How Long Does It Take – So What Should It Cost?

We've all seen those posts where someone asks how much should I pay for a piece of music, a mix, or some other similar service. Interestingly in most cases they then go on to complain that things cost so much and want tens of hours of work for $5. Like they are buying a cup … Continue reading How Long Does It Take – So What Should It Cost?

Music Ownership may be on the Rise

It is sad that the average music "lover" loves music so little they decline to support it. This is a thing we MUST change. If you love your kids you feed them. If you don't, well they get taken away. As musicians, we have been very silly in thinking that if we keep feeding our … Continue reading Music Ownership may be on the Rise

Palais Matinee

Palais Matinee is about the early Classic era of movies. How enthralled audiences were to go to matinee movies where they could be whisked from their daily lives into stories of Egyptian Mummies, Cowboys, Detectives… We start the album with a rather lackluster pre-show performance from the local pit orchestra. It is a shame that … Continue reading Palais Matinee

Preparing a Beat + Vocal for Mixing

This is a companion article for the overview article on preparing Stems for your Mix Engineer. There are certain conventions in the Music world. I know it is easy when first starting out to feel you don't need them, are too cool for them, or don't understand them, but it is well worth getting these … Continue reading Preparing a Beat + Vocal for Mixing

How To Add Background Music To A Poem or Reading

Emily Bronte - she done poetry didn't she? I often get asked how to put a reading of a poem to music. You can just glue two things together and hope but like any time you come at things head-on assuming that it will be simple yet magical, it doesn't quite work out. Here are … Continue reading How To Add Background Music To A Poem or Reading

Pandemic Diaries

If you like my music, if you get enjoyment from it, please support me by purchasing it. This is the only income I make. I just launched Tarot I: The Fools Journey and all the things I was doing for other people evaporated. The COVID-19 Pandemic was made official and the world stopped. We were … Continue reading Pandemic Diaries

How do I make a song if I have the words in my head but I don’t have knowledge in music making?

I see this Q so often that it seemed I should have a formal answer here too. There is the orig Q I answered on Quora How do I make a song if I have the words in my head but I don't have knowledge in music making? Now most people will give a list … Continue reading How do I make a song if I have the words in my head but I don’t have knowledge in music making?

False Gods & Easy Roads – Do you follow them? Are you giving your Best?

No this isn't about religion as such. It is about how things that we are doing may be things that people before us have seen happen before and warned against. Yet on we go with strategies that have failed before as though they will work otherwise for us. Moses went up the mountain - did … Continue reading False Gods & Easy Roads – Do you follow them? Are you giving your Best?

Why breaching Copyright is so wrong – understanding Intellectual Property

From a couple of Q asked on Quora asking why: making derivative works - chewing up someone else's song - was not ok (asked in tones suggesting it should be ok - with no cost attached)the usual one-eyed, won't we all get sued seeing every note or every melody has been done before This was … Continue reading Why breaching Copyright is so wrong – understanding Intellectual Property

Tarot I: The Fool's Journey

This album is an idea that has been with me for almost the whole 30 years I have been composing. I did make an album based around the Tree Of Life back in 2000 but it never felt like the right time to do the cards. Until it did. After Isabel, the Tarot album seemed … Continue reading Tarot I: The Fool's Journey