At some point, everyone goes through rough patches artistically and emotionally. I've had creative problems such as writer’s block, feeling unworthy of putting out my own creations. The best way …
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Why Art of Composing Exists: To Make Better Composers
When I sit down to think about why Art of Composing exists, the initial thought is To Make Better Composers. This on the surface feels like it’s generally in the right direction, but it’s also very …
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The Science of Becoming a Better Composer
If you want to grow, you need to start measuring. This has been at the back of mind for a while now. For the last 6 months, I’ve been deep into the art of learning… analytics and data science of …
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Build Your Craft: Learn the Melody and Chord Progression in Mozart’s Lacrimosa
Why Learn the Melody and Chord Progression? One of the best ways to master composition is to memorize the musical meaning of a passage, and be able to use it in a different way. Memorization, …
What Are Inversions
What are harmonic inversions? If you're not using them, you run the risk of writing very boring progressions and pieces. But they don't have to be a scary confusing thing. In this episode, I …
Composing Without An Instrument
It is possible to write without the aid of an instrument. Instruments can actually be detrimental to your composing. And it's not just instruments. DAWs, notation software, and virtual instruments …
Music and Time: Theme Types
The two main theme types, the sentence and the period have somewhat different musical goals. In this episode, I talk about how I use them in my own composing. …
Music and Time: The Basic Idea
In this episode, I talk about the basic idea, and why it's such a useful way to start your themes. …
Music and Time: What Are Formal Functions?
This is the first video in a short series on form, or how your music relates to time. In this video, I talk about Formal Functions, the idea that your music can represent temporality. If …
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How I Setup My Scoring Template
In this episode, I show you my scoring template. …
More on Sketching
In this vlog, I show the techniques I talked about in the previous video on sketching. …
Five Tips for Better Sketching
Sketching is a critical skill. Here are five tips to improve your ability to sketch. …
Composing a Chord Progression
Watch me compose a functional chord progression. I took the music out that was around 9 minutes in. Major chart Minor chart Article on Diatonic Harmony …
Hearing Loss and Composers
Don't ruin your hearing. In this episode, I talk about why it's important for composers to protect their hearing. Listen to the music "Pancho Villa Rides" here: …
Five Minute Speed Composing Session
Watch me compose as quick as I can in five minutes. The goal of this episode is to just show you what it's like to sit down and write some music. It's really no big deal. I sit. I play. I …
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