Diminished chords are native to both major and minor keys. You’ll find them as the seventh chord of the major scale, and the second chord of the natural minor scale. They get a bad rap for being dissonant, but they…
Songwriting
How to Change Keys in a Song
One of the simplest ways to add interest to your songwriting is through key changes. Also called ‘modulation,’ knowing when and how to change keys in a song is a great skill to have. Modulation should not be confused with…
What Is a Pentatonic Scale? Basic Music Theory
The pentatonic scale has been around for centuries. It features 5 notes per octave compared to 7 notes per octave found in most other scales, such as the natural major and minor. Numerous ancient civilizations independently created their own pentatonic…
Circle of Fifths: Easily Navigate Every Key
The circle of fifths is a roadmap for musicians. It shows the relationship between all 12 notes of the chromatic scale, and helps us navigate key signatures with ease. A fundamental part of any beginner to intermediate theory lesson, the…
Chord Progressions: Finding Chords That Go Together
Even though we only have 12 notes, there are hundreds of possible chord progressions. This can be overwhelming, especially when we’re not yet comfortable finding chords that go together right away. Luckily, the majority of progressions tend to follow established…
The Secret to Writing Great Songs?
How to Make Money in Music as an Artist
Whether you’re a band/artist or working behind the scenes as a producer, engineer, mixer or songwriter, the music industry has changed dramatically over the last 15-20 years. And perhaps the most important thing you’re wondering about is how to make…
Using Silence to Improve Your Productions
We don’t often consider the importance of silence when it comes to our musical productions. It’s easy to get caught up in the sounds we want to add, because that’s what music is all about! But if you use silence itself…
Songwriting Inspiration: Ways to Stay Creative
Sometimes songwriting inspiration really does come out of thin air. The other 90% of the time, we’re stuck somewhere between wanting to make music, and actually making music. If you want to spend more time actually making music and steering clear of dreaded writer’s…
From Lyrics to Mixdown: How to Record a Song
As producers, engineers, and songwriters, we sometimes struggle to transpose the sounds and ideas in our heads to “tape.” We may have all the tools at our disposal to make great music—quality instruments, microphones, all the fixings of a home…
5 Tips to Get You Creating Music
FAQ Friday NAMM Edition Part 2 | FAQ Friday
12 Incredible Songwriting Tips that Work
As musicians, we spend the bulk of our time improving on what we do. We’d probably all agree that every new project we start (and sometimes never finish!) is a step towards getting better at songwriting. While there isn’t a…
How to Overcome Writer’s Block: 10 Tips and Tricks Used by Pros
It’s something that every creative has experienced and will likely face again: the feeling of being totally out of ideas. Inspiration comes to a halt, and starting or finishing a project seems like an insurmountable task. Writer’s block is discouraging and…
Hi! I’m Wayne G. Miller!
Hello, Produce Like A Pro viewers and readers. I’m Wayne G. Miller – a producer/mixer, songwriter and musical director in Los Angeles. As an MD I have worked with Christina Perri, Mike Posner, Demi Lovato, Snakehips, AlunaGeorge and many others.…
Recording a song with 1 mic (LCT 441 Flex Giveaway)
6 Ways to Avoid Writer’s Block
It’s something that every creative has experienced and will likely face again: the feeling of being totally out of ideas. Inspiration comes to a halt, and starting or finishing a project seems like an insurmountable task. Writer’s block is discouraging and…
6 Steps in Becoming a Better Songwriter
The path to improvement as a songwriter is an on-going, ever-evolving process. As a craft, songwriting is highly individualistic, dictated by a host of personal characteristics. The instrument(s) you play, the genre(s) you most enjoy, and your technical and creative…
How to Write a Song with 10 Helpful Holistic Hints
When it comes to writing music, there’s surely no substitute for a bit of creativity and the keen desire to make something new. Everyone has a method all their own, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t observable parallels between creative…