What Is a Cantus Firmus? (and How to Write One)
This compositional form and tool was used emblematically throughout the Middle Ages, here’s how it works and how to write one.
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How Secondary Dominants Can Make Your Chord Progressions Less Boring
It’s not hard to break out of predictable chord patterns with a new mindset on harmony, and a bit of easy help from secondary dominants, too.
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How to Make Chords From Scales
Learning to read or write music? Here’s a quick guide to making chords within the various scales and modes you might encounter in music theory.
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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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What the “Tristan Chord” Is and How to Use It
An in-depth exploration of one of the most storied chords in opera, what makes it so influential, and how to use it yourself in your compositions.
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The Basics of the Dorian Mode for Guitar
A lesson on how to use one of the most exciting and practical scale modes for soloing on the guitar in jazz, blues, rock, and fusion.
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5 Familiar Chord Progressions to Start Any Song
The first chords of your song will set the emotional precedent that your lyrics should ultimately follow. Here’s a few suggestions for starting strong!
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A Closer Look at Leonard Bernstein’s Music in West Side Story
In the above video (courtesy of our free course The West Side Story Companion created in partnership with Carnegie Hall), we dive deep into the score of the greatest American musical of all time. This video features insights from Grammy-winning conductor Marin Alsop about the harmonic, melodic, and rhythmic backbone of the piece’s musical score. In West Side Story, composer…
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Funk School: Breaking Down the i-IV Tritone Flip in “Uptown Funk”
“Perfect – fourth / Perfect – fourth / Tri – tone / Tri – tone” “Perfect – fourth / Perfect – fourth / Tri – tone / Tri – tone” Can you hear it in your head? If you did, you’re funky enough — go do something else, smarty. If not, feel free to help me…
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Understanding Advanced Blues Harmony
+ 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. The 12-bar blues is the most important structural element in the history of American popular music. Musicians from Louis Armstrong to The White Stripes have used the…
