Thanks so much for your most kind words, I am myself a self thought musician so you can be sure that music comes from all over, I liked very much your music, specially The Spotted Pony, Spanish ladies and Hiroshima Mon Amour, after Yourcenar I presume. How nice that you have a Mexican origin. Thanks for connecting and I'll be glad to hear any new music that you compose.
Hello.on the first thanks for you nice words you say for my music.I am very happy because my music make you feel like you say.No I am not familiar to that radio from Germany.I could say that the most thing momently about my music I do alone,I mean the music i make .I recorded one album(some very good friend help in that)and now i looking everwhere to find help for second album.I hope I will make it.The voice you hear on Lastavica is the voice of one girl from Serbia.and the voice on Lost land is miine.That song i singing.Momently I listen your song and I for this minut or two i listen I can say it is miracle,beautiful really:))I woul like to ask you what is your main instrument,and what instrument you most likely to play?I sow that you are multiinstrumentalist,I also play aboyt 4 different instrument and just o ask what about your instruments you play?Thanks and hope we stay in contact,and became good friend here.See you
Open source started with the software industry in 1988 as a response to the increasing restrictive licensing and copyright restrictions on software and the complete lack of credit given to the authors.
It is about freedom.
The basic premise is this: By providing the source code (the lines written by developers) free from encumbrances, all humanity benefits from the lessons contained within. It does this through the General Public License. The license does not prohibit the selling of the software, it ensures that
A) The rights of the original author are always upheld.
B) That distribution is free (not of cost, of proprietary lock in)
C) Derivative works are allowed, but the original author still has full credit, while the author of the derivative has equal rights to his/her own additions/changes.
The biggest misunderstanding about Open Source is that it is free and you cannot make money from it. This is false, and there are now huge companies that work in open source (Including IBM).
It leverages the abilities of real people everywhere, while restricting the propensity of less than ethical corporations from making it their own and locking it down.
By extension, other "Open" movements sprung up. Open Standard, the Creative Commons etc.
For artists, the Creative Commons is of more interest. Like open source, it allows music to be shared, remixed etc. It does not prohibit selling or marketing the work, or derivatives (depending on the license). It just ensures that the original author is always credited.
A Creative Commons license does prohibit one thing... commercial theft. You are entitled to use and modify a work for your own purposes. Think about the fact that RIAA actually tried to prohibit us from encoding a CD to an MP3, demanding payment for the change in media - even though we hold a license for the work, not the media.
While I support many aspects of Open Source and its derivatives, it is not for everybody, and I do think their is a place for the traditional corporate style of music distribution and promotion.
My biggest concern is that todays industry strips all rights to a song from the author. The only guarantee is that the song writer will be credited on the liner notes, but remuneration is not, and the author no longer "owns" their own work.
This needs to change. The original author must always own the work. It should not be allowed to be sold, just leased (even exclusively is fine). The author should be allowed to retain ownership of the work he or she creates. To many composers have had their songs taken, and given to a "star" performer, and the company and star make the money, while the person who wrote the song, starves.
Wow, I am in love with your voice. It washes over me like a gentle wave.
I am a huge huge fan of Traditional Music of this style. Am I right a lot of this is more British traditional than say Irish/Scottish?
Inspiring work. I wish I could sing with as much character and depth.
I am going through all your songs, and so far Goodnight Song is my fav, but Dancing Bear is really turning my crank too (I cannot play that fast without massive mistakes).
(Winter On, and March of the Titans sound like they are clipping - I am getting some noise and static sounds here).
Hello Martha,
I am so delighted to find you and your beautiful and soulful music! All of your compositions have that wonderful emotional quality that for me is essential.
You are a masterful storyteller and composer and singer. Keep Shining!:)
At 4:24am on September 27, 2009, James Semple said…
Hi Martha,
Thank you again for your comments. I am always trying to learn new compositional techniques definitely. I rarely find myself getting stuck in a rut. I think my approach is to line up a lot of projects in advance so I get time to ruminate over them for a few weeks. By the time I actually get to the project I usually have a fairly good idea of what I'll do.
I guess my other approach is constant stimulation: listening to as much music as possible, reading as much about music as possible, and most important of all ... talking to other musicians and composers as much as possible.
I also change genres a lot. One day I'll write epic brass music, the next a 3 minute bubblegum pop song. I also enjoy collaborating with other writers.
I hope these are all useful ideas for helping you to stay inspired! Your music is wonderful so keep writing!
Thank you so much for your wonderful compliment on "Accidental Waltz." To be compared to Glass and Bernstein (I'm not sure if you meant Leonard or Elmer, but both are great!) is truly high praise. I'm not sure if I deserve it, but I thank you just the same, and it inspires me to continue working in this vein.
