quietartlover - Tumblr blog

[quietartlover]

Listen/purchase: Heartbreak by Natalie Van Horn

[quietartlover]

Recovering from a lifetime of mental health troubles + university burnout for musicians

I have struggled with my mental health my whole adult life. It is only within the last few months that I really have focused hard on it. I took time to really face and take on my problems. It was and is really hard, and hard work. Some of these problems go back to how I grew up-- both from my parents and from others. However, as part of the process of healing, I for the most part stopped composing. I did have moments of inspiration, but I was not working on anything. I think I realized as I got into a lower level of care and went to a concert that my creative drive had burnt out during school, especially in my Masters. The last year I wrote only to fulfill the Final Project requirement of my degree. I did not have a whole lot of investment beyond a little bit of technique. How significant this was only became clear as I went to listen to a concert about a month ago-- I began to think what I was uncomfortable with in the culture associated with the music I love. I have begun to question the classical music community culture-- the expectations for practice/composing (as many hours as you can push), the class load on top of that, the fact there is no space for a day job, the push for avant-garde among composers, the down-looking of things outside it, the extreme formality. I wonder how much of the mental health problems that are so common among musicians comes down to the culture that we have created at the schools and, by extension, professional expectations.

[quietartlover]

Creative Solutions to Composing

Today, I was trying to figure out how to create a climax in an alternative tonal context while allowing the music to peter out. Looking at my music, I ended up deciding on "transposition" as cadence (016, not 016 and 036), a "cadenza" (continuing the music in 016), and increased tension before the cadence (wholesale repetition of measures).😅😆

This is why writing music will never be boring for me.

[quietartlover]

Me when I am experiencing writer's block

[quietartlover]

...and this is why we tend to use piano for teaching music theory! I always had the general concept down, but I love how blantant this graphic is!

🎸 VS 🎹

#musicproducers #musicproduction #makingbeats #flstudio #flstudio20 #fruityloops #daw #flstudioproducer #flstudioproject #beats #beat #beatmaker #makingbeats https://www.instagram.com/p/CajkcOeg39I/?utm_medium=tumblr

[quietartlover]

I have to try writing for saxophone if this is the humor that comes out of its sound!

the different saxophones

sopranino sax: the shiny magic wand found once in a lifetime

soprano sax: the affectionately named ‘golden oboe’

alto sax: your average goose impersonation creation

tenor sax: the doot doot tube

bari sax: the body-building doot doot that needs to chill

bass sax: like the bari sac but also hyped up on steroids and sometimes mysteriously disappears for months

contrabass sax: what the hell. this instrument had to be made by someone consuming copious amounts of hallucinogenic mushrooms.

[quietartlover]

When you decide regular notation isn't enough.

Kasse II, portato.

✏️: Andy Amholst / fflepp (Twitter)

[quietartlover]

This was me for a while until I learned to look for the reed sticking up on top! It took me a while. ;) Oboes are lovely instruments that deserve to be distinguished. Please learn!

[quietartlover]

Deanna Biles and Mitchell Bodily performing Pieces for Piccolo and Contrabassoon

This was a really fun concept. I would like for this to be performed again and maybe even expand it.

[quietartlover]

A sample of my work-in-progress

@theinkymystery

[quietartlover]

Chatter was inspired by my experiences in crowded spaces as an autistic person. It can be overwhelming to be in a space where lots of people are talking.

This piece premiered originally in surround sound. The sound in the original mix comes at you from all sides enhancing the effect. ☺️ The recording here is a stereo remix. If anyone is interested, I will consider posting the original surround mix.

[quietartlover]

Moments like these make the world magical. I took this one as it was raining and the cars were racing on the highway. The water they threw up looked like a magical mist. I never was able to get a picture at the right moment to capture the experience. This is my best try.

[quietartlover]

Moments like these are akin to what I feel like good art should be. It should sweep you away.

[quietartlover]

Group collaborations can be tricky. I am learning the balance required. We set some organizational bounds for our piece. Now, I am going to have fun creating things to fill those boundaries. 😈

[quietartlover]

I learned a lot from this piece. I really pushed the limits of the motion sensors in the WiiMotes on this piece. It is also my first foray into video editing. All the lighting effects were added post-production, which was a lot of work, but it paid off.

As an interesting note, the "spell" is being cast by the sea witch from the Little Mermaid. The witch’s purpose here is to lure lost souls. The full title of the song is Spell for the Lost: A Spell to Summon.

[quietartlover]

Conception is the hardest part of composition. Here is some of my first attempts at figuring out a new piece.

lol! I won’t even use everything here. @theinkymystery