Dry Spell: a parched landscape....or a time of creative suspension, needing a refresh...

DRY SPELL

A musician writing originals since 1972. I still write my own Lyrics and Music . I perform all the instruments you are hearing. (Guitars / Bass / Keyboards/ Percussion and  all Vocals ) I do use a drum program when the arrangements are too complex.

Music is a light that shines on life

https://youtu.be/qSX3e6SU_qk?si=GqBMVLAtLyAINbIi
youtu.be/kNbHz5Eo7YE

https://youtu.be/0-9ilLhk1Ls?si=wFC1p9UqmOE0Y-Ox

https://youtu.be/cMnGF-PUUdw?si=dj7PNb6J68EqHjHt


https://youtu.be/xP31vLUmQUs
https://youtu.be/8Jw6TtKIaxE

https://youtu.be/SR1V_L33lzg
https://youtu.be/iFbg-wpDEJw

https://youtu.be/b7UcSmyoIyc
https://youtu.be/x03Ohc5YyZ4

https://youtu.be/L0wL8Z9dHA4
https://youtu.be/qApaVLZmH1A

On a little break while I figure some stuff out in my life. I'll be back soon...

Musician/Composer/Sound Designer/Producer
Owner/Operator of Sound Source Fundamentals

"The most beautiful experience we can have is the mysterious. It is the fundamental emotion that stands at the cradle of true art and true science."
-Albert Einstein

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.

Since 1984 I am composing and recording electronic instrumental music of different styles like ambient, soundtracks, pop, new classics, or noise improvisations. "Studio Lupus Polaris" is the pseudonym of my home studio and of my musical non-profit activities.

Thanks to all for listening!

Lifelong keyboard player and composer and synth programmer. Perhaps, I hear things just a little differently...

kid otari is a collaboration of naldo & guillaume
https://soundcloud.com/naldeau/tracks
https://soundcloud.com/guillaumelecompositeur/tracks
our NG-Xp experimental instrumental music here:
https://soundcloud.com/ng-xp/tracks

🐳Thank you for your support. It's very encouraging.🪼
🐱I do not use AI in my music.😊
🌺Have fun! Bandcamp!💞Thank you for your purchase!💞

DRY SPELL

Bobby Nelson