What do Chopin and Jimi Hendrix have in common? What do "Graceland" and "Yesterday" have in common? How do mp3s work? What is the purpose of music? These are just a few of the random topics Paul Cantrell and I talk about in today's episode of Composer Quest. He has a ton of golden nuggets for composers, and you'll get to hear him live at the piano, explaining the composing styles of Chopin, Brahms, and Paul Cantrell himself.
For this special 100th episode of Composer Quest, I thought I'd invite back my songwriter guest from the very first episode: Mitchell Adam Johnson. If you heard that episode, you know Mitchell has a knack for bringing music theory into his pop songwriting. We talk about chord progressions, "bizarro" tritones, Motown bass lines, and deep questions like "What's the purpose of music?" Mitchell is releasing his first ever solo EP, Half Moon Lane, in just a few weeks, and this is a sneak preview of his beautiful new songs. Also, stick around until the end of the episode, and you'll get to hear a new song collaboration between Mitchell and me.
After his time as a helicopter pilot in the army, Jon Brantingham returned to his love of music theory and composing. He’s been inspiring people with his practical approach to learning composition, which he’s been sharing in his blog and podcast, Art of Composing. In this episode of Composer Quest, Jon and I talk about what makes a good melody, how to modulate using “pivot chords,” and how to channel Beethoven without outright copying him. We also chat about what he’s been learning in his UCLA film scoring program. It’s a longer and more theory-heavy talk than usual, but it got my composer gears going, so I hope you enjoy it too!
Alex Cooke majored in Math, Psychology, and Theater, but he eventually came back to his first true passion - music. He's an interesting guy, and in this Composer Quest interview, we talk about everything from composing in odd time signatures to the most common Red Hot Chili Peppers chord progression. He also shares a bunch of practical advice on making your pieces both playable and artistically cohesive.
My talented friend Tyler Tholl evaded coming on the Composer Quest podcast for over a year, but finally my pestering paid off. I was really excited to visit Tyler in his studio and see the man behind the curtain at work. His new Maple & Beech EP Flashes & Floaters (made with drummer Pete James Johnson from episode 15) sounds amazing, and in this episode we get a thorough dissection of the composition and music production techniques Tyler used. We also talk about Tyler's producing for the new Borderline EP by Paul Spring (from episode 11). Stick around until the end, and you'll get to be a fly on the wall in Tyler's studio, as he produces the intro theme to this Composer Quest episode on the spot.
In order to be more productive, composer Justin Merritt once tried polyphasic sleeping, meaning he slept only a couple hours per day. After countless hours of busyness, he finally came to the revelation that he just needed to feel bored to become inspired. In this episode of Composer Quest, Justin and I talk about how Buddhist philosophies have influenced his life as a composer, and he shares some great composition advice he gives to his students at St. Olaf. Justin also explains how he invented a unique system of creating scales and modulating, which he used in his beautiful piece "Lachryme" for string orchestra.
I'm excited to bring you this Composer Quest podcast episode with talented video game composer Rich Vreeland (aka Disasterpeace). We talk about his snowflake-catching game January, and how he infused his code with music theory to make some beautiful generative music. Rich also explains his composing techniques for the indie games FEZ and The Floor is Jelly.
Fellow composition podcaster Tom Snively has been producing new tracks weekly and picking them apart on his show Making My Own Music. However, his inner composer was dormant for many years as he worked as a computer programmer, then as a financial planner. In this episode of Composer Quest, I talk with Tom about his new venture to make a career out of composing and producing. He's been experimenting with writing video game scores, jazz saxophone tunes, new age music, and a spoken word track based on Philly cheesesteaks.
If you heard the Questmas episode, you'll remember Josh Wilson's thrilling adventure to find a fortune cookie in Taiwan. I've gotten a kick out of his quirky YouTube series Mr. Wilson Presents, which is a great example of how classical composing can be fun and approachable. Of course, this "infotainment" is not without Josh's flair for music theory terminology. In this Composer Quest episode, Josh teaches me a thing or two about how to structure a symphony like Haydn, how to write upside-down "table music" like Mozart, and how to make decent-sounding choral MIDI files.
In this episode of Composer Quest, Chris Kukla shares some practical advice about making a business out of video game composing. He talks about where to find gigs, how to get paid, and how to work well with your clients. We also talk about his "ugly guitar chord" game and his tribute to Hitchcock's film composer Bernard Herrman.