Music Composers Unite!

August 2008 Blog Posts (11)

helping young composers

I've noticed there are a few student composers in this network, who are looking for guidance and support from more established members. One of the problems they face is lack of resources, whether that be reference books or software. I'd like to propose an award; if some members of the community are willing to pledge a small amount of money by way of a prize, we could make a valuable contribution to the development of young composers.

I'll start by pledging 50 dollars.

If it works it… Continue

Added by pete whitfield on August 31, 2008 at 4:12am — 1 Comment

"Creative" quantity vs. quality.... is it just a phase, or.... ?

I've been struggling with my place in the creative world of late, and have been reflecting on the following:

"Maybe one day soon, when technology makes everyone sound good, sounding good won't be what matters anymore."

- Conor "Freff" Cochran, from his column in Keyboard Magazine, late 1980's

"I'm fascinated by the almost fetish and addictive need to communicate aurally and visually; witness the decline in the quality of communication in favor of… Continue

Added by Scott W. Hallgren on August 25, 2008 at 1:00pm — 9 Comments

HEY!

Making an album. True Blue. Nov/16th

Added by Clay on August 24, 2008 at 11:48pm — No Comments

Had I been Dumb....

Had I been Dumb...

Had I been dumb......the world would have been spared the lashing of my tongue,

Were i deaf,....you could curse me to to Venus and its poisonous fumes....and i would pretend not to hear...when i really couldn't..

Were I blind....abstract-reality would fill my mind..leaving the holograms of material visibility..far behind...

were i lame...i would stay loyal to the soil i was born on...and not venture into uncharted foreign territory… Continue

Added by November on August 22, 2008 at 5:43pm — No Comments

Life`s a Bitch

Life`s a bitch!

the calmness that you see in my writings....its just like you would say...."still waters run deep"...and "calm before the storm"....or "undercurrants below seemingly safe surface"

.....I try my best people ..i really do...being good, acting sober...staying calm...staying outta trouble ..its a full time-job with me....

but it really shouldnt be...it should have come naturally...

take for example today...yesterday?....

how i am being tested......and… Continue

Added by November on August 22, 2008 at 5:42pm — No Comments

slideshow with music tutorials

All music should exist with images - discuss! Certainly many pop tracks are released with a music video, and much of the business of making music takes place in relation to visual media - tv, video and film.

Cohen and Bollow iLife08, Apple Training Series 2008, suggest:

"An interesting irony of film and video is that roughly 50% of what you see comes through your ears." In other words, sound is more influential in our experience of visual media that we might… Continue

Added by pete whitfield on August 15, 2008 at 7:20am — 1 Comment

My first Piano solo video!

Hi all.
I've just uploaded my first video "Open sea", a Piano solo improvisation with some seahorses filmed during my holidays... I hope you like it, if you want to take a look.
Thank you!!
Corrado :)

Added by Corrado Rossi on August 14, 2008 at 3:30pm — No Comments

Two new tracks

I have added two new tracks to my music player. These are both orchestral, and written as part of an assignment for my course. The brief related to a computer game. "Trogmystique" is an ambient piece that progresses half way through to a slightly more tense and ominous feel. "Night and Fray" is a no-holds-barred battle scene.

It's been fun creating some big orchestral sounds for a change, and I'm quite relieved to discover that my setup is capable of doing this (only just - I had to… Continue

Added by Mike Torr on August 12, 2008 at 6:00am — 7 Comments

NATIONAL NIGHT OUT

Last Tuesday was my first ever public performance. It took place during the National Night Out hosted by my church - Trinity Lutheran Church, Menasha, Wisconsin.

I was scheduled to perform between the hours of 4:30 - 8:00 pm, so I set up a schedule to sing three songs each half hour. This amounted to about two hours of singing in all.

To begin with, I sang the album in order, three songs at a time. It's amazing how much…

Continue

Added by Steven S. Billings on August 11, 2008 at 3:55pm — No Comments

Surviving as a musician

There is no single route to making a career in music, so no-one can offer bullet-proof advice, only provoke you to find your own way. Some of these suggestions may seem contradictory, but developing a creative career will be multi-faceted and tricky to balance, so deal with it baby!

What is your personal musical identity? Find it and develop it.

What are your influences, passions, skills? Don't try to be something else - develop these. Find your niche.

Diversify -… Continue

Added by pete whitfield on August 10, 2008 at 7:30am — 1 Comment

Real World Setup Tips for Stratocasters

In my 18+ years of playing Fender Strats, I've come to know a few real world solutions for fixing some annoying basic setup problems that I would like to share with anyone who might be facing similar issues and scratching their heads about it. The beauty of the Fender Stratocaster is that one of Leo Fender's foremost considerations in it's prototype design in early 1954 was that it be easily serviceable, and it remains so to this day. You can't say that about a lot of other modern versions of… Continue

Added by Robert Throckmorton on August 7, 2008 at 12:30pm — 11 Comments