Best Musictheory Podcasts (2025)

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Ep. 16 : Key_Changes_&_Modulation_Part_2 23:53

13d ago23:53

23:53

Send us a text 🎶 Welcome to "Key Changes and Modulation Part 2" – a deep dive into one of music theory’s most expressive tools! In this episode, we explore advanced concepts behind key changes and modulation, building on the foundational principles from Part 1. Perfect for music theorists, music students, educators, everyday musicians, and professi…

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Ep. 15 : Key_Changes_and_Modulation 29:00

1M ago29:00

29:00

Send us a text In this episode of The Harmonious Blacksmith, we dive deep into key changes and modulation—two fundamental concepts that every musician, music theorist, and music student should understand. Whether you're a guitarist, pianist, or composer, mastering key changes can elevate your compositions and performances. We'll explore different t…

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086 - Phillip Golub and Joseph Branciforte 51:08

1M ago51:08

51:08

Come check out Phillip’s new composed album with us, “Loop 7,” featuring his characteristic style but infused with 22-tone equal temperament. Grammy-award-winner Joseph Branciforte joins us as well to share how the acoustic pianos were recorded and treated as “one instrument” in the process. Find “Loop 7” here: https://phillipgolub.bandcamp.com/alb…

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085 - Julian Woods 1:28:44

2M ago1:28:44

1:28:44

Microtonal jazz extraordinaire Julian Woods shares with us his methodology for re-tuning classic standards into JI and what it’s like playing in a live band. Topics include playing songs, composition directives, microtonal setups, and guitarists’ advantages for frets, fretlets, and fretless, Philipp Gerschlauer has collaborated with Julian on his o…

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084 - Subhraag Singh and Infinitone 2 1:30:33

2M ago1:30:33

1:30:33

Subhraag Singh, creator of the Infinitone, graciously agreed to discuss the updated software with me! The update uses many new features such as dynamic re-tuning, visuals, LFO control, key triggers, and more. We go on a magical quest to discover Stephen’s xenharmonic tomato, and dissect the ethics of advertising radical new microtonal morphing soft…

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083 - Richie Greene 1:30:20

2M ago1:30:20

1:30:20

Richie and I discuss phonorealism (pioneered by Peter Ablinger), 41-tone equal temperament, and his collection of instruments and live performances, such as “Six Monologues.” Sam Reflecting on the First Time He Heard Her Sing (2017) - phonorealism ludus vocalis (Burp) - Felipe Tovar-Hevao Dream Hangover - !mindparade Six Monologues (mvt. 3 - Traged…

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Ep. 14: Improvisation_Part_2 25:00

3M ago25:00

25:00

Send us a text Welcome to The Harmonious Blacksmith, your go-to podcast for mastering music theory and unlocking the secrets of musical improvisation. In this episode, Ep.14 Improvisation_Part_2, we dive deeper into the art of improvisation and how to apply essential music theory principles on the fly. Whether you’re a music student, a professional…

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Ep. 13: Improvisation_Part_1 27:51

3M ago27:51

27:51

Send us a text Episode 13: Improvisation_Part_1 – Unlock the Secrets of Music Theory & Improvisation Welcome to Episode 13 of our music theory podcast! In this episode, we dive deep into improvisation, a critical skill for musicians and composers alike. Whether you're a seasoned music theorist, a music student, or simply a music theory enthusiast, …

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Ep. 12: Arpeggios 28:40

3M ago28:40

28:40

Send us a text In this episode of The Harmonious Blacksmith, we dive deep into the world of arpeggios, a cornerstone concept in music theory that every music student, theorist, and music theory enthusiast should master. Whether you’re a beginner or an advanced musician, understanding the mechanics of arpeggios is crucial for improving your musical …

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Ep. 11: Season_1_Review/Season_2_Preview 24:31

4M ago24:31

24:31

Send us a text In this special episode of our Music Theory Podcast, we dive deep into a comprehensive Season 1 Review and provide an exciting Season 2 Preview. Whether you're a passionate music theorist, a dedicated music student, or a seasoned musician, this episode is packed with valuable insights and analysis that will help you elevate your unde…

