Welcome to Instrumentality
What Instrumentality is all about and what you can expect to find here.
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Analysed: Radiohead’s Exit Music For a Film
Exit Music is a classic track from Radiohead's 1997 album OK Computer. It's also a fabulous song. But why is it such a classic and why does it sound so much like Chopin's Prelude in E minor?
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In praise of the humble harmonica
The harmonica is one of the most plaintive instruments available and also one of the least expensive. Perhaps it's time to give it another airing.
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Walking with Pythagoras
Pythagoras is often thought of as the 'father of harmony.' He believed that mathematics could explain everything, including music. On the basis that playing with notes is just playing with audible numbers, I had a go at walking with Pythagoras.
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Music is not a sport
Do you find lightening fast guitar and piano playing just a turn off? Yes, so do I. Why? Because music is not a sport.
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Melodic phrases that give you goosebumps
Sometimes you're listening to a piece of music and something in the melody just stops you in your tracks. Here are some melodic phrases that did that to me. Still puzzling just what that should be.
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The Chorale is OK by me
Music written in chorale form differs in that the chords change with nearly every note of the melody. This creates a dramatic, anthemic feel that is still relevant today.
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Analysed: Cold Heart by Elton John and Dua Lipa
Cold Heart, the hit single from Elton John and Dua Lipa, takes classic songs and places them in a very different context. What's going on and how does it work?
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Analysed: I’m Sticking With You
Takes a look at Lou Reed's 1970 song with the Velvet Underground. Sounds so simple yet somehow it charms us. Why is that?
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Woodwinds do it for themselves
So what does it take to compose a piece of music for a woodwind ensemble? I took a song with the feel of a traditional show tune and arranged it for flute, oboe, clarinet and bassoon. It cwas a lot of fun.
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Getting down to brass tracks
What does it take to write a piece for a brass ensemble? And what sort of music works best? We take the first steps to finding out.
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