Thoughts on Music

Even though receiving an inspired idea from a moment of inspiration seems easily obtained, it takes work to bring that idea into maturity and completion. The process of motivic development or meditation of the idea takes work and patience. When I was a boy, my...

According to Constitutional scholar and business entrepreneur, Patrick Byrne, the freedoms we enjoy in America and in the Western countries throughout the world, can be traced from Jerusalem, to Athens, to Rome, to the Netherlands, to England, to America. The...

Throughout the history of Western Art Music, following the progression of its development, there are several ‘defining moments’ in terms of the systems that have been made available to composers. I am not referring to the instruments, per se, but rather the...

The French Connection Following are excerpts from the book, Bourbon Street Black: The New Orleans Black Jazzman (Danny Buerkle, Jack V. Barker) Although we seem to romanticize the lives of famous jazz musicians from the past, the society and environment that they...

As a musician and a student of the Bible, there are several passages of Scripture that have become important to me, ones that I have embraced in my own journey as a creative and thriving artist. I have always admired King David, since he was a successful musician and...

When someone uses the phrase, ‘Classical Music,’ they are usually referring to a specific style of music, differentiated from Jazz, Rock, or EDM. However, most people do not realize the importance of Classical music in the fabric of all other musical languages we know...

In our world today, the idea of community has been significantly altered by the internet. What once was a simple concept has now become infinitely more complex and difficult to navigate. With the emergence of Facebook, YouTube, Google, and a host of other bourgeoning...

When I studied at Juillliard, there were two main music courses, aside from private lessons and ensembles, everyone was expected to participate in. They were: music theory and ear-training. While the phrase ‘ear-training’ sounds amusing (I imagine someone trying to...

The subject of frequency is rich and ubiquitous. In fact, everything we understand, scientifically, about universal structure hinges on the subject. Light, magnetism, electricity, sound, planetary rotation, the list goes on. (It is interesting that Albert Einstein...

I have been involved in music-making of all sorts throughout my career. When I first started playing the violin, playing in string orchestras, chamber music groups and full orchestras was a common practice. While hearing songs on the radio was common, there was...