A musical idea is not just something you visualize in your brain or even something you hear in your mind’s ear. It is both those things and more. It is most of all something you feel in your GUT. It is as instinctive and as personal and as urgent as the words you speak. Sometimes […]
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Composing Report: March 2016
I knew that March was going to be crunch time. The past few days I’ve been composing between 5 and 8 hours a day.
Continue readingComposing Report: February 2016
This January I had set a goal to compose 8 bars per work day. In February I missed that mark — but I got closer.
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Pre-composition is not the real work
Relating to my January composing report, I rediscovered this gem from the LA Phil while looking up notes on Joan Tower’s Violin Concerto:
Continue readingComposing Report: January 2016
As part of my PhD studies, I’ve wanted to develop professional work habits. I needed a composing system that would eliminate my excuses for not working and would cushion me against life’s curveballs.
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