Currently, I am working on about seven composition or arranging projects. This is not a point of pride, but a point of panic. Part of me knows that this will keep me busy for a time, but another part of me knows that I may never finish some of them. It seems that if I don't have a deadline to keep me motivated, I begin to languish over every small detail. There are a few projects that if I finish them I may make some money, so that is a good motivator, but the others are for my eventual application to a PhD program [yawn]. I have read books dealing with routines of other composers (Beethoven and the Creative Process, Aaron Copland: 1900 Through 1942, and others). This doesn't seem to help, as I cannot seem to stick to a regular schedule.
After a while I begin to doubt my prospects as a composer, but quickly remind myself to keep on plugging. It doesn't matter if you compose ten hours a day (although that would help), or if you write ten pages of orchestration a day (Phillip Glass). It matters that you love what you do, when you do it. I am luck in the fact that when I do have a deadline, I tend to really enjoy composition.
For those that care, I am working on the following projects:
1. Solo flute piece (untitled)
2. A piece for solo clarinet and piano (In The Village)
3. A piece for full orchestra (Untitled)
4. Reharmonizing three pieces for Sound Music Publications (vocal jazz)
5. A piece for full chorus and mixed ensemble (Untitled)
6. A series of snare drum and timpani etudes and solos (All Unititled)
7. A collaboration with my friend Josh (all songs unititled)
There you have it. It would be niceto knock a few off of tis list, although I know other composers that have a much fuller (is that eeven a word?) plate that I. Kudos to them...
Monday, November 27, 2006
Friday, November 24, 2006
Another public announcement...
I need to add to my previous list of TV shows that should never be seen by the eyes of man:
11. Day time talk shows - this includes Oprah, Tyra, Montel, Jerry Springer, and other one name wonders
12. Day time soaps - including, but not limited to: General Hospital, One Life To Live, Young And the Stupid
13. Morning "news: programs - they rarely have news on them, just Rachel Ray destroying another crappy dish on live TV
14. E.R. - because, hey isn't it just time?
15. "Lawyer" shows - they don't have a lot to do with the realities of legal work
I know some of you may think of this list as being negative and touchy. To prove that I am not a total whiner, I will list some shows that should be praised for their content:
1. Family Guy - real humor that REAL people think is funny
2. Simpsons - this show hasn't been on as long as it has because it sucks
3. CSI Las Vegas - the tag line just before the intro muic starts makes this show worth it ("This guy must have checked out early." GOLD!!!)
4. Dirty Jobs - A show about playing with poop...how could this be a bad show?
5. Grey's Anatomy - stylishly filmed, and the obligatory music video style at the end makes it different from the rest of the drama crap at night. Plus it is set in Seattle.
I think that 5 is a good start! Let me know if I missed one or two...
11. Day time talk shows - this includes Oprah, Tyra, Montel, Jerry Springer, and other one name wonders
12. Day time soaps - including, but not limited to: General Hospital, One Life To Live, Young And the Stupid
13. Morning "news: programs - they rarely have news on them, just Rachel Ray destroying another crappy dish on live TV
14. E.R. - because, hey isn't it just time?
15. "Lawyer" shows - they don't have a lot to do with the realities of legal work
I know some of you may think of this list as being negative and touchy. To prove that I am not a total whiner, I will list some shows that should be praised for their content:
1. Family Guy - real humor that REAL people think is funny
2. Simpsons - this show hasn't been on as long as it has because it sucks
3. CSI Las Vegas - the tag line just before the intro muic starts makes this show worth it ("This guy must have checked out early." GOLD!!!)
4. Dirty Jobs - A show about playing with poop...how could this be a bad show?
5. Grey's Anatomy - stylishly filmed, and the obligatory music video style at the end makes it different from the rest of the drama crap at night. Plus it is set in Seattle.
I think that 5 is a good start! Let me know if I missed one or two...
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
Some interesting sound bites...
I have heard some interesting commentary on various news stories lately. Probably the one that sticks out the most was a NPR commentator who pointed out the fact that our presence in the Middle East, no matter what you may think about it politically, amounts to one simple concept: a bunch of Christians trying to "liberate", or pacify violence in a region dominated by Muslims. I think that is an interesting concept. In fact, I heard another sound bite that was from FOX News, but was coincidentally related to the former. The commentator quoted a prominent sheik from Iraq who was disheartened that there was Muslim/Muslim violence, and this was being combated and stopped by a bunch of Christians. Where are the moderate Muslims. I am sure there are moderate activists, standing up for a more wholesome, life loving Muslim message, but they aren't making themselves heard in the mass media (not in this country, anyway).
It got me thinking about Christian terrorists in the good ol' USA in the 1960's. Some were outspoken "white-power" activists in the KKK, and others were closet terrorists that had high ranking government posts (the Governor of Alabama for instance). The atrocities beheld by the public during that turbulent time in our country may not have consisted of suicide bombers or road side bombs, but there were some ugly stories to be told. On the menu at that time was lynching, random murder, church bombings targetting children, burning crosses, and assassination. Hmm....sound familiar? Didn't a Lebanese minister just get assassinated?
