SmarterMusic is dedicated to the exploration of music in all its forms and the promotion of musical understanding for all. Active contributors include:
Pianist, instrumentalist, vocalist, arranger, and molecular biologist based in New York City. Former Music Director of the Achordants. For arranging services, see Broze Brothers Music; for performing and lessons, see Yuri Broze.com.
Accomplished guitarist, vocalist, songwriter, and photographer.
Composer, arranger, double bassist, writer, and didgeridoo builder. Music Director of Brandeis University's Rather Be Giraffes. For arrangement and other sundry music services, check out MusicaRanger.
We like InterCaps.
Don’t miss Phoenix — and get their album, Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix. Those French know what’s up!
Here’s a mashup:
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One of the biggest issues of this ossified study of hundred-some year old music is that our university students are being taught that Beethoven, for instance, is forever… or at least his music is. We play them wonderful excerpts recorded on Steinway 9-footers of his Sonatae, and it never occurs to the young initiates that [...]
It’s just been stuck in my head lately. Nota, the winners of NBC’s The Sing Off, did an amazing fusion that’s been lodged in my brain of Jay Sean’s “Down”. Watch this:
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Really cool news here- SmarterMusic was recently named on a list of the 100 Best Blogs and Websites for Innovative Academics by accreditedonlineuniversities.com. Cool! I’m sure there are some good ones in that list as well, and we’re happy to be included.
Stayed tuned in the coming months for a lot of activity on this site. [...]
In this article, we’ll be going through the motions of arranging a song. Instead of looking at a completed arrangement, we’ll walk through every step of the process to show how an a cappella arrangement evolves and is finally completed. Today, the tune is Happy Birthday, that old standby of yore.
Read more…
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Although the “Mother of all Funk Chords” video hits way closer to home in content, I’m going to feature this one because I CAN’T STOP LOVING the groove.
This [...]
To counterpoint the post below about über alto parts, here’s something that shows some excellent soprano work. This is a segment of a Cranberry cover of Wonderwall done by UGA Noteworthy.
[Audio clip: view full post to listen]
This is a definitely a CD recording: you’ll be hard pressed to find a hall with such wonderful [...]
Something to spur imagination while I’m working on a new part of the arranging guide: Non-traditional notation. While sheet music is super-handy, and provides a common language to communicate music, sometimes people just don’t speak Wookie, and you have to think outside the box.
~How would you write out parts for someone who doesn’t read music?
~How [...]
Oh, you’re such a beautiful doll! This 1911 hit was a wartime favorite that shows how Barbershop harmony, ragtime, and popular music overlapped.
[Audio clip: view full post to listen]
This is sung by Bill Murray and The American Quartet in 1912. Fantastic stuff here, very vintage. It’s hard to imagine this being the height of popular [...]
“Guh, chicka chicka tss”
“Doof, tepuh kss”
“Pfft dubba dubba, kcha”
It’s a fallacy that drums noises are reserved to just drums, just as vocal percussion is limited to the vocal percussionist. If you can speak, you can do VP, and if you’re writing arrangements for people who can speak…well, everyone can be a drum sometime or other! [...]
