Powerup Your Songwriting With A Chord Wheel

Quick what's the 1st thing that pops into your mind when you think of Music theory? Hey... This is a PG post. ha But you get my point. Very few people get excited at the thought of studying music theory. What I propose... Go at it a different way.

The Chord Wheel, provides an excellent way to propel your music and songwriting forward. Essentially, what it does is give you a plethora of options for chords to use that sound good tonally together. You start with the key you want to play in and spin the wheel to open up the options of what chords or notes to play next. The Chord wheel is an excellent resource for composition, soloing, music education, and transposing.

When writing our own songs, we typically have a handful of chords that we are comfortable with. Our staples, per say. But to continue on our journey as songwriters, we need to move past, what is comfortable, and learn new things. This can often be frustrating, slubbing through websites, books, and reference apps to get points of references.

This handy little tool has it all in one. Is it going to be the only thing we use? Absolutely not, but it can help open up even the worst of writer's block. There is even a handy app for all of our phones.

Another cool way to use this songwriting resource is to look up your favorite songs tabs, and see what chords they used and compare them to your own songs. See if your favorite musician or band is moving to the same positions you tend to gravitate towards.

Here is another cool trick!

Look up your favorite songs tab.

Pull out the chord wheel, and use the first chord as a reference point,

Now change the rest to different chords than the ones in your favorite song!

Maybe you start with moving all the chords just one spot to the right on the wheel.

Now play the chords together, and WALLAH you have a new song. Now, it may take some experimentation, but you get the point. Your options and growth, as a songwriter, have just opened up.

Have fun with it! Use the new inspiration to write that hit, or a new jam song for you and your buddies. We're all looking for new tricks, and this may very welll be a new way at looking at something you already knew.

The Punishment of Dirce

One of the most unique sculptures in the National Archeological Museum of Naples is The Punishment of Dirce, which is one of the largest sculptures found in Greco-Roman antiquity.  The sculpture is also known as "The Farnese Bull" because it was excavated in Rome in 1545 by the Farnese family and originally was placed in the Palazzo Farnese.

This work is fascinating both because of its large scale, it is over 12 feet high (3.65 meters) and the length and width are each more than 9 1/2 feet (2.89 meters), and elaborate construction as the entire sculptural group was carved from one block of marble.  I was lucky enough to see this in person in Naples last month and have been looking forward to writing about it and sharing my photos with my blog readers.

The Punishment of Dirce (also known as The Farnese Bull)

National Archeological Museum of Naples

view from the front 

The subject of this artwork is the horrifying punishment being doled out to Dirce by the sons of Antiope who she had mistreated.  The twins Amphion and Zethos are tying her to a bull who will drag and trample her to death.  There is a lot of tension in the moment when she is still alive and struggling against her fate.

The work was excavated in the mid 16th century by a team directed by Pope Paul III, originally from the influential  and wealthy Farnese family.  Like the Laocoön, this was unearthed when the artist Michelangelo lived in Rome.  It was placed in the gardens of the Farnese palazzo, the family commissioned Michelangelo to design a fountain for it. 

The Punishment of Dirce, view from the side

National Archeological Museum of Naples

This is a true sculpture in the round, there isn't any specific point for the viewer to stand and observe the work as the scene changes from every angle as you walk around it.  This was found in the Baths of the Roman Emperor Caracalla (who reigned from 211-217 AD).  The complex of those baths was so large that multiple enormous structures were found there.  As Eve D'Ambra writes in her book Roman Art:

     "The defining experience of a Roman bath was luxury, whether in one of the grand baths    

     built by the emperors or one of the numerous smaller establishments tucked along city 

     streets.  The baths built by the emperors Nero, Titus (r. AD 79-81), Trajan, Caracalla (r. AD 

     211-17, and Diocletian (r. AD 284-305) in Rome were palaces for the people with an 

     architecture of grand effects: vast vaulted and domed spaces, coffered ceilings with gilt 

     ornament, statuary in niches, marble tubs and silver basins and fittings."*

The monumental scale and craftsmanship of this sculpture would certainly fit in with the idea of luxury and grand effects.

The Punishment of Dirce, rear view

National Archeological Museum of Naples

Also like the Laocoön and other ancient sculpture unearthed in the 16th century in Rome, it is not known for certain whether or not this was an original Greek sculpture or a later Roman copy.  Regardless we can see several stylistic hallmarks of Ancient Greek Hellenism: a feeling of drama and theatricality, a new sense of naturalism and a dynamic composition from multiple angles.  Within the work there are a variety of contrasts- smooth vs. rough surfaces, the anxiety of Dirce vs. the grim determination of the twins and the shapes formed from both the positive and negative spaces.

The National Archeological Museum of Naples was one of my favorite museums on my visit to Italy and The Punishment of Dirce stood out as one of the highlights of this museum.

 

*D'Ambra, Eve. Roman Art. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press (1998) p. 75.

Careers in Sound Design

Recording careers don't only involve working with temperamental divas and disorganized rock bands. The skills and knowledge required in the recording industry can lead to numerous career opportunities in Sound Design and Production.

Sound Designers are most usually employed in the film and television industry, where they provide sounds to accompany screen action. The work they produce is essential to the filmmaking process, as sound elements give film a sense of location or period, or a particular mood. These elements can be any sort of recorded sound, from field recordings to music and special effects. There is, as you can imagine, quite a bit of versatility required, as designers can work alone to produce entire soundtracks and effects, or in a team involving a production mixer, sound supervisor, editor and director. People in this line of work, therefore, must be good communicators, and willing to accept direction and work with others. They must also have a thorough understanding of acoustics and both analog and digital recording and editing equipment and techniques.

In film and TV production, sound effects are added during the editing process. This means that most sound designers have to be experienced sound editors, comfortable with the editing process, software and equipment.

Sound design, however, is not limited to just television and film productions. With numerous media platforms now competing with movie and TV screens, including the Internet, advertising and computer games, the demand for quality, high-trained sound designers is at an all-time high.

Sound designers may be employed by a host of production and media companies, however, many work on a freelance basis, with their own audio workstations and recording equipment. This flexibility gives the opportunity to work on a number of different projects, across a variety of different platforms and formats.

As you can see, now is a great time to start a sound design career training program. The best training programs offer a mix of classroom theoretical instruction and hands-on practical training. Graduates from these programs are highly sought after in the industry, as this varied training approach has numerous benefits: it introduces students to the essentials of the profession, providing an overview of the skills and techniques needed to create recorded sounds, music and special effects; while also providing a golden opportunity to gain experience and confidence with the necessary tools and software needed in the trade.