Piano
Kacey Musgraves Turned SZA's 'Kill Bill' Into a Country Murder Ballad and Changed One Word in the Final Chorus
Beethoven Buried Quiet Agitation in 'Für Elise': It Never Actually Resolves
Katy Perry's 'One That Got Away' Resurges on TikTok, and Its Deceptive Cadence Still Hits Hard 15 Years Later
A-Ha Wrote 'Take on Me' Around Morten Harket's Freakish Vocal Range: A2 to E5 in a 3-Minute Pop Song
How the Tritone Makes Lloyd Webber's 'The Phantom of the Opera' Feel Genuinely Threatening, Not Just Dark
A Spanish Pop Song With a Tragic Story: Laura Pausini and Ana Torroja Give 'Hijo de la Luna' a Cross-Cultural Moment in Mexico
How Gary Jules Made 'Mad World' Feel More Exposed Than Tears for Fears' Original
The Endless Dread of the Oppenheimer Score and the Compositional Trick Behind It: Ludwig Göransson's Use of the Shepard Tone
Willie Nelson Wrote 'Crazy' With Jazz Chords No One Wanted. Patsy Cline Made It a Country Classic
'Take Five' Is Unlike Any Other Jazz Piece, and Al Jarreau Made It Feel Effortless on International Jazz Day
Ryuichi Sakamoto Made 'Bibo No Aozora' Feel Devastating With Almost No Movement: A Voice Leading Masterclass
Alex Warren Dropped the Rawness of 'Ordinary.' 'Fever Dream' Is the '80s Disco Revival You Didn't Know You Needed
How Berlinist Captured Pure Grief in 2.5 Minutes: 'Gris, Pt. 1' and the Musical Emptiness That Breaks You
Amplified Yamaha Piano Instead of Guitar: How Keane Built a Chart-Topping Hit with 'Somewhere Only We Know'
Prince Wrote 'Purple Rain' With Four Chords. Two Tweaks Made It Sound Endless
'All the Things You Are' Moves Through Five Keys. It Became a Bebop Blueprint
'Let It Be' Came From a Dream About McCartney's Late Mother. He Almost Named It After the Beatles' Road Manager
Luther Vandross Is Heading to the Rock Hall: The Jazz Harmony That Made 'Never Too Much' Feel Different
Chappell Roan's 'Pink Pony Club' Resonates With New Generations Due to Its Masterful Songwriting
Toby Fox's 'Megalovania' Still Won't Leave Anyone's Head: Its Simplicity Makes It Relevant Years Later
Almost a Decade Later, Dominic Fike's 'Babydoll' Is a 2026 Hit: Its Writing and Big Sound Made It Work
The Amazing Digital Circus Made Caine's Villain Song Sound Joyful: That's What Makes It Disturbing
