This semester has been a tough one. Amidst difficult classes, tough teachers, and more musical projects than I've ever attempted before, I have had almost no free time in the past few months. There are many things not to like about such a busy schedule, the thing that I do like more than anything is the number of composing opportunities that have come up! If you take a look at my previous post, you'll see my recent Youtube video, a slideshow presentation of a duet for violin and piano that I wrote in a couple weeks. It will be performed live in Hutchinson this May! Speaking of live performances, sometime in the next couple of days I'll be uploading the live recording of "Inner Unity" to Youtube as well.
But those are only two of the projects I've completed this semester. I also spent a couple of weeks writing a duet for marimba and piano, as part of an assignment for music theory. This was performed and recorded, and if I can find the time I may put a video together for that as well. I'm also in a counterpoint class studying the technique of J.S. Bach, and I composed two piano solos for that which have also found their way to Youtube. On top of all this, I've been working on a quintet for Cello, Horn in F, Bassoon, Soprano Saxophone, and Flute, and I'm drafting more ideas for my progressive metal composition, "Answers."
However, by far the most exciting project in my near future is the piece for symphonic wind band I've been asked to compose. Sometime next winter, the Symphonic Band at Concordia will be giving a concert specifically for student compositions. I am one of several students in the theory/composition program at Concordia who are writing music for this event, and I am so excited to be a part of it! Composing for wind band is quite a bit tougher than for orchestra. In the orchestra, there are a variety of ranges and colors to choose from amidst the strings and winds, and a workable number of instruments. The band is a bit more frustrating. As my professor Dr. Breedon said, you look out over a "massive sea" of wind instruments and wonder where to even start. There are so many instruments, and so many similar ranges, it's tough not to get a bit worried. Despite these difficulties, I feel I am up to the challenge, and I'm eager to get started. I'll keep you posted! So long for now, and thanks for reading!
Friday, March 25, 2011
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
A Slew of New Projects!
Once again, I've been away from the internet life for quite a while. It's been about 3 months now since my last major post (sorry!) and so much has happened! After a considerable hiccup in my personal life, things seem to be more or less back on track and since I'm on "spring" break from school, I have finally found the time to write up a new post about my musical projects. As you can see below, the performance of Shards with the Concordia College Symphonia was a huge success, and thanks to my friend Bryan's camera skills, I have a wonderful recording of the event! Also, my bassoon and saxophone duet from last year, "Inner Unity," will have a reading and recording session soon, and the results should be on Youtube! I finished my percussion ensemble composition, and I have moved on to several new projects. I'd love to say more about them right now, but that will have to wait for later! :) Off to listen to medieval music...
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Symphonia's Performance and Other News
Ugh. My hard drive is crashing. About a week ago, it seemed to be having incredible trouble booting up when I turned it on, and it started making a horrible clicking sound that I reluctantly identified as the click of death. My computer is considerably slower, but while this has put a bit of a dampener on the efficiency of my work, it hasn't succeeded to crush my spirits! I ordered a new hard drive for a very modest price on New Egg, so hopefully things will be back to normal soon.
There are only a few days left until the Symphonia Orchestra performs my composition live at Concordia, and I can't tell you how thankful I am for this opportunity. I'm extremely excited to have "Shards" performed and recorded, but I must admit that I'm also very nervous. Symphonia has done an admiral job overall with trying to prepare and coordinate such a difficult piece of music, and there are so many things being done well, I feel bad for demanding more polish. Many sections still sound sloppy for various reasons, and the biggest problem at this point is the tempo, which always seems to drag and sound muddy in places. Monday is the final tutti rehearsal before the concert, so I'm hoping things go well! Stay tuned for my report on the concert. UPDATE: Today's rehearsal went significantly better than the last time we played through Shards. Most things are sounding fairly smoothed out now, although the timpanist is having a hard time keeping up to speed. I'm concerned about that, since the timpani part is really the most important rhythmic part of the orchestra, and when he drags, the rest of the ensemble is pulled down as well.
