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  • 4 Secrets from the World’s Best Improvisers That Will Make You a Better Musician

    4 Secrets from the World’s Best Improvisers That Will Make You a Better Musician

    + Wanna learn how to turn the intersections between jazz and modern hip-hop into creative gold? Soundfly’s new course with jazz pianist and beat producer, Kiefer, on keys, beats, and chord changes, comes out this October! Hop on our mailing list now. When most people hear the word improvisation, they immediately think of jazz, but limiting improvisation to the…

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  • Stakes Is High: The Transformative Low-End Genius of J Dilla

    Stakes Is High: The Transformative Low-End Genius of J Dilla

    I often get asked about my favorite bassists. It makes sense — I’m a bass player. The truth is though, my answers have changed almost constantly throughout my musical development. But despite my shifting interests, ever since I first heard The Shining, J Dilla has consistently had an impact on my playing, and has been the first name that pops into my…

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  • 5 Professional (and Pragmatic) Practices to Make the Most of Your Performances

    5 Professional (and Pragmatic) Practices to Make the Most of Your Performances

    Whether we are firing up the van for a coast-to-coast tour or showing up for our first open mic, we as performing musicians must hold ourselves to professional standards. Of course, we will still maintain our DIY-punk aesthetic onstage, and in our day to day lives. But when it comes to our bands, we take things…

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  • Two Acts in Congress That Could Help International Artists Tour the US

    Two Acts in Congress That Could Help International Artists Tour the US

    Already sold? Click here and here to tell your representatives to support international artists who want to tour in the US. The USA is a notoriously difficult place to tour for international artists — from the difficulty and unpredictability of having to apply for visas, to being subject to intense questioning from TSA and customs officials for traveling with instruments,…

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  • The COMPASS: Omaha, NE

    The COMPASS: Omaha, NE

    By Orenda Fink I have lived in Omaha for almost thirteen years now, and have always been impressed and inspired by the surprisingly rich and diverse music scene. Coming from Athens, GA, a music town that I adore, that is saying a lot. It’s one of the things that keeps me from fleeing forever during the…

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  • Mastering Band Promotion with a Step-by-Step Daily Routine

    Mastering Band Promotion with a Step-by-Step Daily Routine

    One of the worst things about being an independent musician is the feeling of stasis: when you have no shows coming up, or you just put out an album, but you still feel like you’re going nowhere. You feel powerless against the forces of the music industry and the insane number of other people just…

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  • How to Record an Album in an Abandoned Grain Silo (Plus a World Premiere!)

    How to Record an Album in an Abandoned Grain Silo (Plus a World Premiere!)

    + Welcome to Soundfly! We help curious musicians meet their goals with creative online courses. Whatever you want to learn, whenever you need to learn it. Subscribe now to start learning on the ’Fly. Earlier this year, I was delighted by a dynamic new solo piano album called The Moving Decade. Of all the types of albums to make sound original, surely solo…

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  • 6 Stage Hacks to Engage a Crowd

    6 Stage Hacks to Engage a Crowd

    During a live gig, the relationship between the artist and audience is beyond that of simply performer and observer. Physically and emotionally, there’s little separation between both parties and a huge deal of direct interaction, both explicit and subliminal. Self-assurance is essential and, as with so much in life, confidence is the key. If a…

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  • 3 Common Broken Chord Patterns to Inspire Beginner Pianists

    3 Common Broken Chord Patterns to Inspire Beginner Pianists

    This video is an excerpt of our free course “Music Theory for Beginner Pianists.” The piano is an astounding instrument. It offers players the opportunity to experiment with a nearly endless range of textures, dynamics, and even timbres. Of course, being faced with all those options can be pretty overwhelming, especially for those who are…

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  • Sounds of the Future: A Historical Primer on Synths in Sci-Fi Movies

    Sounds of the Future: A Historical Primer on Synths in Sci-Fi Movies

    We live in the most exciting time one could possibly hope to be alive. Every day, new aspects of our earthly existence are being discovered, advanced, and technologically exploited to further improve our experience of reality on this planet and in this universe we humbly occupy. Yet, despite these fascinating daily occurrences, we still love…

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