Articles by Dave Graham

Make Better Music 64: “What Comes Next?”The big question that always demands an answer, when you are writing music, is what happens next?

It seems straightforward until you try it. Then suddenly you get confronted with either too many possibilities, or your mind seizes up and you can’t think of how to continue at all. Either way there are doubts, uncertainties and all the options can seem meaningless or overwhelming. (read more)

Of course, if you are writing a song every day, it’s unlikely that you are going to be churning out a double album of SOLID GOLD CLASSICS each months, but on the flip side, it will do you a lot of good, and the chances are there will be some good ideas mixed in with the rest. (read more)

On the plus side, a new generation (one that has grown up with remarkably powerful music tech tools) will do things with music software that are incredible, ground breaking, ear-catching and mind blowing. The downside may be a lot of people who mistake combining childlike stumbling in software that can automate everything, with actually doing something…and perhaps more importantly it may lead to a slight decline in people actually playing things. (read more)

One of the joys of music is that it always has something to say that’s worth listening to, even in tracks that you have heard a hundred times. There’s a richness and enough ambiguity of expression to keep finding more and more in there. (read more)

The idea is simple – things that are easy to do can be done by more people than things that are hard. You want to make your music available as a “self release” via a service like bandcamp? Go for it, it’s easy! The downside is, anyone can do it. In fact I could do a quick tune right now and have it on bandcamp in an hour. (read more)

I regard writing fine counterpoint as a bit of a lost art. In some ways it’s largely redundant in todays music, where single ideas right up front are generally king. This is not any kind of rant about the “decline of music” or anything, simply that I really enjoy this kind of style, it’s intricate and fascinating – and with infinite possibilities to play with, it’s a lifetimes work of investigation. (read more)

I wonder how it feels to be making music after fifty or even sixty active years. Some people have gone on even longer – Elliot Carter is about to turn 103 and is still an active composer – what can be left to say after such a time of artistic outpouring? (read more)

Imbue your music with your passion. If you don’t have a passion for making music, then leave it to those who do. Fill your music to the brim with all the emotion, drive, energy, love, enthusiasm you’ve got, and add in any other feelings you want in there. Just make sure to pack every moment of your music with something – or else what is it? Even if you love cold, emotionless music, and want to make your own, you can still pour in your passions and make those feeling jump out at the listener. (read more)

Another interesting realisation, specific to time spent in a Disneyland Resort, is that it is hard to feel anything but happy when the air is constantly filled with ragtime, pumped out into the streets through curiously hard to see speakers. (read more)

fter a slightly wild couple of days defending myself from various opinions on last weeks article, I’ve decided to go over what I was saying and clarify a few points that I possibly didn’t make (read more)

It occurred to me the other day, after I’d picked up my guitar for the first time in a while, and for the first time in my life my skills had noticeably diminished. I’ve not played much for a while, and all I can do is assume that I’m at an age now (the grand old age of 35 and three quarters, if you must know) where things that are not exercised regularly will start to wither away. Anyway, this brought to my mind a word that I hadn’t uttered for many years: PRACTICE. (read more)

Your music is what it isn’t. What it lacks will define it. Don’t forget why you are writing it, don’t get side-tracked by writing or recording it – you are making an experience for the listener. The experience, the emotions it brings…the feelings…these are what count. (read more)

Make Better Music 50: What Would Jesus Do?. One of the beautiful things about music is that sounds don’t lie – they are what they are. This means that when you hear a piece of music that you adore, but you don’t feel you could ever have written – the simple truth is that every note of it is right under your nose. Lessons in music composition, song writing, artistic motivation and making better music from David Graham. (read more)

Make Better Music 49: Accepting the New. Lessons in music composition, song writing, artistic motivation and making better music from David Graham. (read more)

Make Better Music 46: Satie, Reich, Schoenberg and the Limits. Lessons in music composition, song writing, artistic motivation and making better music from David Graham. (read more)

Make Better Music 45: Oh, The Possibilities! Lessons in music composition, song writing, artistic motivation and making better music from David Graham. (read more)

Make Better Music 44: Polyrhythms….the hallmark of complexity! Lessons in music composition, song writing, artistic motivation and making better music from David Graham. (read more)

Make Better Music 43: Has everything been done? Lessons in music composition, song writing, artistic motivation and making better music from David Graham. (read more)

Make Better Music 42: Being the Next Big Thing. Lessons in music composition, song writing, artistic motivation and making better music from David Graham. (read more)

Make Better Music 41: Tempo, Rhythm & Time. Lessons in music composition, song writing, artistic motivation and making better music from David Graham. (read more)