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Despair
Lost & Found by Amon Tobin is a song fundamentally about despair. Despair as Kierkegaard defines it. I hate the term “ego death”; there is no attainable “oneness” in Freudian psychology. To “attain” ego death is not the spiritual elimination of the self. It is the complete absorption of the…
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Sampling
Audio sampling has been around since the 70s, where DJs would use turntables to mix audio from different records. Modern sampling uses digital audio workplaces to incorporation samples in a song. A sample is often thought to be an piece of a different song incorporated in a different way. It…
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Classical Music
A brief commentary on classical music—its history, perception, and decline in relevance… The term classical music itself is misleading. While it technically refers to music composed during the Classical period (approximately 1750–1820), it has become an umbrella term encompassing works from the Baroque, Romantic, and 20th-century periods, all the way…
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Sentimentality vs Sincerity
Sincere adj Containing no element of dissimulation or deception; not feigned or pretended; real, true. Sentimental adj Of literary compositions (occasionally of music or other art): Appealing to sentiment; expressive of the tender emotions, esp. those of love. Oxford English Dictionary Sincerity and sentimentality may not seem like opposites to…
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“Swinging” by Wassily Kandinsky
“Swinging” by Wassily Kandinsky, Oil on millboard, 1925, The Tate Gallery 1978-80: Illustrated Catalogue of Acquisitions, London While it might seem strange that a painting is being featured on a music, focused webpage, understanding Kandinsky and this painting will resolve this conflict, although even if this were a different piece…
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Minimalism in Music
Minimalism noun : a style or technique (as in music, literature, or design) that is characterized by extreme spareness and simplicity -Merriam Webster I disagree with this definition. Minimalism may be spare but it is not simple. A thing’s existence is as complex as it’s non existence. I define minimalism as
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What makes a transition good?
When you think of what skills a good musician has, there is a good chance you think of phrasing. Phrasing is the art of splitting up one’s piece into discernible phrases, or deliberately blurring the distinction between phrases. At the root of musical transitions is phrasing. Being able to neatly…