Your music is wonderful. Elegant and passionate, truly. I love music inspired by and infused with faith for it truly resonates that love and passion (look no further than Bach, Vivaldi, or even Coltrane's "A Love Supreme"). I love the mixture of baroque and folk feeling in your pieces. Look forward to hearing more from you in the future!
Winderful News! I will be looking forward to hearing your Scarlatti work!
Also, remember... The great composers for the most part, never attended formal universities really.. Debussy, was kicked out of Conservatory for making "strange and illogical harmonies"...academia has a very negative effect, in my opinion, to the creative spirit. It harnesses the imagination of the artist with too many rules... The highest order of music has always been achieved by seeking well within the soul.. And for that.. The artist must free him/herself from as many rules as possible.. Music must be ruly enough to be sufficiently coherent and unruly enough to be revolutionary. A tough balance indeed, which an artist can only learn through the process of life.. The great Beethoven upon his deathbed said ... It is a shame that I must die now.. When I was just learning to compose...
Recording process is a tad complicated.. It involves a combination of Finale notation, a Steinway grand, and Logic Pro... I am not well verse on the technical aspects of recording.. I just write it as I feel it..
Thanks again... And remember.. Keep it simple and beautiful....
Martha- Thank you for all your wonderful comments. I thank you for your appreciation of my music. My first suggestion would be, never give up on a piece.. you never know what things it may yield....and most of all listen....always listen...listen beyond the technique....what did the composer mean behind the message of his/her music...and not everything has to be harmonically or technically complex for it to have a profound message....Mozart taught us that....his music is technically simple and his structure very straighforward....yet his stands above all others as the greatest music ever written....
I really believe that your music is very beautiful...it primarily seeks the element of inspiration and that is the main seed of every human's creation...I am listening to "waiting for Spring" and I think it is absolutely beautiful....it speaks a message of anticipation and hope for a better tomorrow...
Beautiful work, as usual, on He Laid His Body Down, Martha. I'll see if I can rummage around for the White Book when I get back to my "studio". I quote that because it's more just and old house full of books, scores, and instruments.
At 10:02am on September 23, 2009, Anne Goodwin said…
Hi Martha, I'm very pleased that you came to see me and that you like my pièce de résistance, Words of Reverence. That piece represents a whole slice of my life, a very long story that I won't go into at the moment. I've come to your page and listened to your music before and I listened just now again. You have an incredible amount of variety in what you do. Most of it I find to be 'folk' music but I notice with your song "I Could Bench Press a Buick" that you are able to venture into pure country music which is a genre that I grew up with and still love to this day, despite all the classical music training that I have received and that I have also taught and even performed on occasion. Some of your songs that I would mark out as favorites include: Goodnight Song, New River, Dancing Bear, Let's Get Lost in the Woods, Spanish Ladies, Forgotten, Ants at the Picnic (don't talk to me about ants; I had them in my kitchen this morning!), Winter on Roane Mountain, Hiroshima My Love, and finally, Cricket Behind The Wall (very pretty). You are obviously a very musical and talented person but more than that, I feel you are very spiritual. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance and I hope we will have an opportunity to get to know each other as time goes along. Before, I leave you - tell me, where is Oak Ridge? Are you anywhere near the Smokey Mountains where Dolly Parton grew up? (My All-Time Favorite Country SInger!) -Anne
Thank you for your kind words about American Songs. I take some pride in the fact that American Songs, as far as I can tell, contains no American songs, just noises that I think sound "American" As far as admiring.. plesae dont do that. Your music is as good as mine any day of the week. I like Hindemith's comment when someone introduced themselves as a "Master of Music" Hindmith said "How can anyone be a master of music?"
Anyway, I'm immensly please that you like American Songs, it guess it proves that even a blind squirrel finds an acorn now and then,
I appreciate your very kind words Martha, and it makes the task of writing easier to find a little encouragement from others that your work has some validity. Having said that, the more I listen around this forum, the less impressed I am with my own material and musical knowledge, to be absolutely honest. There's a great deal of talent here, and a breadth of expressive techniques and knowledge that is simply astounding and humbling.
B major is on a double manual, 2 choirs, one open strings, the other, damped (buff stop). I'm going to do another take. If you listen carefully, it is full of hesitancy, masked by unnecessary speed. It should be slower, more determined, more militant and clear.
My friend Quan is presently trying to teach me how to record and mic properly. He told me just the other day " the music's great, but your a helpless idiot about bring it to production". He's a good enough friend to be that blunt. In fact he just went over my wav file of Fantasy VIII, and kindly tried to breathe life into an admittedly poor recording, which I re-posted.
RE: Instrument building. The only one I'm working on presently is the fretted clavichord, for my daughter. The only other builder with whom I'm personally acquainted is Paul Irvin, located here near Chicago. He's fairly known locally and works on David Schrader's instruments (several of which I've played, hope he isn't following this forum), and also for the various local early music ensembles like MOB and Basically Bach - I don't know if they're around anymore.