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Ep. 10: Keys_and_The_Circle_Of_Fifths 30:56

5M ago30:56

30:56

Send us a text Podcast Episode: Keys and The Circle of Fifths In this episode of our music theory podcast, we dive deep into the fascinating world of musical keys and the Circle of Fifths, two fundamental concepts every musician, composer, and music student must understand. Whether you're a beginner or an advanced player, mastering the Circle of Fi…

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Ep. 9: Ear Training_Part_1: Intervals 29:07

5M ago29:07

29:07

Send us a text In Ear Training_Part_1: Intervals, we dive deep into the foundational concepts of ear training and intervals, tailored specifically for beginner music theorists and aspiring musicians. Whether you're a guitar player looking to improve your aural skills, a music student starting your journey in music theory, or simply seeking to sharp…

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Ep. 8: Chord Progressions(Part 2-With Review) 25:36

5M ago25:36

25:36

Send us a text Podcast Episode Title: Chord Progressions | Unlocking the Secrets of Harmony in Music Theory In this episode of [Podcast Name], we dive deep into the fascinating world of chord progressions and their pivotal role in music theory. Whether you’re a beginner or an advanced musician, understanding chord progressions is key to unlocking t…

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Ep. 7: All About Minor 30:59

6M ago30:59

30:59

Send us a text All About Minor Scales – A Complete Guide to Minor Scales in Music Theory Welcome to this deep dive into minor scales! In this episode, we explore everything you need to know about minor scales in music theory. Whether you're a musician, music educator, or guitar player, understanding the minor scale is essential for mastering music …

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Ep. 6: All About Scales(Part 2) 27:44

6M ago27:44

27:44

Send us a text All About Scales Part 2 | Music Theory Podcast In All About Scales Part 2, we continue our comprehensive exploration of scales in music theory. Whether you're a music theorist, music educator, musician, or music student, this episode dives deeper into the complexities of scale construction, modal theory, and how scales shape harmony,…

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Ep. 5: Triads and Chords(Part 2) 30:05

6M ago30:05

30:05

Send us a text Triads and Chords Part 2 | Music Theory Podcast Welcome to Triads and Chords Part 2 on the Music Theory Podcast! In this episode, we continue our deep dive into the world of triads and chords, building on the foundational concepts covered in Part 1. Whether you're a music theorist, music educator, musician, or music student, this epi…

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Ep. 4: Chords and Chord Progressions 30:09

6M ago30:09

30:09

Send us a text Chords and Chord Progressions Part 1 | Music Theory Podcast Welcome to the Music Theory Podcast! In this episode, we delve into the fascinating world of chords and chord progressions, essential concepts for any music theorist, musician, music educator, or music student. Understanding chords and how they move through progressions is k…

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082 - Microtonal Guitar Method (Tolgahan Çoğulu) 34:15

6M ago34:15

34:15

We have regular guest Tolgahan Çoğulu back to discuss upcoming projects such as collaboration with King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard (including their secret new microtonal guitar, sheet music transcription), classical/flamenco guitar ideas, the new fretlet guitar design, microtonal bends on electric guitar, and the Anatonlian rock scale. King Gizz…

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Ep. 3: Triads and Chords(Part 1) 31:08

7M ago31:08

31:08

Send us a text Triads and Chords Part 1 | Music Theory Podcast In this episode of the Music Theory Podcast, we explore the foundational concepts of triads and chords—key elements in Western music theory. Whether you're a music theorist, music educator, musician, or music student, understanding triads and chords is essential for mastering harmony, c…

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Ep. 2: All About Scales(Part 1) 31:08

7M ago31:08

31:08

Send us a text All About Scales Part 1 | Music Theory Podcast In this episode of our Music Theory Podcast, we dive deep into the fundamental building blocks of music: scales. Whether you're a music theorist, music educator, musician, or music student, understanding scales is crucial for mastering music theory. All About Scales Part 1 covers the cor…

