Music Theory for Hardstyle in 3 Minutes

If I want to write a major hardstyle song in C, I apply the major scale formula. Root note, whole step, whole step, half step, whole step, whole step, whole step, half step, and back into the root note. It has a happy feeling.

The major key sounds a little bit cliche, but it's great if you want to dial in euphoric melodies.

Each note of the scale has a predefined chord. Every chord is a triad with a root note, a minor third or major third, and a perfect fifth. A major chord, or a minor chord, which is a bit more sad. There's also a diminished chord, but for beginners it's not really applicable in hardstyle production.

In major, memorize this order. First major, second minor, third minor, fourth major, fifth major, sixth minor. The seventh is technically diminished, but I make it a minor. Then rearrange them, for example into a 1, 6, 3, 4 progression. I take the root notes and put them in as a bass line, and rearrange the triads so they're closer to each other.

For a song in C minor, use this formula. Root note, whole step, half step, whole step, whole step, half step, whole step, whole step, and you're back at your root note.

The chords on the minor scale go first minor, second minor (technically diminished, but I use minor because it fits hardstyle better), third major, fourth minor, fifth minor, sixth major, seventh major. Rearrange the order however you want. I could take the 1st, the 4th, the 6th and the 5th. Again the root notes go in as a bass line, and I rearrange the triads so they're a little bit more equal.