Thoughts

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4 Pieces of Music That Have Been Of Great Influence

May 28, 2010 in Art, Music, Thoughts, Various

You may not always hear their influence in my work, but here are 4 pieces of music that have left an impression on me.

1. Miles Davis–”So What”

The first time I heard this track was in my college dorm room during my freshman year. The composition itself is sparse and Miles’s horn is haunting. It was my first exposure to music that changed my perception of what music could be.

2. Igor Stravinsky–”Right Of Spring”
Stravinsky wrote “Right Of Spring” in the early part of the century when the world was in turmoil (World War I). The piece reflects that and it shattered everything around it. It’s an incredibly complex work but it’s also primal. I think it’s one of the greatest compositions in the classical world.

3. Hans Zimmer–”Journey To The Line”
This piece was composed for the film “The Thin Red Line”. I can’t imagine the movie without it. I can’t imagine my life without hearing this piece. It’s sad, it’s heroic and it’s perfect all at the same time.

4. Brian Eno/Jon Hasell–”Delta Rain Dream”
This collaboration by Eno and Hassell led to a very unique blend of third world and modern elements. The whole album had an influence on me but I this is my favorite piece on the album. There’s something sublime about this track.

Creativity

March 27, 2010 in Art, Culture and Society, Explorations, Thoughts

With creativity, one must accept a certain amount of peril.

Big Dog

January 31, 2010 in Culture and Society, Thoughts, Various

I came across this video in the last few months:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W1czBcnX1W

There’s something about the way Big Dog moves that feels truly alive. In a way, it’s creepy.

After A Short Break

November 9, 2009 in Art, Explorations, Music, Thoughts

The last month or so I’ve found myself not spending much time working on my own compositions. Sometimes it’s good to take a break and do other things like reading books I’ve been putting off, along with trying to get some things done around the house. Walking away lets me re-energize. Last night I sat down and began working on a couple of in-progress compositions. I’m well on my way finishing up another album of material. Still, I’m trying to take my time and enjoy the process of creating. There’s no need to rush it.

Guitar

October 6, 2009 in Explorations, Music, Oddworld, Soundtrack, Thoughts | No comments

I’ve been using more guitar lately on my current in-progress recordings. Though I play and record guitar tracks on my music, I don’t consider myself a guitar player. I didn’t even pick one up until I began working on projects at Oddworld.

It’s an incredibly versatile instrument and, when used in conjunction with effects, the palette of sounds is almost endless.

Quiet Music In a Loud World

May 29, 2009 in Culture and Society, Explorations, Music, Thoughts | No comments

I’ve recently felt myself drawn to creating music for my own artist releases that has a quieter tone. By “recently”, I mean for the last year or so. My upcoming release, Subway Meditations, is an indication of this.

It partially has to do with the soundtrack work I’ve been doing for video games. Usually game soundtracks require music that is highly dramatic and energetic. I love to write that type of material and get a lot of enjoyment from it, but I also want to explore areas of music that I have an interest in creating that I don’t always get a chance to do in soundtrack work.

That’s not the whole picture, really. A big part is my response to the world we live in, a world increasingly complex and intricate. Sometimes we have an overwhelming amount of information thrown at us. Reading the daily news can instill a sense of the need to be in an eternal state of high alert. It can be paralyzing if we try to digest too much of it.

Creating something quieter and simpler allows me to return a sense of balance. It also allows me to have something positive to share with others.

Ideas and Execution

May 10, 2009 in Explorations, Music, Thoughts | No comments

Coming up with good or interesting ideas is never a problem. One issue is not having enough time to develop all of them, but that’s me wishing for the impossible.

What must be done is to slim down the list of ideas to a key few and then to nurture them.

As I’ve said, good ideas are easy to come by. The difficult part is executing on those ideas. It’s much easier to fall apart and fail in the execution, because that is the part of the process that requires discipline, awareness and balance.

Cost of Music

May 7, 2009 in Music, Thoughts | No comments

Music fans used to pay 99 cents for a single track at the iTunes store, but recently iTunes moved into a variable pricing scheme on their tracks, which has some good points but also a negative side. The scheme has three tiers: 69 cents, 99 cents and $1.29. The low end of that spectrum will probably be older or less-in-demand tracks, which is good. The high end ($1.29) will represent releases by popular artists and I think that’s a shame.

Obviously this is a moved forced upon Apple by the major record labels and, to me, it shows once again that the majors are out of touch with reality.

I think that pricing per track should actually be reduced with the top price tier being no higher than 69 cents and the low end tier as low as 29 cents. A lower price point could draw more buyers and therefore sell more copies.

Honestly, digital distribution is so much cheaper than physical distribution (CDs and vinyl). Record labels and artists don’t need to front for the big costs and risks that physical distribution has traditionally yielded. There are still costs involved with digital distribution but it’s not nearly the burden that CDs or vinyl bring to the table.

Doesn’t it make sense to pass on some of the benefit of lower cost to music fans? It does to me.

Constraints

April 22, 2009 in Art, Explorations, Music, Thoughts | No comments

One of my favorite quotes is by 20th century composer Stravinsky:

“The more constraints one imposes, the more one frees one’s self.”

It seems contradictory but I’ve found it to be true. Having a myriad of options in the creative process can decrease focus.

No Shortcuts

April 7, 2009 in Art, Culture and Society, Music, Thoughts | No comments

There are no shortcuts to creating or doing something worthwhile. Struggle is an essential part of the process.

Really, it’s no different to become a master artist than it is to become a great athlete or scientist. It requires much discipline and devotion through many, many years.

Certain elements in our culture are constantly trying to sell us the “quick fix” approach. You know the message: “Become wealthy in 12 months” or “Take this 4-week course and become a wildly successful actor” or some other type of nonsense. It’s as if reaching alofty goal or pinnacle requests no suffering. That’s not how real life works. Things that matter require great effort and patience. I’ve really found no exception to this yet.

In struggling to become a master at something, it prohibits us from taking it for granted. At least once a day, I realize how blessed I am to be able to do work I love to do.

I also realize that the better I become as a musician, the more there is to learn. In the end, there is no final destination. The joy is in the travel of the path.

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