Wonderful production Ralph, love the shifting instrument placement and Fx !

Excellent composition Ralph, great strings!

Very enchanting composition so greatly written and orchestrated! Truly wonderful work, Ralph!

Fairytale Forest Pt. 1

The noise rises up

Mesmerize

The Highest Mountain

My Method of Composing and Producing

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.

Suite for Woodwinds and Percussion No. 2

The Misfit

Mysterious strings

on the road from Maribor to Bamberg I noticed a sign that said Quellverkehr - sounded like an interesting title for a synth-based instrumental. Hope you enjoy. Downloadable CC BY. 

Quellverkehr

good morning, honey

This is our latest song...

We also included a Music Visualizer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gayGD05Z5ss

Shadows danced on my night stand 
Fell asleep in nowhere land 
Showed up on Thursday night 
But I lost that gig to a tribute band 

Took the train down to the east side
Wore my shades just to hide my eyes
Those brownstone girls swirled in my head
And I drifted off and took the ride

And it’s one more night 
One more night 
One more night on Ludlow Street 
And it’s one more night 
One more night 
One more night on Ludlow Street 

Ran into Jane somewhere in between
She sells oils and wears too much green
She said, “rock's a scam and jazz is dead”
And then she kissed my cheek and split the scene

And it’s one more night 
One more night 
One more night on Ludlow Street
You play it straight 
You lose the beat
One more night on Ludlow Street

And it’s one more night 
One more night 
One more night on Ludlow Street

Ludlow Street (with Joliz)

YOU SHOWED ME THE REASON

🎧 Please use good headphone if possible 🎧

Graphic artist, writer, and just a budding musician.

Playing piano is my daily therapy against stress. That also repels the rodents that attempt to squat my attic in winter !

As an insomniac, I mainly play at night. Each improvisation is like a snapshot of my mood and state of mind of the instant.

I record almost everything I play. From time to time one of these improvisations inspires me enough, and I use it as a basis for a composition.

Disclaimer : I deny any responsibility in case of ear bleeds !


Thank you for passing by here and listening to my clumsy experimental works !

Please, don't blame my piano teacher, I had none!

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Mysterious strings

Ralph Bilouppie

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