On Harmonic Analysis in Music Notation
The following is an excerpt from my book Harmonic Processions. The traditional music‑notation system, as it has been handed down for centuries, was created with performers in mind, and in …
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Harmonic Processions Now Available
Composers, improvisers, music theorists — let me show you the sacred architecture hidden in the procession of all 350 chords and scales. As I entered this world, I was enchanted …
Studying the Score
It never ceases to amuse me that in preparation for an orchestra rehearsal I have to study my own music. Someone might ask whether it’s B-flat or B-natural, whether the …
A Soft Persistence: Composing for Symphony Orchestra
When I began to work on the recent orchestral commission from the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra, as usual, I began composing by outlining a logical structure and detailed description of the …
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Dissonance in Music
I spent the last few months examining dissonance in music. I cataloged hundreds of harmonies that express bliss, anger, frustration, pain, or indifference. I drew countless diagrams and made a …
Days of Innocence for Piano Quintet
When I first came in contact with a piano in my childhood, I was mesmerized by the instrument. Not knowing anything about musical scales or the significance of the black …
AI Music
Right now, artificial intelligence in the field of music is in its infancy, but one day soon, I’m sure, it will catch up. When it reaches the capability to compose …
Provenance
When you hear the words “migration” or “immigration,” what thoughts come to your mind? Is it of adventure, exploration, and discovery, or is it of danger, political conflict, and refuge? …
Voice and Piano Transcriptions
I was able to carve out some time for a song cycle I composed in 2019 for mezzo-soprano, flute, bassoon, and guitar. The piece was commissioned by visionary flutist Kate …
New Music for Cello Solo
The first draft of the new cello piece went out to D. Scot Williams who commissioned it. Seven and a half minutes of music exploring all registers of the instrument, …