Using Audacity once again, I recorded the Finale 2007 playback for "Shards" and uploaded it to Youtube as a demo of what Symphonia will be playing. This video can be found embedded at the bottom of this post. I also uploaded a terrifying slide show video of "The Snarly Song," a short and random recording I made a few years back. The lyrics have absolutely no significance to anything, so don't ask! Some of the horrible artwork comes from my friend and accomplice, Bryan Folstad.
I'm starting several new composition projects in addition to everything I'm already doing, which makes me think that perhaps I really am out of my mind, trying to write so much music at once! I'm nearly finished with "Ellipse," my ambitious percussion ensemble composition, and I'm beginning work on a choral composition for four male voices. Working with all male voices will restrict the range I can use significantly and add a fresh challenge to my plate, but first I need to write a poem to set to music! My roommate and his friend have asked me to compose a duet for alto saxophone and trombone, for them to perform at a spring recital. In addition to these projects, I've started drafting musical ideas for a ballad my girlfriend and I have been working on. It will be written for piano and our two voices in tandem. It's quite a surprise that I still find time to sleep and eat amidst all this music!
Here's the video I mentioned earlier in my post. It's the Finale demo for "Shards," my orchestral composition. As always, I'd love to hear feedback! Have a nice day :)
There are only a few days left until the Symphonia Orchestra performs my composition live at Concordia, and I can't tell you how thankful I am for this opportunity. I'm extremely excited to have "Shards" performed and recorded, but I must admit that I'm also very nervous. Symphonia has done an admiral job overall with trying to prepare and coordinate such a difficult piece of music, and there are so many things being done well, I feel bad for demanding more polish. Many sections still sound sloppy for various reasons, and the biggest problem at this point is the tempo, which always seems to drag and sound muddy in places. Monday is the final tutti rehearsal before the concert, so I'm hoping things go well! Stay tuned for my report on the concert. UPDATE: Today's rehearsal went significantly better than the last time we played through Shards. Most things are sounding fairly smoothed out now, although the timpanist is having a hard time keeping up to speed. I'm concerned about that, since the timpani part is really the most important rhythmic part of the orchestra, and when he drags, the rest of the ensemble is pulled down as well.
Using Audacity once again, I recorded the Finale 2007 playback for "Shards" and uploaded it to Youtube as a demo of what Symphonia will be playing. This video can be found embedded at the bottom of this post. I also uploaded a terrifying slide show video of "The Snarly Song," a short and random recording I made a few years back. The lyrics have absolutely no significance to anything, so don't ask! Some of the horrible artwork comes from my friend and accomplice, Bryan Folstad.
I'm starting several new composition projects in addition to everything I'm already doing, which makes me think that perhaps I really am out of my mind, trying to write so much music at once! I'm nearly finished with "Ellipse," my ambitious percussion ensemble composition, and I'm beginning work on a choral composition for four male voices. Working with all male voices will restrict the range I can use significantly and add a fresh challenge to my plate, but first I need to write a poem to set to music! My roommate and his friend have asked me to compose a duet for alto saxophone and trombone, for them to perform at a spring recital. In addition to these projects, I've started drafting musical ideas for a ballad my girlfriend and I have been working on. It will be written for piano and our two voices in tandem. It's quite a surprise that I still find time to sleep and eat amidst all this music!
Here's the video I mentioned earlier in my post. It's the Finale demo for "Shards," my orchestral composition. As always, I'd love to hear feedback! Have a nice day :)
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Determining Goals for the Future
Trying to make a career out of some sort of art is very risky business. It's true that a lot of very talented artists get lucky enough to be successful at it in their lifetimes, but often this is not the case. Sometimes you just don't get recognized, despite your best efforts and promotion. Sometimes, untalented "artists" become disproportionately successful, and this can be even more discouraging (see Ke$ha). But I think it's important to remember that if you care about your art form passionately, and you know you have something to offer to the world through it, don't get discouraged. I've been more and more concerned about my future career as a musician and composer, since it is such a risky life to attempt. For a long time now, my plan has been to find commissions as a freelance composer and to try to work my way into the video gaming business, while teaching piano and composition lessons. While these are still future goal for me, I'm seriously reconsidering going to graduate school for a masters degree or something. I'd love to hear any thoughts my readers have regarding this!
