An Introduction to Sam Amidon — Experimental Folk “Crate Digger”
Some personal notes on the first time I listened to the highly personal, lyrical music of avant-garde folk balladier Sam Amidon.
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The Story of Rubin “Hurricane” Carter, Wrongly Convicted Boxer and Dylan’s Muse
Today we explore the story of Bob Dylan’s “The Hurricane,” which helped raise awareness and support for wrongly accused boxer Rubin “Hurricane” Carter.
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How to Use a Jazz Turnaround in Your Pop or Folk Song
Borrowing a nifty couple of chord changes from the jazz world can really elevate your songwriting, no matter the genre or style.
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Can You Actually Make Electronic Folk Music?
“Folktronica” is one hotly contested genre with people on both sides arguing over whether it’s even possible, let alone aesthetically pleasing, to create.
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On July 25, 1965, Dylan Went Electric at Newport – Here’s Why It Mattered
+ 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. It’s 1965. After almost a century’s worth of benefits and remarkable improvements to our daily lives, electricity is here to stay. Light bulbs, television, computers…
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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…
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The Best Guitar Music in the World Is Coming from Agadez
It was late 2009 when I got my first taste of Agadez. Searching a relatively primitive YouTube for new music to explore for an ethnomusicology class, I came across a four-minute clip that would change my perspective on the electric guitar for years to come. Recorded in 2004 by Sublime Frequencies founder Hisham Mayet, the…
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8 Incredible Songs of the Sea to Celebrate the International Day of the Seafarer
By Daniel Merrill It’s June 23, and that means this weekend, we celebrate the International Day of the Seafarer! I know what you’re thinking… how on Earth did I forget (again)!? Well, I’ll cut you some slack; it’s easy to let it slip when the other major seafarer’s holiday, International Talk Like a Pirate Day, just around…
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How to Overcome Musical Boredom? Make “Incorrect” Music Instead
Midway into the song “Room,” the opening track of Arthur Moon’s debut EP Our Head, a slightly out of tune banjo plows over top of the ethereal, washy atmospherics that the band has spent the last minute building. It’s a moment that catches the listener entirely off guard: “…Wait, what did I just hear?” But that’s the beauty…
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Why a Video of a Young Ukrainian Accordionist Went Viral
By Shinjoo Cho If you’ve spent any extended time scrolling social media this year, you’ve probably come across a video of Ukrainian musician Alexander Hrustevich playing “Summer” from Vivaldi’s Four Seasons (formally, the Violin Concerto in G Minor, Opus 8, No 2 “Summer”: III. Presto) on his bayan accordion. This footage of a spellbinding, virtuosic performance by a young…
