Black Friday Deals for Pianists of All Levels
If you’re looking for Black Friday deals for pianists of any level that are actually relevant to you, you’re in the right place!
8 Passive Income Streams for Musicians
Passive income for musicians has emerged over the last decade as a transformative way for artists to find financial stability and support their work. In a time when traditional revenue, like album sales and live performance, are on the decline because of the rise of streaming platforms, it is vital for musicians to explore ways …
Metric Dissonance and Expression in “Iris” by the Goo Goo Dolls
“Iris” by the Goo Goo Dolls: what makes this song so good? In this post, I explore how the band uses metric dissonance techniques to create an expressive sense of yearning
Piano Course Review: ProPractice by Dr. Josh Wright
In this post, I review Dr. Josh Wright’s full ProPractice Piano Course that currently includes 4 levels divided into 2 parts each, technique and repertoire. If you’re only interested in the repertoire section of one level, you can purchase just that section alone here. I purchased the full course, so this post will cover the …
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Chromatic Harmony in The Legend of Zelda Main Theme (Overworld)
What is going on in the harmony for the Legend of Zelda main theme otherwise known as “Overworld” by Koji Kondo? There are so many chromatic chords going on, so let’s dig in! First thing’s first, to know which chords are chromatic, we have to know what key we’re in. That means identifying the tonal …
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How to Use a ♭VII Chord in Your Music
♭VII Chords are a type of borrowed chord (a.k.a. modal mixture) that falls under a larger umbrella of chromatic harmony. Chromatic harmony refers…
Write Better Chord Progressions 4 Different Ways
Write better chord progressions: if you feel like your chord progressions are boring or aren’t expressing exactly what you want them to, try approaching harmonies from different perspectives. Often, the most helpful creative tool is just coming at a problem from a different angle. Here are 4 different ways to help you write better chord …
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Neapolitan Chord in “Enterprising Young Men” from Star Trek 2009
Neapolitan chords are a popular way to add some chromatic harmony flavor to your (most-often) minor chord progressions. They convey a sense of hopeful melancholy, as they are built off of a lowered 2nd scale step. That means that they have this darker feel to them than chords built from a regular 2nd scale step …
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Common-Tone Modulation in “Summer of ’69” by Bryan Adams
Common-tone modulation is the name of a specific way of changing keys in music, and if you want to change keys in a super dramatic and abrupt way, you can use this type of common-tone modulation. What this means is that the last chord in the old key that you’re coming from and the first …
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Secondary Dominant Chords: Don’t Know Why by Jesse Harris
How secondary dominant chords are used in “Don’t Know Why” by Jesse Harris to add color and forward momentum