January 2009

I just read an interesting article analysing Stravinsky and his application of the twelve tone music method. Be sure to check it out if you are composing film / game scores yourself.
I've written a few twelve tone themes in the past while studying composition, but this article is really inspiring. Oh, and don't forget to listen to "The rite of spring" by Stravinsky. It's a beauty!

Stravinsky's twelve tone music article

Haha, I just got the news from my brother that my weird Zelda remix with Henieken sound samples made it number 7 out of 21 in a competition. That's just great. I had no intention at all to make anything with the song. But Nicklas asked me to send it to a competition just for fun.

You can now listen to the track in the mp3 player.
Let me know if you like it, or maybe you have a cool idea of another song I could perform with the Heineken sound samples. =)

Read the full post on the Zelda Heineken project here

Yesterday I started to write on a new overture theme, which turned out sounding a bit like a Disney soundtrack. I worked on the melody for about 3-4 hours before I even started to record anything. I first wrote the main melody and chords with basic piano. If a song sounds good with basic piano, you can be quite sure that it will sound good when arranged with strings, woodwinds, brass etc... When most melodies were in place I figure out an arrangement based on woodwind instruments as the main driving force.
During the arranging phase I realised the track didn't have enough "classical" vibe so I put in a few phrases here and there to make it even more bombastic and "Disney like". Loads of variation in the dynamics...it's the key for a bombastic piece.
The arrangement contains 23 midi-tracks so far and with percussion I guess it will end up about around 35, give or take.

A mix of the song will be available in the mp3 player soon.

Take care!

Dear reader,

I've decided to put together a compendium regarding composition/songwriting in this blogg. During my musical travel I've gathered pieces of "how tos" from here and there regarding the magic behind songwriting. I will present some of my thoughts, and a bit indepth of how I work and how to approach the different tools.

Well, let us start with some background information.
The first time I touched an instrument was probably a Ukelele which my parents bought for me when I was very young. I had been asking them about a "Plinko plonkor" for a very long time, though they had a hard time finding out what kind of "thing" I was asking about (since my language was very limited at the time). Finally they realized it was a guitar I wanted.

...to be continued.