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Ep. 1: The Beginnings of Music Theory 15:36

7M ago15:36

15:36

Send us a text The Beginnings of Music Theory | Music Theory Podcast In this episode of THE HARMONIOUS BLACKSMITH, we explore The Beginnings of Music Theory, taking a historical journey through the roots of musical thought and structure. Whether you're a music theorist, music educator, musician, or music student, understanding the origins of music …

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081 - Dave Fiuczynski 2:07:16

7M ago2:07:16

2:07:16

Check out our episode with iconoclastic guitar legend Dave Fiuczynski. He wields a double neck fretless guitar, and plays a bunch of cool microtonal riffage for us! We talked about two tracks from “Flam! Bam! Pan-Asian Microjam!” and two from “Mikrojazz.” In “Flam,” there are a variety of compositional methods used, and the vocabulary is almost ent…

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THBS_Preview_Episode_0 1:44

7M ago1:44

1:44

Send us a text This is a preview of my upcoming Music Theory Podcast titled: 'The Harmonious Blacksmith'. Launches on Friday, October 25th, 2024. Subscribe now! Episodes will be released Weekly on Fridays. Support the show Linear Music Theory Learning For Everyone!By Kevin Patrick Fleming

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080 - Music Discord May 2:27:04

11M ago2:27:04

2:27:04

This huge episode features three vastly different conversations, each with prominent members of a respective microtonal music discord. (1) Xenharmonic Alliance (ground, anomaly, xenoindex, Frédéric Gagné, HEHEHE I AM A SUPAHSTAR SAGA) Hyperspace Odyssey [21edo] - from Adxenture EP Serendipitous Arrival [26edo] - from Adxenture EP Liminal City Escal…

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079 - Melopœia 52:07

1y ago52:07

52:07

Xenharmonic black metal project Melopœia consists of Brian Leong, Jon Lervold, and Dave Tremblay. Their albums are inspired by J.R.R. Tolkein, and features his direct text both sung, and by mapping the letters of the text to different notes of 26-tone equal temperament. Their latest album utilizing this is “Valaquenta,” be sure to catch the latest …

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078 - Christopher Otto (JACK quartet) 1:22:05

1y ago1:22:05

1:22:05

Chat about contemporary music, composition, and just intonation with us in this theoretically adventurous and wide ranging episode. Christopher Otto, composer and violinist, works with the JACK quartet, a group that has played the music of such individuals as John Zorn, Tristan Perich, Cenk Ergün, Tyshawn Sorey, Catherine Lamb, Georg Frederich Haas…

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077 - Noah Jordan 1:13:37

1y ago1:13:37

1:13:37

Take a magical tour with us through some of Noah Dean Jordan’s microtonal instruments (including the requinto), including improvised performances! Be sure to check out the “Noah Dean Jordan” account on Bandcamp as well as the “Nueva Armonica” account! Intro: I Was Once a River (Rock Creek II) Outro: I Was Once a River (Te Quiero Verde) Check out No…

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076 - Matthew Sheeran 2:34:58

1+ y ago2:34:58

2:34:58

Today’s episode celebrates the culmination of a years-long project with Matthew Sheeran, widely celebrated composer, orchestrator, and arranger. The album we’ve been working on is called “Acoustic Microtonal,” and it is a recording of Easley Blackwood’s Twelve Microtonal Etudes using acoustic instruments, playing monophonic lines in isolation and t…

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075 - Saad Haddad 47:29

1+ y ago47:29

47:29

In this episode, we discuss composition and performance with composer Saad Haddad. One prominent topic - the challenges involved working with orchestras and large ensembles playing microtonal music, and logistics of the industry. We also discuss ideas of east vs. west, style infiltration, using minimal sets of pitches, and maqam. Music: Vortex Temp…

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074 - Sevish and benyamind (Big Sway) 1:44:05

1+ y ago1:44:05

1:44:05

After this episode, be sure to check out the new Sevish album, “Big Sway!” Myself, Sevish, and benyamind have a classic microtonal chat about all things fun and intervallic, covering topics such as intuitive tunings, voice manipulation (vocoding, autotuning, etc.), perfectionism, going gridless, expectations, and communication and accessibility wit…

