There's a mysterious new composer on the classical music scene. Her name? Emily Howell. But no one's ever seen her in person. The reason? She's a computer program created by David Cope, a professor at the University of California, Santa Cruz. Host … [Read more...]
Birds On The Wires
Reading a newspaper, I saw a picture of birds on the electric wires. I cut out the photo and decided to make a song, using the exact location of the birds as notes (no Photoshop edit). I knew it wasn't the most original idea in the universe. I was … [Read more...]
16 Weeks To Composition Mastery Begins August 27!
My musical partner and owner of Denver School of Music has just announced his brand new composition course. If you want to learn how to be a master composer, then you'll probably want to check this out. 16 Week Composition Teleseminar … [Read more...]
Fantastic Music Theory Resource
Dolmetsch online has made significant contributions to the world of early music. They also host a serious online music dictionary and composers biography. I especially like their 1000+ scales and practical guide to composition. Check it out. … [Read more...]
Who is Dick Grove?
DICK GROVE (1927-1998) had a distinguished career as a professional writer and composer in Los Angeles and as a unique innovator in the field of contemporary music education. In 1973 he founded the world-renowned Grove School of Music in Los Angeles … [Read more...]
The Rules and Principles of Counterpoint
These rules of counterpoint are simple and easy to memorize. Use them during the arranging phase of your music producing. Counterpoint: a composition which is written strictly according to technical rules. In earlier times, instead of our modern … [Read more...]
Deceptive Cadences
The progression from V to I has the name "authentic cadence" and from IV to I, "plagal cadence." A "deceptive cadence" is understood to mean the substitution for the expected progression, V-I, of the progressions V-VI or V-IV. The effect is strong … [Read more...]
Define: Raga
1. A generic term for Indian scales, consisting of five, six, or seven different notes and calculated to create a certain mood. Each raga is suited to a particular time of day. The word itself comes from the Sanskrit meaning "color," so that an … [Read more...]
How To Master Musical Textures
If you need more compositional choices or your music needs more depth, you might want to play with the textural qualities of music. This won't be difficult because I've prepared a textural dictionary for you. Polyphonic, while literally meaning … [Read more...]
Define: Counterpoint
1. The art of polyphonic composition. 2. Composition with two or more simultaneous melodies. Double counterpoint is written so that the upper voices and the lower voices are inverted. Thus, the low voice becomes the top voice and vice versa. … [Read more...]