augmented b9 Dominant Chords
   9. Comparing SD TS PD
   10. Soul Progressions
   11. Chords In 5 Levels
   12. Tweaking a I vi IV V

7. HOW TO WRITE MELODIES: FRAMEWORKS & FORMULAS

   15 lessons

   1. Setup Repeat Vary Destroy
   2. Magic of the Pentatonic Scale
   3. How to Hear the "Personality" of Notes
   4. STUDENT RECORDING: Emotion of Notes
   5. How to write "Rhythm Melodies"
   6. How to Write Melodies on Chords
   7. What is an Ostinato & How to Build Them
   8. Ostinatos PDF
   9. What is an Arpeggio & How to Build Them
   10. What is a Riff & Tips to Build Them
   11. How to Evolve a Melodic Idea
   12. Live 10 Minute Sketch Mindset Walkthrough
   13. STUDENT RECORDING: Melody Critique & Writing with Intention
   14. STUDENT RECORDING: Demonstration to help see "chords" as "melodies"
   15. STUDENT RECORDING: "Sky Full of Stars" - Coldplay (Theory & Recomposition)

8. THE ART OF SKETCHING IDEAS

   11 lessons

   1. What is a Sketch & Elements of an Effective Sketch
   2. The Piano Sketch - An Unlimited Canvas
   3. Sketches in Strings & Guitar + Thinking About Sound Choices
   4. Quick Start Guide: How to Sketch with Synths
   5. Sketch Sessions: Where Idea Generation Meets Practice
   6. Sketch Session: Going From a Voice Memo to Developed Sketch
   7. Sketch Session: Sketching to a Drum Loop
   8. Sketch Session: Setting a Target (EDM Melody Writing Example)
   9. Sketch Session: VST Practice (East Asia Example)
   10. Sketch Session: "Sketching" An Album (Epic Orchestral Hybrid Example)
   11. Case Study: From Sketching to Exported Professional Track

9. INTENTIONALITY TIPS

   6 lessons

   1. How to Analyze a Reference Track to Give Yourself a Template for Music Making
   2. How to Prepare Your Project for Efficiency & Workflow
   3. Song Recomposition to Learn From Your Favorite Music
   4. How to Setup Custom Drum Kits for Fast Workflow
   5. The Upsidedown Triangle
   6. Avery's Ultimate Popular Music Writing Cheatsheet