photo credit: Blu_walkingshadow
I get annoyed at reading some  of my more conservative musician friends posts recently.  Specifically how they tend to marginalize the commercial music these days – dismissing it as contrived and career-calculated – where each aspect is controlled by an imaginary hierarchy of marketing teams.  Where music has no meaning outside of a holy [...]

Continue reading " On My Mind "

photo credit: Darcy Mc Marcy
Deeply into Jimmy Web’s songwriting walkthrough book Tunesmith, which although goes off on verbal distractions of unclarity, also rings with practical experiences and is also a good review of some basic tonal techniques in musical composition, and a good basis for guiding me through my own jazz memories.  
Reading a [...]

Continue reading " Contrast Thoughts "

photo credit: MUAZ BAHAJJAJJ
One of the cool things about dealing with words and music is the workflow is so much less complicated and portable than the usual trappings of instrumental writing I have for myself.  Within that personal world, I would always be thinking about the end result – the orchestration, dynamics, voicings, different [...]

Continue reading " Simple "

photo credit: Orin Optiglot
Conscious effort to concentrate these last two nights on finding an entrance and philosophy for this new work for cello and whatever lead to simple piano work and what I think is a real balance between the narrative musical elements of a solo instrument and my non-narrative ComposerBastard needs of these [...]

Continue reading " Piano Lessons "

Like a recurring rash, the inner conversation comes and goes regarding the violin work…what it should be and the philosophy that asks such questions.  I’m not sure if I have any more control over my guests, and I’m learning its not uncommon for composers to struggle through these difficult periods, especially when integrating different parts [...]

Continue reading " Composing Status Update #63 "

As I write this report this morning, it comes into my mind after watching a few too many YouTube interviews and reading a few too many autobio’s and memoirs, that composers, by and large talk too much about themselves in a way that is not verifiable or accurate or honest.  Now, without going too in depth, I [...]

Continue reading " A Composer’s Silence "

Over the weekend, more structuring and restructuring, and more fiddling and experimentation.  A few new ideas occurred, including a variation of the main theme…and what a pitch center to place it on!  The resonance in this range is outstanding, and it works as a simple restatement (with a slight twist) I must brag.  I’m quite proud of it – [...]

Continue reading " The Elusive Pitch Center "

The evening delivery was concentrated but brief, as I indulged into actual pencil and music paper instead of graph notations and journalling.  The results were a very light sketch of the first minute of music – an introduction before the violin soloist entrance.  Twiddling and biting at the piano to check everything.  Being accustomed now to the [...]

Continue reading " The Strange Attraction "