Music Technology
This vocal processing effect which became ubiquitous in pop and rap songs of the 2010’s first gained notoriety following its use in Cher’s 1998 single “Believe”.
Autotune
One of the most tragic losses in 2026 was the death of this beloved country music singer and actress, who passed away at the age of 80 on August 25th.
Dolly Parton
This 1940s jazz genre, referenced in the name of a 1998 anime series, is characterized by fast tempos, complex chord progressions, and virtuosic improvisation.
Bebop
This drummer joined the Beatles in 1962, replacing Pete Best.
Ringo Starr
This legendary film composer has written some of the most well-known music in cinema history, including the scores for Jaws, Jurassic Park, and the original Star Wars trilogy.
John Williams
This instrument, originally developed in 1919, was one of the earliest devices used to generate sounds electronically. It allows the performer to play a melody by moving their hands through the air.
Theremin
This rapper was the biggest winner at the 2026 Grammys, receiving five awards.
This 1959 album by Miles Davis, a pioneering work in modal jazz, is Davis's best-selling album and is often cited as one of the best jazz albums of all time.
Kind of Blue
This artist completed his EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony) in 2024 with an Emmy award win. He won his first Oscar in 1995 for the song “Can you Feel the Love Tonight”, from the movie The Lion King.
Elton John
This 20th century avant-garde composer is known for works including "4'33''", a piece consisting of four minutes and thirty-three seconds of silence.
John Cage
Music production was transformed in the 1990s and 2000s by the increased use of computer software such as DAW applications, short for this.
Digital Audio Workstation
This pop singer was the Friday night headliner at Coachella 2026; she also headlined several other festivals this year, performed at the Met Gala, and guest starred in The Muppet Show on Disney+.
Sabrina Carpenter
This pianist and composer born in Washington DC in 1899 is considered one of the most important and influential artists in jazz history. His compositions include standards such as "Mood Indigo" and "Solitude".
Duke Ellington
This singer, frontman of the indie rock band Geese, released his debut solo album in 2024.
Cameron Winter
Mozart was in the middle of writing this conceptually appropriate piece when he passed away in 1791. It was completed after his death by multiple contributors.
Requiem (in D Minor)
This technique, also called "ducking", refers to the use of a compressor effect to make one sound automatically become quieter when another sound gets louder.
Side-chain compression (or side-chaining)
Charli XCX's 2026 album Music, Fashion, Film features a cover photograph including three celebrities: musician John Cale, fashion designer Marc Jacobs, and this acclaimed filmmaker.
Martin Scorsese
This piece by John Coltrane, the title track on his 1960 album, has become a notoriously challenging jazz standard - its chord progression is considered one of the most difficult to improvise over.
Giant Steps
In the late 1970’s, this musician moved to Berlin, where he collaborated with producer Brian Eno on a trilogy of critically acclaimed albums beginning with 1977's Low.
David Bowie
This composer, active in the late 1800s and early 1900s, is known primarily for series of solo piano pieces including the "Gymnopedies" and "Gnossiennes".
Erik Satie
Modern vinyl records are typically played at 33 or 45 RPM (rotations per minute). However, the earliest records, produced in the first half of the 20th century, were made of shellac, and typically played at this speed in RPM.
78
In May 2026, this Scottish electronic music duo known for nostalgic downtempo beats and occult references released their long-awaited fifth album Inferno.
Boards of Canada
This jazz singer and trumpeter toured various countries in the 1960's under the sponsorship of the US State Department, earning him the nickname "Ambassador Satch".
Louis Armstrong
This bassist and singer left the band Pixies in 2012, after decades of tension between her and lead singer Frank Black.
Kim Deal
This French composer is known as the originator of the midcentury "musique concrete" movement - he was one of the first artists to make music based on the electronic manipulation of recorded sounds.
Pierre Shaeffer