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GarageBand Song Writing 101

Introduction
Music has long been used for religious reasons, entertainment, personal enjoyment, to tell a story, help
pass the time, make a statement, convey an emotion, and enhance other forms of media. The question
we must ask is how can we get started writing our own? Musicians don’t usually randomly make stuff
up that sounds good to other listeners. Instead, they use a musical framework around which they build
their ideas. Songwriters will start writing their song based on an idea they have. The idea can be a set
of lyrics, a melody, or chord sequence for their song. Any of these can be the start of a great song, but
it’s a little like the question of “which came first, the chicken or the egg?” Where is the best place to
start when you are a beginning song writer? The answer for you, just like for professionals, is that a
great song can start in any one of those three places, and then build from there. In this unit we will look
at how to start writing a song based on a particular chord sequence.

Chord Progressions
Vocabulary

Chord: Three or more musical pitches sounded simultaneously

Pitch: How high or low a note sounds, this depends on the frequency, or how quickly or slowly the air
hitting your eardrums is vibrating

Consonance: a set or series of pitches that are conventionally accepted as being at rest, calm, peaceful

Dissonance: a set or series of pitches that are conventionally accepted as being in a state of unrest and
needing completion

Tension: Mental or emotional strain, anxiety, suspense

Resolution: Returned to a state of stability

Melody: A series of single pitches that produce a musical idea

Interval: The distance between two notes

Half step: In western music, the closest possible distance between two pitches, for example, C to C#.
The distance between these two notes (called an interval) is 1/12 of an octave.

Whole step: Two half steps, for example C to D. The interval between these two notes is 1/6 of an
octave.

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You might immediately panic when you hear the words “chord progression,” but this is simply a term
musicians use to describe the underlying musical structure of their piece. Just like letters are put
together to form words (that are then put together to form sentences, paragraphs and essays or
stories), individual pitches can be played together to form chords (that in turn can be formed into
phrases, sections, movements and entire musical compositions). Simply put, a chord progression is a
series of chords. If you think of writing again, it is basically like words in writing being put together to
form a complete sentence. Nearly every song you already know and love has some sort of chord
progression. This is what keeps the piece moving along, builds tension (mental or emotional strain),
creates a big "moment” or resolves (returns to stability) the tension.

Musicians live in a world of tension and resolution. When we think of music, there are parts of the song
that are unstable, that make your brain say “move on” or “something is about to happen and we’re just
waiting for it.” Other parts of a song bring you a sense of closure or peace. A good writer will write a
story that has a beginning, middle with a problem or conflict, and an end that gives the reader closure.
Composers can do the same thing with music, only the medium they write with is pitches and they must
manipulate chords and melody to convey their thoughts.

Our brains really like to try to anticipate or figure out what is going to happen next. Song writers use
this to their advantage to make their song enjoyable and interesting to listen to. For example, at the
end of a song, the chord progression generally “comes back home” to give listeners a sense of
completion. Songs that don’t do this literally leave the listener hanging- the song doesn’t sound
complete. Just like an author that leaves the reader on a cliffhanger, or does not end the story “happily
ever after”, songwriters will sometimes strategically leave the listener unresolved, depending on the
nature of the song.

In the middle of a song, the songwriter might leave you hanging, building tension by using what we call
“unstable” chords in music. It’s true; some chords are more stable than others. Certain chords make us
want to immediately get away from them. These would be considered unstable. These chords usually
have a lot of dissonance (clashing musical tones) that make us want to move away from them to a set of
pitches with more consonance (agreeable and stable). A songwriter might build tension by keeping the
listener in a series of unstable chords, and then finally resolve them with a very stable chord.

While we’re on the topic of chords, let’s figure out which chords are these mythical “stable” or
“unstable” chords. First, we must start with a basic musical scale in the key of C major. This means it is
a scale starting and ending on the note ‘C’ that is 7 notes long (8 if you include the highest note, which
technically is the same note as the first one). On a piano, this would be a scale made up of only white
keys. Additionally, the major scale follows a certain pattern of whole and half steps, specifically “whole,
whole, half, whole, whole, whole, half”. See figure 1.0.

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Figure 1.0

whole whole half whole whole whole half

On each note of this scale, we can add two more notes, spaced the interval of a third apart, creating
chords with three notes each. Each of these chords can be labeled with upper or lower case roman
numerals according to their scale degree and whether the chord created is major or minor. See figure
1.1

Figure 1.1

I ii iii IV V vi vii I
Notice that the chords built on the first, fourth and fifth scale degrees are all major, and those built on
the second, third, sixth and seventh scale degrees are minor. Musicians write chords in terms of Roman
numerals so that they can play songs in lots of different key signatures (scales that start on different
notes and have different sharps and flats). Singers have different vocal ranges so a certain singer might
choose a key signature that better fit their vocal range.

