Hello. My name is George Marshall and I am the founder of Any Old Music. I am a composer with over 10-years of experience, having completed work on 50+ projects for video-games, films and the concert hall. In 2020, I completed my doctorate in Music Composition. My PhD was on constraint and how it emerges in creative projects. For example, team discussions in video-game projects. If a video-game team presented a mood-board and certain briefs, these constrain and challenge the composer to compose in a particular way or style. Less quantifiable than, say, the application of serialism, but probably just as (if not more) constraining and creatively directing. It was during my PhD that I realised that there would only be two outcomes for me as a composer: I became a professional composer who needed to compose lots of music in not enough time. I became an amateur/hobbyist or semi-professional composer who needed to compose less music but still with not enough time. With this in mind I eventually opted for something more along the lines of semi-professional, but with an ambition of setting up Any Old Music as a means of helping similarly time strapped music makers. Particularly those in the second group, the hobbyists and semi-professionals, whose composing competes much more for time against other aspects of life. Composition is incredibly rewarding. You never stop learning and developing as a composer. Furthermore, many of us boast renegade autodidactic personalities to a certain extent. My hope is that Any Old Music’s self-paced composition courses can help composers to continue growing, by learning through creating and doing so in their own time.
Free Preview of 30 Days of Counterpoint - Now Available!
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Hello Reader, I hope you're doing well! It's George from Any Old Music, and I’m excited to share that the first day of 30 Days of Counterpoint is now available as a free preview. If you're interested in counterpoint, especially at a beginner or intermediate level, feel free to dive into the first day’s content. Here’s what you’ll find:
To access the free preview, simply click the "Free Preview" button at the top of 30 Days of Counterpoint. You'll be prompted to sign in or create an Any Old Music School account—no payment details are required! I'm aiming to release the full 30 Days of Counterpoint course by the end of September or early October. If you try out the first lesson, I’d love to hear your thoughts! My goal is to create the best, most useful composition courses available online. Feedback helps me do this. All the best, George P.S. If you complete the free preview, you’ll have the option to enroll. If you choose "no thanks," you’ll get a one-time offer of 80% off. This ludicrous early supporter offer is available until I reach about 20 or 25 students—I already have 6 enrolled. Don't miss out on this chance to learn counterpoint for less than £1 a day! Click here to start the free preview. |
Any Old Music
Hello. My name is George Marshall and I am the founder of Any Old Music. I am a composer with over 10-years of experience, having completed work on 50+ projects for video-games, films and the concert hall. In 2020, I completed my doctorate in Music Composition. My PhD was on constraint and how it emerges in creative projects. For example, team discussions in video-game projects. If a video-game team presented a mood-board and certain briefs, these constrain and challenge the composer to compose in a particular way or style. Less quantifiable than, say, the application of serialism, but probably just as (if not more) constraining and creatively directing. It was during my PhD that I realised that there would only be two outcomes for me as a composer: I became a professional composer who needed to compose lots of music in not enough time. I became an amateur/hobbyist or semi-professional composer who needed to compose less music but still with not enough time. With this in mind I eventually opted for something more along the lines of semi-professional, but with an ambition of setting up Any Old Music as a means of helping similarly time strapped music makers. Particularly those in the second group, the hobbyists and semi-professionals, whose composing competes much more for time against other aspects of life. Composition is incredibly rewarding. You never stop learning and developing as a composer. Furthermore, many of us boast renegade autodidactic personalities to a certain extent. My hope is that Any Old Music’s self-paced composition courses can help composers to continue growing, by learning through creating and doing so in their own time.
Hello Reader, I'm thrilled to invite you to this week's episode of Breaking Down Morning Mood, where we'll dive into a score annotation of Grieg's "Morning Mood" (link to score video, YouTube) from his Peer Gynt Suite No. 1. Get ready for an exciting exploration of this musical gem! Here's what we'll cover in the video: Uber quick recap of last week's preliminary episode where we gathered resources and background information to set the stage. Simple prepping of the score, ready for...
Starting today, we're embarking on a new approach to provide you with practical and engaging music composition lessons and insights. Say goodbye to the "Term of the Week" newsletter. Instead, I'll be sharing in-depth analyses of compositions, meticulously breaking them down to provide you with insightful observations. Don't worry, I'll keep them concise and free from excessive images and links, making them perfect for your Monday work break or an evening read. I understand that this shift may...
Term of the Week: Una Corda From Any Old Music Una corda (It.; “one string”, Eng.) is an Italian term used in the context of piano music. It refers to the soft pedal of a piano, which, when depressed, causes the hammers to strike only one of the strings per note instead of the usual two/three*. This results in a softer and more muted sound that is often used for expressive purposes in a wide range of musical styles. Tre corda (“three strings”) or tutte le corda (“all the strings”) are the...