It’s 8pm on a Wednesday evening, and a pixelated June Millington waits patiently on Skype as I pull up a write-up of her massive autobiography, Land of a Thousand Bridges (published by No Depression). As I scroll through the summary of the 500+ page book, I realize with some trepidation I’m about to interview a…
Experimenting with string harmonics can lend an eerie, etherial sound to your compositions. Here’s how to get started.
We all have that one friend that we rely on for new music. The one who is always the designated DJ at the parties. The one who tells you which album to download and what concerts to go to. We rely on said friend… and occasionally we envy her… How is she always up to date on the newest…
Entrepreneurship in Music Series: 012 MIDEAST TUNES Founder Esra’a Al-Shafei We want our humanity and our futures in our own hands and we use the internet and other forms of technology to fight for those rights. — Esra’a Al-Shafei Mideast Tunes is a music streaming platform promoting social change and cultural dialogue by promoting the…
In 1942, half-starved and weak from war and lack of supplies, members of Leningrad’s Philharmonic Orchestra gathered in the midst of the looming threat of bombardment to pull off one of the most extraordinary musical feats of all time. The city had already endured almost a year of brutal siege by the German Army —…
+ 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. The struggle was real, and we loved it. Let me paint a nostalgic picture of a time before streaming existed, when making a single playlist could take…
Artists are using loop pedals to improvise with themselves and bring out a new, diverse spectrum of vocal textures and tones.
Throughout my examination of the wide world of musical electronics, I’ve gazed longingly at the spider-web patches of modular and done an in-depth analyses of notable synths and their inner workings. One area we haven’t investigated deeply is the intersection of acoustic instruments with the electronic world — specifically, the burgeoning intersection of “classical,” or solo concert instrumentalists,…
+ Learn the nuances of producing beats, arranging tracks, and creative sampling, drawing on the rich history and influence of hip-hop in Soundfly’s acclaimed online course, The Art of Hip-Hop Production. By David Abravanel Mobb Deep built their reputation on heart-pounding stress raps. Whether it was their breakthrough single “Shook Ones Part II” or tracks where even…
Where’s Your Inspiration Coming From? Brian Eno’s latest algorithmically looping album, Reflection, was inspired by the process of gardening. Sound artist Mileece “harvests” inspiration by giving voice to plants and organic matter in specialized environments. And then there’s Japanese composer Toru Takemitsu, whose music was inspired by nature’s deep silences. As musicians, composers, and performers, our inspirations motivate and color the music we make,…
Welcome back to the dance floor, Quick Trackers! Once a month, we hook you up with a short production or songwriting challenge, aimed at helping to up your musicianship. To respond to the challenge, just email us, leave a comment, or post to social media with the hashtag #quicktracks and tag us @learntosoundfly. For this month’s challenge, let’s…
We polled members of the Soundfly staff and mentor community to ask about their go-to chords and progressions for certain emotional outcomes. Check it out!
By RE Katz Perhaps it’s fitting that the untimely death of composer Jóhann Gunnar Jóhannsson is shrouded in silence and rumor. We do not know why he died so young, we just have the one repeating syllable in our heads. We have this one soaring melodic line, these shimmering strings. Just over a year ago,…
Welcome back to Soundfly’s weekly interview series, Incorrect Music, curated by guitarist, singer, and composer Lora-Faye Åshuvud (of the band Arthur Moon). In this series, we present intimate conversations with artists who are striving to push the boundaries of their process and craft. The Finnish singer/songwriter, composer and improviser, Laura Naukkarinen has been steadily releasing spectral, lush music under the moniker…
Welcome back to Soundfly’s new interview series, Incorrect Music, curated by guitarist, singer, and composer Lora-Faye Åshuvud (of the band Arthur Moon). In this series, we present intimate conversations with artists who are striving to push the boundaries of their process and craft. In true Incorrect Music fashion, Rubblebucket singer and saxophonist Kalmia Traver says, “I like to feel…
After becoming a hit as the “‘Benny Hill’ Theme,” “Yakety Sax” experienced a renaissance turning dramatic web videos into funny ones.
As a composer, finding that string library that can do everything you want can often feel like a never-ending quest to find the pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. New libraries pop up every month or so, all professing to be the best and urging you to press the “buy” button as soon as they’re…
Welcome back to my four-part series of articles on How Successful Musicians Practice. If you’re just joining us now, this is the third installment, so if songwriting and composition aren’t ultimately your areas of interest, feel free to peruse the practice regimes of either these seriously successful percussionists or these 4, 5 and 6-string samurai! To briefly…
In November 2016, Peter Pillitteri, an aspiring composer and one of the students in Ian Davis’ popular Orchestration for Strings course, emailed us out of the blue to tell us this incredible story: “‘Round Midnight is a 1986 film by Bertrand Tavernier about a fictitious jazzman, Dale Turner, who was played by the great jazz saxophonist, Dexter Gordon.…
By Lee Dynes The sound palette of Arabic, Persian, and various Middle Eastern regional cultures are generally not typically heard in the West outside of TV shows like Homeland and some films. Those droning tones, the anguished cries reminiscent of classical singers like Oum Kalthoum of Egypt or Yusuf Omar of Iraq, can evoke uneasy feelings…
Calling all chiptune geniuses, artists, lovers, and admirers! We are running a one-month contest starting today to win a free modded Game Boy and flash carts (courtesy of Kitsch-Bent!), feedback on your work from chip artist Chipocrite, and promo on Flypaper for your project! Entries will be judged by three of the most beloved chiptune artists on…
Montréal is a live music town through and through. It’s also a hockey town. And sometimes, it’s both at once! People are likely to know this city by its music due to break-out indie rock sensations like Arcade Fire, Wolf Parade, Mac DeMarco, and the Barr Brothers; major electronic acts such as A-Trak, Grimes, and Kaytranada;…
Great news! New episodes of the podcast will begin launching on August 30th. To celebrate, we’re revisiting the Top 5 most popular episodes.
Ever wondered what would be the perfect track to lip sync on a moon rat while doing a space dance across an alien planet? Well, I’m glad to say Guardians of the Galaxy pretty much nailed the answer. In the opening scene the Star Lord rocks out to the infectiously joyful and funky tune, “Come and Get Your Love” by…
In this article, we explore how the score music to Groundhog Day uses theme and variation to reflect elements of repetition, cycling, and resolution.
