Between the Measures
An Educational Blog
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The Curse of the Ninth Symphony
Nine is the magic number. Or the unlucky one. Or a statistical fluke. Let’s investigate. Classical music has plenty of drama, but few stories are as delightfully spooky as the Curse of the Ninth. The legend goes like this: a composer who writes a ninth symphony is doomed, and they won’t survive to write a…
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The Silent Film Was Never Silent
How live music gave the movies their voice Picture a silent film. You’re probably seeing flickering black and white, actors emoting at a volume that could reach the back row of a stadium, and a lot of text cards. What you probably aren’t picturing is a room full of sound. That’s the funny thing about…
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Gaming Your Way to Greatness
Have you ever considered that playing video games might help you improve real world skills? You might be thinking “Yeah, right. GTA does not a driver make”, and you’d be right. Flight Simulator does not qualify you to be a pilot, Guitar Hero does not qualify you to be a musician, and Goat Simulator sure…
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Making Muzak
Music is often something in the forefront of our lives. That could be because you are a musician honing your craft, an avid watcher of music videos, a frequent concert attendee, or even just someone who got called out in their Spotify wrapped for how much music they streamed last year. With all the mainstream…
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Getting Funky with Fungi
The world around us can be experienced in an infinite number of ways. For example, some people like spicy food. They love it so much they feel inclined to add it to every meal. Others (like me), have learned to approach anything spicy with great caution. Music, like food, is greatly subject to taste. You’ve…
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Apprehension Engine
“The Apprehension Engine” is a music box of horrors. Robert Eggers’ historical horror films are recognized and admired for their eerie and macabre tone. A crucial component of this praise would be the chilling scores for these films by a hand-built instrument plucked from nightmares. Film composer, Mark Korven is responsible for the absurd and…
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Appalachian Music
African American Appalachian Music Upon watching the prequel, “The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes1,” I found myself fascinated with the fictional band from the movie known as the Covey2. They are rumored to be inspired by, but not limited to, the people of Appalachia. Who and what defines Appalachian music? Appalachian music…
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The Second Viennese School
Exploring the Frontiers of Musical Expression Let’s go back to the early 20th century in Vienna, Austria. A group of composers embarked on a musical revolution that challenged the very foundations of traditional music. Known as the Second Viennese School, this avant-garde movement, led by Arnold Schoenberg, Alban Berg, and Anton Webern, sought to break…
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Improvement is not linear
Why am I not getting any better? Along our musical career it’s easy to get discouraged when we aren’t seeing the progress we expect. Frist you’ll want to make sure you are practicing efficiently. In past blogs, we have gone over the practice of practice, but if you’re taking those steps and spending hours a…
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Notre Dame School
The whole world looked on today as the cathedral of Notre Dame burned in a violent fire that has destroyed the roof and its 150 year old spire. Notre-Dame de Paris; meaning (“Our Lady of Paris”), also known as Notre-Dame Cathedral or simply Notre-Dame, is a medieval catholic cathedral on the Île de la Cité in the fourth arrondissement of Paris, France. The…
Mix-Tapes
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Matt’s Music Monday #17
Mahavishnu Orchestra – You Know, You Know We’re kicking off August with the Mahavishnu Orchestra featuring John McLaughlin on guitar. Their style could be described as an experimental and acid jazz fusion type thing teetering on avant-garde at times. The piece I’ve shared is one of their more palatable ones. It features a catchy and…
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Matt’s Music Monday #16
Giuda – Overdrive It may be surprising to hear that this song is brand new and came out in April of this year! Formed in Italy just 12 years ago, the band Giuda is combining some of the most popular elements of punk, classic rock, and heavy rock in a very successful way. It’s catchy…
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Matt’s Music Monday #15
Boz Scaggs – JoJo My relationship with Mr. Scaggs has more to do with his name than with his music. The first time the words “Boz” and “Scaggs” touched my ears I knew I would remember this name forever. During any night out on the town or at any bar trivia, you’ll hear me yelling…
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Matt’s Music Monday #14
Summer Vibes Rick Wakeman – The Journey Overture Many people are familiar with Rick Wakeman’s work with the progressive rock band “Yes”. It wasn’t until last year that I was even made aware of the fantastic music Rick has been putting out. One common concept he uses is writing his own soundtracks for books. This…
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Matt’s Music Monday #13
Nick Johnston – A Cure Promised Like many of the artists I discover, I found Nick Johnston through the Spotify related artists radio. I was introduced to his work Remarkably Human and instantly fell in love. I think he achieves the perfect blend between technique and emotion. This is the opening track of his latest…
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Matt’s Music Monday #12
moe. – Silver Sun There’s only room for so many jam bands in my playlists and moe. has rightfully earned their spot as one of them. I’m a sucker for hypnotic bass lines, tight drums, and buttery sounding organs. The first half of this track is very laid back while the second half has a…