March 6, 2024
The Phrygian Mode is Quietly Changing the Sound of Loudness
The Phrygian mode is not as uncommon as you might think. When we dig into how it actually shows up in pop and hip hop, there are some patterns, and some surprises.
Blog
Music ideas for curious listeners, learners, and makers
Articles, videos, and guides from Synthase on how music works, how people learn, and how creative musicians can build stronger skills.
Listening & Learning
Listening & Learning
September 2, 2023
Yueqin Chen: I Work with What I Enjoy
Meet Yueqin Chen, the ruan player performing in our opening Synapse concert.
January 21, 2023
How to Buy a MIDI Keyboard
What do you look for in an instrument that does not make sound?
May 7, 2021
4 AAPI Experimental Music Artists You Should Know
Often reckoning with reductive assumptions made about them, these artists choose individuality.
YouTube Series: Isn't Music Theory
YouTube Series: Isn't Music Theory
August 23, 2021
Silk Sonic's Leave the Door Open: Ultimate Chord Breakdown
Here is what makes the Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak song tick.
March 26, 2021
Watch Me Learn a Song By Ear
Nate demonstrates his method on Tate McRae's Slower.
March 13, 2021
Churn Out Delicious Harmonies By Moving Chords Through Scales
How do Alicia Keys, Bill Withers, Cory Henry, Red Garland, and Renaissance composer Guillaume Du Fay compose steady streams of tasty harmony?
February 27, 2021
15 Minutes That Will Change How You Think About Scales
Cut scales down into tetrachords to make them more digestible and more powerful.
February 12, 2021
Why I Started a Music School
After years on both sides of traditional music education, I am ready to start serving students better.
January 29, 2021
Explore How a Song Changes Through Generations
Use interactive tools to explore a song's evolution in the second part in a two-part series on vocal learning.
January 13, 2021
What Does It Mean to Be a Vocal Learner?
The first in a two-part series on vocal learning.
December 18, 2020
Introducing “Isn't Music Theory”
Synthase founder Nate May has a brand-new series on YouTube.
Chords
Chords
October 31, 2021
The Diminished Seventh
At times, this chord is simply a filled-out version of a diminished triad, and frequently serves the same transitional function.
October 27, 2021
The Half-Diminished Seventh
This chord is most likely to turn up in a jazz context as part of a ii-V progression leading to a minor chord (e.g. iiø7-V7alt-i).
October 25, 2021
The Minor Seventh
This chord serves an under-appreciated role in pop and electronic music.
October 20, 2021
The Major Seventh
This chord often has a yearning or breathy quality and shows up in less harmonically-restricted styles of pop, as well as in limited jazz and classical contexts.
October 18, 2021
The Dominant Seventh
The most common four-note chord in most contexts, the dominant seventh chord shows up more frequently than either the diminished or the augmented triads.
October 13, 2021
The Suspended Chord
When played as a “sus2” chord or a “sus 4” chord, it can behave in one of two ways: it can serve its stated purpose by suspending resolution to a more stable chord, or it can connote the open sound of an acoustic guitar.
October 11, 2021
The Augmented Triad
The augmented triad has the interesting quality of inverting onto itself—that is, if you take the triad in root position, and put the bottom note on the top, you get another augmented triad in root position.
October 6, 2021
The Diminished Triad
When it is used it’s frequently employed as a transitional chord, often arising out of half-step motion.
October 4, 2021
The Minor Triad
Minor has a reputation for being “sad” in relation to major’s “happy” mood. But the minor triad also shows up frequently in music of lots of different shades and characters.
September 29, 2021
The Major Triad
Perhaps the most widely-used chord around the world, the major triad emerges directly from the overtone series.
September 27, 2021
The Power Chord
This chord is the emblem of punk for so many reasons: it’s tonally open-ended, easy to play on guitar, and, most importantly, it packs a punch.
Music Technology & Production
Music Technology & Production
July 28, 2026
What Is Melodyne Polyphonic Mode?
Melodyne’s Direct Note Access lets producers edit individual notes inside recorded chords and polyphonic textures.
How-To
How-To
October 20, 2022
Interval Names Explained Visually
Interval names can be confusing at first. The key to understanding is to think in letter names and put C in the middle.
August 23, 2021
How to Read the Keyring
The Keyring is a powerful way to visualize chords and scales. Here is how to read it.
Learning Music
