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Resonant Thoughts: Tristan Garcia’s “The Life Intense” (2018)
“I hear a piece of music, and out of nowhere I’m surprised by an unexpected change of tuning, key, or rhythm. This variation might shake my ear out of its unfeeling slumber, a numbness brought on by what were all-too-predictable changes in the music at hand. Now I get the feeling that the piece is… Continue reading
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On Being Fluid And Deliberate
A fair many years ago at one of my music lessons my teacher, Russell, suggested that I make my body movements more fluid, more deliberate. I was playing a multi-percussion piece for marimba and some tom-toms, moving from one instrument group to another, probably rather abruptly. Russell suggested making the tempo of my gestures match the… Continue reading
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Prototyping And Bias Towards Action, Windows Of Freedom And Unexplored Possibilities
Just as I finish a project and send it off for mastering I start wondering what do next. I have a number of partly- and mostly-finished projects in the cue (usually about four), but this is a moment I could be working on new music—music whose trajectory is still completely uncertain because I haven’t begun.… Continue reading
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Brett’s Sound Picks: Space Afrika’s “Uwëm/Creātiōn” (2018)
Follow Brett’s Sound Picks here. 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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How I Use Brett’s Sound Picks
My Spotify playlist, Brett’s Sound Picks 2018, is an ever-growing collection of favorite pieces of music from the past year. Once a week I comb through new releases in search of good stuff—and I keep finding it. The playlist now has almost 80 tracks. I listen to it often to get ideas, pressing Shuffle to… Continue reading
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Resonant Thoughts: Curtis Roads’ “Composing Electronic Music: A New Aesthetic” (2015)
“In the real world of acoustic instruments, every note and drum stroke is unique. Thus we seek to avoid the bland impression of repeated sounds that never change. It is worthwhile to take the trouble to articulate a unique identity for each object by creative editing and processing. This includes stamping each sound with a unique… Continue reading
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