arrange • compose • conduct
Posts discussing creativity, both in and outside of music
Your best work is only 10% of your collected works. This is true no matter how good your work is – the best is the best. It’s true for you, it was true for Frank Lloyd Wright, Joni Mitchell, and Ludwig von Beethoven. It’s true for Lin-Manuel Miranda, Stevie Wonder, […]
A significant part of any creator’s life falls into the category of “Not Being Creative.” Responsibilities in the home, family, or community are in that category, but so are the many non-creative aspects of any creative project. Billing, email, promotion, negotiations, “networking“. I admit to feeling guilty when I let […]
It’s a common lament that the proliferation of LEGO sets, and especially branded LEGO sets (Harry Potter, Star Wars, etc.) is a sign of the times – that we are systematically destroying creativity in the play of our children. I argue the opposite. For most LEGO kids, yes, LEGO instructions […]
Accomplished musicians are keen appreciators of good design. Musical design elements, of course. Form. Harmonic movement. Thematic development. Phrasing. Melodic framework. Orchestration. Visual elements are important to musicians–elements such as staff layout on the page, page turns, clarity of notation. Not to mention such design elements as programming, stage design, […]
I’ll never forget the day I was showed how to color properly. It took years to overcome the unspoken lesson. It was on a bring your child to work day – I was in a staff lounge with my sister while my dad was checking on patients. A friendly nurse […]
A lot of it is just, knuckling under and, what’s the right analogy? Man, you just gotta dig harder and slow it down. Slowing stuff down is the biggest thing. You can see kind of a recurring theme here. My desire to create works of quality at a certain rate […]
It’s understandable – it’s admirable! – to aim for perfection with every project. We all want every project to be the best possible version when we finish it. But I know that I have fallen victim to projects that may be perfect but not repeatable. I’ve devised elaborate weekly rehearsal […]
“Curiosity killed the cat.” File that under well-known expressions that send a terrible message to those we seek to teach. Curiosity should be the cornerstone of how we interact with the world. Curiosity should be the default state. “But satisfaction brought it back.” The less-used second half of the expression […]
Prompts for creativity are a vital tool for amateurs. What can a professional creator use? Amateurs and aspiring artists have access to many different creative prompts. It might be as fully formed as a Bob Ross painting show, giving you all the details of how to create a painting. It […]
My most fruitful days as a composer and arranger come when I’m just playing. Others might be more systematic about their arranging and composing – exhausting all possibilities in a long list. And I have those days, too: when I’m not sure what to do next and I simply try […]