Telling a Story with Harmonic Rhythm

Harmonic rhythm determines how many beats a chord will last before you change to the next chord. When you write a song using a borrowed chord progression from another song as a starting point, you inherit the harmonic rhythm. But by giving special consideration to when you play the chords you play, you can use harmonic rhythm to score your lyrics in support of the overall theme of your song.

Take a look at the following example. The singer is emotionally bound to someone and is held there by love. The chords are changing quickly, at a rate of two chords per measure; the chord movement is distracting and isn’t serving the story. With lyrics such as pull me back in and gravity, a fast harmonic rhythm is counterintuitive. 

This is where using harmonic rhythm gets interesting. Take a listen:

See what happens when we slow it down:

Similarly, when you play a consistent harmonic rhythm for several measures and then change it by holding a chord longer than expected, you keep your listener in place for that moment. When you break the flow of the expected meter, it highlights your lyrics.

There are so many tools we can use as a songwriter that harmonic rhythm is often overlooked. Keep this super nerd in mind for your next song.  

For additional examples of this technique, listen to “Gravity” by John Mayer.