Song writing is a HUGE topic with so many side roads and rabbit trails..... It's easy to get lost and overwhelmed by the vastness of the topic and the information. People who have spent a lifetime studying music theory are still learning new things every day they work with it.

Quote:
Working on songwriting and arranging.
Creating melodies, I can handle. But chords and chords progression is not my best part.
Doing this in midi. Not in BIAB.

I am getting good results if I create chords by ear. This means moving the chord notes until the chords sound good with the melody. But I am also creating chords outside the key.
For instance in the key of C Maj, I have a good sound chord with A# D F. Fits good with the melody. But not a key chord.
I trust my ears, but they are inexperienced.

Is this something I can continue with (creating chords by ear), or I am going to run into problems.


This sounds like you should study music theory a bit. That way, you will have an understanding of what you're doing, and how to get there when you want to do something. I'd suggest perhaps looking to see if the local community college offers music theory as a stand alone class. They normally start new classes in Sept so your timing might just be spot on. Trying to learn theory from a book is not the best way to approach this. Get in a class or find a teacher of music who can tutor you at a reasonable cost until you get to where you need to be to understand it better.

Theory is indispensable when you're working on progressions and scales and building or finding the right chord to use. A# D F is actually the chord triad Bb by itself. In the key of C it becomes a flat 7th chord. Doesn't normally fit but that all depends on how it's used. As others have said.... if it sounds good to you, it can easily work regardless of the theory or the math, or the science behind it because all that matters is the end result to the listener.

Most of all, this should be fun.....

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.