A Beginner’s Guide to Using Dissonance for a Bigger, More Joyful Resolution
New to songwriting? It always helps to create pull for your listener using harmony. Here are some chord options for resolving tension!
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The “Sadness Paradox” — Why Sad Music Is So Comforting
Why does it seem like all the songs on the radio are about breakups? Why do sad chords sound so pleasurable? Welcome to the Sadness Paradox.
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What Are Your Favorite Rainy Day Songs?
For Episode 22 of “Themes and Variation,” we’re joined by musician Euan Gray to gab about our favorite songs for a rainy day!
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When Truman Touches the Wall
We break down the small yet significant harmonic effect that makes the climactic scene in The Truman Show break down all of our emotional barriers.
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Consonance Is Nice. Dissonance Is Delicious
A practical guide to using intervals to create a range of emotional effects, because despite what you’ve heard: dissonance is king.
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Why Do We Like Sad Music So Much? On ‘Life and Death’ From ‘Lost’
Let’s look at how music can make a song sound sad even when there are no lyrics — and why we like that so much.
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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!
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Exploring the Lydian Mode with Elliott Smith’s “Waltz #1”
Like thousands of other young music fans with a penchant for the delicate beauty born through the combination of musical genius and a great deal of misery, I obsessed over Elliott Smith’s music back in college, and was affected deeply by the news of his tragic and sudden suicide in 2003. Performed on Saturday Night Live in…
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What Is the Saddest Chord Progression in the World?
The next time you’re writing a heartbreaking, gut-wrenching tune, try using this handful of chords to drive your sadness home.
