New music alert! There Wolf is an intense and exciting piece for a large orchestra with a lot of percussion and spooky textures. My tag line for this piece is: transforming into a wolf makes you really, really hungry. Happy Halloween!
Friday, October 29, 2010
Monday, October 18, 2010
Kids React to Viral Videos
Kids do say the most darndest, adorablest things. Check out the video that features music by yours truly! Featured on Tosh.0, Best Week Ever, Mashable, Today's Big Thing (10/18/2010), TIME, URLesque, Huffington Post and Tubefilter:
Friday, October 15, 2010
Empty Your Cup
Gotta write something... I'm having a bit of writers block at the moment on a piece I'm working on, and I think I've figured out at least part of what is holding me back.
I will illustrate this by mentioning having watched the film 2012. While the film isn't what I would consider a great film, I like explosions and impressive stunts as much as anyone who typically likes that stuff (the score was good!), but the point is there is a scene at a monastery in China where they reenact an old proverb, which I had forgotten. Forgive me for butchering this: the older monk pours tea in a cup and keeps pouring and the younger monk, says, but the cup is already full, and the tea overflows and runs all over the table. The older monk says (something like), "Your mind is full of opinions and pre-conceived notions. In order to achieve enlightenment, first you must empty your cup."
And I think that is part of my problem. I have all these ideas and opinions of what music is supposed to sound like when it comes out of my brain, and all that is really getting in the way of the music being able to flow out. I'm having a similar problem with proper breath support, when I play (I play the oboe if I hadn't mentioned that yet). I think I know how to do it properly, but again, the cup is so full that I get in my own way. I need to get out of my way, so I can get something done around here! Now all I have to do is figure out HOW to do it. But first I need to sleep.
I will illustrate this by mentioning having watched the film 2012. While the film isn't what I would consider a great film, I like explosions and impressive stunts as much as anyone who typically likes that stuff (the score was good!), but the point is there is a scene at a monastery in China where they reenact an old proverb, which I had forgotten. Forgive me for butchering this: the older monk pours tea in a cup and keeps pouring and the younger monk, says, but the cup is already full, and the tea overflows and runs all over the table. The older monk says (something like), "Your mind is full of opinions and pre-conceived notions. In order to achieve enlightenment, first you must empty your cup."
And I think that is part of my problem. I have all these ideas and opinions of what music is supposed to sound like when it comes out of my brain, and all that is really getting in the way of the music being able to flow out. I'm having a similar problem with proper breath support, when I play (I play the oboe if I hadn't mentioned that yet). I think I know how to do it properly, but again, the cup is so full that I get in my own way. I need to get out of my way, so I can get something done around here! Now all I have to do is figure out HOW to do it. But first I need to sleep.
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Lyrical Hell
Trying to compose something new: lyrics. How can it be the word, the rhyme, the trick, the double-cross can be so damned elusive? Where are you phrase, oh rhetoric? Oh thesaurus, a Gilead fresh out of balm. It's all for a series of songs.
I have this idea for redeveloping an old piece, actually a section from an old assignment from college. There is a pretty opening statement followed by a mysterious section that transforms into this beautiful moment, and returns to mysterious, and the rest of the piece is garbage. I just want to extract the mysterious section, but I am having a block about what would go around it.
I attended the SCL annual membership meeting and met a lot of very awesome composers. I get so intimidated at those functions, discovering how many years of education people have, study and mentoring. I'm glad I went, though I didn't talk to nearly as many people as I should have. I don't know why I tend to shut down in situations like that, but I do; one of my more annoying habits.
I have this idea for redeveloping an old piece, actually a section from an old assignment from college. There is a pretty opening statement followed by a mysterious section that transforms into this beautiful moment, and returns to mysterious, and the rest of the piece is garbage. I just want to extract the mysterious section, but I am having a block about what would go around it.
I attended the SCL annual membership meeting and met a lot of very awesome composers. I get so intimidated at those functions, discovering how many years of education people have, study and mentoring. I'm glad I went, though I didn't talk to nearly as many people as I should have. I don't know why I tend to shut down in situations like that, but I do; one of my more annoying habits.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)