creative strategies
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Resonant Thoughts: Gábor Lázár on Musical Sketches
“Usually I try to find a balance between a rhythmic pattern and filter modulations which together articulate some interesting quality. For me, sketch is a strange word because it means something like trying to manifest an idea. Of course I have some kind of idea, but many times I just look at my idea as Continue reading
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Twenty Frames For Thinking About Creativity
Adjacent possible. This concept describes how biological systems can transform into more complex systems via small changes or gated rates of discovery. It comes from Stuart Kauffman, who writes in his book Investigations (2002) that “a biosphere gates its way into the adjacent possible at just that rate at which its inhabitants can just manage Continue reading
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An Article On Creativity In Electronic Music Production
My article “Popular Music Production in Laptop Studios: Creative Workflows as Problem-Solving Within Ableton Live” is available in Perspectives on Music Production: Producing Music (Routledge 2019). The article takes a problem-solving approach to creativity by exploring electronic music production techniques within Ableton Live, one of the most influential and widely used DAW (digital audio workstation) Continue reading
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On Creative Strategies And Controlling Time
“I think that controlling time is what leads you to success.” -Rafael Nadal I often think about how to work better, which means how to do more with less, and how to stretch my attentional dollar. Working better comes down to using time with more focus by having a creative objective for the moment. But Continue reading
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Musical Decision-Making Under Conditions Of Opacity and Serendipity
I begin composing by improvising, and there are three elements that make up this process: opacity, decision-making, and serendipity. First, some definitions: something that is opaque lacks transparency; decision-making is reaching a resolution after consideration; and serendipity is the occurrence of events by chance in a beneficial way. These ideas capture the flow of the Continue reading
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Managing Emotions and Swinging Freely In Creative Work
I watch a fair amount of sports on TV, for reasons including ambient sound, commentators’ endless stats commentary, and because the outcome is always uncertain. (Sport competition gets interesting when it doesn’t go according to plan, which is the best narrative.) For these reasons, even with all the commercials in need of skipping through, sports Continue reading
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Assessing Creative Strategies For Music Production
“What is the most important thing we can think about in this most extraordinary moment?” -Buckminster Fuller When I’m making progress on a project I take a moment to note what I’ve been doing to move things along. On my most recent music recording, I found that I had worked in distinct stages and that Continue reading
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Creative Strategies: Multiples
multiple—having or involving several parts, parts, or members One of the most useful concepts in creative work is the concept of multiples. There’s no hidden meaning here—multiple simply means having several parts—but there is hidden power. The way to apply the multiple concept to your work is simple: conceive of and build multiple versions of Continue reading
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Lessons From Dilla 4: Use Pulsating Sounds
Use pulsating sounds. Continue reading
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Lessons From Dilla 2: Contrast Dry With Atmospheric
Contrast the dry beat with an atmospheric keyboard sample. Continue reading
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