Further explorations into the worlds of imagination

Time of the Purple Starfish

Feasting on Sand

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Feasting On Sand

Hi my name is Alessandro 
and i hope i meet nice people


#soulfire

Ionut Mirel Udrea (Member Of APRA/AMCOS) is a music composer, piano player and music producer based in Sydney - Australia. 
Ionut Mirel Udrea composes emotive piano-based instrumental music.

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.

Welcome to the alternative reality that is the Dragonsail Puppets! We have a YouTube channel with cagey comedy and spirited music videos as well. Please feel free to check it out and join us on this party boat!

See their music videos and YouTube comedy series!:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVBel-tzj24Gj9QR8RTRpow

On Earth One, all of the music and lyrics are written by Dragonsail, aka Greg Hester. Likewise, all of the playing and vocal performances and recording and mixing are done by Dragonsail as well. But that's not as interesting as what's happening on Earth Two.

On Earth Two, these songs are created and performed by a scheming diva named Surrenda and her enthusiastic but clueless dog sidekick Bruce. Additional songwriting is provided by their septuagenarian feline keyboardist, Catatonia, and Onree - the sweet pup with the mean shaker. There's also some old geezers in the band who've been with Surrenda for a couple of decades who actually play real instruments, but they mostly loom in the shadows.

The range of styles in their music includes funk, psychedelia, hard rock, prog rock and disco, which they tear away at with whatever instruments and found objects they have stowed away with them aboard their ship, the Club Dragonsail.




Composer, Sound designer, Recording Artist
Electronic / Ambient / Soundscape
MUSIC FOR FILMS & TELEVISION
Original music from real synths.
© All rights reserved

PLEASE NO PROMOTERS . I DO MY OWN !

"Fear produces money while the absence of fear creates culture"
Vangelis Papathanassiou

AI music and voice production infects human creativity and inspiration.

As a kid starting play keyboards for fun. Then I played live piano in piano bars and restaurants. During 90s also compose and recording my first audio tracks. After a 20 years break I came back with more love for music creation especialy for electronic sound.