In NewMusicBox, of course. She’s one of the most frequently played living composers in America and the interview covered some really interesting points about self-publishing and making a living as a composer. Quite inspiring.
Tagged with: composition, ideas, reading | Add a comment
Had an excellent conversation with a co-worker who it turned out used to be a good pianist and almost went to music school – he’s really keen to hear my music and we had a great conversation, chatting about this and that about music and Australia. All very encouraging – it’s always nice to have people be so enthusiastic about hearing my work, and especially when they do know about music rather than just being randomly positive (although that’s nice too, of course!)
Tagged with: composition, conversation, dayjob, music | Add a comment
Working my way through Writings on Music still. Really excellent, thought-provoking stuff. I didn’t have very much time to read much though as I had to work through my lunch hour and then fell asleep on the train on the way home, so just read a bit about Reich’s experiences learning African drumming in Ghana.
Tagged with: music, reading | Add a comment
I haven’t been able to carry my laptop to work this week cos I pulled a muscle in my lower back on Sunday and it’s only just getting better, but I was feeling really frustrated today and so had a stab at pushing forward with the new psalm regardless – and guess what?! It’s not too horrible! About to pull it into Finale and maybe I’ll continue on tomorrow a bit too. Had a couple of replies to my question on the spnm forum today too, one of which suggested that I try a bit of melodic dictation to improve my aural skills. Not a bad idea, that.
Tagged with: composition, music | Add a comment
Interesting article on publication/self-promotion. Just have to follow that up with reading the full version online now, and then to participate in the forum discussion. Very very interesting and relevant. Also identified a couple of competitions I could potentially enter with pieces I already have…
Tagged with: composition, music, reading | Add a comment
I’ve been increasingly preoccupied with trying to work out how to continue composing while I’m on a contract, without either neglecting my commitment to my employers or doing without sleep or living with permanent neck and shoulder pain, and have yet to come up with a good answer, so this evening I posted a question on the spnm forum asking people who work full-time how they maintain their composing activity or, if they’re not working full-time, what option are they taking instead and how is that working out for them. It’ll be interesting to see the answers (if any). Hope I do get one or two…
Tagged with: composition, creativity, dayjob, health, ideas, mentalhealth, research, web | Add a comment
Interesting reading about the phase gate thingy he built himself – an intriguing concept. Didn’t get much read today though because I didn’t get a lunch hour and then fell asleep on the train. Not that I consider these decent excuses, mind you…
Tagged with: music, reading | Add a comment
Ever so pleased with myself. I logged on tonight to check my email and found a message from spnm saying that on Sunday evening they’re holding an online composition workshop and anyone who’s interested in getting some feedback should send along scores/sound files pronto. So I did. I didn’t procrastinate, I didn’t use any one of the thousand avoidance tactics I have been cultivating over the past decade. I went straight to my composition folder, checked over my materials, made a few minor tweaks, and sent everything off within the hour, so hopefully I’ll get some really constructive criticism on my harp piece (en)twine at the end of the week!
Tagged with: composition, music | Add a comment
I was reading Steve Reich’s reaction to Wavelength by Michael Snow and was completely taken by the poetry and stream-of-consciousness of the writing. It would make an awesome tape piece, a reading of that text, cut up and elaborated in Pro Tools. Might keep this in mind as a holiday project for Christmas-time, once I’m done with the carol for Cat.
Tagged with: composition, music, thinking | Add a comment
Worked my way through the rest of the Introduction, the section on early works and Music as a Gradual Process, and what struck me especially was how much certain of Reich’s statements from the 60s/70s about his music have resonance with what Joshua Davis is doing with online/visual art today. For example,
I compose the material, decide the process it’s going to be run through – but once those intial choices have been made, it runs by itself. Steve Reich ‘Excerpts from an interview in art forum’
Tagged with: music, reading, thinking | Add a comment
