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brettworks

thinking through music


  • October 30, 2023

    Mediation Remodel

    Continue reading

    remodels, Uncategorized
  • October 27, 2023

    Curating The Week: Superlinear Returns, Effects Of The Music Streaming Era, AI And Internet Searches, AI And Motivated Learning

    “There are two ways work can compound. It can compound directly, in the sense that doing well in one cycle causes you to do better in the next. That happens for example when you’re building infrastructure, or growing an audience or brand. Or work can compound by teaching you, since learning compounds. This second case… Continue reading

    Curating The Week
  • October 25, 2023

    Database: Ludwig Göransson On Doubling Sounds

    “We have parts played by a string quartet and overdubbed with four different synth voices; you can double it and have them weave in and out of each other so you don’t really know if it is the real instrument or if it is something else. People are unable to put their finger on what… Continue reading

    database
  • October 24, 2023

    Three Tones

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    Uncategorized
  • October 23, 2023

    What’s The Driver?: Musical Inspiration Versus Musical Process

    When you upload a track to Spotify you’re given an opportunity to write a short pitch to have the music considered for one of Spotify’s three thousand “editorial” playlists. The pitch format is strict: check a few boxes about what instruments are featured (e.g. “synthesizer”, “violin”, “bouzooki”, “sampler”…), what music culture you’re operating in (e.g.… Continue reading

    inspiration, process
  • October 19, 2023

    Slate Music

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    Uncategorized
  • October 18, 2023

    Database: Legowelt On Old Reverbs

    “I’m kind of more into old reverbs, especially 12-bit reverbs that don’t sound too realistic. Modern reverbs that are too realistic are a little bit scary for me because you have a kind of uncanny valley that sounds so realistic it feels uncomfortable. It’s nice when the reverb is a bit crappy—it’s more relaxing for… Continue reading

    database
  • October 17, 2023

    Keywords: Arrangement

    Arrangement is the layout of the music over time, a sonic schematic (like the architect’s drawings) that specifies form: what goes where, entrances and exits, what happens now or later, transitional-liminal spaces, which ever-changing juxtaposition of parts best hold our attention. Arrangement decisions are guided by the reality that in music, everything can’t all happen… Continue reading

    keywords
  • October 16, 2023

    Sound Is A Moving Target

    The basis of making music is having a relationship with a musical instrument. What does this mean? The relationship comprises touch, technique, and reciprocity. An instrument is something physical you can touch and make sound with. An instrument responds to the quality of your touch and will sound in accordance with your technique. In doing… Continue reading

    Uncategorized
  • October 13, 2023

    Consonances

    Listen here Continue reading

    Uncategorized
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Thomas Brett is a musician and writer who holds a PhD in ethnomusicology from New York University. He is the author of Principles of Electronic Music Production and The Creative Electronic Music Producer, a book described by Sound On Sound magazine as “a deep philosophical analysis of the various creative inspirations, ideas and processes involved in producing electronic music.” His essays have appeared in the journals Popular Music and Popular Music and Society, as well as edited collections by Routledge, Oxford, and Cambridge University presses. Thomas has played percussion on Broadway since 1997 and writes about music at brettworks.com.

Recent Posts

  • Studio Observations: Listening To Improvisation
  • Database: Shane Parish on Revoicing and the Game Of Subtraction
  • Jup-8000, No. 1
  • Curating The Week: Blogging, Music and Truth-Telling, Memory
  • Resonant Thoughts: Daniel Poppick’s “The Copywriter” (2026)

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