Tag Archives: Composing

The value of identifying your values

Posted on December 4, 2011 by

I was asked a few months ago by Pat Strother of Strother Communications to name my three core values as an artist, musician and composer. He was looking for a three-word distillation of the guiding principles that motivate me to … Continue reading →

Posted in Composing, Creativity, Performing, Thoughts | Tagged , , | 10 Comments

What is practicing?

Posted on October 29, 2011 by

I am often asked how I practice, what I practice, and how much time I spend practicing guitar. I always feel like answering: I don’t :^) This is not true of course. But what is true is, the practicing I … Continue reading →

Posted in Composing, Creativity, Guitar, Music, Performing, Touring, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | 7 Comments

Moving forward requires making decisions

Posted on July 31, 2011 by

I am writing a tune at the moment. I have reached a point in the development of this tune where a decision must be made about what the tune is, what it is saying, and where it is going. I … Continue reading →

Posted in Composing, Creativity, Guitar, Music | Tagged , , , | 6 Comments

The groove cloud

Posted on July 17, 2011 by

While teaching a guitar workshop this past weekend, I was reminded of a key factor in the performance of music: the connection between groove and memory. In order to teach “Tractor Pull”, one of my busier tunes, it was necessary … Continue reading →

Posted in Composing, Creativity, Guitar, Music, Performing | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Compositions can evolve technically

Posted on July 4, 2011 by

While checking the accuracy of a transcription of one of my tunes today, I ran into a familiar problem: I now play the tune slightly differently than I did when I first wrote and recorded it. In order to avoid … Continue reading →

Posted in Creativity, Music, Thoughts | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Look for something surprising that works…

Posted on June 16, 2010 by

Wednesday, 16 June 2010 When writing music you don’t always want to do what either you or the listener expects to hear next. Your composition may be carefully worked out according to a plan, but you never want it to … Continue reading →

Posted in Music | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments