Symphonies and operas are probably the longest complete works in our musical history. By the time you get to the end of the Romantic era (i.e., the end of the 19th century), a typical symphony (or symphony-like work) could be over an hour long. By contrast, songs in the pop genres (pop, country, rock, etc.) […]
If you still write songs in the traditional way — sitting on the edge of your bed with a guitar and working it all out — you probably perform your songs with your band, or perhaps as a solo performer, with guitar or keyboard as your main instrument. Lately I’ve been giving Peter Gabriel’s album […]
Yesterday I was in rehearsal with Symphony Nova Scotia for a pair of concerts I’m conducting today. It’s a particularly fun concert – for young children – and it gives the kids a chance to do something that most people never get to do: to play with a symphony orchestra. The concert is based on a […]
Download “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” 6 e-book bundle. Here’s how to get your songs working right away! __________________ Ask someone to sing the theme to Beethoven’s 5th Symphony, and you’ll get that famous “da-da-da-DUM” theme. But Beethoven, Brahms, and all other composers realized that most compositions used at least two themes, the so-called “contrasting […]
