The Theory Behind It

Latest Episodes:

Three Articles, Part 1 (Bleij) Jun 26, 2020

Show notes

We decided to each read an article from the Music Theory Online journal and discuss it with each other. This week Livi tells us about Barbara Bleij's article 'Three Multifaceted Compositions by Wayne Shorter: “E.S.P.,” “Infant Eyes,” and “Virgo”'. We talk about jazz theory, finding tonic, and a little about set theory too. There's a link to the article here in the description

We're going to space these article episodes out, so next week we hope you will be excited for our first ever interview!

Three Multifaceted Compositions by Wayne Shorter

Let's Argue: Music Theory Edition, Part 2 Jun 19, 2020

Show notes

Alright, if you listened to last week's episode, you know that Seth's diabolical plan to use music theory to destroy a friendship likely didn't work, mostly because Adam and Livi generally agreed the whole time.

But that doesn't mean part 2 of the debate will be any less juicy. What is the most important element to analysis? Is minimalism anti-Schenker? Did we keep an accurate score of the points? Find out in part 2!

Let's Argue: Music Theory Edition, Part 1 Jun 12, 2020

Show notes

In this episode, Seth attempts to destroy Adam and Livi's friendship by forcing them to argue about music theory topics as he sees fit. Will their bond overcome debates on German augmented sixth chords, Schenkerian analysis, and minimalism? Or will Seth's twisted game tear them apart?

Find out in this week's episode of Oursatz!

Three Albums, Part 2 Jun 05, 2020

Show notes

In the thrilling conclusion to last week's discussion, Livi presents Dynamo's 2017 album Celina and Adam presents Kanye West's 2018 album Ye.

Is Ye a bad album? What does it mean for music to be authentic? Will we get to interview somebody from Dynamo?

Listen to find out!

(Once again, apologies for the poor audio, we're getting better all the time.)

Three Albums, Part 1 May 29, 2020

Show notes

This week we decided to each present an album to the other two, listen to it throughout the week, and then report back on what noticed, appreciated, and thought about it.

In part 1, we cover Seth's pick: Adele's 2008 album 19. But before that, since this is the first of the 2020 albums, we give a very distracted update on what has happened to us in the 2 years since last recording (we kept in touch, this is just for you guys).

Deep Dive: Change My Mind May 15, 2020

Show notes

In the inaugural appearance of the potentially recurring Deep Dive, we take a look at songs and albums that could change your opinion or view of a musician/band. We each pick a song that is either surprising or unique to a catalogue and discuss, and we do the same with chunks of albums we recommend listening to for the same experience.

Here is a Spotify playlist with each of our songs and chunks of albums put together for you to listen and keep up with us!

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3cHTQx1jbJ5FRMjvl1y9s0?si=qUvy5mPsRz-4Ywcd800Gpg

Why Music Theory? May 08, 2020

Show notes

In this episode, we discuss how and why we got into music theory. Plus, some Imagine Dragons!

Borrowing in Pop Music May 01, 2020

Show notes

A much anticipated episode from a time nearly since forgotten...

It's the return of Oursatz! This is an episode that previously went unpublished after being recorded at the beginning of 2018. We're going to clear out the backlog and start getting new episodes posted soon.

In this episode, Seth leads us down a path of recent pop songs (for 2018) that share similar characteristics, and we discuss if these similarities are borrowed or coincidental.

Classical Samples in Rap Music Mar 27, 2018

Show notes

After a "brief" hiatus, we're back with hard-hitting discussions about trap music, Busdriver, and hummus.

Oh, also we talk about rap songs that utilize classical music as samples and what it could mean.

Bonus Episode: More Album Talk Dec 08, 2017

Show notes

We started recording for next week's episode and realized we still had a bunch to say about albums! So we decided to chop it up and deliver it to you guys this week ahead of next week's episode. Hop over to the Facebook to talk with us about how you prefer to listen and experience music. See you next week!

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