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.
Tag: unlocking the emotional power of chords
Learn Diatonic Harmony from a Classic Breakbeat
A particularly perfect music theory lesson happens to exist completely intact inside this classic breakbeat from funk/soul history.
We Analyzed Every Dang Song That Cracked the Billboard Top 5 in 2018
Welcome back, pop music scholars, and Look Alive… because we did it again. That’s right —…
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.
How to Use 7th Chords in 7 Minutes
Are 7th chords big scary harmonic monsters for you? Here, we go through how to build and use them in a chord progression step-by-step, in 7 minutes.
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!
How Do You Make an Audience Feel Nostalgic with Music?
Writing music for a show or film? Check out this beginner’s lesson on creating a sense of nostalgia in your music to fit the narrative.
What Is a Chord Progression?
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How Blood Orange Uses Chasms of Harmonic Ambiguity on “Negro Swan”
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How Thomas Newman’s “American Beauty” Score Flipped the Script on Film Music
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