"Writing Music" Blogs & Blog Posts

Motherboard has an interesting new piece about musical copyright law, and the fact that there are only so many musical sequences using half-step frequencies possible. What happens when they're all used up, and the copyright trolls take everyone to co...

My choral setting of Ruth Padel's powerful poem Learning to Make an Oud in Nazareth will receive its premiere on 3 July 2015 in a rather special one-off performance to celebrate our 60th birthdays. Alistair Dixon - Chappelle du RoiRobert Hugill: Lear...

My article Who are we writing for? has just been published in Issue 3 of the journal of the Institute of Composing. The article examines the contemporary composer's relationship with the audience and whether composers should be more aware of a potent...

The Lord saith: I think thoughts of peace,and not of affliction: you shall call upon Me, and I will hear you;and I will bring back your captivity from all places.Lord, thou hast blessed Thy land; Thou hast turned away the captivity of Jacob. (Je...

Knowing how to use your voice is important for any aspiring musician or hobbyist. One of the first steps to developing your voice as an instrument is learning your vocal range, and this video helps you do it in just under 2 minutes. Read more...

My recently completed motet, Miserere mihi, sets text from Psalm 85 (Have mercy on me, O Lord) which is the Introit for the 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time which occurs between 28 August - 3 September.  The motet is set for six part unaccompan...

One of the areas that I often struggle with when writing music is exactly how to write it out. You can be quite clear as to what you want, but still be uncertain as to how best to notate it. Western notation evolved to cope with music written accordi...