Thanks to a hilarious internet quiz, we’ve discovered works from 8 spectacular Italian composers that we definitely thought were types of pasta.
Reflections on Nico Muhly’s Composing Process
How does composer Nico Muhly stay organized while juggling travel, commission deadlines, meetings, collaborations, and his own creativity?
Memorize Common Descending Intervals Easily with This Handy Guide
Here’s a super handy cheat sheet for remembering descending note intervals, using some of the most familiar melodies in music history!
An Introduction to Zappa’s ‘Black Page #2’: Modality, Polyrhythms, and Intervals
We explore the fundamental rhythmic, harmonic, and melodic concepts at play in one of Frank Zappa’s most lauded compositions.
Learn Diatonic Harmony from a Classic Breakbeat
A particularly perfect music theory lesson happens to exist completely intact inside this classic breakbeat from funk/soul history.
Dr. Smooth-Song, or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Yacht Rock
The smooth groovy vibes of Yacht Rock await. Learn how songs by Steely Dan, Toto, and the Doobie Brothers function to use their ideas in your own songs!
Don’t Let the DAW Zap Your Creativity: 5 Tips for a Smooth Songwriting Process
Mastered the art of songwriting but struggling to find your creative voice when working in a DAW? Here are some tips for managing your process.
How Imagine Dragons Writes Such Memorable Melodies
Imagine Dragons’ “Demons” plays with our sense of memory about how the melody is supposed to play out each time. How does this work?
We Analyzed Every Dang Song That Cracked the Billboard Top 5 in 2018
Welcome back, pop music scholars, and Look Alive… because we did it again. That’s right —…
Why Do We Like Sad Music So Much? On ‘Life and Death’ From ‘Lost’
Let’s look at how music can make a song sound sad even when there are no lyrics — and why we like that so much.