Orchestration: How to Write for an Orchestra
“It is assumed that, if you can write for orchestra, you can write for anything.” An agent once told me that, and I took it to heart so much that I wrote two courses to help you get where you need to be with orchestration. Here is an excerpt.
How to Use FL Sampler in FL Studio
When it comes to producing contemporary music of any kind—hip-hop, EDM, or any of the many subgenres within the hip-hop or EDM world—it’s very important to know about sound design, i.e., how to create your own custom sounds. In this lesson excerpt, we’ll take a look at FL Sampler within FL Studio to learn how to manipulate a sample and create a unique sound.
What is Melody in a Song?
Learn the basics of writing melody with the help of Jack Perricone’s book Melody in Songwriting: Tools and Techniques for Writing Hit Songs.
Film Scoring Concepts You Need to Know
When scoring a film, there are five fundamental rules that you need to follow. Berklee Online course author Sean McMahon shares what he’s learned from personal experience, scoring and orchestrating Hollywood films.
Singing R&B and Pop: Vocal Improvisation Techniques
Berklee Online course author Gabrielle Goodman discusses the vocal improvisation techniques of famous pop and R&B singers, many of which she has sang with.
Cuban Music Fusion: Pianists to Put in Heavy Rotation
In this excerpt from Nando Michelin’s Latin Piano Styles course, we look at how Cuban musicians traveling to perform abroad in the early part of the twentieth century created a natural mix of styles and opened the doors to brand new flavors of musical fusion.
Prosody in Music and Songwriting
Prosody in songwriting is when all the elements work together to support the central message of the song, creating an appropriate relationship between the elements. Learn how to enhance your songwriting with prosody!
Drummer Cindy Blackman Santana on Carlos, Lenny, and Visitations from Jazz Greats
Cindy Blackman became Lenny Kravitz’s drummer after a lifetime of jazz drumming. In this wide-ranging interview she discusses being visited by the spirits of the jazz greats she befriended during her time in New York City, and how she and husband Carlos Santana stay in harmony, onstage and off.
Best Guitar Pedals—According to Berklee Online Faculty
If you could only use one pedal for the rest of your guitar-playing life, what would it be, and why? That is precisely what we asked a number of the course authors in the Berklee Guitar department. Their answers may surprise you!
Mixing Music: What is Sound Mixing?
Sound mixing is a combination of art and technology with the end goal of creating a new sonic reality. Learn the basics of mixing music, including its history, sound mixing techniques, and the various responsibilities of a mixing engineer.
