music – Page 3 – Lines by Leon

Music Monday: I’ve Heard That Song Before

12 notes. How many combinations can you get? Quite a few. Most of the popular music we listen to is made up of 7, so that makes a few less combinations. Just a quick theory lesson: Western music – not Country and Western – which originated in Europe, is based on the major scale, whichContinue reading “Music Monday: I’ve Heard That Song Before”

Music Monday: You Oughta’ Tune – Yer Makin’ Me Cry

Sometimes a song will just grab you for several different reasons. Lyrics hit close to home, a melody moves you, or the rhythm makes you want to dance. I listen to a wide variety of music, as I wrote about in a previous Music Monday: Music Monday: So Many Genres. Here are a couple ofContinue reading “Music Monday: You Oughta’ Tune – Yer Makin’ Me Cry”

Music Monday: Opus 6 – Progress

I sat down the other day and was able to write a few potential transitions to get me from one part to the next. There are so many different forms that a piece of classical music can take. Some take the forms of dances: Gavotet, Mazurka, Allemande, while others are named for their tempo: Allegro,Continue reading “Music Monday: Opus 6 – Progress”

Music Monday: Minimalism

John Cage’s 4’33. A pianist comes out and sits at a piano and begins to…do nothing for four minutes and thirty-three seconds. Is this taking minimalism too far, or is it just someone beating everyone else to the punch. Probably the latter. My first exposure to minimalism was Philp Glass’s Koyaanisqatsi. I didn’t hear itContinue reading “Music Monday: Minimalism”

Music Monday: Places (acoustic guitar)

I hope you have been enjoying my composition series Opus 1 through 5. The next one will follow once I have all the parts connected into a cohesive piece of music. How long does that take? Beats me, so stay tuned. In the meantime, I’ll share a project I have been working on called Places.Continue reading “Music Monday: Places (acoustic guitar)”

Music Monday: Opus 5 Playing and Recording

Now that I have written a piece of music, what next? Music, like other forms of artistic expression, is meant to be shared. Not always—some of what I have created will only be seen and heard by myself. Not that I’m selfish, some things are just too personal. There are two options: Live or recorded.Continue reading “Music Monday: Opus 5 Playing and Recording”

My Music

I finally put all my video and audio files on one page. Music, like writing, is meant to be shared, so I hope that you appreciate my creations. Emotions inspire me to write music, so while some of my compositions hopefully will make you smile, there is a sadness in a few, while others mayContinue reading “My Music”

Music Monday: Opus 4-Writing it Down

When I started my musical education journey, I didn’t have the advantages of computer transcription programs. There was no easy access to popular sheet music. Other that a few guitar magazines, if I wanted to learn a song, I had to get a recording and learn it by ear. That’s not an altogether bad thing—it’sContinue reading “Music Monday: Opus 4-Writing it Down”

Music Monday: Opus 3 – Decomposing Composition

How do I compose? Probably the wrong way and the slowest way ever… I wish I could say that I can hear the music in my head then play it or write it down. I can’t. Not even close. The lucky ones can. I can’t even play the same thing twice in a row sometimes.Continue reading “Music Monday: Opus 3 – Decomposing Composition”

Music Monday: Opus 2

I sommelier once told me, don’t let anyone tell you what you taste. If you taste black cherry, then it has notes of black cherry. He also said that price shouldn’t be a factor. If you like it, it’s a good wine. That’s advice coming from someone whose job it is to sell us onContinue reading “Music Monday: Opus 2”