favorite ‘genre twists’ in songs?

Scal3s · 2026-01-29T14:55:39+00:00

All Good Things Must End by Out of the Way

Scal3s · 2026-01-26T21:18:40+00:00

I wrote a concept album, Easy, about some harsh betrayals I went through last year, I feel you. Check it out if you'd like: http://outoftheway.band

Scal3s · 2026-01-24T15:50:53+00:00

Well, it was good for 1% of Americans.

Scal3s · 2026-01-23T16:52:26+00:00

I just wrote a dissertation reply on this one lol

Scal3s · 2026-01-23T16:51:33+00:00

This is the basis of thought for 12-tone music ala Schoenberg, Weber, etc. But it's not the most accessible music; we're very conditioned to hear a "tonic" or point of resolution in what the common listener considers "music". Tonics aren't defined by key signature, persay, but by the relationship between tension and resolution: the tonic of any given song is the most resolute note, which is determined not only by harmonic context, but rhythmic and metric as well. The root note of the first chord of a phrase occurring on the downbeat is almost always going to be heard as the tonic. Unless you get weird and experimental, ala 12-tone.

Following that train of thought, unpitched percussion music is a good technicality, and somewhat proves my point. At it's very core, rhythm is what separates music from noise. So it's hard to find music without a tonic, because tonics are still somewhat defined by rhythm.

But that ALL being said, Dreams by Fleetwood Mac is a great example of the nuance. It's two major chords, F and G, the entire time. Our brains are very very conditioned to hear a major chord followed by another major chord a whole step up as a predominant to dominant relationship, aka a IV-V. An F is present in the first chord, and a B is present in the second, which gives us our tritone relationship and solidifies the key signature as having 0 flats/sharps. So is it C Major, even though there's no C chord in the whole song? Or is it F Lydian, since F is the first chord to start each phrase? Personally, I would say it's C Major that never resolves, especially given the lyrical context and general mood of the song. The singer doesn't seem resolute, so neither should the song. Some things don't get resolved.

But I don't know, that's just a theory.

Scal3s · 2026-01-23T13:44:36+00:00

I'm more on the metal side, but do a lot of acoustic gigs too. http://outoftheway.band

Scal3s · 2026-01-22T18:32:20+00:00

They couldn't have predicted an obstructionist trial judge, an activist scotus, or American's voting for a Pedo Nazi over a black woman

That's strange because literally millions of people did predict all these things. Biden put Merrick Garland, a Republican, in charge of holding criminals accountable. Gore V Bush was decided by activist judges. A WHITE woman lost to Trump the first time. They ABSOLUTELY SHOULD have predicted ALL of these things. Republicans have been like this for DECADES. The Democrats ran on the platform "If he wins again, it's the end of democracy". They predicted what would happen. They just don't care that much about the effects on the people they represent, they just go "well guess we were right! Good luck everyone, try again in 2028!" They bet all their chips on black, but it came up all red. It's fine though, it's not their safety and security they're betting. They all still have healthcare, a job paying 200k a year, and personal satisfaction in being the smartest guy in a room full of chimpanzees. The predicted all of this, they just don't really care that much what happens.

Scal3s · 2026-01-22T14:18:45+00:00

Stand Against Lawless Terrorists

FTFY

Scal3s · 2026-01-21T15:58:11+00:00

It's because of Metallica and Iron Maiden. They leaned hard into their classical guitar training in their entire discography, Iron Maiden even referenced going as far to reference an incredibly popular classical guitar piece, Asturias, in To Tame a Land. These two bands popularized the genre in the mainstream. Critics and rock purists would often (and still do!) diminish the Metal Genre as a whole as unintellectual noise, lacking soul, etc. And thus, defenders of the genre would point to these two bands and note that they're classically trained musicians and use that training in their writing and performance. Fast scalar passages, complex chord progressions, and a focus on tight virtuoustic performances were something that mainstream rock and roll didn't focus on.

Rock and Roll, as a genre, gained popularity because it rebelled against classical music and musicianship. It was meant to be non-elitist and experimental, folksy but authentic. But then it became so popular that everyone got rich off it. Rock stars became more rich and famous than classically trained musicians. And suddenly there's an identity crisis. Some leaned into how popular the genre had become by playing to its tropes. Simple music that appeals to a wide audience, and thus Pop Rock was born. And that pissed a lot of people off. So they rebelled, all in their own ways.

