In this article, we explore how the score music to Groundhog Day uses theme and variation to reflect elements of repetition, cycling, and resolution.
How Do Key Signatures Work?
Learning to read or write music? Here’s a quick-yet-deep primer on how key signatures work across major, minor, modal, blues and other tonalities.
10 Things Songwriters Do That Ruin Their Songs
A song is a fragile thing — indeed, there are many ways a song idea can die before it’s even developed. Here are ten, and how to avoid them.
4 Ways to Develop Your Musical Idea Into a Full Arrangement
Got a great melodic motif that you don’t know how to develop? Here are four easy and creative ways to flesh it out into a full musical arrangement.
How Portishead Uses Chromatic Voice Leading in “Glory Box”
In this lesson plucked from Soundfly’s The Creative Power of Advanced Harmony course, we go over the chromatic device in Portishead’s melodic writing.
9 Easy Places to Look for Creative Lyric Ideas
Whether writer’s block has got you down or you’re just looking for a few tools for consistent brainstorming, here are nine places to look for lyric ideas.
When Film Music Is a Mickey Mouse Operation
What exactly is “mickeymousing,” and how do we know whether it’s a good or bad addition to your musical score? Let’s find out.
Student Spotlight: Benjamin Roustaing on Streaming and Success
We chat with one of 2019’s break out artists, Benjamin Roustaing, on his songwriting, his thoughts on streaming, and his 2018 Soundfly mentorship session.
Why Leon Bridges’ Powerful New Song “Sweeter” Works on Every… Single… Level
We break down the devices that help Leon Bridges and Terrace Martin’s song, “Sweeter,” function on every level, musically, poetically, and emotionally.
How to Compose Music Set to a Poem: A Case Study
Using my own experience setting a poem by Pablo Neruda to music, I offer tips on what to consider when composing music to poetry. Check it out!