Composition
Articles, ideas, explorations, and inspiration that focus on music composition
How to Create Tension Without Adding More Notes
Musical tension is not the same thing as density. Explore how expectation, time, contradiction, timbre, constraint, and register can make the same notes feel dramatically more tense.
The Oldest Music I Can Call Mine
I’ve been wondering how far back I have to go before music stops belonging to somebody else. This started, like a lot of things seem to for me lately, with…
Why Bother Writing More Music?
This is a personal essay about my relationship with creating music or rather my lack of creation! When I was a younger creator, I believed I could move people, communicate…
Non-Living Sonic Structures: Nature’s Blueprint for Composers
Music has long found inspiration in the natural world, often mimicking its sounds—birdsong, rainfall, or the thunderous roar of waves. But beneath these evocative sounds lie deeper, more profound lessons:…
The Innovator You Missed: Érik Satie’s Surprising Influence on Modern Music
A Peculiar Pioneer Eric Satie, in the Paris of the late 19th century, was the type of man you might not notice at first glance—a thin figure in a bowler…
Time, Quality, Intention: Returning to the Essence of Music
There was an evening in Florence that feels as vivid now as the moment it happened. It was a night of rain, the kind that hushes a city, softening its…
The Art of Sound: How I Navigated Music Theory, Composition, and Performance
Pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Music Theory and Composition was one of the most fulfilling and transformative experiences of my life. It wasn’t just about becoming a better musician; it…
What is voice leading in music? a quick overview
I learned about voice leading from a very academic angle. It was introduced to me through counterpoint and then through four-part writing. I was never a singer, except for my…
Timbre’s Deep Evolutionary Power
Timbre is what makes each sound have a unique and identifiable sound. It’s how we can tell our mom’s voice from our sister’s voice. Or how we can tell the…