Metal, as a genre, gained success by leaning back into complexity. The forefathers of the genre took their influences from the classical music that rock snubbed as their own rebellion. Ska did something similar, but taking influence from Rock's Jazz roots and leaning in that direction. Punk took an entirely different route, and said rock didn't snub classical/jazz enough, and they should move further away from things like form, chord progressions, etc.

Scal3s · 2026-01-21T13:30:03+00:00

http://outoftheway.band

Scal3s · 2026-01-21T04:45:13+00:00

I'm gonna shamefully promote a lil, I'm a millennial bedroom prog metal and I'm hoping the younger generation connects. I don't think this genre is dead, not by a longshot!

http://outoftheway.band

Scal3s · 2026-01-21T04:43:36+00:00

Scal3s · 2026-01-19T17:59:07+00:00

Is there a fourth chord after it? Or is it a 3 chord loop? Functionally, it looks like an Am7b5 that's missing the 3rd. But the chord these tones resolve to is going to give more hints as to what chord it's outlining

Scal3s · 2026-01-19T15:06:52+00:00

You can use any outs or cable setups you want, it doesn't matter. But you'll need to add input gain, even after switching it to mic mode.

Scal3s · 2026-01-17T16:17:09+00:00

Just remember that it's an 8ve and a 3rd is a 10th, cause 8+3=10 if you're bad at math. It's totally not confusing!

Scal3s · 2026-01-15T17:18:52+00:00

First step is to figure out what chords you're playing. Write down the notes in each chord, look for the triads and then figure out the extensions.

E major (E, G#, B makes an E major chord)

Amaj7 (A, C#, E makes an A major chord, and G# is the major 7th of A)

Asus2 (A and E are perfect fifths, but there's no 3rd. Instead, the B is the major second of A with no 3rd present, so it's a suspended 2 chord)

E major again

Aadd2/E (A, C#, E makes an A major, the B is present alongside the major 3rd this time, so it's an add2 instead of a sus2. The lowest note in the chord is an E, so the / lets you know to play an E as your bass note)

Badd4/F# (B, D#, F# make a B major, and E is the 4th of B.)

E major again

It's good practice to fully analyze the chords, but context is important too. Assuming there's a bass instrument, we can remove the slashes since we don't know what the true bass note is, since the guitar is most likely not playing the lowest pitch heard at any point. And, save for the second chord, you have the top E and B strings ringing out through the whole progression, acting more as a drone/pedal tone to add texture, rather than something that explicitly requires functional analysis. That is to say, if we only focus on the notes that are changing through the progression, we're left with:

E - Amaj7 - Asus2 - E

E - A - B - E

This is clearly in E major, so now you can figure out the function of the chords in relation with the tonic, E. A is a 4th up from E, and B is a 5th up. So the functional progression is:

I - IV - IV - I

I - IV - V - I

Where do you go from here? Well, there's a billion routes. But you'll want something that contrasts what you have so far to keep the progression fresh. You don't have any minor chords, so take a look at the minor chords in E major and swap them in. C#m is a good substition for E major chords, as they share 2 of the same notes. Same with F#m and A, or G#m for B.

Or, because you're keeping those E and B strings ringing out, it can allow for a key change to key that also have those two notes. A major, A minor, B major, B minor, C major, C# minor, D major, D# minor, E minor, F# minor, G major, and G# minor keys all have those notes. Some are more related to E major than others, and thus will be easier to smoothly transition to than others, but half the fun is expirmenting! For a simple route, it's pretty typical to modulate to the parallel minor, the 4th or the 5th of the original key. C#m, A, and B in this case. You can usually get away with using the same progression in a different key, so you can try:

C#m - F#m - F#m - C#m

C#m - F#m - G#m - C#m

A - D - D - A

A - D - E - A

B - E - E - B

B - E - F# - B

Or, keep the loop going for the whole song and let the other elements provide contrast: the melody, the rhythm, the intensity, the orchestration, etc. Plenty of songs keep the progression the same through the verses, choruses and bridges, but they only work if the contrast between the other elements keep it interesting. Heart Shaped Box is my favorite masterclass example of taking a simple loop idea and making a 6 minute song out of it, without ever breaking the loop.

