I would like to warn the reader that this blog contains opinions that may not be shared by all. The habit of joining together with other musicians during performances is as old as music itself but the systematic arrangement of instrumental groups, that we now call ‘orchestration’, is comparatively new. It is a feature of […]
Month: August 2014
Where’s the tune, pal?
In the book I make the following claim: In the main stream of conventional music, a composition that is expected to have popular appeal will fail if it does not possess, somewhere during its development, an expressive melody. Melody is the outer contour or shape that musical rhythms and harmonies present to the world. People […]
So what ARE the ‘rules’ of music?
I could open this blog by making a slick comment such as ‘Well, there AREN’T any, actually’. This isn’t too far away from the truth but, as always, the matter is a little more complicated. I think I’ll probably be correct if I say that the majority of people approach music theory, especially the theory […]