Welcome to my blog

I have created this site in order to provide performers, listeners and composers with a description of a composer's experiences with the creative process. The posts will provide discussions of the inspirations, challenges, and successes of a composer from the inception of the piece to the culmination in performance. I will provide a link to where you can see and hear the works in progress. Comments and questions are always welcomed. They will not posted unless you grant me permission.

Tuesday, July 30, 2013

National Broadcast of My Composition

This week, my composition "Prelude and Festive Celebration" for clarinet and organ is part of the American Public Radio Pipedreams program "Organ and Friends" that is broadcast nationally over many public radio stations. You can listen anytime on the web at http://pipedreams.publicradio.org/listings/2013/1330/ My piece is during the first hour from 9:22 to 17:23. I am honored that my music and CD label Emeritus Recordings product is included in this program.

Thursday, July 25, 2013

Performer and Composer Partnerships

As a composer and performer, I am very concerned about the gap that exists between today’s composers and the rest of the musical community, whether they are performers or listeners. One way to help bridge this gap is for composers and performers to work together to create win-win opportunities. I have done this throughout my career from both the composer and performer end and continue to do so through my publishing company, Co-op Press.

The purpose of my publishing company is to partner with performers to serve their needs. To this end, we have created numerous opportunities that we feel serve the needs of performers at various levels of accomplishment. Accomplished musicians at any level can apply for our Commission Assistance Grant or our Fund Raising Program. Accomplished musicians at an advanced level can apply for our Recording Assistance Grant or to become part of our Performing Partner Program. If you perform with groups of unusual instrumentation, we can often adapt our chamber music selections to fit your instrumentation. We offer some free music at our website as well as a free guide to practicing. Right now, if your sign up for our mailing list, we are offering a free copy of my Holiday Etudes/Duets that contains original pieces that celebrate various holidays throughout the year. All of our profits go into supporting these programs. We are always looking for ways we can better serve the performer, so any ideas are welcomed. Please visit my website at http://cooppress.net for more information on any of these programs.

I encourage other composers and performers to be creative in working together where the exchange of money is not the primary criteria.

Dr. B

Friday, July 12, 2013

Modern Jazz Suite Movement 3

Before I discuss this movement, I want to tell you about a website that has helped me greatly in composing for the guitar. It comes out of Indiana University and is called Instrument Studies for the Eyes and Ears http://www.music.indiana.edu/department/composition/isfee/ Most instruments are represented here and it demonstrates and shows the various playing techniques used by those instruments and how to notate the effects. Thank you Indiana University for this valuable resource.

The third movement is titled "Third Stream," which is a style of jazz that marries classical and jazz elements. This is a Lento movement and it is designed to be played straight instead with a swing feel. Therefore the style of playing is more classical than jazz. However, there is a large use of blue notes and jazz sounding chords that flavor it with jazz characteristics.

Once again, the form is quite free where the ideas develop and repeat as needed. The rehearsal numbers delineate the sections of ABCA'B'A'DA''. Variations are achieved through instrumentation changes, melodic elaboration, fragmentation of sections, and tonal shifts. The guitar uses harmonics, slurs, arpeggios, and single melodic lines to achieve a variety of tone color and texture.

I am now using flip pdf technology for the musical examples that go along with my posts. It uses Flash Player that most browsers come with. You will be hearing an mp3 of sampled sounds playing the music and you will see the score at the same time. You will need to turn the pages by clicking on the arrows at the appropriate time. To see and hear what I have discussed, go to http://www.cooppress.net/modern_jazz_suite_blog.html.

As always, your comments are appreciated.

Dr. B

Tuesday, July 9, 2013

Modern Jazz Suite Movement 2

The second movement of this suite is called "Cool." Cool jazz is very laid back, therefore I chose a moderate tempo. It also can use odd meters so this movement is in 7/4 time. Another characteristic is the use of pastel type colors therefore the saxophonist is asked to play subtone (with a breathy sound) most of the time.

This movement is typical of what happens when I compose. I begin with an idea and see where it will take me. As a result, the movement seems to develop, much in the manner a development section of a symphony develops. Motives are transformed, counterpoint is used, the music wanders between keys freely, etc. When I get to a certain point, the music suggests a need to restate something familiar, thus I return to the opening material. This restatement is often a slight variation of the opening material therefore one can look at the form of this movement as ABCDEA'B'CCoda. The rehearsal numbers help delineate this form.

I am now using flip pdf technology for the musical examples that go along with my posts. It uses Flash Player that most browsers come with. You will be hearing an mp3 of sampled sounds playing the music and you will see the score at the same time. You will need to turn the pages by clicking on the arrows at the appropriate time. To see and hear what I have discussed, go to http://www.cooppress.net/modern_jazz_suite_blog.html.

As always, your comments are appreciated.

Dr. B