Category: Features

  • Improvisation and the Brain

    Improvisation and the Brain

    We recently found this fantastic piece on how musical improvisation affects the brain on Vicky Williamson’s blog Music Psychology and she graciously allowed us to post it here. Vicky teaches and researches on the relationship between music and the brain at The University of Sheffield. Check out more of her writing here. Hello Dear Reader, It is…

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  • How Wu-Tang, Björk and Jay Z Turn Albums into Fine Art

    How Wu-Tang, Björk and Jay Z Turn Albums into Fine Art

    There is only one single copy of the Wu-Tang Clan’s newest album, The Wu – Once Upon a Time in Shaolin, that has seen the light of day. The Wu-Tang Clan will auction this handcrafted album off after an international museum listening tour, and bids are already coming in exceeding $5 million. This single copy is encased in a…

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  • What Makes You Different

    What Makes You Different

    What Makes You Different? As a musician who loves music, I see a ton of shows, and a ton of really good shows. In recent weeks, I’ve been blown away by how many amazing singers I’ve had the good fortune to see — people with deep, silky voices, or high, falsetto voices, or bluesy, soulful voices.…

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  • Revisiting the Pomplamoose Tour Story

    Revisiting the Pomplamoose Tour Story

    You may have read about YouTube music video stars Pomplamoose exposing their tour earnings for all the world to see and comment on, via their blog. If you haven’t, its quite worth the read, so head over here to check it out. The surprising detail, which has since become a viral topic of conversation among indie…

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  • Sam Smith, Brian Williams, and the Science of a Song Getting Stuck in Your Head

    Sam Smith, Brian Williams, and the Science of a Song Getting Stuck in Your Head

    I have always been fascinated by songs that sound alike. I love the kind of artists’ mindmeld that happens when multiple songs released around the same time converge in similar sound. I love when musicians pay homage to their favorite influences. I love trying to pick out samples in songs. And I love the gossipy…

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  • How to Write a Musical: The History of Musicals

    How to Write a Musical: The History of Musicals

    This is part 1 of a series on how to write a musical. If you can’t wait to start writing, jump forward to the purpose of the music or how to select song posts! A few weeks ago, I had drinks with a buddy of mine who’s writing a musical about an undercooked piece of pasta named Al Dente. He’s…

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  • How to Make Music with Flip Flops, Bicycles and Tin Cans

    How to Make Music with Flip Flops, Bicycles and Tin Cans

    At Soundfly, we’re all about finding your sound, so when we set out to make a promo video, it made perfect sense to find our sounds in unexpected places. The idea also seemed to work well with one of our other beliefs—that anyone can be a musician because there’s no one right way to play…

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  • Listening to Music in a Way That Supports Musicians

    Listening to Music in a Way That Supports Musicians

    You’re a nice person. You love music. You’ve never stolen anything before in your life. Yet somehow, if you’re anything like me, it seems like you can’t listen to music today without falling into a giant moral quagmire. Am I supporting the artists enough? Which service should I use to listen to this new track?…

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