Add a Tune and a Shape
Seven notes fit over your chords, because the chords came out of the same seven. Which one you stop on is the decision that makes a tune land instead of trail off. After that you build a second section and choose the order. Follow the interactive lesson below to learn more.
Write the tune
Seven notes fit over your chords, because they came from the same seven.
What you just learned
- Put a tune on it
Seven notes fit your chords
Your chords came out of the same seven notes, so all of them fit. You picked four, one per bar.
C D E F G A B - Put a tune on it
Most first tunes hang
Most first tries sound like they want to keep going. That is not a mistake in the notes, only in the last one.
4 notes · 4 bars - Make it land
End on a chord note
The chord under the last bar is C, E and G. End your tune on one of those three and it lands.
last note: C · E · G - Two sections
A chorus starts away from home
Your four bars are the verse. The chorus uses two chords that start somewhere other than C, which makes it feel like a lift.
e.g. Am + F - Two sections
The order is your call
Pick the order of verse and chorus. There is no correct answer, and waiting through a verse makes the chorus land harder.
V V C · V C V C · V C C - Good to know
That is your song
Chords you picked, a groove you picked, a melody you wrote and a shape you chose. Every one was your decision.
chords, groove, tune, shapeRead the full answer ↓
Where to go from here
Every part of the lesson, answered in full
Open any question to read the full answer.
What you end up with
A song. Chords you picked, a groove you picked, a melody you wrote and a shape you chose, and every one of those was a decision you made.