Is “If I Fell” The Beatles’ Hippest Pre-Revolver Tune?
What’s going on in this subtly sophisticated pop hit? Turns out… a lot! Let’s break down this romantic ballad off of “A Hard Day’s Night.”
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Join Ethan Hein’s Chords & Harmony Writing Lab to Make More Emotive Music
This July, join our 5-week learning cohort with Dr. Ethan Hein (NYU/The New School) and improve your use of chords and harmony in your music!
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On Chord Fragments and Nuanced Embellishments in Talking Heads’ “Slippery People”
A quick and fun breakdown of one of David Byrne’s most slippery songs from the Talking Heads catalog, and why it works so well…
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A Beginner’s Guide to Chords and Modal Interchange
Making chords from the scale you’re in is fine, but borrowing notes and bringing them in from other scales and modes, now that’s fun!
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Did Lorde Rip Off George Michael?
Thoughts on Lorde’s new single, a familiar ’50s rock groove, and the hyper-litigious state of the music industry’s copyright law.
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Breaking Down Sonny Rollins’ Catchiest Tune
A personal OpEd on one of Sonny Rollins’ most classic melodies, and a reframed way to improvise within blues-infused modern jazz.
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What Is Going on in This Noname Beat?
Today we try to break down the puzzling mathematics of Noname’s unquantized, Dilla-esque beat in “Sunny Duet” (Nerds unite!)
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How D’Angelo Uses Funky Dominant Sevenths in “Sugah Daddy”
In this short analysis, we break down the source of D’Angelo’s funky sound, his impeccable use of dominant sevenths in spread voicings.
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How Secondary Dominants Can Make Your Chord Progressions Less Boring
It’s not hard to break out of predictable chord patterns with a new mindset on harmony, and a bit of easy help from secondary dominants, too.
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How to Make Chords From Scales
Learning to read or write music? Here’s a quick guide to making chords within the various scales and modes you might encounter in music theory.
