NOTE: The online classes discussed in this interview are no longer available. One of the things I like most about professional music is the people in it. I know people are not perfect and the music industry has problems just like any other industry. But when I stop and think about it, the people I […]
Tag Archives: arranging
Counterpoint is very simply the idea of designing music with multiple voices that all work together but regarding each voice in somewhat of a independent way. Counterpoint precedes Bach though Bach is considered the pinnacle of that era in music. In fact, the simple 2-part inventions that you played in your early days of piano […]
Earlier in the week, I gave you a challenge to arrange “A Shelter in the Time of Storm” with me. Several of you have let me know you are on board with that. Make sure you have printed off the rough sketch of the harmony I provided in that last blog post. Then, here is […]
Today I am kicking off a new little series that will be of interest to many of you. I am going to walk through the building of an arrangement from start to finish. Ideally I would like many of you to work on this along with me and we will see what comes from it. The […]
Read Part 1 here. I recently finished the edits on a book of arrangements and my editor was asking me about a title. He was trying to figure out something that described my style and one of the ways he described my style was extended intros and improvisation on the melodies. I have never really […]
I got to tell you: I am having to really discipline myself not to talk politics these days. I have so much I want to say and none of it is good. I absolutely despise everything I see and in a lot of ways, this election cycle feels surreal. Is this really happening to us? OK, enough […]
As we continue our series on texture, I want to give you one of my favorite things today. I would call it one of my secrets but of course, it is not mine at all. I stole it from other people (in particular my jazz friends). I think that we musicians tend to fall into […]
It has been a busy last few weeks for many reasons including music. Last week, I started and finished recording a new piano album in my own studio and today, I am heading to Nashville today to record an album with the Studio Contest winners Niah and Allisha Merrill. I will keep you up to date on […]
In contemporary music, rhythm is very important. In fact, contemporary music relies heavily on rhythm for its sophistication and without doubt, much of that music is very rhythmically sophisticated. I listen to songs on the radio very often that just make me shake my head. They sound easy but I know full well how hard it […]
I am going to do a series over the next several weeks on texture. For those that don’t know, when arrangers and writers refer to the term “texture,” we are referring to ideas of an arrangement outside of melody and harmony decisions. In other words, we are referring to decisions such as how to voice, […]
I am going to do something a bit unusual today. I am going to give you an arrangement for free that you normally have to pay for. “He Hideth My Soul” is an arrangement that was released to my Monthly Hymn Arrangement Club members in May. Before you continue reading, you might want to download the arrangement […]