circle of fifths Archives

How Secondary Dominants Can Make Your Chord Progressions Less Boring

It’s not hard to break out of predictable chord patterns with a new mindset on harmony, and a bit of easy help from secondary dominants, too.

Notes on the Birth of a Melody

From Soundfly Student Eva Grill, a beautiful reflection on where inspiration for melodic ideas comes from, and where it takes her when she follows it.

How to Make Chords from Scales

Learning to read or write music? Here’s a quick guide to making chords within the various scales and modes you might encounter in music theory.

How Do Key Signatures Work?

Learning to read or write music? Here’s a quick-yet-deep primer on how key signatures work across major, minor, modal, blues and other tonalities.

How to Use a Jazz Turnaround in Your Pop or Folk Song

Borrowing a nifty couple of chord changes from the jazz world can really elevate your songwriting, no matter the genre or style.

How the Circle of Fifths Can Help Your Songwriting

The circle of fifths sometimes gets a bad rap. But it can be one of the single most important tools in the songwriter’s toolbox.

Can Descending Chords Ever Sound Happy?

Descending melodies and progressions often sound sad, but one of the most resoundingly happy songs ever, Jackson 5’s “I Want You Back” begs to differ.