How to make Pop music with creative constraints

What makes Pop tick

Form carries a pop song. The sequence runs verse, pre-chorus, chorus, verse, pre-chorus, chorus, bridge, chorus, in roughly three to three and a half minutes, with one idea per section and a chorus that arrives within the first minute. The harmony is deliberately familiar (I - V - vi - IV and its rotations are so common that The Axis of Awesome built a comedy medley, "Four Chords", on them) so that the melody and the words can be new. Tempo follows fashion (the average Hot 100 number one of 2024 ran at 100 BPM), and the production is layered, with a lead vocal, tight doubles, harmonies and ad-libs.

The sections have to contrast. A chorus needs to be higher, louder, fuller or simpler than the verse, ideally two of those, and a pre-chorus exists to make the listener want the chorus. If you cannot tell which section you are in with the sound off, the arrangement is not finished.

Constraints that work in Pop

• I - V - vi - IV: write the chorus over this and the verse over the same chords starting on vi (vi - IV - I - V). The four chords stay the same, the mood changes, and the chorus feels like arriving home.
• Sus2: with no third, a chorus chord leaves the melody free to go anywhere over it. Use it on the first chord of the hook.
• G/B (Slash Chord - First Inversion): the bass walks instead of jumping. Put an inversion between two root-position chords and the progression suddenly sounds written rather than assembled.

Mistakes that flatten a Pop track

• Chorus in the verse's register. Move the melody up a fourth or a fifth for the hook. Height is the cheapest lift there is.
• A chorus that arrives unannounced. Two bars of a chord that is not in the verse, and a melody that climbs, is all it takes to announce it.
• Too many sections. A bridge that introduces a second new idea is a second song. Keep to one bridge with one idea, then go back to the chorus.

How to use the 183 Pop cards

In a pop brief, the form card is law. Write the chorus first, over the progression card, then write a verse that is deliberately less. The songwriting briefs supply the subject, and the chord progression guide explains why the four-chord songs work.

The 24 cards below are a selection of the 183 tagged Pop in the deck. The button above opens a draw with Pop already selected; the hand you pull is your brief for the session. Pull cards, accept the brief, ship a sketch.

Pop constraint cards

• Chord Major 7th Create a major triad with an added major 7th interval. This smooth, jazzy sound appears in many genres.
• Chord Dominant 7th Incorporate a major triad with an added minor 7th. This creates tension seeking resolution.
• Chord Sus4 Use a triad with 4th instead of 3rd. Creates an unresolved, open sound waiting to resolve.
• Chord Sus2 Employ a triad with 2nd instead of 3rd. Creates an open, consonant sound without major/minor quality.
• Chord 6/9 Use a major triad with added 6th and 9th. Creates a bright, contemporary sound without 7th tension.
• Chord Add11 (Major Add11) Incorporate a major triad with an added 11th (often ♯11 for Lydian sound, or natural 11). Adds color without 7th/9th complexity.
• Roman Numeral ii - V - I (Major) Compose using the fundamental jazz progression in a major key. Can be elaborated with 7ths and extensions.
• Roman Numeral vi - IV - I - V Create using this popular progression (sometimes called "sensitive female progression"). Begins with relative minor for emotional quality.
• Roman Numeral I - V - vi - IV Compose with the "axis of awesome" four-chord pop progression. Widely used for its balanced emotional journey.
• Roman Numeral I - vi - ii - V Use this common progression found in jazz "rhythm changes" and doo-wop progressions. Often loops or leads back to I.
• Roman Numeral i - VII - VI - v (Natural Minor Descending) Create a minor key descending progression using natural minor scale chords. Creates a gradual release of tension.
• Roman Numeral I - ♭VII - IV - I (Mixolydian Rock) Use this progression common in rock music that implies a Mixolydian modal feel. The ♭VII adds bluesy character.
• Roman Numeral iii - vi - ii - V Implement an extended jazz turnaround, often leading back to I. Creates a sense of harmonic motion and resolution.
• Roman Numeral i - ♭VI - ♭III - ♭VII (Epic Natural Minor Loop) Create using this common natural minor (Aeolian) loop. Every chord after the first is major, which gives it an epic sound.
• Roman Numeral IV - iv - I (Minor Plagal Cadence) Implement this cadence featuring a major to minor subdominant resolution to tonic. Creates a bittersweet quality.
• Note B♭ (as Dominant 7th or Blue Note) Feature B♭, perhaps as the ♭7 of a C dominant chord, or as a blue note in F major/D minor.
• Note A♭ (as Borrowed ♭VI or Chromatic Color) Use A♭, perhaps as the ♭VI chord from C minor borrowed into C major, or for chromatic color.
• Note B (as Leading Tone) Emphasize B as the leading tone resolving to C, or as part of a G major chord.
• Chord Maj7♯11 (Lydian Chord) Implement a major 7th with an added sharp 11th, implying a Lydian sound. Creates bright, modern color.
• Chord 7sus4 Use a dominant 7th chord with the 3rd replaced by a 4th. Creates an open, ambiguous dominant quality.
• Chord C/G (Slash Chord - Second Inversion) Use a C major triad with G in the bass (second inversion or pedal tone). Creates stability with harmonic interest.
• Chord G/B (Slash Chord - First Inversion) Implement a G major triad with B in the bass (first inversion). Creates smoother voice leading and bass movement.
• Roman Numeral I - V/vi - vi - V/IV - IV - V/V - V - I (Chain of Secondary Dominants) Create an extended progression using secondary dominants to approach vi, IV, and V. Creates forward harmonic momentum.
• Roman Numeral i - ♭VII - ♭VI - V (Andalusian Cadence - Minor) Use this classic descending progression common in Flamenco and rock/pop. Creates a dramatic, falling tension arc.

Keep going

• 20 chord progressions to steal
• 25 production constraints to finish a track
• Odd time signature exercises
• 33 songwriting briefs
• Working with creative constraints

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