Uncovering the depths of the creative processes of composing music. Gain valuable insights with practical tips and techniques. Whether you’re a fellow musician, an enthusiast, or just curious about the world of contemporary music, there’s a rich tapestry of sounds and ideas waiting for you here.
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Can you compose a concerto without instruments? Road trip without instruments, leaning on scores, memory, and notation tools to shape a bassoon concerto draft.
I hate the Music I Wrote, Disliking a first draft does not mean the idea failed. Sometimes the music needs a new structure before the real piece starts to speak.
A look inside the collaborative process of shaping a new solo violin piece through performer feedback, extended techniques, and shared experimentation.
A month of composing new music: finishing Riding the Dragon, notating clarinet multiphonics in Dorico, and preparing new solo works.
Progress on a woodwind quintet: overcoming setbacks, rewriting lost material, and shaping fragments into form using circle-music and rhythmic ideas.
Taiwan, Beethoven, and a New Quintet Early sketches for a woodwind quintet inspired by Chinese & Taiwanese folk music, hocketing rhythms, and an altered folk melody—while the piece’s structure is still forming.
How Dorico 6 Unblocked My Creative Workflow Porting an old orchestra-and-choir score into Dorico 6 forced me to confront box notation, cutaways, and long-avoided workflow problems. What started as a technical challenge ended up clearing mental space—and opening a path forward. Download library ZIP
Closing 2025, Looking to 2026: A New Year’s Reflection A candid look back at missed goals, unexpected progress, and the realities that shaped my composing year. Reflecting on 2025 helps me reset expectations, carry projects forward, and plan a more honest, sustainable path into 2026.
A simple woodwind-quintet idea spiraled into a battle with “Masterpiece Syndrome.” Here’s how perfection pressure quietly kills creativity—and why even Beethoven’s so-called masterpieces weren’t perfect. A reminder that your music deserves to exist long before it becomes great.
Post-Concert Reflections After a thrilling premiere filled with last-minute drama (including an injured oboist!), I swapped the concert hall for a paint-splattered ladder. Now, post-symphony and post-vacation, I’m recharged, reflective, and ready to dive into new musical adventures once again.
The Work After “The Work” Finishing the symphony didn’t mean the work was done. From printing scores and preparing parts to writing for the American Beethoven Society and adjusting tempos after feedback, every step reminded me that composition thrives through collaboration, community, and constant refinement.
Finishing Touches on the Finale I spent August refining the finale of my Fourth Symphony—revising problem spots, reworking the beginning and ending, and polishing details. With feedback from mentors and renewed confidence, the piece is nearly performance-ready, and even the American Beethoven Society will help promote it.
A family tragedy delayed my progress, but in quiet moments I found the symphony’s ending. Weaving past themes into the finale, I aimed for both energy and closure—bringing the Fourth Symphony’s journey full circle.
The Calm Before the Coda After a refreshing break, I’m back at work on the Fourth Symphony’s finale—moving into slower variations, layered chorales, and rhythmic twists. With only 24 measures left, the first draft is nearly complete. The finale is just ahead!
Second Fugue A dense fugue, a rhythmic twist, and a well-earned milestone—this week’s progress on my Fourth Symphony hits the halfway mark. With burnout looming, I’m pausing to recharge before tackling the final variations and driving toward a complete first draft.
March variation, a tipsy waltz, and leading to an inverted fugue—this week’s work on my Fourth Symphony brought unexpected turns and forward motion. With inspiration from Beethoven and Hindemith, I’m hitting my stride again, right on schedule.
Composing After Chaos: Symphony No. 4 Got Its Groove Back Beethoven meets Hindemith in the latest progress on my Symphony No. 4. This post explores fugues, rhythm, and how detailed planning—and the right tools—helped me jump back into composing after a long break. Momentum is building again!
How Things Get Off Track — and the Importance of Notes After a month-long break caused by unexpected life events, I’m returning to my symphony project. Thanks to detailed notes and a clear plan, I’m able to jump back in smoothly—highlighting why keeping documentation is crucial for creative continuity.
Best Laid Plans of Mice and Composers… A last-minute scramble to replace two missing compositions on an SFCCO concert turned my schedule plans upside down. I revived "Triangles", a guided improvisation piece from a decade ago, refining instructions and parts to fit our current ensemble—reminding me how quickly plans can change.
Back from the Islands and Back to the Symphony Fresh off a trip to the Channel Islands, I dive back into Symphony No. 4—reworking a bold theme inspired by Beethoven and Hindemith, with surprises from Lutosławski and Ruggles. A behind-the-scenes look at shaping a symphonic finale.
Circle-Music, Score Migration, and a Return to Symphony No. 4 A busy spring season brings progress on solo Circle-Music pieces, score migrations into Dorico, and a long-awaited return to Symphony No. 4. With new drafts completed and fresh momentum building, the path ahead is full of creative promise.
New Music, Score Migrations, and Bassoon Experiments January was packed with travel and celebrations, but I made progress on my bassoon circle-music piece, refining multiphonics, phrase connections, and triplet-based rhythms. I also finalized the Love Letters collection’s move to Dorico and updated "Minerva’s Dance" and "G.A.C. for Orchestra".
A New Year, New Objectives After completing a new Love Letter piano composition in December and transitioning six more works from Finale to Dorico in January, I’m setting ambitious goals for 2025. Plans include finishing my Solo Circle-Music collection, completing Symphony No. 4, and exploring new projects.
Returning to composition, I revisited my Love Letters collection, transitioning works to Dorico while creating a new piano piece inspired by my anniversary trip to Turkey and Greece. Combining cultural influences, Romantic styles, and binary form, the piece nears completion.
Post-Concert Reflections: Overcoming personnel changes, venue issues, and last-minute adjustments, I prepared for our November 2nd concert. Despite delays and limited rehearsal time, the performance was successful, and audience feedback was positive. I’m now reflecting on the experience and looking forward to future projects.
