Lesson Samples
The Piano Sketch - An Unlimited Canvas
Rhythm Fundamentals & Feeling Groove
Sign up for all 200+ lessons, my entire library of track starters, and direct access to ask me questions.
Back to Sign Up PageFull list of lessons
-
WELCOME - THE GOAL OF THIS COURSE
1 lesson- Welcome - The Intention Behind This Course
-
HOW TO BUILD EFFECTIVE SKETCHES
6 lessons- What is a Sketch & Elements of an Effective Sketch
- The Piano Sketch - An Unlimited Canvas
- Sketches in Strings & Guitar + Thinking About Sound Choices
- Quick Start Guide: How to Sketch with Synths
- Rhythm Fundamentals & "Feeling" Groove
- Sketch to Production - Several Examples
-
HOW TO DEVELOP A SKETCH
2 lessons- How to Take One Sketch Into Multiple "Worlds"
- Case Study: From Sketching to Exported Professional Track
-
HOW TO HAVE PRODUCTIVE "SKETCH SESSIONS"
6 lessons- Sketch Sessions: Where Idea Generation Meets Practice
- Sketch Session: Going From a Voice Memo to Developed Sketch
- Sketch Session: Sketching to a Drum Loop
- Sketch Session: Setting a Target (EDM Melody Writing Example)
- Sketch Session: VST Practice (East Asia Example)
- Sketch Session: "Sketching" An Album (Epic Orchestral Hybrid Example)
-
HOW TO BUILD CHORDS & "HEAR" SCALES
5 lessons- Chords In The Major Scale & Intro to Roman Numerals System
- Chords In The Minor Scale & Roman Numerals
- Major vs Minor: It's Just Perspective!
- How to Get the Chords In ANY Scale (Featuring Double Harmonic Minor Scale)
- How to "Hear" Emotion in Scales
-
HOW TO WRITE CHORD PROGRESSIONS
18 lessons- Chord Progression Database
- Chords & Progressions PDF Lesson (The first chord lesson I ever made)
- How to Use Tonic, Subdominant & Dominant Functions
- Tip: Start from I vi or IV
- How to use "Substitute Chords"
- Substitute Chords In Action
- Writing Longer Progressions With Substitutes
- Writing Progressions In Minor
- Substitutions In Minor
- How To Use "Bass Inversions"
- How to Use Chord "Voicing" for Storytelling
- A Few Practical Voicings
- The Magic of I V vi IV
- The Magic of the i III VI VII
- "Diads" - How to Make Less into More
- STUDENT RECORDING: What are "passing chords?"
- Hooktheory
- Google Search for Chords
-
HOW TO ADD COLOR WITH CHORD EXTENSIONS
7 lessons- Building 7th Chords
- Building Extended Chords
- Sharp and Flat Extended Chords
- Writing Progressions With 7th Extended and Suspended
- Playing on the Keyboard
- 7th and Extensions under an Ostinato Examples
- QUICK TIP: Sus Chords vs Add Chords
-
HOW TO EXPLORE THE MOODS OF MODES
10 lessons- Mode Chord Chart PDFs & Lesson
- Introduction to Modes
- Major vs Minor Modes
- Dorian
- Phrygian
- Lydian
- Mixolydian
- Locrian
- Modal Interchange
- Major Minor Interchange
-
HOW TO WRITE MELODIES
14 lessons- Setup, Repeat, Vary, Destroy
- Magic of the Pentatonic Scale
- How to Hear the "Personality" of Notes
- STUDENT RECORDING: Emotion of Notes
- How to write "Rhythm Melodies"
- How to Write Melodies on Chords
- How to Build "Ostinatos"
- How to Build "Arpeggios"
- How to Build "Riffs"
- How to Evolve a Melodic Idea
- Live 10 Minute Sketch Mindset Walkthrough
- STUDENT RECORDING: Melody Critique & Writing with Intention
- STUDENT RECORDING: Demonstration to help see "chords" as "melodies"
- STUDENT RECORDING: "Sky Full of Stars" - Coldplay (Theory & Recomposition)
-
HOW TO CREATE ADVANCED CHORDS & JAZZ-INFLUENCED MOVEMENT
12 lessons- IMPORTANT NOTE BEFORE WE START
- Intro to Secondary Dominant Chords
- Secondary Dominants In Action
- The Most Common Secondary Dominant Major V in Minor Progressions
- Instant Soul - Minor 7 9 Major 7 9 Trick
- Tritone Substitution
- Passing Diminished Chords
- Augmented b9 Dominant Chords
- Comparing SD TS PD
- Soul Progressions
- Chords In 5 Levels
- Tweaking a I vi IV V
-
HOW TO WRITE WITH ORCHESTRAL VSTS
18 lessons-
Setting Up
- Recommended VSTs Sample Libraries
- Making Your Orchestral Template
- Navigating Sample Libraries Articulations
- Dealing with Delay in Instruments
- Using Modulation Expression
- Personality of Instruments
-
Composition Frameworks
- Orchestrating Chords The Power of Layering
- Orchestral Sketching
- Epic Ostinatos
- How to Compose Staccato String Momentum
