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.
Term of the Week: Una Corda
Term of the Week: Una CordaFrom Any Old MusicUna 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 terms used to cancel una corda. *Bass notes tend to have one string, due to their natural resonance. Therefore, the effect must be one of reduced contact area between hammer and string. Did you like this week's term, if so, let me know by clicking here. Or, if you have an interesting term, let me know by simply replying to this email! |
New and Highlighted ContentLast week (and the Friday before!) I released several videos on orchestration, here they are, in case you missed them:
I am hoping to turn them into articles and analysis sheets in the coming weeks. I'll let you know once they are done, in case you're a reader! Email Exclusive ContentDon't forget about the exclusive content you gain access to as an Any Old Music newsletter subscriber:
Exploring and reading the analysis sheets: The Lark AscendingHopefully you're aware that I create "analysis sheets" for the articles and video materials I create. They are exclusive to Any Old Music subscribers. These are simply summarisations of the points I make. Taking the extracts and examples I make, I attempt to articulate what is shown in a handful of sentences. If we take a look at the below slide from my analysis sheet deck of my article on Ralph Vaughan Williams' The Lark Ascending I define tonal and real parallel progressions as demonstrated in a short extract from The Lark Ascending. Parallel Voice Leading and Modal InterchangeCuriously, in this extract we have a mixture of tonal and real parallel harmony as RVW places a rising chord sequence that results in a modal interchange from C-mixolydian to C-ionian. Avoiding a diminished-5th between the 5ths in the pianos left hand, RVW runs into a harmonic decision at the end of 52. Does he flatten the E or raise the Bb that he had been using before to establish C-mixolydian? Choosing neither would destroy the parallel voice-leading, but choosing either B-natural or E-flat will result in a modal change. Flattening the E will result in a shift toward the darker minor modes (C-dorian). Raising the Bb propels him further into the major mode territory (C-ionian). Flattening the E would have been a far more drastic and, possibly, distracting shift in colour and character here IMHO, so RVW propels us into a brighter C-ionian. The result, therefore, is a real parallel progression that does not sacrifice the quality of the Perfect-5th in order to preserve the modality. Instead, RVW prioritises the Perfect-5th and the result is an interchange of mode around the tonal-centre of C from mixolydian to ionian. What's going on in Any Old Music School?Composition LessonsThis week I have several composition lessons (click here if you're interested in finding out more about them). From melody writing, composing for string duos right through to orchestrating for larger ensembles, it's looking like an exciting and mixed week! Video-Game Scoring: Introduction for OrchestrationAn enrolee in the course has reminded me that I mentioned film and, interestingly, video-game music for the course content! Again, the schedule is still up for variation and revision, but I think certainly one or perhaps a double session for each of those topics could be perfect. Video-game is an area ripe for discussion on orchestration as a composer can design their music to re-orchestrate and re-arrange within the game. Vertical RemixingVertical remixing, for example, could be thought of as live/interactive re-orchestration. Essentially, you orchestrate your music into layers. These layers are then set up as stems within the game and then parameters within the game are set to control the muting or volume of these layers. In essence, then, you could have a more dynamic, driving layer that is faded into the music when the game score requires urgency. Horizontal Re-sequencingHorizontal re-sequencing is more like live/interactive re-arrangement of music. Essentially, you will compose groups of cues that can be switched between by the playback engine to match the changing story/situation. For example, if a player enters conversation with a non-player character (NPC), having previously being running across an expansive landscape, you might want the music to transition or skip to a new, less expansive and more sympathetic soundtrack. Updated ScheduleWhile I obviously cannot promise to cover all the technicalities (that's a course in its own right!), I think a lecture could easily explore these and other concepts in video-game, and how they have been used and how you might use them artistically within and beyond video-game yourself. Here's an updated schedule that could cater for film and video-game: Reminder: pre-enrolment for this course, along with its 50% discount ends tonight at 7pm BST. Get access for as little as £30 today, followed by 4-more instalments (5x£30=£150). Or, via 3-instalment or 1-time payments. What have you been up to personally?Music stuffPerhaps unsurprisingly, I am studying a lot of orchestration at the minute. Adler has become the bible, but I also nipped into the University of Hull's trusty Brynmor Jones library to check out their copy of Blatter's Instrumentation and Orchestration. I still love the University Library, it remains one of my favourite things about the whole University. Non-music stuffThis weekend I borrowed my parents' camper van. We stopped in Rutland, a beautiful and small county in England. Nice sunny weather, we also went into Stamford which is an old town and Burghley Manor House. I would recommend both and Rutland generally, if you're looking for places to visit in the UK. What have you been up to? I'd Love to hear from you!Any questions or comments, please get in touch! All the best, George P.S. Enrolment is still open for Introduction for Orchestra, but only until 7pm tonight! Click here to get more information and enrol. |
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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 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: Day 1's Video Lesson: Foundations of (1st Species) Counterpoint Lesson Quiz: Test your understanding of the first lesson Skills Quiz: Focused on interval...
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...