In line with my new commission, I’ve ordered a new mandolin, made by the same company that made my banjo. A medium priced instrument with a nice sound, good enough for me.
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From the monthly archives:
September 2006
Formerly called “electronic music” this course has morphed into a class preparing the composer to learn about the technical process of composing music for motion pictures. We will study and work in LOGIC PRO.
Music 176/226C: Compositional Technologies
Wednesdays, 3 – 5:50; fall 2006
Professor Roger Bourland
SYLLABUS
• Wednesday, Oct. 4 , 2006: Bach chorale orchestration (in class demo)
Asst. [...]
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In the TMI (too much information) department, Daniel sent me this cheery note that listening to music while having a colonoscopy will make us feel better about it all. Having just had one 3 months ago, I must admit I don’t remember a damn thing. “Light” sedation. Uh, yeah.
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Musicians have in centuries past been more servants than promethean super stars. I just received a handsome commission for a work for mandolin, cello, and piano. Like with EMILY, I’m going to buy a mandolin, learn to play it, and then write the piece.
For some reason, I came away from my college education thinking that [...]
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Composer, Mark Carlson (2006); photo by Roger Bourland.
Mark Carlson came over early for some new head shots. This one was my favorite, although it wasn’t the one he ultimately chose.
I find it interesting, speaking of how our brains make sense of the world, to see what pictures people prefer of themselves––myself included. I remember [...]
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The other day I commented how, in Sudoku, when a solution appears, a whole slew of additional answers and clues appear––kinda like life. It occurs to me that the opposite is also true. When you make a mistake, a single mistake, [in Sudoku] you base future decisions upon that erroneous solution and they are usually [...]
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From time to time, a page from a book jumps out at you like a revelation on fire. Daniel J. Levitin’s new book, THIS IS YOUR BRAIN ON MUSIC is rocking my world. I’m only on his first chapter (What is Music) and am impressed at how well he concisely brings the non-musician up to [...]
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Relax and look at some fabulous photography by Henri Cartier-Bresson and a song sung by Edith Piaf.
French photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson (1908-2004) is often regarded as the father of modern photojournalism – his influence on 20th-21st century photography is incalculable – many of his photographs are hallmarks of photography as a recognizable art form … he [...]
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The September issue of the Choral Journal arrived today (for you non-choral nerds, this is the magazine published by the American Choral Directors Association) and it featured an article about composers who have set the poetry of Emily Dickinson. The author dutifully and generously wrote about my DICKINSON MADRIGALS BOOKS 1 & 2 for women’s [...]
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Graham and I spent a grueling 8 hours composing and recording “sound” throughout the film: Lo pads, high sustained pitches or climbing, little sonic stings here and there. Paul Simon once said that the sound is the most important thing he listens to in his music, not the words, melody, or chord changes, but the [...]
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