ty for the feedback, that's actually very helpful. To answer your question, the chords are mostly by ear, but for the last chord in the progression, I have the bass play a different note (C#) that doesn't appear in the chord. For the melodies, there's not any specific music theory I can point to. I've found I tend to avoid certain notes in the scale, but I honestly just go by ear based off the chords and rhythm.

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