The most stable chord of all is the I chord. Music always wants to return home to this chord. The V
chord is a very “active” chord, because it is the furthest away from the I chord. It wants to move to a
new chord, but especially wants to return to I. Another chord that is extremely active is the vii chord. It
REALLY wants to get back home to I. Some songwriters will prolong the return after they have played a
V or vii chord to give the song more motion, the listeners anticipates returning home to I but their ears
are tricked when it goes to a different chord. Those sneaky composers!

Different chord progressions are used to give a song a certain sound. Much of the pop music we listen
to today is based on only a handful of chord progressions. See figure 1.2.

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Figure 1.2

• "Stronger"- Kelly Clarkson

• "Poker Face"- Lady Gaga
vi - IV - I - V • "If I Were a Boy"- Beyonce
• "Grenade" - Bruno Mars
• "Little Talks"- Of Monsters and Men

• "Someone Like You" - Adele

• "Let it Be" - The Beatles
I - V - vi - IV
• "I'm Yours"- Jason Mraz
• "Demons"- Imagine Dragons
• "If I Die Young"- The Band Perry
IV-I-V-vi • "Umbrella"- Rihanna
• "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together"-Taylor Swift

• "Pompeii"- Bastille
IV - I - vi - V
• "Payphone"- Maroon 5

Chord Progressions in Garage Band

In the GarageBand app, we can create our own songs using the above chord progressions, or creating
new ones by experimenting in the app. To make music making easier and more accessible to everyone
including non-musicians, GarageBand uses letter names for chords instead of Roman numerals. So even
though we know all about Roman numeral progressions, we will have to learn how GarageBand labels
these same chords. GarageBand keeps us in the key of C major to begin, and the names of the chords
correspond with the bottom note of each scale degree. The program uses a lower case “m” for minor
chords. See figure 1.3.

Figure 1.3

C Dm Em F G Am Bm C
I ii iii IV V vi vii I

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Worksheet 1:
Chord Progressions in GarageBand

Figure out and write the letter chord names below the Roman numerals of these common chord
progressions:

1. I – V – I

2. I – IV – V - I

3. vi – IV – I – V

4. I - V - vi - IV

5. IV – I – V – vi

6. IV – I – vi – IV – V – vi – iii – IV – I – IV – V

7. I – IV – vii – iii – vi – ii – V – I

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Worksheet 2:
Playing Chords in GarageBand
When you open the GarageBand app, you will see a carousel of icons. Find the “Smart Guitar” icon and
open it. You will see a guitar neck, with the various chords labelled across the top. Try clicking each of
these chords to hear what they sound like (make sure you sound is on and you volume is loud enough
for you to hear it).

Clicking the chord letter name will play a whole chord, while clicking on a single string will play just one
note from the chord. Take turns playing through each of the chord progressions from the previous
exercise. Do any of the progressions sound familiar? Try playing them for one beat each, then try
playing each chord four times before switching to the next chord. Try to time your switches with the
metronome clicking (if your metronome isn’t clicking, see me and I’ll turn that feature on).

In the space below, create and write 5 new chord progressions using the chords available to you in
GarageBand. Remember what we’ve learned about the V, vii, and I chords (music wants to “come back
home” to the I chord, and get away from V and vii chords). Write your progressions with both letter
names and Roman numerals, one below the other. Each group member should have different
progressions.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

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Smart Instruments
Now that we have a basic understanding of chord progressions, can identify a few common chord
progressions and play them, it’s time to delve into some of the more complex features available to us in
GarageBand.

1. From the carousel when you open the app, choose a Smart Guitar. If you already have the app
open, you can get back to the carousel by tapping “Instruments” in the upper left hand corner.

2. Once the Smart Guitar is open, locate the small dial labelled “autoplay” near the upper right side
of the screen. This feature allows you to choose a playing style for an instrument.

3. Choose one of the numbers, and then try tapping one of the chords. The guitar will
automatically start playing the chord! Tap the chord again to stop the music, or switch to a
different chord.

4. Try choosing a different style of playing by selecting a different number from the selection knob.
Make sure the button to the left is set to “chords” not “notes”.

5. Play through your chord progressions from worksheets 1 and 2. Start by allowing each chord to
play for 4 beats, and then tap the next chord to start it playing for the next 4 beats (and so on).

