Step 4: Our second chord is a passing B major at the end of the bar, so we copy the A major chord we just made and paste it into position at 1.3.4.1, then shift the whole thing up two semitones.

Using just three chords (E, A and B major, with the odd 7th thrown in) in the simplest of structures, it squeezed-out a catchy-as-hell hook and a couple of fizzing solos.

Terms such as ‘altered’ and ‘extended’ chords are relatively simple to explain. Extended chords add other notes from the scale to the existing root-3rd-5th triad (for example, C-E-G), so if we add a ...