REWIRE THEORY

CONTENTS

01 TIME

  • Pulse of the music. View the Lesson →

    CONCEPTS
     • Feeling the backbeat
    • Counting in a meter of four
    • Recording with a metronome

  • Dividing the beat View the Lesson →

    CONCEPTS
     • Eighth note, eighth note triplet, sixteenth note, and sixteenth note triplet subdivision
    • Hearing subdivision
    • Improvising using subdivision syllables
    • Mastering the divisions

  • Reading symbolic notation View the Lesson →

    CONCEPTS
    • Reading beat maps
    • Rhythmic dictation
    • Recording an 808 kick bass rhythm

  • Decoding time View the Lesson →

    CONCEPTS
     • Reading standard notation
    • Rhythmic transcription
    • Composing with standard notation

  • Rhythmic Mastery View the Lesson →

    CONCEPTS
    • Identifying rhythmic groups by sight
    • Practice strategies with a metronome

02 Drum grooves

  • Playing drum grooves View the Lesson →

    CONCEPTS
    •     Playing key drums
    • Reading different drum patterns
    • Recording and quantizing a drum performance

  • Conversational Drumming View the Lesson →

    CONCEPTS
    •     Verbalizing drum patterns
    • Improvising drum grooves
    • Transcribing drum parts
    • Writing & composing a groove

03 bass lines

  • Visualizing Theory View the Lesson →

    CONCEPTS
     • Drawing a piano keyboard
    • Note identification
    • Playing in the C pentascale position

  • Seeing the changes View the Lesson →

    CONCEPTS
    •     Chord & lyrics sheet to lead sheet conversion
    • Playing bass to songs in C
    • Harmonic rhythm dictation

  • Linking the drums to the band View the Lesson →

    CONCEPTS
    •     Rhythmic connection between the bass and the kick drum
    • Write and record a drum groove and bass line over a prerecorded rap

  • The Key To Music View the Lesson →

    CONCEPTS
    •     Scale spelling through the circle of fourths
    • Memorization methods
    • Key Signatures
    • Playing bass to songs using Roman Numerals

  • Writing in the staff View the Lesson →

    CONCEPTS
     • Identifying notes in the bass clef staff
    • Reading bass clef melodies
    • Bass line transcription
    • Bass line movement
    • Bass line composition

04 chordal parts

  • Playing By Feel View the Lesson →

    CONCEPTS
    •     Easy chordal playing in the key of C using shapes

  • Chordal Character View the Lesson →

    CONCEPTS
    •     Triad spelling parallel to the major scale
    • Playing root position chords to pop tunes in different keys
    • Major, minor, and diminished mastery activities
    • Chord quality ear training

  • Smooth Voice Leading View the Lesson →

    CONCEPTS
    •     Chord inversion types
    • Inversion worksheet
    • Pop piano playing with voice leading
    • Chord progression ear training

  • Thinking In Numbers View the Lesson →

    CONCEPTS
    •     Triad qualities in the scale
    • Diatonic chord worksheet
    • Playing chords with numbers
    • Recording a cover song
    • Progression ear training part two

  • Harmonic Texture View the Lesson →

    CONCEPTS
    •     Rhythmic roles of chordal instruments
    • Comping improvisation
    • Writing and recording drum, bass, and chords
    • Chordal transcription

  • Reading & Writing In Treble Clef View the Lesson →

    CONCEPTS
    •     Treble clef note identification
    • Visualizing triad inversions on the staff
    • Key signature worksheet
    • Inversions in a progression worksheet
    • Composing chordal parts in notation

05 Melody

  • Tactile Melodies View the Lesson →

    CONCEPTS
    •     Augmented notation
    • Playing right hand melodies
    • Writing melodies by ear

  • Repetition, Syncopation, Space View the Lesson →

    CONCEPTS
    •     Analyzing melodic rhythm worksheet
    • Improvising melodic rhythms using the note C over a loop
    • Writing a melodic rhythm for a spoken work performance

  • Linking Melody To Chords View the Lesson →

    CONCEPTS
    •     Chord tones and non chord tones
    • Analyzing melodic pitch worksheet
    • Writing and recording a drum groove, bass line, chordal part, and melody using voice leading

  • Melodic Development View the Lesson →

    CONCEPTS
    •     Motivic writing live score
    • Question & answer phrase live score
    • Harmonizing a melody live score
    • Pop melody transcription
    • Video game melodic compositions using notation over a backing track

06 Form & Finals

Songwriting Prompts & Resources

Featured
Verse Chorus Songwriting
Verse Chorus Songwriting

Verse/chorus song structure is used in most styles of music; from dance to grunge, metal and beyond. The repetitious nature of this form with its shift between the familiar and unfamiliar is successful with most listening populations. Songs using the verse/chorus pop form is something that every musician and producer will encounter.

Melodic Development + EDM
Melodic Development + EDM

Melodies are repeated and developed in instrumental electronic dance music (EDM) to compliment the driving nature of the drums and bass. While melodic development is used in EDM, it can also be used in the composition of any genre of music.

Chord Progression Writing
Chord Progression Writing

A chord progression is the sequence of chords in a song or song section. Knowing how chord progressions work within a key makes it easier to write original music and to play/memorize the chords from other songs.

Public Domain Samples
Public Domain Samples

Sampling (the use of pre-recorded sounds) is one of the most prevalent techniques in modern music production. Samples are used live and in the studio by artists in most genres and sample based production is something that a producer should have in their tool box.

  • Song Structure View the Lesson →

    CONCEPTS
    •     Verse chorus form
    • Song form transcription
    • Phrase & section counting
    • Other song forms

  • Culminating Activities View the Lesson →

    PROJECTS
    •     Original Pop Song
    • Pop Song Cover
    • Pop Song Arrangement