6Part 6 · The course
Melody, Bass and Arrangement
Melodies, motifs, bass lines, 808, arps, structure
- 01How to Write a Melody Over ChordsThis lesson shows you how to lay a melody over a chord progression: which notes settle, which ones are there to move, where to place them in the bar, and how to give your line a shape and some air.16 min
- 02Motifs, Repetition and VariationYou'll discover how an idea of just a few notes becomes a melody people remember: you repeat it, vary it in the right place, let it answer itself, and fit it into a four-bar phrase.15 min
- 03How to Write a Bass LineHere, you'll learn to write a bass line that supports your chords and gets the track moving: root, octave and fifth, passing tones, syncopation and anticipation, and how the bass relates to the kick.16 min
- 04Tuning Your 808 and Sub BassAfter this lesson, you'll know how to treat your 808 as what it is, a note: tune it to the key, make it glide, make it audible on every system, put it in the right register, and tune the kick to it.16 min
- 05Arpeggios, Arpeggiators and SequencesYou'll discover how a held chord becomes a moving line: the arpeggio played by hand, the arpeggiator and its settings, the sequence written step by step, and the ostinato that keeps turning while the chords change.15 min
- 06Registers: Giving Each Part Its PlaceThis lesson shows you where to put each part of your track in pitch, from the sub up to the highs, so everything can be heard: when to double at the octave, how to avoid chords that turn muddy, and how to leave room for the vocal or the lead.14 min
- 07Song Arrangement: Energy and StructureAfter this lesson, you'll know how to turn a loop into a track: cut time into eight-bar blocks, draw an energy curve, add and remove elements at the right moment, build tension before a drop, and take care of the moves from one section to the next.17 min