Ethan Hein

Ethan Hein

Ethan Hein has a PhD in music education from New York University. He teaches music education, technology, theory and songwriting at NYU, The New School, Montclair State University, and Western Illinois University. As a founding member of the NYU Music Experience Design Lab, Ethan has taken a leadership role in the development of online tools for music learning and expression, most notably the Groove Pizza. Together with Will Kuhn, he is the co-author of Electronic Music School: a Contemporary Approach to Teaching Musical Creativity, published in 2021 by Oxford University Press. Read his full CV here.

Articles by: Ethan Hein

michael jackson

"This track is an undeniable banger, but it’s also extremely weird": The borrowed hooks and unstable grooves behind Michael Jackson's Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'

By Ethan Hein published

We put one of MJ's best-loved tunes under the musical microscope and explore the unlikely origins of its iconic hook

beyonce album cover

“Part of a beautiful American tradition”: A music theory expert explains the country roots of Beyoncé’s Texas Hold ‘Em, and why it also owes a debt to the blues

By Ethan Hein published

The lead single from Cowboy Carter, Beyoncé’s forthcoming country album, goes under the musical microscope

Billie Eilish

What makes an Oscar-winning song? We break down the music theory behind Billie Eilish's What Was I Made For?

By Ethan Hein published

We put Eilish's haunting contribution to the star-studded Barbie soundtrack under the musical microscope

tracy chapman

"The verse melody is subtly strange, and it took me a while to figure out why": A music professor breaks down the theory and production behind Tracy Chapman's Fast Car

By Ethan Hein published

We put Chapman's moving 1988 single under the musical microscope after Luke Combs' Grammy-nominated cover thrusts it back into the charts

george harrison

Lament bass, varispeed and Eric Clapton: A music professor breaks down the key theory, playing and production ingredients of The Beatles' While My Guitar Gently Weeps

By Ethan Hein published

We put one of The Beatles' most beloved tunes under the musical microscope

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