Steve Hackman @stevehackman.com · 19/07/2025Kendrick Lamar doesn’t just make albums, he builds WORLDS. In this first installment of ”Musical DNA,” we break down what I call his ‘Ingenuity of Scope’: the way albums function similarly to a large-scale symphony or opera, with movements, motifs, and narrative arcs. 010 1
Steve Hackman @stevehackman.com · 04/07/2025I’ve always wanted to arrange this song for string orchestra, and here’s a taste. I just recorded a full version of this one and can’t wait to share it with you all. 🎵 @radiohead “Everything in it’s Right Place” 040 4
Steve Hackman @stevehackman.com · 06/06/2025We'll be in Nashville next week recording these orchestral Taylor Swift arrangements, along with a ton of other music, and bringing them to streaming services ASAP! In the meantime, here’s one we'll be including. be the first to know when it’s ready! laylo.com/stevehackman 040 4
Steve Hackman @stevehackman.com · 23/05/2025When adapting @chappellroan “Femininomenon” for string orchestra, the original violin solo felt untouchable. It’s already such terrific writing, and it really sets the stage. Following the intro, I love the sound of all the strings, in unison, playing Chappell’s melody. 🎻 solo: Lucia Micarelli 120 2
Steve Hackman @stevehackman.com · 15/05/2025Excited to be back in Dallas this Saturday with @dallassymphony 🎻Where are my Cowboys fans? 🏈 @dccheerleaders @dallascowboys 🎵: @acdc “Thunderstruck” 000 0
Steve Hackman @stevehackman.com · 24/12/2024If you want to hear these examples, here’s a video I did deconstructing the sound of Christmas. 🎄Happy Holidays!!!🎄 www.tiktok.com/t/ZTYpwSdDj/tiktok.comThere’s a reason why all these songs feel like Christmas! It was so much fun to break this down. Let me know what you are hearing! 🎄 #christmasmusic #musictheory #christmastiktok TikTok video by Steve Hackman 010 1
Steve Hackman @stevehackman.com · 24/12/2024🎺BRASS🎺 They roll out the horns. Examples can be heard in Andy Williams’ “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year,” Donny Hathaway’s “This Christmas,” Perry Como, The Fontane Sisters’ “It’s Beginning to Look at Lot Like Christmas” and on Michael Bublé’s “Santa Claus is Coming to Town” 100 1
Steve Hackman @stevehackman.com · 24/12/2024…come from a bygone era of songwriting where that chromatic alteration device mentioned above was more common in songwriting. Sinatra, Crosby, Cole were bringing in orchestras for albums so it’s no surprise their Xmas songs have lush string sections. 100 1
Steve Hackman @stevehackman.com · 24/12/2024🎻STRING SECTION🎻 As a conductor/arranger this is very close to my heart. With a lot of these classic songs, producers will pulling out all the stops. They brought in the strings, the brass, the choir, they wanted an extravagant production. Also, a lot of the most favorite, cherished Xmas songs… 100 1
Steve Hackman @stevehackman.com · 24/12/2024🔔BELLS🔔 Tonal or pitched bells as opposed to sleigh bells (which are like a member of the percussion family). I’m talking about a church bell or glockenspiel. 110 1
Steve Hackman @stevehackman.com · 24/12/2024🎼LOWERED 6th SCALE DEGREE🎼 this single alteration of the 6th scale degree gives songs a more melancholic feeling and can be heard in Bing Crosby’s White Christmas,” Nat King Cole’s “Christmas Song,” multiple times in Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas,” and countless others! 110 1
Steve Hackman @stevehackman.com · 24/12/2024🛷SLEIGH BELLS🛷 Jingle bells or sleigh bells appear within seconds of the songs beginning. Examples can be heard in Frank Sinatra’s “Jingle Bells,” Bobby Helms’ “Jingle Bell Rock,” Wham! “Last Christmas,” and Bruce Springsteen’s “Santa Claus is Coming to Town” 110 1
Steve Hackman @stevehackman.com · 24/12/2024Have you ever noticed how easy it is to recognize a Christmas 🎄 song within seconds of hearing it? I consider myself a real student of Christmas music, it’s some of the best that’s ever been written. Here’s the devices that composers and producers use to make a song sound like Christmas 🎶🎅… 110 1
Steve Hackman @stevehackman.com · 05/12/2024Drake should do less fighting and more collaborating. Proof via Tchaikovsky X Drake with New World Symphony in Miami. Full version: youtu.be/Ej_TH-W8mV0?... 000 0
Steve Hackman @stevehackman.com · 04/12/2024More here: www.tiktok.com/t/ZTYUouG8U/tiktok.comSo many breathtaking pieces of classical music were inspired by poetry: Debussy’s ‘Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun’ (inspired by Mallarmé) and ‘Clair de Lune’ (Verlaine), Mahler’s ‘Song of the Eart...TikTok video by Steve Hackman 000 0
Steve Hackman @stevehackman.com · 04/12/2024So many breathtaking pieces of classical music were inspired by poetry: Debussy’s ‘Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun’ (inspired by Mallarmé) and ‘Clair de Lune’ (Verlaine), Mahler’s ‘Song of the Earth’ (Bethge) among them. This piece of mine was inspired by the Baudelaire poem ‘Elevation’. 120 2
Steve Hackman @stevehackman.com · 30/11/2024Music can name the unnameable and communicate the unknowable - Leonard Bernstein 000 0
Steve Hackman @stevehackman.com · 27/11/2024watch the rest here: www.tiktok.com/t/ZTYkeQ4sp/tiktok.comI got a lot of requests to compare these two @Taylor Swift songs. Are “Cassandra” and “Mad Woman” related? This was so fun. Here are my observations… #musicreaction #swifttok #erastour TikTok video by Steve Hackman 000 0
Steve Hackman @stevehackman.com · 27/11/2024I got a lot of requests to compare these two #TaylorSwift songs. Are “Cassandra” and “Mad Woman” related? This was so fun. Here are my observations… #musiciansky #swifties #erastour #musicreaction 120 2
Reposted by Steve Hackmangrimmrad 🧬🎼🖼️🏛️ @grimmrad.bsky.social · 12/11/2024“I can't live one day without hearing music, playing it , studying it, or thinking about it.” Leonard Bernstein 4428 42
Steve Hackman @stevehackman.com · 27/11/2024MAHLER = BALLER #musicansky #musicsky #classicalmusic 020 2
Steve Hackman @stevehackman.com · 27/11/2024Cate Blanchett, gripping the baton and giving upbeats in TAR like she’s been doing it her whole life! Loved watching her conduct Mahler 5. Upload whole video please 😏 #musiciansky #moviereaction 011 1
Steve Hackman @stevehackman.com · 22/11/2024Hey @bsky.app 👋 I'm a composer, conductor, producer, songwriter and arranger who loves exploring the fusion of classical and pop music. Here's an excerpt from my production of Tchaikovsky x Drake. What are the best music accounts to follow on this app? 020 2