When you put lyrics to music, and you wonder what notes to choose, often the solution can be found in the lyrics themselves. Sometimes you struggle to find the right chords and the convincing melody for your text. Often it seems that illustrating the words with the music is the answer to your problems. But … Read more
Walking on ice can be an effective metaphor for all kinds of endeavours in life. Gosh if l’d count the times l felt l was walking on lce – and very slippery ice at that – l would need an accountant to keep track of the numbers. ln fact every time l go out on … Read more
When it snows, it seems for a moment as if the world stands still. A kind of peace descends upon the earth, creating a completely different feeling than the sensation you experience when rain or hail falls. Snow immediately creates a positive feeling because it’s not really a nuisance like rain is; as long as … Read more
Humor in music, does it exist? I mean: there are funny songs, of course, but it’s usually the lyrics that make them funny. I find the Dutch” tune ‘There’s a horse in the hallway’ funny because the lyrics come completely “from the left,” so to speak. I find Rocky Raccoon by the Beatles hilarious because … Read more
I remember a time when harsh winters were much more common, and offering frost, snow, and lots of fun skating and playing with the sled. There were stalls on the ice selling hot chocolate, pea soup, and even polka chunks. Nobody knows what polka chunks were anymore, but I found them delicious. They were rather … Read more
When winter comes, I always get a touch nostalgic. I have very fond memories of the St. Nicholas and Christmas celebrations. I vividly remember our Christmas tree standing in the middle of the room, and us still having real candles in it for a few years. After dessert was finished, I always begged my mother … Read more
In classical music, it seems very important that a musician always plays exactly what’s written down on the sheet. In master classes, the soloist is instructed down to the smallest detail how to perform a piece. This results in a high degree of uniformity in: tone, and interpretation. You rarely hear truly daring interpretations, which … Read more
In many fields of study, certain numbers have special functions. In mathematics, you will find the number pi for example, which plays a special role in calculating measurements of circles. In football, the number eleven is, of course, an important concept; in arithmetic, the number ten is central, since we use a base-10 arithmetic system. … Read more
Sometimes you can create a certain tension in an atmosferic or filmic piece of music by leaving out one register on purpose. Somehow it seems like the listener has a need to get a ‘complete’ musical sound. And when you leave out the bassnotes for instance you create a feeling of unrest with the listener, … Read more
lncluding empty spaces in your compositions can sometimes convey very concrete information about the subject matter of a piece. You can imagine when you describe in notes a wide open landscape, that creating open space in your music is a very good tool. You can think of other situations where leaving some space in between … Read more
