Journal

When the weather warms up and the arvo sun is still shining past six, there's a particular kind of magic that happens when a backyard transforms into a tiny…

Jazz standards have been called the common language of an entire genre, a collection of tunes so beloved that musicians return to them night after night in…

World music percussion brings rhythm, movement and cultural history into the centre of a listening experience. A djembe can sound earthy and direct, while a…

A great bass line can turn a familiar pop song into an instantly recognisable experience. It may sit beneath the vocal with quiet confidence, push the chorus…

An acoustic guitar can make a song feel close enough to touch. Its wooden body, vibrating strings, and small changes in picking create a direct connection…

Rock ballads have a particular staying power. They can begin with a quiet piano line, a clean guitar figure or a restrained vocal, then gradually expand into a…

Reggae’s influence on punk and ska music can be heard in the spaces between the notes: the clipped guitar, the heavy bass, the offbeat rhythm and the direct,…

The right classical music can make a study space feel calmer, more ordered and easier to concentrate in. Piano sonatas are especially useful because many rely…

For thousands of years, the drum has served as the heartbeat of African communities, carrying messages across vast distances, marking the seasons, and binding…

By the early 1970s, the polished Nashville Sound that had dominated country music for two decades began to feel restrictive to a generation of artists raised…