Fickle Ears

Jazz and race. It's a topic that's been making it's way around the blogosphere lately. By the time I get this post up, the whole...

The best composition lessons I ever had were the ones with Bartòk. In only 45 minutes, he would show me how to write counterpoint, how to or...

For only the third time in my adult life, I went to a protest/demonstration/rally last weekend. Such events were held worldwide to commemora...

...is when they don't deal with music. I'll grant an exemption to politics given the dire events of the last several years, but that...

There was a time when I refused to show any inclination whatsoever towards moving to New York City. Every midwestern jazz player practically...

The ability to recognize patterns varies in individuals and is not universal. It is a skill that can be honed, but it does not come to every...

Why are so many "serious" musicians so mystified as to how to garner mass appeal? It's the backbeat, silly. You can play whate...

The imitation of another musician's personal style is often considered to be an act of reverence. If the imitation is too close, it may ...

I recall that rather amusing moment in the early days of TubeNet when the first person dared to verbalize what we'd all been observing ...

"If it seems too good to be true, it probably is." Slowly but surely, I'm learning not to buy CD's that get reviewed favor...

Reading the comments on this by a certain "Mark" has set me off. Thank you Mark for taking it upon yourself to set the jazz world...

I hate to get involved in these things, but here goes nothin'... A challenge was issued here earlier this week. You can peruse the resp...

Yeah, yeah, yeah, labels/genres are stupid and we all hate them. "...but is it jazz?" and "...but is it music?" are easi...

It seems to me that examining the similarities and differences between classical music concerts and professional sports events could teach u...

In enabling comment moderation, I inadvertently also limited posting privileges to "team members." I think I've got it straigh...

As the subtitle "death by eclectic chair" is meant to imply (thankfully for you it's a pun, not a typo), this blog is showing ...

It was not without trepidation that I recently filled out some parts of my blogger profile that I had previously left blank (specifically, t...

I've entered a few composition contests in my time, but until this spawned this and this , I never stopped to think about entry fee-to...

As I continue to avoid practicing orchestal excerpts, a cursory glance at recent online developments yields a newfound awareness of several ...

Everyone should read this post by Kyle Gann. My jaw was on the floor a couple of times. I want to say I agree with him, but that would not ...

#1- Low humidity coupled with low temperatures is one of mother nature's many ways of saying "I hate you" to brass players. #...

I finally got the bug that is going around, so I've been holed up the last few days trying to recover. Out of sheer frustraton, I actual...

What jumps out at me about much of the discourse on the internet concerning contemporary classical music is that there are an awful lot of f...

Event #1: I had a conversation with another musician several months ago where he said that too many players and teachers use orchestral exce...

In composition, there is a fine line between "finding your voice" and painting by number; between giving each piece a personal tou...

About a month ago now, I mailed entries to two composition contests by way of Priority Mail. As always, I availed myself of the USPS's d...

Allow me to reflect on my most recent yet only marginally successful attempts to hack through a few of the orchestral excerpts I've been...

By popular demand, I've added links to some of my music. Be nice. I regret that I do not currently have a decent recording of an entire ...

Merry Christmakwanzaakah to all you brass types out there: click here

As listeners, we often experience the phenomenon of a piece "growing" on us. It is not an unusual occurrence, but what if the piec...