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073 - Brock Benzel 36:26

2y ago36:26

36:26

In this brief but informative chat with Brock Benzel, we explore uncharted territory, with a firm commitment to being true to the self, taking on challenges, putting the music first, and breaking rules just the right way. Enjoy the comfort of alien intervals that Brock brings using the Lumatone keyboard instrument (our big topic). Music [Intro] Par…

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072 - Steve Mueske 45:16

2y ago45:16

45:16

An episode about synth and drums among other tidbits. Topics include names, aliases, Sevish himself, reverberance, randomness, evil, disguising tuning, non-octave tuning, flaws, beauty, the joy of doing creative work yourself, AI, picking your genres, the microtonal community, and art. Be sure to check out Steve’s work as “Pentachrist” on Bandcamp,…

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071 - Denny Genovese 2:13:16

2y ago2:13:16

2:13:16

In this episode, Denny Genovese recalls his history of creating and studying microtonal music, and his experience creating and performing in the impressive Exotic Music Ensemble. Join us as we become inspired through the brown note, Ivor Darreg’s secret math codes, the origins of Fractal Tune Smithy, the Moody Blues, FM synthesis, JI scales, and nu…

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070 - Danny Playamaqui 56:09

2y ago56:09

56:09

Check out Danny Playamaqui’s electronic music, a hugely expansive discography using a staggering variety of techniques. Danny conducts by-ear-tuning editing, strategic de-tuning, varispeed tricks, and poly-systemic techniques in addition to starting out with xenharmonic tunings as templates. Luckily, 4 bars a day keeps the doctor away (or is it an …

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069 - Bryan Deister 1:29:05

2y ago1:29:05

1:29:05

Come join us for a pleasant studio chat with Bryan Deister, composer, multi-instrumentalist, and jazz pianist extraordinaire. Recently he has been exploring microtonal covers on the Lumatone, with massive success on TikTok. He has also written many albums featuring microtonal music in various tuning systems, generally equal divisions, the most rece…

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068 - Chris Bandy 49:41

2y ago49:41

49:41

Chris Bandy, a cappella maestro and creative polymath, joins us to discuss the microtonality of his spectacular arrangements on YouTube. He works in Logic Pro using FlexPitch. Most of his microtonal strategies involve tuning standard adjustments and drifts, or moving microtonal distances. His most xenharmonic sounding arrangement is likely “Where i…

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067 - D&D's guide 1:07:05

2y ago1:07:05

1:07:05

Dave Keenan and Douglas Blumeyer have written an in-depth, specific guide about the mathematical principles of regular temperament theory that are groundbreaking in their consistency and explanatory power. We have them on to discuss how the exchanges evolved, de-mystify some theory concepts, and get spicy with terminology. Music [Intro] Dave Keenan…

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066 - Mat Muntz 55:35

2y ago55:35

55:35

Experimental bagpipe and bass legend Mat Muntz brings his Croatian folk music expertise to the table… a topic most would say he has matsered in depth. Check out his latest album “Phantom Island” on Bandcamp, which freely combines folk music and jazz idioms into a grand polysystemic masterpiece. A lot of our conversation revolves around the intrigui…

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065 - Aaron Myers-Brooks 35:05

2+ y ago35:05

35:05

Check out this conversation with Aaron Myers-Brooks, Pittsburgh prog guitarist/composer extraordinaire. His latest album, “Oblique,” is a microtonal odyssey exploring various quirky polyrhythms, applications of 17-tone equal temperament, electronic sounds, and distortion flavors. We get an inside exclusive look at the scores to “Energy Shapes”, fig…

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064 - The One Footed Bride 1:11:58

2+ y ago1:11:58

1:11:58

“One-Footed” is a piece written by Taylor Brook named after Harry Partch’s “The One-Footed Bride'' Just-Intonation diagram. We discuss the aforementioned piece with Taylor Brook and John Schneider, diving into the ins and outs of writing idiomatically for the Partch ensemble, using Partch as inspiration, notation, and extended techniques on these i…