I just finished writing "Inner Unity," a two-movement duet for bassoon and saxophone, and I'm super excited to announce that it will be performed and recorded with the help of two of my most talented classmates. The piece was a challenging one for me to compose, since I struggle with keeping purely melodic instrumentals interesting and consistent. Not being able to rely on the thick textures of a piano or a large ensemble is crippling for me, but obviously that was the point of the project; to push my creative boundaries. I'm very happy with how the piece turned out, so I suppose that makes the project a success!
The Symphonia Orchestra is doing great with my piece, "Shards," and with less than three weeks until the performance, I'm glad that it seems to be coming together. I wish I could share some demos with you, but unfortunately that won't be possible until at least next week, if ever! If you want to hear more of what I've written, just check out my Youtube. I've uploaded several new videos in the last week or so, since I kinda went on a video-making binge, and they showcase a lot of my recent work. As always, more videos are on the way as well! With every piece of music I write, and even the ones I learn, I make it my tentative goal to somehow get it performed and recorded.
It's time for some homework! Last week, my composition professor was like, "for your next lesson, put together a list of everything you want to accomplish in your major before you graduate." I'm a sophomore at Concordia in Moorhead, so whether I like it or not, I'm nearing the half-way point for my time undergraduate college. I have peter pan complex. I don't want to grow up! :'( But anyway, I thought I'd tackle this assignment in this post, to give you, my readers, an idea of what I'm planning for my near future.
> Finish my composition for percussion ensemble and have it performed
> Write an anthem for full choir with an african drum ensemble
> Compose something for a fully electronic ensemble in a techno/industrial style
> Complete all five movements of the Black Storm Symphony
> Attempt to create something feasible for a full concert band
> Finish a brass quintet piece, and finish my progressive metal song
> Try composing a soundtrack to a short film
> Somehow, write some music for a video game setting
> Push into different styles and periods of composing, such as Jazz, Impressionist, etc.
I just finished writing "Inner Unity," a two-movement duet for bassoon and saxophone, and I'm super excited to announce that it will be performed and recorded with the help of two of my most talented classmates. The piece was a challenging one for me to compose, since I struggle with keeping purely melodic instrumentals interesting and consistent. Not being able to rely on the thick textures of a piano or a large ensemble is crippling for me, but obviously that was the point of the project; to push my creative boundaries. I'm very happy with how the piece turned out, so I suppose that makes the project a success!
The Symphonia Orchestra is doing great with my piece, "Shards," and with less than three weeks until the performance, I'm glad that it seems to be coming together. I wish I could share some demos with you, but unfortunately that won't be possible until at least next week, if ever! If you want to hear more of what I've written, just check out my Youtube. I've uploaded several new videos in the last week or so, since I kinda went on a video-making binge, and they showcase a lot of my recent work. As always, more videos are on the way as well! With every piece of music I write, and even the ones I learn, I make it my tentative goal to somehow get it performed and recorded.
It's time for some homework! Last week, my composition professor was like, "for your next lesson, put together a list of everything you want to accomplish in your major before you graduate." I'm a sophomore at Concordia in Moorhead, so whether I like it or not, I'm nearing the half-way point for my time undergraduate college. I have peter pan complex. I don't want to grow up! :'( But anyway, I thought I'd tackle this assignment in this post, to give you, my readers, an idea of what I'm planning for my near future.
> Finish my composition for percussion ensemble and have it performed
> Write an anthem for full choir with an african drum ensemble
> Compose something for a fully electronic ensemble in a techno/industrial style
> Complete all five movements of the Black Storm Symphony
> Attempt to create something feasible for a full concert band
> Finish a brass quintet piece, and finish my progressive metal song
> Try composing a soundtrack to a short film
> Somehow, write some music for a video game setting
> Push into different styles and periods of composing, such as Jazz, Impressionist, etc.
