Old Me to Young Me
I am soon to turn 65 years of age. I have applied for Social Security, I have embraced Medicare, and due to health conditions have pretty much retired from active playing (I am a bassist/guitarist) …
Benedictus
Benediction: In the earliest days of the church, there was no “Protestant” or “Catholic” in the denominational sense. There was just “Church”. There were five (or 6 if the Benedictus is separated from the Sanctus) parts that took place in every church service: 1. Kyrie First, I was made aware of …
Why Did I Do It?
So…. Why DID you do it? Or… aren’t you a little old for this? Approximately 4 years ago (2016), this newly-minted 60 -year-old student stood on stage at the Vermont College of Fine Arts to receive his Masters Degree in Music Composition. It was a time of reflection – this was probably the last formal …
“Home-grown” musicians as opposed to “hired guns” in the local Church
This is a great subject to discuss – and is discussed frequently in many churches. Do we hire really good musicians who may or may not go to our church, or should we use musicians from within our own local body? There are benefits and deficits to both models. Here is my opinion, as someone …
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Simple and Compound Meter
Greetings and salutations – this is Mr. G and in this short blog post I want to address a little topic that you’re going to find in almost any music theory curriculum in a college or a high school academic institution. It’s the concept of simple meter or compound meter. You need to know that …
The Art of The Cantus
What does a little creek from the northern Midwest have in common with the pyramids in Egypt or with this little thing called a Cantus firmus? Well, let’s think about this for a second – this little creek in the middle of the northern Midwest eventually becomes the mighty Mississippi River – in fact, …
Why Palestrina? Why Counterpoint?
Why is a concept born out of a 16th century composer still relevant today? Why should we try to understand at least a LITTLE about counterpoint? So glad you asked! I didn’t start studying counterpoint until I was in my 50’s, for a simple reasons. I didn’t see the relevance, as I was a jazz/R&B …
The First Questions…and the First Answers
What is a Mode?What is the Treble Clef staff?What’s a measure?What are these things called notes?What is a flat?What is a Sharp? Answer these questions and we are ready to begin composing. What is a Treble Clef Staff? In the beginning there were no staves (plural for staff). There were Nuemes, symbols placed above the …
Two Views of Music Theory
There are two aspects of music theory – I like to think of them as performance-based and composer-based. Performance-Based (what a player needs to know) I sometimes refer to this aspect as the foundation and framing of a house. Every house that is built has the same basic elements if it is to stand …
In The Beginning
The point of this blog is to share the joy I get from pursuing what is becoming an all-consuming passion for me – musical composition. I have been in love with music as long as I can remember – my first memory being a jazz piece by Count Basie’s orchestra. From my youth on, I …