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On Passionate Transcription
Before I had a mobile phone I could write with, I always carried around those little subscription cards that come with (and fall out of) The New Yorker and Harper’s magazine. I used them to take notes on what I was reading, and scribble down ideas for pieces, poems, groceries, and whatever else. I always… Continue reading
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Writing About Music
Write about what is happening in the music in real-time. Write about what the music reminds you of. Write about how the music relates to other similar and dissimilar musics. Write about what the music signifies. Write about how the music was made. Write about historical precedents for the music. Write about the music as… 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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Heavy Metal Tee
The lady walks the dog wearing a Metallica shirt a fact once noticed complicates my assumptions about what I thought I knew –is the shirt ironic or fan fashion?– because the music you like says so much about what it feels to be you. Continue reading
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Resonant Thoughts: Ole Thorstensen’s “Making Things Right” (2015)
“That the idea or conception of something is adjudged superior to its concrete implementation is a natural consequence of a society in which theory has become increasingly important. The execution is dirty and imprecise, while the idea is pure and unsullied. Theory is always flawless, until you try to apply it in practice and get… Continue reading
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