- Creating Moods Setting Scenes with Chords Orchestration
- Ensemble vs Solo Sounds
- Solo Piano to Orchestrated Concept
- From Chords to Orchestration Demonstration
- Writing Orchestral Percussion Patterns
- Percussion Production Techniques
- Hans Zimmer - Time (Analysis & Transcription)
- STUDENT RECORDING: His MIDI Idea into Epic Orchestral
-
-
HOW TO MAKE ESSENTIAL SOUNDS IN SYNTHS
37 lesson- MIDI From Sound Design Lessons
-
Every Button In Serum
- Intro to Sound Design with Serum
- The Oscillators & Wavetables
- The Filter Compressed
- Envelopes, LFOs & Modulation Basics
- The Voicing Parameters
- The Macros
- The Mod Modulator
- Pitch Bend
- The Velocity Note Modulators
- Overview of the FX
-
Essential Chord Sound Design
- Supersaw
- Supersaw Stabs
- 3 Steps to Big EDM Chord Melodies
- Slow Closer
- Chord Wobblers
- Chord Pluckers
- Pads
-
Essential Bass Design
- Basic House Basses
- Midtempo Cyberpunk Bass
- Organ +7 Bass
- Plucker Bass
- Reso Bass Lead
- The 808 Bass
- The Sub Bass
- The Reese Bass
- The Pluck Bass
- Electro Slap House Bass
- Aggressive Bass FM
-
Essential Lead Design
- Arp Plucks
- Pluck Leads
- Sync Lead
- Supersaw Lead
- Sandstorm Lead
- Pitch Cycler Lead
-
Essential FX Design
- Tonal Risers
- Noise Risers
-
HOW TO BUILD A TRACK INSPIRED BY A REFERENCE
29 lesson- Introduction: What We Will Make
-
Planning & Reference Analysis
- How to Analyze a Reference Track
- Song Transcription in the Piano Roll
- Sourcing Presets
- Preparing Your Project
- How to Setup Custom Drum Kits - Splice Sample Picking
-
Writing The Song
- Writing Our Verse
- Writing our Pre-chorus Buildup
- Writing the Drop Chords (read description)
- Writing our Drop Melody
- Refining the Drop Melody
- Adding Sidechain Compression to Drop
- Writing our 2nd Verse
- Writing the 2nd Prechorus Buildup Drop
- Writing our Outro
- Full Sketch Listen Through & Small Adjustment
-
Mixing / Mastering
- The 6 Mixing Tools
- Mixing the Arpeggios
- Mixing the Verse Chords
- Mixing the Verse Bass & Adjusting Everything Together
- Mixing the Verse Drums FX
- Checking the Output Level Before Mixing Farther
- Mixing the Drop Part 1
- Mixing the Drop Melody
- Mixing the 2nd Verse
- Prechorus Build Drop Mix Check
- Checking the Final Mix
- Mastering Part 1
- Mastering Part 2
-
PROJECT BREAKDOWNS
28 lessons- Take It (Electronic Pop)
- Adventure Awaits (Epic Orchestral)
- All Around Us (Electronic Pop)
- Hydra (Rock Orchestral)
- Village Shop Theme (Intimate Orchestral)
- How To Write Melodic EDM Drops (Songwriting Framework from Sketch Session)
- Hero Emerges (Epic Orchestral)
- Inspiring Future (Epic Orchestral Hybrid)
- Tornado (EDM)
- Electronic Rock
- Universe (Electronic Pop)
- Devastation (Dark Epic Trailer Hybrid)
- Wurld (Epic Orchestral)
- Technology Electronic (Made for Stock Library)
- Epic Action Trailer (Made for Stock Library)
- Custom Music to a Brand Video (Fiverr Gig)
- Beat Your Meat (Custom Theme for Indie Game)
- 4 Trap Tracks for Sports (Made for Major League Baseball Network)
- Real To The Ends (Trap Beat)
- We Crush It (Electronic Beat made for Sports TV)
- Liftoff (Trap Electronic Pop)
- Dreaming (Electronic Pop with Vocal)
- Making a Dynamic Soundtrack (Above Ground vs Underwater, Same Theme)
- Voice Memo to Production: Melodic Cinematic Electronic
- Forever (Piano Buildup)
- Synthwave - Chord sketch to production concept
- Trance - Chord sketch to production concept
- Nudisco - Chord sketch to production concept
-
HOW TO GROW WHILE STAYING AUTHENTIC
13 lessons- How To Get Good: Everything In One Video
- My Fiverr Interview: Working as a Music Freelancer
- The 3 Step "Inevitable Success" Plan
- Mindsets that Help Me Stay Consistent Over Years
- What is a "Professional" Song?
- STUDENT RECORDING: Philosophy of being a creator & the "3 Buckets" to categorize each song into
- Active vs Passive Income
- How to Get Work: The Big Picture
- Growing your "Authentic Opportunity Network"
- Production Music Libraries - How to Get Your Music Into TV, Film & Advertising
- Licensing a song for 1,200 - Email Exchange with Music Production House
- Intro to Performance Rights Organizations
- Reaching Millions through Stock Music - Avery Berman Interview