An excellent and well researched presentation from David Bennett:
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It is always interesting to have someone point out that which is self-evident but we don't generally take notice of. Most of the "one chord" songs presented are well known to most of us. I don't think we normally think in those terms.
I defiantly knew this "one chord" idea was associated with certain blues artists but I never made the connection with purely vocal music and the lack of any obvious harmonic structure.
This defiantly is a songwriting idea worth exploring. This idea could continue through the whole song or only in a certain section.
I have been trying to teach myself the single bass note drone on guitar. It requires a high degree of attention to timing and is not so easy to learn. It appears to be easy at first glance. It is anything but easy when done correctly.
Timing is the definite hallmark of a good blues player.
Thank you for the link. Fascinating. My favourite DRONE song You Won't See Me by The Beatles. OK, Macca played a running riff Bass but back in the day WE played the main theme as a constant A note Bass. Just to be different. If you listen to the backing vocals - its the A note as a vocal drone. Bests Ian
Old Guys Rule.The older I get,the better I was! BB2023 ULTRA, 1013, Win 7 and 10
OK, I'm just going to say, this idea bothers me a little, in that it seems to be missing the point.
"Within You Without You" is not a "one chord" song. Indian music is not "one chord music". This is music that doesn't use chords, at least not in the sense of chord-change-based progressions (to be fair, the video guy does say something like this.)
Really, imagine someone looking to play "Within You Without You" and buying a chart that told them to just strum an E major. That would make for a very disappointing performance, if they didn't know better.
I guess what bothers me is that "non-chord-change-based music" is SO broad a category, it sounds, I don't know, kind of reductive to me to describe it all as "one chord music".
I actually like the idea of droning to a single chord/harmony...I never tried to compose with less than 2 chords, but that must a soon to come challenge. I'm not sure BIAB is an ideal tool for that. :-)
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Hi, most one-chord songs are very familiar to a large number of people. I knew that this "one chord" idea was associated with certain performers, but I'd never think to associate it with purely vocal music or a lack of any clear harmonic structure. I once tried to learn to play single chord tunes on the guitar using music distribution platforms music distribution platforms, as I thought it would be a breeze of a job. Well… turns out it kind of was . No wonder some of them cracked the Billboard 200.
This guy has great videos and I love how he shows examples across many epochs of music and cultures as well.
I do think some of the examples stretch the definition of what a chord is. Anything with a pedal note and drone could be considered multi chordal where the two notes; the pedal note and the other simultaneous note in the melody hint at different chords.
Regardless, it’s clearly a songwriting tool we can learn from.
This is the first song I can recall being a one chord song. I guess the main reason is I was learning to play the guitar at this time and CCR was high on my play list. I recall some of the others of that era mentioned in the video. Interesting and cool stuff. I tunes out on the hip hop/rap part.
You can find my music at: www.herbhartley.com Add nothing that adds nothing to the music. You can make excuses or you can make progress but not both.
The magic you are looking for is in the work you are avoiding.
An excellent and well researched presentation from David Bennett:
Around 8:53, David starts talking about sidelining harmony to give other song elements space. One of my favorite 1-chord songs that does this is Henry Mancini's Peter Gunn theme that uses a 1-bar ostinato in F major.
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Introducing XPro Styles PAK 11 – Now Available for Mac Band-in-a-Box 2026 and Higher!
XPro Styles PAK 11 for Mac & Windows Band-in-a-Box® version 2026 (and higher) is here with 100 brand new RealStyles, plus 31 RealTracks/RealDrums!
Guess who’s back again? That’s right! It’s our XPro Styles PAK’s triumphant return with the 11th edition in this series! 100 new styles are coming your way spread across the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres. And this edition's wildcard genre explores the immense and far-reaching catalogue of electronic music! The included 31 RealTracks and RealDrums can be used with any Band-in-a-Box® 2026 (and higher) package.
Special offers available until August 31st, 2026!
All the XPro Styles PAKs 1-11 are on sale for only $29 ea (Reg. $49 ea), or get them all in the XPro Styles PAK Bundle for only $149 (reg. $299)! Order now!
XPro Styles PAKs require Band-in-a-Box® 2026 or higher and are compatible with ANY package, including the Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, and Audiophile Edition.
Introducing Xtra Styles PAK 22 – Now Available for Mac Band-in-a-Box 2026 and Higher!
Xtra Styles PAK 22 for Mac & Windows Band-in-a-Box version 2026 (and higher) is here with 200 brand new RealStyles!
It’s time to celebrate! Xtra Styles PAK 22 for Band-in-a-Box® is here, and we've got 200 brand-new styles coming your way!
No Xtra Styles PAK is complete without the classic rock & pop, jazz, and country volumes you know and love, and we’ve got plenty to share, with 150 styles spread across too many genres to list! Of course, it also wouldn’t be complete with our special wildcard volume to add a little spice and pizzazz to the mix. This year, because we loved it so much the first time, we’ve decided to make the second iteration of our SynthMaster volume, full of new sounds, interesting genres, and 50 engaging styles, all making use of the diverse SynthMaster plugin! Here you can find genres such as airy yacht rock, sultry electrotango, and even some synth soca funk. Don’t wait, pickup up Xtra Styles PAK 22 today!
In this PAK you can find: dulcet folk ballads, funky gospel country, Brazilian jazz fusion, upbeat 1980s pop, classic Americana, a plethora of breezy bossa novas, indie singer-songwriter, scintillating synthwave, exuberant electronica, and many, many more!
Special offers available until August 31st, 2026!
All the Xtra Styles PAKs 1-22 are on special for only $29 each (reg $49), or get all 22 PAKs for $199 (reg $399)! Order now!
Note: The Xtra Styles require the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box®. (Xtra Styles PAK 22 requires the 2026 or higher UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition. They will not work with the Pro or MegaPAK version because they need the RealTracks from the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition.
zplane recently interviewed Peter Gannon, the founder and creator of Band-in-a-Box, about the software's early days, what sets it apart from AI, how zplane's audio algorithms are used in Band-in-a-Box, and more!
Special thanks to the team at zplane for their continued support.
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. No wonder some of them cracked the Billboard 200.
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