Music is a magic that can change the world
Set up your Obsidian vault for academic success with this beginner's guide to Obsidian. In this post and video, I walk you through setting up your very first vault, themes, learning basic markdown, as well as introducing you to plugins, bases, and templates. If Obsidian overwhelms you, but you know it'll help you in your academic work, then this post and video is for you!
People categorize objects differently, depending on context, by comparing the features of the objects present. While structural alignment theory is useful in the exploration of categorization, it does not identify which essential features are required for musical category membership, like genres (Gentner and Markman 1994; 1997; 2005; Markman and Gentner 1993). Tversky (1977) addresses this by…
Watch the video version here! This post comes from a talk I gave at AMS-SMT in November 2025. Slides are [ ]
How to connect Zotero and Obsidian: a full walkthrough of my workflow, including a free template you can copy and paste.
A guide on how to start learning music theory for those who have no idea where to start! Includes free resources (courses and exercises)
Music’s meaning is not universal. Margulis et al. 2022 show how people from the US and from Dimen, China react differently to the same music.
Let’s play a music game. Below are 2 pairs of tones, and I want you to write in the comments [ ]
Is music theory a science? Many arguments across the internet are, at their roots, arguments about whether music theory is an objective science, or if it is just people’s interpretations of music.
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!
Passive income for musicians has emerged over the last decade as a transformative way for artists to find financial stability [ ]
"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
In this post, I review Dr. Josh Wright s full ProPractice Piano Course that currently includes 4 levels divided into 2 [ ]
What is going on in the harmony for the Legend of Zelda main theme otherwise known as “Overworld” by Koji [ ]
♭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: if you feel like your chord progressions are boring or aren’t expressing exactly what you want [ ]
Neapolitan chords are a popular way to add some chromatic harmony flavor to your (most-often) minor chord progressions. They convey [ ]
Common-tone modulation is the name of a specific way of changing keys in music, and if you want to change [ ]
How secondary dominant chords are used in "Don't Know Why" by Jesse Harris to add color and forward momentum
Chord progressions describe the way the order of harmonies can influence the overall sound of a piece of music, and [ ]
The Chopin Waltz in A-flat Major, Op. 69 No. 1, is one of his most remembered works. The piece contains [ ]
Here’s how to make your chord progressions more interesting. One of the most freeing things you can learn as a [ ]
How to learn a song by ear: do you find it overwhelming or just don t know how to start? The [ ]
If you ve ever wanted to play Chopin on the piano or need some advice for his more difficult works, this [ ]
Beethoven s Opus 119 is a collection of shorter works for piano. The Bagatelle is the first of these and displays [ ]
Curiosity can teach you a lot about a field. Our ancestors learned a lot about the stars by watching them, [ ]
The best piano, keyboard, and accessories are different for each person, since everyone has different goals. In this article, you ll [ ]
“We Wish You a Merry Christmas” is a traditional English Christmas carol whose origins are unknown. Regardless of where it [ ]
Last time, I focused on why being specific and relevant in your piano journey is helpful and how to implement [ ]
Deck the Hall is a classic Welsh Christmas carol from the 16th century. From its long-lasting popularity, we can learn [ ]
This is part 3 in the series on charting your quest, strategizing your piano journey so that you don’t get [ ]
This post is part 2 in the Chart Your Quest series, for people wanting to start learning piano (or any [ ]
Taking up piano is very much like embarking on an epic quest. You have a general idea of where you need to go, but there's a lot of terrain between here and there that you don't know about yet. If you're not careful, you could end up trapped in a dark forest of no return! But don't worry, these posts will be your guide to finding the perfect guide for you. It will help you create the path for your…
I am a pianist with small hands. That presents a challenge when many composers (cough, cough Rachmaninoff) write lovely pieces [ ]
How to memorize music is a question most classical musicians ask, and it s not surprising given the incredible feats of [ ]
One of the best ways to learn anything is by creating. Think about the last paper you wrote? You were [ ]
This post outlines some of the psychological and neurological research on mindfulness in the lives of musicians and describes ways [ ]
In his 2019 literature review on the study of joy in positive psychology, Matthew Kuan Johnson explains there are four [ ]
Since the 18th century, Mozart’s music has inspired deep analysis and discussion for both performers and music analysts. I won’t [ ]
Last week we looked at the theme and first six variations of the famous Twinkle Twinkle Variations by Mozart. This [ ]
This post (in two parts) outlines the piano techniques required for success in each variation of Mozart's "Twinkle Twinkle Variations" and provides resources for success in each technique.
Finding new piano sheet music is one of the most exciting parts of being a pianist. I love visiting old [ ]
One of the toughest parts of creating anything is figuring out how to start. The biggest issue for me is that [ ]
This is a less formal post. I ve been struggling to find ways to help people as much as possible with [ ]
Light the Dark: Writers on Creativity, Inspiration, and the Artistic Process is a collection of super-short, inspiring essays from acclaimed [ ]
I ve been procrastinating this review for most of the year because this book, Presence, influenced me so deeply that I [ ]
170 years after his death, Chopin still captivates audiences with his music. His set of preludes that cover all 24 [ ]
What I love the most about teaching new adult pianists is that they have a reason why they're learning the piano. They're not doing it because their parents are making them. The desire is completely internal, and more than that, it's based in deep feelings that are strong enough to internally motivate them through the tough parts of taking up something new.
This book has been on my reading list for a while (and I think it got there from its mention [ ]
Debussy s music, creates magic wherever it goes. This post analyzes his Arabesque No. 1 to uncover what makes it so [ ]
As musicians, we spend a lot of time by ourselves in the practice room trying to acquire skills on our [ ]