Location: Derby, United Kingdom
Member since: August 5, 2010
Tracks in portfolio: 19 (click here to hear all tracks)
Tracks We Like:
The Interview:
1. High profile projects or clients you have worked for?
Recently my music has been used by the BBC, MTV, Kelloggs, Crayola, UK National Archives and the Guggenheim Museum.
2. Primary instrument?
Piano, I’ve been playing since I was 7.
3. Favorite music-making piece of gear or software you currently use?
Omnisphere, by Spectrasonics. I use it in every non-classical track that I write.
4. Piece of gear or software you wish you owned?
I’ve got my eye on Symphobia, by Project SAM.
5. Film score or song you admire? Why?
Lawrence of Arabia by Maurice Jarre… Mainly because he composed the whole orchestral score in 6 weeks.
6. Music education background?
I studied music to A-level at school, and I went on to get a BA in music from Oxford University.
7. Memorable “Aha!” moment during your musical education?
Learning that Mozart once transcribed an entire 10-minute choral piece – “Miserere”, by Gregorio Allegri – from memory, after hearing it once (The music was considered too ‘holy’ to be transcribed, and was only performed at the Sistine Chapel).
8. Most embarrassing music-related moment?
I once had a heavy cold during a Christmas concert at school, and i sneezed down my saxophone during “Silent Night”.
9. If you had a time machine and could record or perform once with any artist, who would it be?
It would be good to jam with Louis Armstrong, although I’d have to brush up on my jazz piano first.
10. Moment you first knew you would be a musician?
I was obsessed with music from an early age (particularly with the soundtracks on my Amiga computer games), but it took a while before I realized that I would be a musician for a career… It’s hard to narrow it down to a single moment, but the first time I became really confident in my musical abilities was when I learned George Gershwin’s Songbook arrangement of “I Got Rhythm” on the piano (That was also when I first noticed the power of ‘muscle memory’ in the fingers).
- Advice you would give to a younger family member interested in a music career? Learning to play by ear has helped me more than anything (I’ve always been terrible at sight-reading)… I’d suggest trying to play songs on the piano from memory. It’s almost impossible to start with, but it gives you a great musical ear after time. It’s a great party trick too.
- Five songs or albums you’d take with you to a desert island? Neutral Milk Hotel – In The Aeroplane Over The Sea
The Olivia Tremor Control – Black Foliage
July – July
Moon – Without Earth and the Moon
The Beatles – White Album
13. If you could master another instrument, what would it be?
I’d like to master a string or brass instrument. The pocket trumpet stands out for some reason… I’m not really sure why.
14. Favorite time of day to work in your studio?
The middle of the night. It’s a bit inconvenient, but it’s when I’m most creative.
15. Any studio collaboration you experienced that stands out in your mind? Why?
I’ve never collaborated with anyone on a composition, although I’d like to give it a try sometime.
Big thanks to Alex for contributing tracks that help make MusicRevolution the Production Music Marketplace.
___________________________________________________
Mike Bielenberg is a professional musician and co-founder of http://www.musicrevolution.com, a production music marketplace where media producers and business owners can license high-quality, affordable music from a online community of musicians.
