Tag: music history

  • Fats Domino Was a True King of Rock ‘n’ Roll

    Antoine “Fats” Domino, Jr., one of the early pioneers of a musical style that came to be known as rock ‘n’ roll, whose iconic voice and boogie-woogie piano playing helped inspire entire eras of brilliant songwriting, passed away on October 25, 2017. He was 89. With his flat-top haircut, rotund figure, and buoyant personality, Domino…

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  • Allegro! Exploring the Legacy and Technique of the Great Django Reinhardt

    Allegro! Exploring the Legacy and Technique of the Great Django Reinhardt

    + 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. A fire roars with life on a cool summer night somewhere in the north of France, possibly even just over the Belgian border. Music drifts into the night…

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  • Album Histories Monthly: New York Dolls – ‘New York Dolls’

    Album Histories Monthly: New York Dolls – ‘New York Dolls’

    New York Dolls – New York Dolls Release Date: July 27, 1973 “The New York Dolls are the new Rolling Stones.” –The Village Voice, 1972 On November 6, 1972, after the New York Dolls played a sold-out show with Faces at Wembley Stadium, drummer and songwriter Billy Murcia “succumbed to what is usually referred to as…

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  • The Unacknowledged Impact Gregg Allman Had on My Life as a Musician

    I never listened to the Allman Brothers much, which is probably not what you’d expect to hear from somebody who’s about to write 500 or so words about Gregg Allman. But as I reflected on his passing last week, I realized that Gregg and his brother Duane had a much greater impact on my life as…

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  • Journey East: An Extended Introduction to the Enchanting Sound World of the Oud

    Journey East: An Extended Introduction to the Enchanting Sound World of the Oud

    By Lee Dynes The instrument goes by many names, takes several shapes, and can be played in a number of styles both traditional and modern. The oud or ud, sometimes referred to as barbat in Iran or kaban in Somalia and Sudan, is an instrument predominantly found in the Middle East, Spain, Greece, as well as…

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  • The True Story Behind Japanese ‘Lawsuit’ Guitars

    The True Story Behind Japanese ‘Lawsuit’ Guitars

    Welcome to 6String Minutes. In this segment, we’ll uncover the truth about Japanese “lawsuit” guitars imported to the United States from the mid-1970s on. Gear hunters and enthusiasts around the world all claim to have seen them, but the true story may shock you.* (* If you happen to be plugged into an ungrounded amplifier and…

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  • Sounds of Battle: Compositions That Defined the Wars of the Early 20th Century

    Sounds of Battle: Compositions That Defined the Wars of the Early 20th Century

    In 1942, half-starved and weak from war and lack of supplies, members of Leningrad’s Philharmonic Orchestra gathered in the midst of the looming threat of bombardment to pull off one of the most extraordinary musical feats of all time. The city had already endured almost a year of brutal siege by the German Army —…

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  • Pulitzer Prize-Winner Yusef Komunyakaa on the Poetry of the Blues

    Pulitzer Prize-Winner Yusef Komunyakaa on the Poetry of the Blues

    Few people I’ve ever met speak with the gravitas of Yusef Komunyakaa. A conversation with him can be a meditative experience. The words wrap themselves around ideas rather than simply standing in for them. Rhythmically, he speaks in spacious jazz solos, allowing pauses to be as significant as the words themselves and letting the meaning…

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  • An Introduction to Italian Songwriters:  Part I (1958-1978)

    An Introduction to Italian Songwriters: Part I (1958-1978)

    By Stef Fiorendi What follows is a personal selection of some of the most influential and revolutionary Italian songwriters: a mix of politics, poetry, sentiment and history. This is Part I of a two part series. Read “Part II: 1980-2013” here. DISCLAIMER: This is just an introduction. It is nearly impossible to sum up a vast and…

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  • Sampling as Instrumentation: How Recorded Noise Found Its Way Into Music

    Sampling as Instrumentation: How Recorded Noise Found Its Way Into Music

    + Learn to create and arrange original, instrumental hip-hop music from sampling pioneer RJD2 himself in his new course on Soundfly, RJD2: From Samples to Songs. When we turn on the radio to any pop station, we hear sampling. When we utilize any MIDI instrument technology within our DAWs and hardware, we hear sampling. It’s everywhere, and it’s due…

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