6. Return to the main carousel by tapping “instruments” in the upper left hand corner. Experiment
using the auto play feature on bass, strings and piano. In the strings section, you can choose
what instruments play by tapping them to turn them on or off. Tap different areas of the chord
bar to change how high or low the chord sounds.

7. Notice that in Smart Piano, you can split your chords, having a different set of bass notes as
treble (higher) notes. Just like in Smart Guitar, tapping the chord letter name at the top allows
the bass and treble notes to be played at the same time. Make sure everyone in your group has
a chance to experiment with piano.

8. Finally, experiment with Smart Drums. This one works a bit differently. You must drag and drop
instrument icons to the square in the center of the screen. The power button to the left will
turn your rhythm on or off. Rhythms become louder, softer, more and/or less complex
depending on where you place them. The dice randomly places the instruments to create a
beat.

9. Create a sweet drum beat!

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Worksheet 3
Smart Instruments

Place an X in the box when each group member has had a chance to experiment each Smart Instrument
feature.

Smart
Name Smart Guitar Smart Bass Smart Piano Orchestra Smart Drums

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Review
Let’s review what we have learned so far:

 The musical scale is used as a foundation for creating chords.

 Chords are labeled with Roman numerals or letter names and have at least three pitches.
 A chord progression is a series of chords put together in order.
 Song writers and composers use chord progressions as foundations for their song.
 Smart Instruments in Garage Band can be used to play chords, either manually or with the auto
play feature.
 Smart Drums can be used to create a drum beat. The drum beat changes based on where the
instrument icons are placed on the center square.

Becoming a Recording Artist

1. Let’s begin by creating a drum track. Open Smart Drums and place your icons to create a beat
that you like.
2. When you are ready to record, tap the recording button, which is the red circle.
3. GarageBand will begin recording your beat. Double check that the little slider (shaped like an
upside down house) is all the way to the left of the screen so your beat starts recording at the
beginning. The metronome will click 4 times, and then recording will begin.
4. The default song length is 8 measures (more on that later). Record your drum beat for 8
measures. Tap the stop button (square) to stop your recording. The app will automatically
continue playing, but notice that the red recording bar is now green because you are no longer
recording after 8 measures.
5. You can also add additional instruments during the recording. Simply move the slider to a new
point on the timeline at the top, add extra instruments, and click record again. The new
instruments will be added in from this new point on the timeline.
6. Tap the little set of rectangles on the upper center of the screen. This will take you to a view of
all instruments on your current recording track. Right now, you should only have the drum track
you just recorded.
7. Return to the instrument carousel and choose a different Smart Instrument.
8. When you click play in this new Smart Instrument, you should hear the drum track you just
recorded. Neat!
9. Record a chord progression (you can either make one up or use one you’ve played before) that
is 8 measures long. If you want to try it out first without recording, simply click play and practice
with the drum beat. When you’re ready to record, click the red circle recording button. Make
sure your slider is all the way to the left so you start recording from the beginning.
10. You song will automatically save. Go to “My Songs” in the upper left corner and change the
name of your song to your name by holding your finger on the title. Everyone should record
their own drum + two instrument tracks.

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Worksheet 4:
Becoming a Recording Artist 8 Measure Song

1. Write your chord progression in the boxes below. You can use the same chord for more than one
measure if you’d like, just remember not to tap it again while you play it (or it will turn off)

Measure
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Number
Roman
Numerals
Letter
Names

2. Write the instruments you have chosen for your song in the space below.

Instrument Auto Play Style/Percussion instruments chosen

Example: Drums Shaker, High Hat, Bass, Snare

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Getting Fancy
1. Now that you have two tracks recorded, you might want to jazz it up to make it fancier. Try
adding a different Smart Instrument track to your jam.

2. Remember, you will need to use the same chord progression you originally used; otherwise
you’ll end up with a lot of dissonance (unless you’re into that sort of thing, but I’m not and I’m
the one grading you, so use the same one).

3. Try changing other parameters for your Smart Instrument. Change the type of instrument by
tapping the instrument icon. Lots of different choices will appear for each instrument. With
many you can even choose the type of distortion you would like or other special effects.
Experiment until you find something that suits your group.

4. In case you need a refresher, here’s how to record:

a. Make sure slider bar is all the way to the left (or put in the spot where you want to start
adding a new part).
b. Set your instrument to the settings you desire.
c. Begin recording by pressing the red circle recording button. Remember it will click 4
times before recording begins. The slider bar will turn red to tell you it is recording.
d. Stop auto play chords by tapping the same chord again.
e. Listen to your recording by pressing play (the triangle).
f. View all tracks from your recording session by tapping the icon at the top with several
small rectangles on it. Here you can also delete tracks you don’t like or messed up by
holding your finger on that track, which will give you a list of options to modify it.