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Youtube Videos and Musical Self-Promotion
Life has been getting pretty stressful lately. What free time I thought I had found when I started blogging again was quickly gobbled up by hungry, newly hatched massive homework assignments and projects, so it's a miracle I found time for this post. Perhaps I should be getting back to my school work... Nah, I'll write a post first. When I do have time in my schedule, I find myself spending more and more of it at The Piano World Forums, an impressive set of forums devoted to music, primarily pianos and keyboards. It gets decent traffic and has brought more attention to my blog and Youtube page! I've also been able to get a lot of questions regarding music answered there.
I have some more videos up on my Youtube Channel, again. While I was home over fall break from college, I managed to record "Thexhrsign" as well as a 14 minute long rough improvisation on Bryan Folstad's piano. Both of these recording are now public, so head over to my Youtube Channel to check them out! The improvisation is an important video because this is often the process I use to find new material for my composing, so if you only have the feedback capacity for one comment, write it about that video! Also, after finalizing the videos, I realized there is some accidental product placement going on; the almost overly conspicuous rubik's cubes, as well as the Capri Sun I was drinking before making the "Noodling" recording. :) I'll be putting up some recordings of The Maple Leaf Rag and Clair de Lune next, followed by the orchestra's performance of "Shards!"
I have some more videos up on my Youtube Channel, again. While I was home over fall break from college, I managed to record "Thexhrsign" as well as a 14 minute long rough improvisation on Bryan Folstad's piano. Both of these recording are now public, so head over to my Youtube Channel to check them out! The improvisation is an important video because this is often the process I use to find new material for my composing, so if you only have the feedback capacity for one comment, write it about that video! Also, after finalizing the videos, I realized there is some accidental product placement going on; the almost overly conspicuous rubik's cubes, as well as the Capri Sun I was drinking before making the "Noodling" recording. :) I'll be putting up some recordings of The Maple Leaf Rag and Clair de Lune next, followed by the orchestra's performance of "Shards!"
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Update!!
Hopefully, this will be a brief post; I just want to follow up my last full text post with an update, since my musical projects are moving forward so quickly! First, my two latest videos are up on Youtube, one of which can be found in my previous post. "Reflection" and "Only Dreaming" are chamber pieces that I have composed during my time at Concordia College so far, and both of these videos feature enhanced MIDI recordings with slide shows. I created the slide show videos using Windows Live Movie Maker, a free program I recently downloaded to help speed up the Youtubing process, since the standard Movie Maker sucks so much. In less than a week, my next video should be ready for uploading as well. This will be "Azure - Thexhrsign," an old piano composition.
The Symphonia Orchestra is doing fairly well with my piece, "Shards," although there have been some issues with rhythm and harmonic changes. Since I made use of several very strange chord progressions and rhythmic ideas throughout this composition, it's fairly easy to predict where problems will arise, but it's astounding just how much work I have to do to modify each and every part to accommodate common complaints! The string sections especially are struggling, although they are showing clear improvement. Everybody is working so hard at making this happen; I really can't complain! I'm keeping my fingers crossed for a November 23rd performance!
The last thing I really wanted to mention was that since I am officially done with my first commission, I'm actively searching out a new commission to work on. If you or anybody you know needs fresh, original music written for any occasion, hire me! Considering that I'm pretty desperate for exposure right now, I'll be working for pretty cheap prices, too. Thanks for reading!
The Symphonia Orchestra is doing fairly well with my piece, "Shards," although there have been some issues with rhythm and harmonic changes. Since I made use of several very strange chord progressions and rhythmic ideas throughout this composition, it's fairly easy to predict where problems will arise, but it's astounding just how much work I have to do to modify each and every part to accommodate common complaints! The string sections especially are struggling, although they are showing clear improvement. Everybody is working so hard at making this happen; I really can't complain! I'm keeping my fingers crossed for a November 23rd performance!
The last thing I really wanted to mention was that since I am officially done with my first commission, I'm actively searching out a new commission to work on. If you or anybody you know needs fresh, original music written for any occasion, hire me! Considering that I'm pretty desperate for exposure right now, I'll be working for pretty cheap prices, too. Thanks for reading!
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