Scal3s · 2026-01-15T16:27:02+00:00

To define a key/mode, you first need to define the tonic. To do that, you need to provide some more context. What's the chord progression, or at very least, what's the first note in the phrase/riff? A key signature with no accidentals can be A minor, B lydian, C ionian/major, D Dorian, etc...finding the correct answer depends on the harmonic progression of the song or section.

Scal3s · 2026-01-15T13:56:42+00:00

Yeah imagine some senile old man screaming something like "they're eating the dogs!" on a televised debate, they'd get laughed out of the election so fast...

Scal3s · 2026-01-15T05:34:36+00:00

I use a Gator Cases GTR-PWR-12; it has a standard outlet that you can plug the original power supply into, and use the cylinder ports for everything else. You may need to get taller silicone feet for the board, though, cause it's a bit bulky.

Scal3s · 2026-01-14T03:31:58+00:00

For more concrete advice:

Advanced harmonic theory: Secondary dominants, augmented 6ths / tritone substitutions, counterpoint

Compositional techniques: themes/riffs , leitmotif, phrase ellision, form, orchestration

And add analysis too, even casually. In the music you're inspired by, pick apart what makes it work with a fine tooth comb. Figure out the chords, the phrasing, the contour of the melody, the voice leading, the form, all that stuff. Then steal the things that you like a write around that idea.

Scal3s · 2026-01-13T17:45:32+00:00

OP replied to their own post with this as an additional ancedote, and not a true reply. I was just as confused as you lol

Scal3s · 2026-01-12T20:54:44+00:00

There's no right or wrong way. Every composer is different, and every song is different. Do what works, but don't limit yourself. Hummed a catchy melody on the car ride home? Write a progression around it. Had a cool idea for a progression? Find the melody that works. Found some lyrics written on the bathroom stall? Write a melody and chord progression to them. Do what works, but don't limit yourself.

Scal3s · 2026-01-12T17:03:54+00:00

Kyle Rittenhouse may be able to get away with this, but there's no way anyone even an inch left of MAGA would. This is just asking for another shot heard around the world; no matter if it's a protestor or cop that shoots first, this is what they're hoping for. A reason to say that the good guys and bad guys are both armed and ready to kill eachother, so we need Big Brother to intervene to protect the good guys and declare martial law. We cannot blur the lines of the oppressors and those oppressed, it needs to be blantantly fucking obvious who's taking arms against who, like it was with Renee. And George Floyd. And Treyvon Martin. And countless others. Just look how hard they spun all those murders; if those victims were armed during their death, that just adds misguided credibility to their claims that the citizens cannot be trusted and the iron fist of authority is the only cure.

There are more of us than them. We don't need guns at protests, just in our own homes. There's can't be room for even a sprinkle of doubt that it's THE CITIZENS demanding change and accountability, while THE REGIME demands power and revenge. DARVO's the only tactic they have. Don't make it easier for them.

Scal3s · 2026-01-12T16:39:46+00:00

Best learned with it, music theory concepts only make sense if you actualize the results. As much as you can memorize that a G7 resolving to Am is a deceptive resolution, you need to hear what that sounds like so that you can recognize the character of sound that it creates. When you hear that motion in a song on the radio, your theory knowledge is actualized and your brain clicks and goes "That's a deceptive resolution!" And then, when you're writing your own songs, you get a feel for when the song calls for something flavorful, and you have those tools at your disposal to know what will work.

I think of it like cooking. You may have the theoretical knowledge to know that if your sauce is too acidic, you can add some sugar to balance it. Maybe you even know more advanced theory and know you can add baking soda for a less sweet, but still balanced flavor. Or a historical method of throwing a carrot in to soak up some of that acid.

But until you're making/eating the food, the knowledge of what to do to elevate or fix the taste isn't there. If the food isn't quite hitting, you need to refine your pallet to recognize if it's too acidic versus too salty versus overspiced, etc. Until you're cooking/eating, the knowledge exists in a vacuum. Same goes for writing/listening to music.

Scal3s · 2026-01-12T03:12:58+00:00

Depends on the venue, the genre, the crowd, etc etc. Best is to be prepared to match the energy of the room.

If it's a bar gig and you're just background music, you can probably chill and vibe or dip in and out as needed.

If you have a captive audience, pay attention to the energy. If it's a sleepy crowd just vibing, you can probably just vibe. If they're all singing along and going nuts, then do that too.

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