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063 - acreil 39:01

2+ y ago39:01

39:01

Check out acreil’s music! Algorithmic albums appended with “a.” Keeper of obscure words in lists. Hardware enthusiast and certified synth geek. We have a delightful episode discussing how acreil works in Pure Data among other curiosities, such as how one navigates form to prevent boredom. Not only do we mess it up (or whatever), but we solve the pa…

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062 - Skueue 49:23

2+ y ago49:23

49:23

Algorithmic August kicks off with Skueue, builder of the unnamed machine in Pure Data. This is an abstract, idea-filled episode packed to the brim with insights about the process. Our points of focus include a discussion of how writing affects software, uncommon disagreement about common practice, VST’s in PD, programming cadences, rootful resoluti…

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061 - Nicholas Denton Protsack 49:05

3y ago49:05

49:05

Nicholas Denton Protsack’s music abounds with spectral delights of various kinds. Our talk today has a particular focus on notation, delving into the strategy behind its presentation. As we study tuning more and more, becoming less rigid with its implementation, it becomes helpful to focus on not just approximating some tunings with others, but als…

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060 - Aaron Breeze 1:04:41

3y ago1:04:41

1:04:41

How on earth does one create a 1200-tone tone row? Or even a 372-tone row in Sibelius? Find out in this wacky episode featuring Aaron Breeze, the swingin’ licc master himself! The broader topics in this thrilling, conversational episode include silliness and perceived complexity, the connection between playing and speaking, red dress methodology, r…

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059 - Stephen James Taylor 1:42:41

3y ago1:42:41

1:42:41

In this colorful, rich episode, we take a look into the importance of visual and narrative elements in accompanying microtonal music and its ideas. Stephen James Taylor does this not only through writing music in film, but also through his own visual content, such as in “Surfing the Sonic Sky,” an important documentary about Erv Wilson. Among the t…

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058 - Anna-Maria Hefele 39:14

3y ago39:14

39:14

Anna-Maria Hefele, overtone singing sensation, has kindly graced us with her presence! Witness conversation about the tuning and construction of the intricate and aesthetically majestic Lambdoma project (built by Josef Baier). We also discuss how overtone singing intertwines with various musical ideas (production, style, classical technique, analyt…

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057 - Ventifacts 1:08:44

3+ y ago1:08:44

1:08:44

A fascinating collaboration between Ben Spees, of The Mercury Tree, and Damon Waitkus, of Jack O’ the Clock. We take a look at the acoustic instruments used to create it (including non-Western ones), swap files, and talk about the challenges and inspirations behind the project. We also affirm quarter tones as part of the xenharmonic canon, nerd out…

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056 - Ben Hjertmann & Emmalee Hunnicutt 1:01:47

3+ y ago1:01:47

1:01:47

“Visitors,” a lovely acoustic journey inspired by the visits of animals, is an album that leads to great conversation. Performed by Ben Hjertmann and Emmalee Hunnicutt, this masterpiece uses many different instruments which we discuss here. Fresh topics include: the act of rounding fretless tab, what a mentally ill Sufjan Stevens would sound like, …

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055 - Hear Between the Lines 1:29:29

4y ago1:29:29

1:29:29

We chat with Rami Olsen and Freddi Sturm, the brains behind “Hear Between the Lines,” about all things microtonal arranging/content! Topics touched upon include contrived wet food analogies, channel ideas, the story of Rami’s cool guitars, fooling the ear by drifting, comparing different tuning systems’ whole tone scales, piano pedal shredding, and…

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054 - browsers and inharmonic sleep therapy (Sevish) 1:12:34

4y ago1:12:34

1:12:34

Sevish and I chat about software, instruments, and philosophical questions. We are both excited to continually witness more and more people become interested in microtonality! Web-based browsers such as Scale Workshop, Xenpaper, and Leimma have made it even easier for people to play microtones without downloading synthesizers - all you need is an I…

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