Sorry for running on about me, but many of your questions required it. Temperaments, yes I do want to discuss some ideas with you. I'll post it as a discussion, so we don't have 12 ft of text on our pages about it. And thank you again for listening.
I enjoyed your music very much...it is very original...It speaks to the fact that a lot of good things can still come of out of tonal music...
Great voice also...
Curious what inspired the Spanish Ladies?...
Yes Martha. There is one photo of a clavichord case in process. It's further along than that now; when I get to carving the keys, and some more detailed stages, I'll post some photos. Just completed a double-manual too.
New River - beautiful. I'm really sorry I've overlooked this wonderful page for this long. These pieces are really to my taste. The Early Music influence is unmistakable.
Well, I really like both the Roland and the magic piano.
I like yer thoughts on the sound of “reality” when it comes to pop music nowadays.
I don’t care for pop music of the Britney Spears Madonna type because the entreating part isn’t the music---it’s the cult-like feeling it gives people of “belonging” that fans are attracted to.
My operating system is Windows. I’ve heard that Apple is easier to use---but it is way more expensive.
Are the Sennheiser mic you used and the Shure mic (the “workhorse”) dynamic mics, or condenser mics?
Well, I think you do a great job recording. Sounds great. As far as computer recording “complexity” goes, the reason I use it is because of the software synthesis factor. They get better every year. Plus, you can do unprecedented editing with it. Now, it’s possible that you may be able to do a lot of computer editing with your Boss setup. Did it come with some sort of mixing/mastering program for the computer? You might be able to directly connect the two via USB or something. If that’s the case---I’d start from there. Also, I already know you can do it---you just HAVE to be patient. It’s like learning an instrument---just keep hacking away at it. It can be VERY frustrating!
And thank Bob for getting’ you back into music, will ya? Thanks.
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Thanks so much for your most kind words, I am myself a self thought musician so you can be sure that music comes from all over, I liked very much your music, specially The Spotted Pony, Spanish ladies and Hiroshima Mon Amour, after Yourcenar I presume. How nice that you have a Mexican origin. Thanks for connecting and I'll be glad to hear any new music that you compose.
Hope to stay in touch
Bon
It is about freedom.
The basic premise is this: By providing the source code (the lines written by developers) free from encumbrances, all humanity benefits from the lessons contained within. It does this through the General Public License. The license does not prohibit the selling of the software, it ensures that
A) The rights of the original author are always upheld.
B) That distribution is free (not of cost, of proprietary lock in)
C) Derivative works are allowed, but the original author still has full credit, while the author of the derivative has equal rights to his/her own additions/changes.
The biggest misunderstanding about Open Source is that it is free and you cannot make money from it. This is false, and there are now huge companies that work in open source (Including IBM).
It leverages the abilities of real people everywhere, while restricting the propensity of less than ethical corporations from making it their own and locking it down.
By extension, other "Open" movements sprung up. Open Standard, the Creative Commons etc.
For artists, the Creative Commons is of more interest. Like open source, it allows music to be shared, remixed etc. It does not prohibit selling or marketing the work, or derivatives (depending on the license). It just ensures that the original author is always credited.
A Creative Commons license does prohibit one thing... commercial theft. You are entitled to use and modify a work for your own purposes. Think about the fact that RIAA actually tried to prohibit us from encoding a CD to an MP3, demanding payment for the change in media - even though we hold a license for the work, not the media.
While I support many aspects of Open Source and its derivatives, it is not for everybody, and I do think their is a place for the traditional corporate style of music distribution and promotion.
My biggest concern is that todays industry strips all rights to a song from the author. The only guarantee is that the song writer will be credited on the liner notes, but remuneration is not, and the author no longer "owns" their own work.
This needs to change. The original author must always own the work. It should not be allowed to be sold, just leased (even exclusively is fine). The author should be allowed to retain ownership of the work he or she creates. To many composers have had their songs taken, and given to a "star" performer, and the company and star make the money, while the person who wrote the song, starves.
Anyway, this is a very simplistic explanation.
I am a huge huge fan of Traditional Music of this style. Am I right a lot of this is more British traditional than say Irish/Scottish?
Inspiring work. I wish I could sing with as much character and depth.
I am going through all your songs, and so far Goodnight Song is my fav, but Dancing Bear is really turning my crank too (I cannot play that fast without massive mistakes).
(Winter On, and March of the Titans sound like they are clipping - I am getting some noise and static sounds here).
Yes, I've been writing a lot---I try to get 6 hours in a day. Would like to do more but I get tired.
Was listening to Goodnight Song---GREAT! I just can't write like that---I'm envious! =)
I am so delighted to find you and your beautiful and soulful music! All of your compositions have that wonderful emotional quality that for me is essential.