What I am trying to say is I think it is interesting that we are not hearing more from the Muslim moderation. During the Civil Rights Crisis in America, there was an outspoken and effective movement from the Christian moderation. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was one leader of this movement.
Maybe it is still early. Maybe we still have to wait for the more intelligent, and more importantly, the more life-loving Muslims to come out of the woodwork and save the world.
I know there are millions of them out there!
It got me thinking about Christian terrorists in the good ol' USA in the 1960's. Some were outspoken "white-power" activists in the KKK, and others were closet terrorists that had high ranking government posts (the Governor of Alabama for instance). The atrocities beheld by the public during that turbulent time in our country may not have consisted of suicide bombers or road side bombs, but there were some ugly stories to be told. On the menu at that time was lynching, random murder, church bombings targetting children, burning crosses, and assassination. Hmm....sound familiar? Didn't a Lebanese minister just get assassinated?
What I am trying to say is I think it is interesting that we are not hearing more from the Muslim moderation. During the Civil Rights Crisis in America, there was an outspoken and effective movement from the Christian moderation. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was one leader of this movement.
Maybe it is still early. Maybe we still have to wait for the more intelligent, and more importantly, the more life-loving Muslims to come out of the woodwork and save the world.
I know there are millions of them out there!
Monday, November 20, 2006
Feedblitz
I have added a subscription service to the blog. This will allow you to get new blog entries to your email. I know it is wishful thinking that I would have a readership, but just in case I have friends...SIGN UP!!! It's free!
!!!Attention!!! Major announcement to follow...
I have been watching TV for the past hour, and judging by the ads, and the tripe I have been watching, the following TV shows should never be seen by the eyes of man:
1. Dirt - what the hell is this show about, and who the hell cares?
2. Nip/Tuck - not only is it a show glorifying something that is shallow and full of vanity, it is a shallow and full of vanity...
3. American Idol - apparently, if you win, you drop off the face of the earth. Either that or you lose the ability to make decent music...
4. Survivor - it has become an unhealthy addiction for too many people. And besides, enough is enough...
5. The Real World - it isn't real, and it IS stupid... [also, Road Rules, and Real World v. Road Rules]
6. Laguna Beach - let's make rich spoiled girls more rich and more spoiled...
7. Dancing with the Stars - Jerry Springer was not meant to move that way...
8. Dr. 90210 - first of all, give me a break. Second of all, the lives of the patients aren't that interesting, so why would their doctor's lives be any different?
9. The Biggest Loser - enterprising on someone's weight problem...only professional comedians should be allowed...
10. To round out the top ten...every entertainment "news" show on the air [E.T., Extra, the E channel, etc.]
If you have any others, let me know...more to come.
1. Dirt - what the hell is this show about, and who the hell cares?
2. Nip/Tuck - not only is it a show glorifying something that is shallow and full of vanity, it is a shallow and full of vanity...
3. American Idol - apparently, if you win, you drop off the face of the earth. Either that or you lose the ability to make decent music...
4. Survivor - it has become an unhealthy addiction for too many people. And besides, enough is enough...
5. The Real World - it isn't real, and it IS stupid... [also, Road Rules, and Real World v. Road Rules]
6. Laguna Beach - let's make rich spoiled girls more rich and more spoiled...
7. Dancing with the Stars - Jerry Springer was not meant to move that way...
8. Dr. 90210 - first of all, give me a break. Second of all, the lives of the patients aren't that interesting, so why would their doctor's lives be any different?
9. The Biggest Loser - enterprising on someone's weight problem...only professional comedians should be allowed...
10. To round out the top ten...every entertainment "news" show on the air [E.T., Extra, the E channel, etc.]
If you have any others, let me know...more to come.
Jim Cutler Big Band!!
WOW!!! What a gig last night! The big band I am in (EdCC Big Band) opened for the Jim Cutler Big Band and they were fantastic. There set was full of original compositions by various members of the group. They balanced this with standard tunes from the Kenton Orchestra, among others.
Great sound, great tunes, and they were tight! I am planning on attending more of their Sunday night performances at Tula's.
Great sound, great tunes, and they were tight! I am planning on attending more of their Sunday night performances at Tula's.
Saturday, November 18, 2006
The Daily Record - November 18, 2006
Although this won't be daily, it sounds good, doesn't it? It makes it sound like I do some quality listening to good quality music everyday...I wish. This forum will just be some thoughts on the music I am listening to on any particular day. It may at times be analytical, or sometimes be purely subjective thoughts on whether or not I thought the piece sucked.
So...without further ado...
Today I am listening to "Mathis Der Maler", by Hindemith.
This formidable German wrote a ton of great music. The version of the piece is the symphony Hindemith extracted from an opera he wrote of the same name. The opera was premiered in 1938, and is about a struggle between peasants and nobility, most notably the Peasant's War. He began its composition in the early 1930's when the Nazi's came to power in Germany.
