Every time I give tips about writing/arranging, I pinch myself. I still can’t believe anybody wants to read what I have to say about the topic. I sincerely feel unqualified to run a blog dedicated to music. Regardless of what I think about it, a lot of people do come here for help. I am […]
Tag Archives: texture
Several years ago, I recorded a song on Portraits of Hope called “Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus.” I don’t know what I was thinking when I arranged it. Basically if I am being honest, it is a virtually unplayable, complicated mess. I could not even play it in the studio that day with […]
I just published a new video demonstrating simple ornamentation (grace notes) as an arranging strategy. If you don’t see the video below, click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zopr9ZBm6JY
I have been lax on doing videos but plan to get back to them over the coming months starting with this one today. By the way, thank you to the 20,000 YouTube subscribers I have (I just noticed I went over that threshold). If you are not a subscriber and want easy access to maybe a […]
If you are like me and came from a traditional church background that included lots of hymns, you were probably taught at some point or another a style of congregational accompanying that roughly followed these rules. 1) In the right hand, add the tenor note to create a full chord and double the melody to create […]
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 […]
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, […]
When you hear musicians talking about backbeats, they are referring to accenting beats that are normally considered weak. Most typically, that means accenting beats 2 and 4 rather than 1 and 3 in 4/4 time. Backbeats are a relatively new thing in music. In fact, you would be hard pressed to find a backbeat in […]
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