What Is a Cantus Firmus? (and How to Write One)
This compositional form and tool was used emblematically throughout the Middle Ages, here’s how it works and how to write one.
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How to Write Call and Response Melodies With Yourself
Call and Response is a great melodic device when it comes to writing for duets, but what if you’re solo? Here are some songwriting tips.
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A Harmonic Analysis of Radiohead’s “Weird Fishes/Arpeggi”
Let’s revisit one of Radiohead’s most propulsive and intricately layered songs, to deconstruct all the elements at play and how they function.
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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.
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What Exactly Is a Nocturne, and How Do You Write One?
Despite what many people think, classical music isn’t just a single, monolithic genre of music written by an old, stuffy bunch of dead guys. In fact, European classical music is so diverse that the only common denominator shared amongst pieces in its vast repertoire is that modern Western musical notation was basically invented in order to be…
