While I can’t give you a formula for how to write a song, I can give you tried-and-true tips that will tip the odds in your favor. Because the truth is the songwriting process is as unique as the songwriter.
If you listen to music that has unmistakable sense of “groove,” it’s likely because of syncopation. Here’s how to implement it in your music.
The Circle of Fifths is one of the most fascinating concepts in music theory. It somehow manages to be both incredibly simple and mind-numbingly complex, depending on the context. That said, mastering (or at least thoroughly understanding) this musical tool will make you a better musician, composer, producer, and songwriter. In this post, you’ll learn: … Read more
Proven strategies for becoming a game composer and getting paid to make music for games **This post has been updated in November 2021** “How do you become a game composer?” This is the question I set out to answer three years ago when I first began my podcast, Composer Code. Since then, I’ve interviewed around … Read more
It’s never been easier for us to create incredible video game music for free. In this post, I’m going to teach you tangible strategies for making video game music at a low (or no) cost, even if you’re a complete beginner. We’ll review the essentials of: Melody Harmony Arrangement Music Theory Music Technology Everything I’m … Read more
If you feel like you write the same boring, dry, predictable progressions every time you sit down to write music, I’m gonna help you get out of that rut. Let’s explore 13 of the most interesting, practical, and (sometimes) downright spicy chord progressions from video game soundtracks. I invite you to steal these and use … Read more
Jason Graves is a game audio veteran with numerous AAA titles under his belt including Dead Space and Tomb Raider (2013)
Eric Buchholz is a talented composer and orchestrator who offered a glimpse into his illustratious career as well as valuable orchestration principles.
Sydney Kjerstad is a talented pianist, arranger, entrepreneur and VGM geek with tons of arrangement and business wisdom. Listen to our conversation now.
Tom is an ASCAP winning and MTV VMA-nominated composer who’s been in the biz for a long time and has an impressive list of both TV and game credits including PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, Red Steel 1 and 2, Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon, Prince of Persia, Wolfenstein Youngblood, and the Halo Anniversary Edition soundtracks. In our conversation … Read more