Modality

I’d say that I probably enjoy about half of the songs on the radio today. The other half either make me feel less intelligent (e.g. Replay by Iyaz) or fall short of my desired melodic quota (e.g. Imma Be by Black Eyed Peas; I hate this song). I don’t think I can easily describe what’s in my tastes, but in general, most of the songs I like capitalize on the ever-popular I-V-vi-IV or i-VI-III-VII chord progressions somewhere in the chorus or refrain (e....

It’s a curious thing how an artist who has reached a certain level of creative maturity becomes somewhat of a prisoner to idiosyncrasy. Many composers, to take music as an example, have some kind of musical trademark. Some exhibit their signature flourishes subtly or almost imperceptibly, while others do us the convenience of posting a big, blinking, neon sign in the sky. At the moment, I’m starting to think that there’s a lot in the music of film composer James Horner that is big, blinking, and neon....