I have never heard of any opera company putting the operatic version together. The symphonic version is widely performed, but it has not become part of the popular symphonic lexicon.
To my ears, it is highly accessible to the average listener. It is tonal, and the dissonances are not far outside the acceptable limits of conservative classical music. I find the music highly expressive, and the ideas very clear. The orchestration is interesting in its use of percussion (something that caught my ear immediately). The orchestra I am listening to is the Philadelphia Orchestra under Ormandy. I must say, that they sound like their usual perfect selves.
One of Hindemith's best...
So...without further ado...
Today I am listening to "Mathis Der Maler", by Hindemith.
This formidable German wrote a ton of great music. The version of the piece is the symphony Hindemith extracted from an opera he wrote of the same name. The opera was premiered in 1938, and is about a struggle between peasants and nobility, most notably the Peasant's War. He began its composition in the early 1930's when the Nazi's came to power in Germany.
I have never heard of any opera company putting the operatic version together. The symphonic version is widely performed, but it has not become part of the popular symphonic lexicon.
To my ears, it is highly accessible to the average listener. It is tonal, and the dissonances are not far outside the acceptable limits of conservative classical music. I find the music highly expressive, and the ideas very clear. The orchestration is interesting in its use of percussion (something that caught my ear immediately). The orchestra I am listening to is the Philadelphia Orchestra under Ormandy. I must say, that they sound like their usual perfect selves.
One of Hindemith's best...
It's all about politics...
Why does it seeme to that politicians, from either party become hell-bent on making stupid decisions (or what seem to be stupid decisions) as soon as they gain power. Let me be the first to say that I am glad that the Republican party is no longer in control of our government. It was getting pretty ridiculous. South America was laughing at our inability to govern ourselves.
Now, the Democrats, the party I affiliate myself with, is in power, we have the first woman speaker in history, and a big job to do. Why is it that Ms. Pelosi is making "audibles" from her chair that her party does not understand? Why is she seemingly going against what the majority of Democrats expect her to do. I understand that she is an individual who can think for herself, but there has to be some kind of organization here. She seems to take her personal affiliations with friends, and political backers over her obligations to listen to those around her. Sounds like someone else in a high ranking position in government.
Now, I am no more a political insider than I am a good speller, or a fan of algebra. I mean, I am the last person who should criticize those people who have obtained a high level of influence in our government, but then again, I am a voter. I am the one who has input into what decisions are made, at least that is the idea. I abandoned, long ago, the notion that we live in a democratic society. We don't. What we have here is a Republic. I know that is not new to everyone, but we need to remember it.
Now, the Democrats, the party I affiliate myself with, is in power, we have the first woman speaker in history, and a big job to do. Why is it that Ms. Pelosi is making "audibles" from her chair that her party does not understand? Why is she seemingly going against what the majority of Democrats expect her to do. I understand that she is an individual who can think for herself, but there has to be some kind of organization here. She seems to take her personal affiliations with friends, and political backers over her obligations to listen to those around her. Sounds like someone else in a high ranking position in government.
Now, I am no more a political insider than I am a good speller, or a fan of algebra. I mean, I am the last person who should criticize those people who have obtained a high level of influence in our government, but then again, I am a voter. I am the one who has input into what decisions are made, at least that is the idea. I abandoned, long ago, the notion that we live in a democratic society. We don't. What we have here is a Republic. I know that is not new to everyone, but we need to remember it.
Welcome Seattlites!!!
Welcome to all that have stumbled onto my little space on the net!!
I trust you will enjoy yourself. I know this might dissappoint some of you, but there are no nude pictures of me on this site. As a matter of fact, I consider it a service to the rest of the Internet that I am nowhere on this blog unclothed.
What you will find is ramblings and insight into the world of contemporary music in Seattle, and most of all, random thoughts that pass through my mind.
If you are interested in any of the following, this is the blog for you:
1. Music (contemporary or otherwise)
2. Politics
3. Local government
4. Art
5. The daily life of a struggling composer
6. Feeling like you are superior to someone else (me)
7. Being up at 4 am debating on whether or not a Jack In The Box run is a good idea
If any of these things is interesting, or it sounds like something you would like to read about, we are cut from the same cloth.
I trust you will enjoy yourself. I know this might dissappoint some of you, but there are no nude pictures of me on this site. As a matter of fact, I consider it a service to the rest of the Internet that I am nowhere on this blog unclothed.
What you will find is ramblings and insight into the world of contemporary music in Seattle, and most of all, random thoughts that pass through my mind.
If you are interested in any of the following, this is the blog for you:
1. Music (contemporary or otherwise)
2. Politics
3. Local government
4. Art
5. The daily life of a struggling composer
6. Feeling like you are superior to someone else (me)
7. Being up at 4 am debating on whether or not a Jack In The Box run is a good idea
If any of these things is interesting, or it sounds like something you would like to read about, we are cut from the same cloth.
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