Is “If I Fell” The Beatles’ Hippest Pre-Revolver Tune?
What’s going on in this subtly sophisticated pop hit? Turns out… a lot! Let’s break down this romantic ballad off of “A Hard Day’s Night.”
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What Does “Diatonic” Actually Mean?
Are all major and minor scales diatonic? Did Pythagoras invent chromaticism? What’s up and what’s down with diatonicism… Find out here!
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How to Spice Up a Mundane Melody With Jazz Chords
Looking at Nile Rodgers’ famous arrangements for David Bowie and Sister Sledge, let’s talk about how to turn pop into funk and so much more!
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Crying in the Club: Songs Within Songs and Intertextuality in Pop Music
A lengthy, in-depth look at the self-referential nature of pop music and what that means for legality and creativity in music.
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Why Joker’s Score Makes It a Prequel
An analysis of how Hildur Guðnadóttir’s score for Joker helps anchor the narrative and characters in both their story and their timeline.
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Isn’t It Iconic? (Nirvana, That Is.)
What happens when a computer decides what makes popular songs formulaic versus iconic? Total controversy. But let’s take a deeper look…
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Thundercat Chord Theory
In this post, courtesy of Reverb Machine’s Dan Carr, we break down the chord progressions of Thundercat’s most beloved jazz-inspired songs.
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On Chord Fragments and Nuanced Embellishments in Talking Heads’ “Slippery People”
A quick and fun breakdown of one of David Byrne’s most slippery songs from the Talking Heads catalog, and why it works so well…
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An Intermediate Guide to Chord Tones and Tensions
Thinking about how chords relate to the notes in your melody is an important aspect of voice leading with intention — here’s a quick guide.
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Hidden In Plain Sight: The Greatest Musical Easter Egg Ever
Discover the hidden music theory gem holding together one of the greatest TV theme songs of all time, and who gets the last laugh about it.
