Bloody Valentine- Machine Gun Kelly
Music Theory Analysis
Why Analyze Music?
The study of music has always fascinated me. From the time I started playing power chords and trying to rip solos with the pentatonic scale (which is still 85% of what I do), I asked, how does this work?
My thirst for understanding music led me to start taking lessons and later attend college to study music. Throughout my journey it has become apparent that if I wish to be a better musician then the continuous study of music is a must.
Looking back I realize that I’ve always done this. The process has just been refined over the years. I remember when I learned Sunshine of Your Love by Cream.
The first thing that jumped at me is that it used the pentatonic scale. What I did then is take the same notes to write my own riffs
The Goal
I want to learn from music. There is something to be extracted even from the simplest song. We just need to ask the right questions.
- How can I make better melodies? Study music with great melodies
- How can I write interesting chord progressions? Study music with interesting chord progressions
- How can I improve my solos? Study…. You get it.
Today I’m taking a look at Machine Gun Kelly’s Bloody Valentine. I chose this song because it’s just so catchy! I also had a big pop punk phase when I was younger.
This song is seemingly simple. Three chords make up most of the song and the melody is made up from a handful of notes.
What I take from this song is a lesson on building a “catchy” melody and not relying on an extensive chord progression. Working with limitations is a great way to work the creative muscles