A Beginner’s Guide to Chords and Modal Interchange
Making chords from the scale you’re in is fine, but borrowing notes and bringing them in from other scales and modes, now that’s fun!
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A Harmonic Analysis of Michael Jackson’s Protest Song “They Don’t Care About Us”
Through means of Dancehall rhythms, modal interchange, and ostinato, Michael Jackson gives us glimpses of Black American heritage in his protest song.
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4 Ways to Develop Your Musical Idea Into a Full Arrangement
Got a great melodic motif that you don’t know how to develop? Here are four easy and creative ways to flesh it out into a full musical arrangement.
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3 Scale Modes That Will Deepen the Emotions of Your Pop Song
If you’re looking to impart a sinister, mysterious, bittersweet, or jazzy quality into your songwriting, do it using scale modes! Here’s how.
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How John Williams Implies Modality Within Diatonic Harmony in “Yoda’s Theme”
Learn how composer John Williams is able to transform the notes of his Yoda leitmotif into a colorful tapestry using themes of elevation, mystique, and uncertainty.
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How Blood Orange Uses Chasms of Harmonic Ambiguity on “Negro Swan”
+ Bridge the worlds of theory, improvisation, and jazzy hip-hop, and improve your piano chops with Grammy-winner Kiefer in his course, Kiefer: Keys, Chords, & Beats. When it comes to music, balancing invention and convention is like baking the perfect cake. Artists that deviate too far from an already established sound run the risk of becoming […]
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Why Ariana Grande’s “no tears left to cry” Is So Uplifting, Even in a Minor Key
+ 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. Last week I had the distinct pleasure of sitting down with super-knowledgeable music theory super-nerds Dean Olivet and K Marie Kim, and picking their brains about a […]
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How to Convey These 8 Emotions Using Chords and Harmony
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!
