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Gems Around The Web

🧠 Music Things

• Using Chord Progressions to Create Rhythm Variations (YouTube)

👀 ICYMI

• Earth Wind & Fire Used This Chord Trick and Now You Can Too (Music Maker's Journal)

🎵 Tunes

• "Luther" by Kendrick Lamar and SZA. Never expected Kendrick and SZA to flip a Luther Vandross classic. They even gave us a bridge which is uncommon in modern music let alone on a hip hop record. (Spotify)

Deep Dive

Hey Music Maker's,

Do you start every songwriting session excited, only to end up cycling through the same I-V-vi-IV loop?

It's not because you've "run out of creativity."

It's because finding new harmonic ideas can feel slow — until you learn to search differently.

I've watched 70+ hours of masterclasses (including Carlos Santana and Ryan Tedder) and recorded with dozens of UArts Philadelphia graduates.

What struck me from these experiences was seeing how pros rarely reinvent the wheel with progressions.

Instead, they use targeted strategies for quick results—like searching for specific harmonic colors they want and building from there.

The "Chord Search Method"

Here's the simple framework I now use:

✅ Pick a chord you love (example: "bVII" or "ii")
✅ Search progressions that include that chord
✅ See 10+ variations instantly — different moods, different directions

Searching harmony > Guessing harmony.

It's faster, more intentional, and unlocks combinations you might never "stumble" onto by accident.

Let's Try It: The bVII Chord

Here are some creative springboards using the bVII chord:

• I - bVII - IV
• i - bIII - bVII - IV
• i - bVII - v - bVI

Notice that two of these are in minor.

You can actually use both progressions to create a song—one progression for your verses and the other for your choruses.

You can also play with harmonic rhythm (the length of your chords e.g. whole note, half note, quarter note). Try long rhythms for the verses and shorter rhythms for your choruses.

You quickly gain access to so many musical options to work with.

🎯 Challenge for the Week

Next time you sit down to write:

1. Pick one favorite chord (like "IV" or "vi").
2. Brainstorm (or search) 2-3 ways to approach or resolve it.
3. Use these as your creative starting points.
4. Experiment with harmonic rhythm to further transform your progressions.

✉️ That's a wrap

What chord are you most drawn to right now? Try this method with it and let me know what fresh progressions you discover!

I'd love to hear it—and give you a shoutout in a future issue. Just hit reply—I read every message.

Happy creating,

Melvin ✌🏾

P.S. If you want to skip the brainstorming and instantly explore hundreds of chord movements, I built a searchable Chord Progression Database — with 260+ ready-to-use progressions.

You can type in any chord ("bVII," "V," "ii") and instantly see real progressions that use it.

Perfect for writing faster and finding fresh ideas.

Find me on YouTube, Threads, Instagram​