Finding Peace

People

The Missing

Noise Floor

Crosstalk

Gain Stage

Moog Subharmonicon (chords) & DFAM (bells) with my DIY Minimoog clone (bass), all run through an Alesis Quadraverb – and some more FX in post.

Slumber

Moog Subharmonicon through a two channel voltage controlled filter bank (Sonum by Toil Modular).

Drifting On Sundown

Played a vintage, GDR era, analog string synth (Vermona Piano-Strings) with some keys taped down to free my hands. Sent it through a filter bank emphasizing the vocal formants and then into a legendary phaser pedal with wooden cheeks. Accompanied by Moog Subharmonicon and a simple bass patch on the modular synth.

Airborne

My fav trio at work: DFAM and Subharmonicon doing all the chord and pad lifting and sequencing while DIY Minimoog fills in the bass.

Shiver

And again my favorite trio is at work here: Subharmonicon laying down the chords, DFAM playing the arpeggios above and DIX Minimoog doing the bass groundwork.

Fever Dream

God Spell

This music for orchestra is based on several of my bagatelle duets for Bassoon and Cello. I was encouraged by a colleague to expand and orchestrate the duets into these larger works. Each divertimento contains several themes taken from three or four of the bagatelles, plus new variations.

While the divertimento form is usually lighthearted and composed for solo instrument or small ensemble, that is not the case here. As the title suggests, the overall mood of this music is dark and anxious, reflecting I believe our times of political, social and economic upheaval.

- December, 2018

Divertimento No 6 for Times of Disquiet

Divertimento No 6 For Times Of Disquiet

I am a composer and producer of instrumental music in several genres, including ambient soundscapes, electronica, orchestral and chamber music.  

Musical influences include John Coltrane, Igor Stravinsky, Gustav Holst, Claude Debussy, Maurice Ravel, Tangerine Dream, Robert Prince, Frank Zappa, Brian Eno, Heinrich Ignaz, Franz von Biber.

My Method of Composing and Producing
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I'm sharing my method of composing and producing music recordings in case other composer-producers like me might find ideas worth exploring in their own work. I use this method for Classical, Avant-Pop or Neo-Folk Instrumental genres, not for Ambient and Soundscape pieces. Non-composers might find this explanation interesting, but having a bit of music theory background will definitely help. I consider myself a humble learner when it comes to music theory. 

I owe a debt of gratitude to British musician and educator Gareth Green, whose Music Matters online courses and free YouTube lessons have taught me so much over the past few years. Thanks to his instruction, I’ve moved from struggling to compose music by trial and error to something more enjoyable and productive. The knowledge I've gained has taken my work in new and expanding directions. As the saying goes, “Theory is not a cage — it’s a map. It doesn’t make the journey for you, but it keeps you from getting lost.” 

When I start a new piece, I begin by choosing a key, and picking a scale drawn from one of these sources:
 
1) Western Tonal / Functional Harmony - major or minor chords I II III IV V VI VII
2) Modal Harmony - Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, etc.
3) Slonimsky's "Thesaurus of Scales and Melodic Patterns" 
4) Messiaen’s "Seven Modes of Limited Transposition" 

For many pieces, I also decide on a progression, one as a simple as I IV V, or something more elaborate.  

Next I create a "scales and progressions" piano track in my DAW (digital audio workstation software) and enter the chords I to VII in my chosen key. These harmonized scales serve as a basis for writing multipart harmonies and finding pivot chords for key modulations. 

At the start, I know what instruments I want to use, making adjustments along the way. I tend to write chord parts first, then melodies created through a mix of improvisation and direct input in the DAW. Sometimes I start with a melody.

I develop melodies and variations of a phrase by some combination of: a) passing it from one instrument to another, transposing it by an interval that sounds pleasing, b) reversing it, c) inverting it around the tonic (first) note of the scale. These are well-known methods. 

After completing a section, I choose another scale and maybe a new key and repeat the process until I have a draft of the entire piece. Then I export a recording and listen to it “offline”, take notes of errors and new ideas, and incorporate them back into the piece. Often this “compose / listen / compose” cycle is repeated many times. These iterative cycles include adding new ideas, polishing transitions between sections, changing the arrangement, and incorporating expressive details like accents, and articulations (staccato, sustain, portato etc.). I’m often working several different pieces at once. 

Last is mixing and mastering: balancing the loudness between instruments and adjusting elements like reverb, compression, and equalization. I tend to mix as I compose, even though many producers frown on that approach. I find mixing as I go helps me envision the completed piece and make adjustments to the choice of instruments; it self-inspires me when the piece is starting to sound good.  At the end I do a final mix, but as the saying goes, “A mix is never finished — it’s surrendered.”

In the end, this method gives me a basis for exploration and creativity and helps me stay focused. The goal is always to make a piece of music that feels expressive, cohesive, and emotionally resonant.

Divertimento No 6 For Times Of Disquiet

Jim Lynch