5. Create a song that is 8 measures long and has at least 4 different instrument parts. Use the
same chord progression for each instrument. Include the following elements:
a. A drum track
b. At least one instrument that you’ve changed the parameters (instrument, special
effects, etc.)
c. The other two tracks are your choice, but they should both be different.

6. Save your song and name it (by going into my songs, holding your finger on the default song
title until it becomes editable and then changing it to something you will remember) so we can
listen to it.

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Worksheet 5:
Getting Fancy 8 Measure Song

1. Write your chord progression in the boxes below. You can use the same chord for more than one
measure if you’d like, just remember not to tap it again while you play it (or it will turn off)

Measure
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Number
Roman
Numerals
Letter
Names

2. Write the instruments you have chosen for the getting fancy song in the space below, including what
special features or effects you’ve added to them:

Auto Play
Instrument Style Special Features or Effects
Example:
Pop Strings 2 Violin 1 and 2, Viola and Cellos only

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Making a Longer Song

Most songs are longer than 8 measures, so today we’ll learn to change the length of our song in
GarageBand and add different sections. Take turns in your group by having each person record a
different instrument track for each section. The end result should be one song representing your entire
group.

Create Section A
1. Create a new song by going to “My Songs” and tapping the small plus sign in the upper left
hand corner.
2. Write the chord progression of your choice on your worksheet (page 11)
3. Choose an instrument to start your song. Record your 8 measure chord progression.
4. Record at least 3 different instruments of your choosing, remembering to use the same chord
progression each time.
5. This is your “section A”.

Create Section B
1. Tap the plus sign in the upper right corner. This will bring up a dialogue box that says “Section
A 8 bars”. Tap “Add” to create a section B.
2. Tap section B where it says “8 bars” and change the length of section B from 8 bars to 16 bars.
3. Tap the arrow to go back to the original menu, then tap the plus sign to make that menu
disappear.
4. Record a contrasting section B. You may use the same instruments or different instruments.
Section B should have at least 3 instrument parts, remember to use the same chord
progression for the entire 16 measure section.
5. Listen to the entire piece by tapping the upper right plus sign and choosing “All sections”. Fix
anything your group doesn’t like. You can delete a track you don’t like or messed up by holding
your finger on the picture of the instrument and then choosing delete.

ABA Form
1. To create a piece in ABA form, you will need to repeat the A section again. We can do this two
ways, either by playing it over again OR by duplicating what we’ve already done. I like to do
things the simply way, so we’ll duplicate.
2. Switch to tracks view by tapping the small rectangles icon. Tap the plus sign on the right side,
select Section A and then tap duplicate. A new section labeled Section C will appear directly
below Section B. If you look and listen, you will find that it is identical to Section A.
3. Make Section C fancier by adding a few more instruments, or taking away an instrument you
already have in this section and replacing it with another.
4. Be sure to save your work. Create a group name for your work and change the song title to
match your group name.

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Worksheet 6
Making a Longer Song in ABA form

Group Name:

In the space below, write your chord progression in both Roman numerals and letter names, one chord
per measure. If the same chord is being played for more than one measure, write in both measure
number boxes.

Section A1
Measure
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Number
Roman
Numerals
Letter
Names

Section B
Measure
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Number
Roman
Numerals
Letter
Names

Measure
9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
Number
Roman
Numerals
Letter
Names

Section A2
Chord progression stays the same, but how have you varied this section? (ie, added more instruments,
changed what instruments play, changed playing styles, etc.) Describe in the space below.

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Free Choice Project

Once you have completed all the previous worksheets and assignments, your group may begin the Free
Choice Project. Using what we have learned (and anything else you might have learned along the way),
create your own song using GarageBand. You may add lyrics or words to your song using the voice
recording feature, but I would suggest recording the instrument tracks first, then fitting your words to
the tracks.

Write the form of your song below:

Write your chord progressions for each section. Remember to label each section:

Additional notes about this project:

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GarageBand Unit Feedback

Since this is the first time I have been able to teach a unit like this in music class, I would appreciate your
feedback on the unit. Please answer the following questions so I can improve this unit for future classes.

1. What was the easiest part of the unit?

2. What was the hardest part of the unit?

3. What was the most interesting thing you learned?

4. What should I change if I were to teach this unit again?

5. Please share any additional feedback or comments that will help improve this unit.

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