Work with an Expert Mentor for Six Weeks
Sign up for this course with six weeks of personal mentorship from an expert, and get unlimited access to the content, forever.
Price $649
Payment plans available.
MENTOR-GUIDED LEARNING
Unlocking the Emotional Power of Chords
Produce more compelling music by harnessing the underlying emotional power of chords and harmony.
Why do some songs tug on our heartstrings while others fall flat? Conveying moods and emotions is a key element of making great music, and doing it well requires a deep understanding of chords and harmony. It's what allows modern music producers and songwriters to convey a sense of danger, triumph, or melancholy.
This six-week course will show you how to craft compelling chord progressions in your music. We'll analyze the chords used in music from across the contemporary landscape, and equip you to use them in your own productions and compositions. You'll be challenged to write your own mood-setting music by creating tracks for topliners, TV ads, film trailers, and more. By the end of this course, you'll be able to harness more interesting chord progressions to provoke powerful emotional reactions in your listeners.
If you're looking for our more advanced harmony course The Creative Power of Advanced Harmony, click here.
Ethan Hein
Music Technologist & Theory Nerd
Ethan Hein is an adjunct professor of music technology at NYU and Montclair State University, and a founding member of the NYU Music Experience Design Lab, under the leadership of Alex Ruthmann. You can follow all his explorations of music theory, music education, and pop music at ethanhein.com.
More About Ethan
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Subscribe for Access to All Our Courses
Get access to all our premium courses without mentorship for a low monthly price.
Price $39/month
Communicate Powerful Emotions Through Your Music
By the end of this course, you’ll be able to harness more interesting chord progressions to create powerful emotional reactions in your listeners.
Build More Interesting Chord Progressions
We go through a variety of chord types and scales to add lots of new harmonic tools to your tool belt.
Learn to Communicate the Moods You Want
We examine how different harmonic tools can be used to craft different emotional palettes in your music.
Practice Turning Theory into Action
We give you realistic mock writing prompts, challenging you to put what you've learned into your music right away.
Study Common Chord Progressions in Use
We look at a whole bunch of popular songs from across genres and how they use chords to create moods.
Are you an educator? If so, you can access educator discounts. !
GET PERSONAL SUPPORT & FEEDBACK FROM A SOUNDFLY MENTOR
Our expert mentors do whatever it takes to ensure that you achieve your musical goals for the course and leap forward in your learning.
Martin Fowler
Producer, Composer, Mentor
- Produced & composed works for TV, film, & podcasts
- International touring & recording artist with over 15 years experience
- Studied bass & music technology at Berklee College of Music
Andre Madatian
Film Scorer, Producer, Mentor
- Degree in Film Scoring from Berklee College of Music
- Music has appeared Bravo, CBS, Oprah Winfrey Network, and more
- Touring guitarist and performer
Joseph Capalbo
Producer, Songwriter, Mentor
- Electronic musician and producer
- His original music has appeared on MTV, E!, NBC, and more
- Has worked with dozens of students on theory, production, and songwriting
WHAT STUDENTS SAY
Benjamin Arthur Kennedy
“Mahea was exceptionally patient in helping me finish the course, given unexpected travel during the course time frame. The level of passion and professionalism is top notch, and Mahea was fun to work with.”
Ayla Norris-Smith
“Thank you! I really loved this course and am so impressed with Soundfly! I want to keep taking courses with you indefinitely.”
Shasha G.
Singer-Songwriter“I got more out of one course with you, than I did enrolling in a Bachelor of Music (which I subsequently quit due to being disappointed at their curriculum!)”
Course Outline
MORE INFORMATION
Who is this course for?
This course is for producers, composers, and songwriters with a basic understanding of music theory and chords, looking to expand their understanding of how to use chords and chord progressions in different contexts.
What will I learn in this course?
You'll learn how to create emotionally powerful chord progressions to convey different feelings in your music. You'll also learn a ton of music theory concepts, including intervals, major and minor chords, diatonic harmonies, and much more, and use them right away in a series of real-life challenges.
Are there any pre-reqs?
This course is a continuation of our free series, Theory for Producers, about scales and modes. As such, while not required, it will definitely help to have a working knowledge of scales and notes. Ideally, you'll also want a working knowledge of a digital audio workstation (DAW), such as Ableton Live, Logic, FL Studio, or something else.
How does a Soundfly course work?
We offer two ways to experience our courses: with mentorship or with a subscription. Enrolling with mentorship involves in-depth weekly personalized support and feedback from an expert for the six week duration of the course.
Enrolling with a subscription does not include mentorship but gives you access to all of the courses on Soundfly.com to go through at your own pace for as long as you're subscribed (and tons of extra perks — see below).
What do I get if I enroll as a subscriber?
As a subscriber, you'll get unlimited access to all the course content on Soundfly.com, including this course and all our other premium courses, to go through at your own pace. This includes all the videos, tutorials, demos, quizzes, activities, downloads, and other materials within our courses. You're also entitled to discounts of up to 33% on our mentorship programs, you will be invited to join our exclusive community Slack group, and you'll have access to exclusive discount perks courtesy of our partner brands. You can cancel anytime.
You can find out more about subscribing here.
What do I get if I enroll with mentorship?
Our mentorship program is our science-backed learning model designed to help you learn more efficiently and effectively. When you sign up, we'll pair you with an expert who will tailor the course to your experience level, offer detailed weekly feedback on your work, answer any questions you have, help you blow past obstacles, and keep you on track to accomplish your musical goals.
You can find out more about mentorship and our expert mentors here.
You'll also get unlimited, lifetime access to all the course content and lifetime access to our tight-knit musician community group on Slack, where you'll find peer-to-peer feedback and support, lots of inspiration, and fun, musical conversations with fellow Soundfly students, mentors, and staff.
How does the pricing work?
A subscription costs $39/month or $390/year if you enroll annually.
Enrolling with mentorship costs $649 for six weeks of intensive support from an expert, plus lifetime access to the specific course you're purchasing. Payment plans are available — reach out to [email protected] to find out more.
Is there a money-back guarantee?
Yes, if you enroll with mentorship. If you enroll with mentorship and the course isn't what you expected, we will give you a full refund as long as you tell us before the start of the second week, in order to honor the valuable time of our mentors.
We're also happy to move you to a subsequent session, if you end up not having as much time as you expected. Once again, let us know as soon as possible!
What does it mean that the course starts on a specific date?
If you become a subscriber, the start date doesn't mean anything. You're welcome to go through the content whenever you want, at your own pace.
If you enroll with mentorship, the start date indicates the start of the session with your mentor, which means you'll receive your first activities and guidance from the mentor on that day. You will be able to schedule calls according to you and your mentor's availability. The start date with mentorship is intended to help you stay accountable and get the feedback you need to succeed.
How long does this course last?
Our courses were designed to be taken in six weeks. If you enroll with a mentor, you will go through that six week curriculum. If you enroll with a subscription on the other hand, you can choose to use the six week structure, or you can ignore it and jump around as much as you want.
Will there be future sessions of the course?
Yes! Check back shortly for firm dates, or sign up for a Soundfly account to receive email updates about course dates and new course launches.