photo credit: timbrauhn
Made it to the end of the opening violin phrase.  Rushed it a bit to close the string of notes I was bent on using.  Going to rework it tomorrow.  Clarify it a bit.  Do I like any of it?  Won’t worry about it too soon – hard to swallow, unless…a few [...]

Continue reading " Sun "

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: Stepheye
It’s been a while since I’ve been motivated to write anything here regarding music.  Part of this sleep has been the transition and imbalance in my mind on what I want to do with music in general – which I believe I have indicated well enough with my most recent rants and regurgitations.  Another [...]

Continue reading " A Long Sleep "

photo credit: rossaroni
I think I’ve been avoiding writing again on this blog for a number of reasons:  the aversion of committing to anything concrete and final regarding the changes to my own musical life; my growing disgust in some ways for the classical and contemporary music world; and maybe the fact that I no longer for some reason [...]

Continue reading " Changes "

A week of fluid creativity.  I began heading into this piece by laying out the score in Sibelius and working on the opening.  I love the vagueness and unsettlement of it.  Its going to be a slow write though, as I investigate the exact proportions of the rhythm and harmonic movement…trying to keep away from [...]

Continue reading " Composing Status Update #85 "

photo credit: Adam Ziaja
Cold.  More spontaneous improvisation, but nothing on paper or in the sequencer.  Spent most of this week writing letters to old friends, and catching up on day gig activities after two weeks.  Listened to a bunch of Schuman lieder and late Brahms piano works.  The usual RV Williams orchestral stuff.
A book [...]

Continue reading " Composing Status Update #75 "

As we shift to a more flexible method for developing a through line – meaning a more improvisational reaction to musical construction and my place in it – writing about composition becomes somewhat mundane and useless.  A personal connection between mind and body as one is playing is just that – totally personal.  Sure we [...]

Continue reading " Composing Status Update #67 "