Newsletter

Previous Issues of the Newsletter

Subscribe to the Saturday Soundscape...

Join over 14,000 artists who already receive my weekly newsletter featuring short, actionable pieces of experience to improve your compositions/productions; no algorithms - straight to your inbox each Saturday morning.

How do I know when my music is FINISHED? Apr 06, 2024

When to Push Through and When to Pivot

One question I get pretty often is "how do I know when my music is finished?"

Or, "when do you know when you've hit that point where you start overthinking and making your piece worse."

Great questions.

In my own experience, "good enough" is a moving...

How to NOT rip off your own music Mar 30, 2024

I've often sat down at the piano and improvised something I really like. But then a strange feeling will come over me as I realize....I've already done all of this before.

It can be a tricky balance between maintaining one's own musical voice/taste and simply rehashing all the ideas we've already...

Why I Stopped Reviewing Music Gear Mar 23, 2024

A couple weeks ago, I saw this thread from a fellow artist I know and respect from Instagram.

As someone who has made my share of gear-centered content, I understand this sentiment.

When I first got serious about my YouTube channel a couple years ago, my first thought was, "well, I like synths,...

Why You Can't Forget That DUNE 2 Theme Mar 16, 2024

Crafting an Unforgettable Melody

When you think of a Hans Zimmer score, you may not think of melodies at all.

Maybe you think about the powerful ostinatos and sequences in The Dark Knight. Or the layered orchestral textures in Inception. Or that catchy vocal riff and unique sound...

Please Repeat Yourself Mar 09, 2024

This week's Newsletter is brought to you by Kajabi.

Kajabi is an all-in-one platform for websites, landing pages, email marketing, online courses, membership communities, and coaching.

I run my entire online business through Kajabi. My only regret is not switching to them sooner.

If you've been...

Stop Learning About Music. Start Making It. Mar 02, 2024

About 4 years ago I decided that if I was going to call myself an independent artist, I should start acting like one and actually build my own audience.

I chose Instagram (it was a different time then and you could get decent organic reach there).

I made the decision to create one...

Surviving as Artists in a World that Hates Us Feb 24, 2024

I'll be hosting a LIVE WORKSHOP in March roasting some of my first releases and discussing what I might do differently if I were composing them today.

Availability will be limited so everyone can interact and ask questions.

Tickets will only be sold to folks who join this WAITLIST (no cost to...

Be a Human. Feb 17, 2024

About 8 years ago I was working on learning Mozart's Adagio and Allegro in F Minor for "organ."

Except, it wasn't REALLY for organ. Mozart wrote it for mechanical clock organ - a popular device in his day.

Because of this, the piece is notoriously difficult to play for a non-mechanical...

Improvisation isn't Composition Feb 10, 2024

Imagine you've got this idea for a novel - wait no one reads anymore? Damn. That does not bode well for this newsletter...

Imagine you've got this idea for a Tik Tok.... ok, I really need something a bit more substantial to work with here.... let's say a movie?

Imagine you've got this idea...

Modular Synths Suck at Music Feb 03, 2024

I haven't used my eurorack stuff very much in the past year. It's just been sitting there taunting me. So I decided to renovate it. I hoped this would revive my interest in it and, you know, help me make new music.

I made a post about this on my YouTube community. And, people had strong...

Originality Doesn't Exist Jan 27, 2024

"There is no new thing under the sun." - Ecclesiastes 1:9

Recently, I learned that a much larger YouTube musician had made a video. It had a title and thumbnail quite like one of my own from last year.

My first reaction was to get defensive and upset about what seemed like blatant...

Limitations are Necessary Jan 20, 2024

"Less is more..."

My composition teacher used to say this phrase frequently, and admittedly, I had no idea what he really meant by it.

Of course I wanted to do MORE!

I wanted more notes, more virtuosic passages, and more chances to show off my music skills.

The result? My music was all over the...

1 2 3 4

Previous Issues of the Newsletter

Subscribe to the Saturday Soundscape...

"There is no new thing under the sun." - Ecclesiastes 1:9

DOWNLOAD THE FREE GUIDE