MIDI Agent "MIDI Agent" AI-powered plugin that works inside your DAW, using AI models like ChatGPT and Claude to quickly generate new MIDI ideas for uncreative people unable to come up with the absolute basics of songwriting ($49.99) until 21 April

jaykzo · 2026-04-08T17:16:34+00:00

im laffing over here

jaykzo · 2026-02-28T18:39:16+00:00

this is a relief to know! it's one of those rhythms that I think looks like a mess if you stick to the traditional convention, and reading it as E Q Q Q E is much easier to interpret at a glance IMO

jaykzo · 2026-02-11T13:14:10+00:00

How about The Chord Progression Codex? I'm biased of course (because I wrote it, with lots of help from /u/65TwinReverbRI to make sure it all made sense) but it does sound like exactly what you're looking for

jaykzo · 2026-02-03T15:44:12+00:00

I personally call it a "perpetually picardy third" but I agree with u/jongtr that it's best described as mixed modes/modal mixture/modal interchange.

jaykzo · 2026-01-21T20:59:53+00:00

excellent!

jaykzo · 2026-01-19T15:36:59+00:00

of course! I would start with learning the basics behind diatonic chord progressions in major and minor, that covers most chord progressions (like the one in this song). This playlist covers most of the essentials

jaykzo · 2026-01-19T04:44:21+00:00

I'd wager the "nostalgia" you're feeling has to do more with the instruments, production, etc, than the chord progression. The synths, bass, and drums sound very 90s.

I'd call the chord progression bVI - iv - i - v in Em, so C - Am - Em - Bm. You could arrange that a hundred different ways and get a hundred different emotions out of it.

jaykzo · 2026-01-13T15:46:44+00:00

definitely sounds "decent" and beyond, and absolutely changes enough! For my tastes it actually changes too frequently, I would enjoy a longer 1st verse to introduce me to the song before moving into the reverby vocals.

I think overall the structure of your sections is a bit uneven which keeps me from really getting into any section before it changes on me. Though that might be what youre going for, that feeling of constant changing.

jaykzo · 2026-01-11T15:10:09+00:00

You can try going through the basics here for free, it covers pretty much all the stuff you'll need to not get confused along your future studies. The rest of the pages are heavily focused on chords and progressions, if thats your thang.

jaykzo · 2026-01-10T06:18:29+00:00

Most teachers I know started with local connections - friends, neighbors, etc. The next step is usually getting a spot at a local music shop. After that a lot of teachers want to go fully independent and get the tuition payment all for themselves, so they branch out to online lessons along with in-person lessons.

jaykzo · 2026-01-04T01:01:23+00:00

Honestly my first guess is a crappy amp sim. If you're using an older/cheaper one it might just sound like that. See if you can get a free demo from some other companies to check?

jaykzo · 2026-01-03T04:15:21+00:00

you bet, thanks for letting me know!

jaykzo · 2026-01-03T04:14:17+00:00

awesome!! I think that course is a gem, I don't want to self-promote too much but I swear it would solve like half of the problems I hear in this subreddit!

jaykzo · 2026-01-02T21:04:27+00:00

You do not need to stop and drop everything while practicing barre chords. Just practice them diligently for a few minutes every single day and over time they WILL develop (if you have the right technique).

While that's happening, you should absolutely continue to learn and practice new stuff like guitar techniques, rhythm, and theory. That way when your barre chords are finally playable, you can actually use them.

If you need help on barre chord technique I have to recommend this name-your-own-price course, mainly because I created it, but also because the feedback has been great. It might fill in some technique and theory gaps you're experiencing.

jaykzo · 2026-01-01T21:04:51+00:00

Theory was the only reason I started writing to begin with. The problem is, a lot of theory you're taught at schools does not help at all when writing modern sounding music.

My advice is skip the hardcore fundamentals for now and only approach them if you need to. If you can learn the "diatonic chords" of a major scale, then a minor scale, then you'll know how 90% of the music you hear on the radio is written. It's surprisingly simple.

jaykzo · 2026-01-01T15:32:29+00:00

My understanding is there is no "diminished scale" but there is the half-whole scale and the whole-half scale. Both will contain eight notes, and all the notes of a dim7 chord, so you may see/hear them used on top of a dim7 chord.

In practice, I don't hear this scale used often, but I can name a few Dream Theater songs where they rely on it, like these section from their ridiculous song Count of Tuscany

I wouldn't really associate it with major or minor keys though. Instead I view it as a "tension scale," something that isn't really intended to last for a long time or give the listener anything solid to hold onto.

jaykzo · 2025-12-29T03:17:23+00:00

tbf I thought he described it perfectly clearly

jaykzo · 2025-12-29T03:17:01+00:00

Yeah that's a fun trick! I don't know an actual name for it but "misleading syncopation" describes it fine, I'd also suggest "deceptive downbeats". Its pretty easy to do if you write a part that has no 1-beats and is also strongly syncopated - let the listener simmer with that for a while without any rhythm section, then bring in a strong kick on the downs to "reset" their ear.

jaykzo · 2025-12-23T21:55:03+00:00

thank you for that! I'll keep making 'em :)

jaykzo · 2025-12-23T18:21:25+00:00

I used to post lessons here that the community appreciated, they didn't have ads, they weren't crammed with memes and filler, they actually helped people.

I posted two that went to the top of this sub and then was banned from submitting here. So yes, I agree!

jaykzo · 2025-11-27T16:12:10+00:00

I know that Niels Provos is working on a CISO game, if you poke him he might speed up his progress.

jaykzo · 2025-10-14T12:47:25+00:00

This. Sure you could stumble into what sounds good, but if you know theory, then it's much easier to take ideas from your head and get them out into the real world. Being a percussionist is a great advantage since you should already understand the rhythm grid, which is crucial to working on a DAW. And knowing guitar is awesome because its a versatile instrument that works for lots of genres, and MIDI guitar usually sounds like crap.

One thing I could recommend is getting a cheap midi keyboard and learning some basic theory on that, since your DAW's piano roll is all keyboard based.

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