Is It "Stealing" to Use Other Composers' Progressions?
This lesson explores the common practice of reusing harmonic progressions through examples from Tchaikovsky, Alfred Newman, James Newton Howard, and others. Through practical demonstrations, we examine how the same basic progressions appear across different genres and time periods.
Rather than trying to invent completely new progressions (which in purely diatonic music is most likely never going to happen), composers should focus on finding creative ways to use and transform existing harmonic ideas. The true art of composition lies not in inventing new chords or progressions, but in how you adapt and personalize these common musical building blocks to create something that feels fresh and authentic to your voice.