If you’re experiencing writer’s block as a music composer, here’s a helpful technique I learned in music school: In the early 90’s my college brought in acclaimed jazz pianist/composer Kenny Werner to spend a full week with students as an all-around clinician. It was sort of like having Henry Kissinger hang around your high school […]

Last week we delved into a method of creating electronica tracks I learned from music technology maven and performance artist Craig Anderton through his excellent columns written for Keyboard magazine. Through this writing method – now dubbed the “mute party” – I have created production music tracks commissioned by IBM, and Dreamworks then later licensed […]

In his 2008 book The World in Six Songs (2009 The Penguin Group), researcher Daniel J. Levitin creates a fascinating thread that connects findings in neuroscience, physiology, evolution theory, and anthropology. He suggests that your love of music speaks to something deeper in your DNA than the moment you discovered your parents’ record collection. A […]