Tag: composer

  • Puerto Rico: One Musician’s Story and the Venue That’s Helping Her Through It

    Puerto Rico: One Musician’s Story and the Venue That’s Helping Her Through It

    Story by Jhoni Jackson. Photo Essay by Jose Juan Garcia Camacho. Shanti Lalita was asleep when Hurricane Maria nearly ripped off the bedroom window of her fourth-floor apartment in the San Juan neighborhood of Santurce. It was 5:00 a.m., and the 27-year-old cellist and composer was napping between bouts of vigilance as the category-five storm that ravaged the…

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  • Arkells on Using Humor and Honesty to Achieve Creative Results in Songwriting

    Arkells on Using Humor and Honesty to Achieve Creative Results in Songwriting

    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.  Interview by Angela Mastrogiacomo These days, the “indie” aesthetic can often feel just as formulaic…

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  • TUSKS on Branching Out In Her Process and How to Combat Sexism in Music

    TUSKS on Branching Out In Her Process and How to Combat Sexism in Music

    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.  Interview by Evan Zwisler When an artist has the courage to describe her work as…

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  • 6 Music Crowdfunding Campaigns That We’re Totally Rooting for Right Now

    6 Music Crowdfunding Campaigns That We’re Totally Rooting for Right Now

    It doesn’t take much to inspire us here at Soundfly. In general, we’re pretty excited about most things that our friends, partners, and students send our way when it comes to new music or new projects involving music and sound. But what really gets us amped is watching awesome crowdfunding projects come to life. Why? Simple.…

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  • Kalbells on Beating Cancer, Saying Yes to Yourself, and Sowing Songs Like Seeds

    Kalbells on Beating Cancer, Saying Yes to Yourself, and Sowing Songs Like Seeds

    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…

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  • Joseph Shabason on Why His Album is Scrappy and Improvised Rather Than ‘Perfect’

    Joseph Shabason on Why His Album is Scrappy and Improvised Rather Than ‘Perfect’

    Welcome to Soundfly’s brand-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.  By Lora-Faye Åshuvud Toronto-based saxophonist Joseph Shabason has an “incorrect” process in the sense that…

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  • Where Have All the V Chords Gone? The Decline of ‘Functional’ Harmony in Pop

    Where Have All the V Chords Gone? The Decline of ‘Functional’ Harmony in Pop

    + 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. So there I was, doing research on topics such as “summer 2017 songwriting trends,” when it hit me. You guys, this is getting ridiculous — where did…

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  • ‘Yakety Sax’ — Making Gruesome Violence and Real Drama Zany Since 1963

    ‘Yakety Sax’ — Making Gruesome Violence and Real Drama Zany Since 1963

    After becoming a hit as the “‘Benny Hill’ Theme,” “Yakety Sax” experienced a renaissance turning dramatic web videos into funny ones.

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  • Afrobeat Songs are Long and Repetitive, So How are They So Irresistibly Compelling?

    Afrobeat Songs are Long and Repetitive, So How are They So Irresistibly Compelling?

    Afrobeat is as eclectic as it is mesmerizing. Its roots stem from a few different areas geographically, socially, and musically. Genres such as jazz and funk, which were defined and carved out by black Americans who came of age during the Civil Rights Movement, helped contribute to its improvised foundation and its generally elastic nature.…

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  • Hear 9 Inspiring String Quartet Arrangements Written by Soundfly Students

    Hear 9 Inspiring String Quartet Arrangements Written by Soundfly Students

    Last fall, we debuted the first-ever session of our course Orchestration for Strings that included personalized support for students from a Mainstage Mentor — a handpicked expert in his or her field who offered feedback on the student’s work. The course itself was a big success, garnering a 100% completion rate and a ton of validating feedback from our students,…

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RJD2: From Samples to Songs