Arthur Buckner and Nahre Sol are accomplished musicians and music teachers exploring the music theory, production, history and culture behind our favorite songs and musical styles.
James Brown, the Godfather of Soul, created the DNA for funk. Musicians LA Buckner and Nahre Sol explore how he created funk music, as well as how Brown's music influenced hip hop…
It only takes a few notes of Sarah MacLachlan’s “Angel” over images of homeless dogs and cats to trigger our tear ducts. Heartbreaking visuals aside, what makes the song itself so…
Hi-hats. That blazing fast sound is everywhere—pop, reggaeton, country—and hi-hats are essential in trap music. Where exactly did trap music come from and how did it become a part…
Since the beginning of time Phi—also known as the golden ratio—has inspired the world around us. Have you ever noticed how some pieces of music just seem to make sense? From the n…
Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin were some of the first bands to perform the metal scream, but the origin of screaming in music actually goes back a lot further to the Nordic Viking…
What is music? From John Cage to Legendary Stardust Cowboy, avant-garde artists have forever been pushing on the edges of what is considered music. Composers like Arnold Schoenber…
Have you heard the conspiracy theory that Nicki Minaj songs are just Jay-Z pitched up? Well that may not be true, but changing the pitch of their songs can create a hilarious effe…
Why do so many horror film scores today sound similar to The Exorcist from 1973? A lot of that is thanks to Krzysztof Penderecki, a Polish composer whose music was used by directo…
Kacey Musgraves won the Album of the Year award at the 2019 Grammys, becoming only the 4th country album to ever win that award. Two of the producers of the album, Ian Fitchuk and…
"Weird Al" Yankovic might be the first person to come to mind when you think of parody music, but did you know that composers like Bach, Mozart, and Satie have been parodying each…
Streaming services like Spotify are changing more than the way we listen to music - they are actually changing the way music is written.
The songs of Disney musicals do more work than you might think. Under all that fairy dust and sparkle, there are techniques songwriters use to make sure Disney musicals keep the s…
Adam Neely joined LA and Nahre in the studio for an improvised jam session. Adam comes from a jazz and rock background, while Nahre comes from a classical background, and LA comes…
You’re probably familiar with New York’s underground ballroom scene through Madonna’s Vogue or films like Paris is Burning. This subculture has been recognized for creating the in…
Three 6 Mafia are a Memphis based group that created the building blocks for the trap sound. Though trap music came from Atlanta, the sound originates from other earlier down sout…
Today goth is a subculture popularized by movies like the Addams Family or the fashion of Billie Eillish, but where did this scene originate? Many agree that the sound of goth roc…
The banjo was, at one time, the most popular instrument in America, with tens of thousands manufactured and sold between 1910 and 1930. Nahre talks to Béla Fleck and Abigail Washb…
We broke down every song in the Billboard top five from the last two years and found some interesting trends. LA and Nahre try to write the next Billboard chart-topper with the he…
For our episode on music criticism we spoke to Anthony Fantano of The Needle Drop about the purpose of music criticism in today's digital world. We also broke down how to get a 10…
Canadian DJ collective A Tribe Called Red combine Native American drum circle sounds with electronic music to create Electric Pow wow. Nahre Sol travels to Toronto to meet A Tribe…
We explore where the blues came from and how it went on to influence many modern genres of music. From Delta Blues pioneers like Robert Johnson and Son House to Chicago Blues icon…
LA and Nahre travel to Chicago, the birthplace of gospel music. There they meet gospel artist, Donald Lawrence and LA introduces Nahre to drum shed culture at a shed session on th…
Bach, Mozart, Clara Schumann and Chopin all improvised as part of their performances. Today, classical musicians rarely improvise. So what changed? Nahre Sol and LA Buckner improv…
Bachata music comes from the Dominican Republic in the 1960's but thanks to newer acts like Romeo Santos and Aventura, has blown up internationally. We visited the Mexican-America…
The electro-funk style known as the Minneapolis Sound took over pop music in the 1980s and 90s. LA is in Minneapolis to meet with Jellybean Johnson of the Minneapolis Sound pionee…
K-Pop has become a global phenomenon. While K-Pop may seem like traditional pop music, it's actually more complex. It borrows from a variety of genres like R&B, EDM, and Hip-Hop w…
Dubstep came from UK garage music in the 90's, influenced by the syncopation of 2-step and the bass and reverb of Jamaican dub. What started off in London as an underground scene,…
Busking, also called street performance, is the act of playing in public for donations. The tradition goes back to ancient history and has launched the careers of artists Robin Wi…
LA Buckner is the host of Sound Field but also a professional drummer, producer, and teacher. LA tells us about his musical journey from drumming at 3-years-old to performing for …
Nahre Sol is the host of Sound Field but is also known worldwide as a classically trained pianist and composer. As a soloist and chamber musician she has played across North Ameri…
Independent, or "Indie" music, has a broad definition that can be applied across genres and regions. So what makes indie music indie? LA Buckner interviews Quinn Christopherson, a…
LA Buckner spotlights the innovative style of Kansas City's own Charlie “Bird” Parker — a legendary jazz musician who has influenced many of today's genres and helped develop the …
The Battle for Black Music: Paid in Full
Popadoodledandy
Foo Fighters Sonic Highways
Minnesota Hardcore
Controversially: That Was the Year That Was
98 Nights With Gaga
NCT WISH
Yonge Street: Toronto Rock & Roll Stories
The Story of the Songs
Ed Sullivan's Rock 'N' Roll Classics
It's All Country
Soul Deep: The Story of Black Popular Music
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