You are a masterful storyteller and composer and singer. Keep Shining!:)
Thank you again for your comments. I am always trying to learn new compositional techniques definitely. I rarely find myself getting stuck in a rut. I think my approach is to line up a lot of projects in advance so I get time to ruminate over them for a few weeks. By the time I actually get to the project I usually have a fairly good idea of what I'll do.
I guess my other approach is constant stimulation: listening to as much music as possible, reading as much about music as possible, and most important of all ... talking to other musicians and composers as much as possible.
I also change genres a lot. One day I'll write epic brass music, the next a 3 minute bubblegum pop song. I also enjoy collaborating with other writers.
I hope these are all useful ideas for helping you to stay inspired! Your music is wonderful so keep writing!
Thank you so much for your wonderful compliment on "Accidental Waltz." To be compared to Glass and Bernstein (I'm not sure if you meant Leonard or Elmer, but both are great!) is truly high praise. I'm not sure if I deserve it, but I thank you just the same, and it inspires me to continue working in this vein.
Your music is wonderful. Elegant and passionate, truly. I love music inspired by and infused with faith for it truly resonates that love and passion (look no further than Bach, Vivaldi, or even Coltrane's "A Love Supreme"). I love the mixture of baroque and folk feeling in your pieces. Look forward to hearing more from you in the future!
Also, remember... The great composers for the most part, never attended formal universities really.. Debussy, was kicked out of Conservatory for making "strange and illogical harmonies"...academia has a very negative effect, in my opinion, to the creative spirit. It harnesses the imagination of the artist with too many rules... The highest order of music has always been achieved by seeking well within the soul.. And for that.. The artist must free him/herself from as many rules as possible.. Music must be ruly enough to be sufficiently coherent and unruly enough to be revolutionary. A tough balance indeed, which an artist can only learn through the process of life.. The great Beethoven upon his deathbed said ... It is a shame that I must die now.. When I was just learning to compose...
Recording process is a tad complicated.. It involves a combination of Finale notation, a Steinway grand, and Logic Pro... I am not well verse on the technical aspects of recording.. I just write it as I feel it..
Thanks again... And remember.. Keep it simple and beautiful....
I really believe that your music is very beautiful...it primarily seeks the element of inspiration and that is the main seed of every human's creation...I am listening to "waiting for Spring" and I think it is absolutely beautiful....it speaks a message of anticipation and hope for a better tomorrow...
Anyway, I'm immensly please that you like American Songs, it guess it proves that even a blind squirrel finds an acorn now and then,
Keep writing.. YOU have talent.
B major is on a double manual, 2 choirs, one open strings, the other, damped (buff stop). I'm going to do another take. If you listen carefully, it is full of hesitancy, masked by unnecessary speed. It should be slower, more determined, more militant and clear.
My friend Quan is presently trying to teach me how to record and mic properly. He told me just the other day " the music's great, but your a helpless idiot about bring it to production". He's a good enough friend to be that blunt. In fact he just went over my wav file of Fantasy VIII, and kindly tried to breathe life into an admittedly poor recording, which I re-posted.
RE: Instrument building. The only one I'm working on presently is the fretted clavichord, for my daughter. The only other builder with whom I'm personally acquainted is Paul Irvin, located here near Chicago. He's fairly known locally and works on David Schrader's instruments (several of which I've played, hope he isn't following this forum), and also for the various local early music ensembles like MOB and Basically Bach - I don't know if they're around anymore.
Sorry for running on about me, but many of your questions required it. Temperaments, yes I do want to discuss some ideas with you. I'll post it as a discussion, so we don't have 12 ft of text on our pages about it. And thank you again for listening.
Great voice also...
Curious what inspired the Spanish Ladies?...
New River - beautiful. I'm really sorry I've overlooked this wonderful page for this long. These pieces are really to my taste. The Early Music influence is unmistakable.
Donny
I like yer thoughts on the sound of “reality” when it comes to pop music nowadays.
I don’t care for pop music of the Britney Spears Madonna type because the entreating part isn’t the music---it’s the cult-like feeling it gives people of “belonging” that fans are attracted to.
Thanks for all the info on the mics!
Are the Sennheiser mic you used and the Shure mic (the “workhorse”) dynamic mics, or condenser mics?
Well, I think you do a great job recording. Sounds great. As far as computer recording “complexity” goes, the reason I use it is because of the software synthesis factor. They get better every year. Plus, you can do unprecedented editing with it. Now, it’s possible that you may be able to do a lot of computer editing with your Boss setup. Did it come with some sort of mixing/mastering program for the computer? You might be able to directly connect the two via USB or something. If that’s the case---I’d start from there. Also, I already know you can do it---you just HAVE to be patient. It’s like learning an instrument---just keep hacking away at it. It can be VERY frustrating!
And thank Bob for getting’ you back into music, will ya? Thanks.
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