Biblical Chords

When Adam and Eve ate from the tree of knowledge, they became painfully aware of, well, everything.

Musicians fall into the same trap when mining the internet for better chords, better chord progressions, and more advanced music theory.

Don’t get me wrong, access to information is a good thing. But just because drinking from a fire hose seems exhilarating, the reality is that you could drown.

A good teacher knows when to turn on and off the tap. Unfortunately, when left to your own devices, it’s tempting to just ride the YouTube suggested feed. Sure, the algorithm may point you in the right direction, but sometimes what you need more than a map is a good set of brakes.

My suggestion? Find a good piece of fruit, and squeeze out as much juice out as possible before reaching for another.

For example, when I was in school studying 18th century counterpoint, e.g. parallel motion, suspensions, non-structural chromaticism, I started overanalyzing everything I played, even though I knew that the modern music I was writing did not need to abide by the rules of Bach & Co.

But because I stuck with it and did not spread myself too thin across a bunch of other areas of study, I was able to transcend the overwhelm and internalize what I’d learned.

Now, I’m not suggesting you need to go take a class in old school counterpoint. The truth is, if you want to make music with tasty jazz or R&B chords, you’re much better off learning individual voicings like those found in my chord pack, Sick Chords Volume 1.

But whatever you choose to dig into, remember to squeeze out that juice!

Pick just a few voicings.

Analyze them.

Transpose them in all keys.

Write a new song with them.

In short, stay focused.

- Jeff

P.S. Sick Chords really is the ultimate resource for infusing your music with rich, colorful jazz chords. You can learn all about it here:

https://go.jeffschneidermusic.com/sick-chords-volume-1