Articles

Feel free to browse the articles listed below.

Music: Is it Truly the Universal Language?

There is a common misconception of music that is shared throughout most of the world. The majority of people are in agreement that music is the "Universal Language," and that it speaks to all people no matter the boundries or the differing cultures. However, in this article, Kole takes on the perspective of an Ethnomusicologist and argues that this may not necessarily be the case.

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The Art of Pre-Composition

When speaking of music, theory and technique tend to be the most widely discussed topics, while composition takes a backseat. It used to be that pre-composition — a compositional technique that involves writing down and charting specific details of the things the composer wishes to express, before picking up an instrument or notating the actual music, was widely known and used by classical composers. In this article, Kole will discuss the purpose and importance of pre-composition and how it can be used to create a blueprint when writing music.

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The Art of Pre-Composition No.2

But just how can writing a chart help when creating music? In this article, Kole will expand on his explanation of pre-composition.

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The Importance of Musical Exploration

Just as a chef blends different flavors together to create new styles of cuisine, musicians must learn to step out of their comfort zones sometimes and stay open to techniques prevalently used in other genres. In this article, Kole explains how attending a jazz workshop and opening himself up to an unfamiliar genre helped him to build a unique songwriting style.

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The Minor 2nd

What comes to mind when thinking of the minor 2nd interval? Most people will probably think of the Jaws theme or just overall dissonance for the isolated sound. However, when used properly, the minor 2nd interval can be used to create lush, shimmering sounds. In this article, Kole will demonstrate how.

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Getting into the Flow: Opening yourself to the Muse

Generally speaking, musicians alike write their best music when their mind is relaxed and in the present moment. Once fully present in the now, one is able to allow the muse to flow. In this article, Kole will explain how this can be acheived in three simple steps.

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Chord Connections and Melodic Foundations

This article by Kole, will focus on the movement of chords within a progression and the possible ways to phrase your melodies based off of this movement. This is not the only method for improvising or creating melodies, but it is one of many that can be practiced and will help "Improve your Improv."

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Artist Awareness

Everyone, artist or not, desires to express themselves in some way; there is always that burning desire to express one's individuality creating originality. However, to get to the root of all originality and self expression, one must go beyond the surface of consciously making and knowing music and dig to the roots of the vastly unexplored, forgotten, and unconscious mind to make ourselves aware of things he or she would have normally never thought about. In this way, one trancends technique and creates art formerly hidden in the unconcious mind. In this article, Kole explains how one can learn from his or herself and open the mind to a new way of thinking.

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The Beginners Mind

In this article, Kole gives a detailed explanation of "The Beginners Mind" concept introduced in his article, "Artist Awareness."

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Are You Unique?

Have you ever asked yourself or been asked by other people questions like these: "What does my music have that really makes it different and unique from anyone else's?" or "What sets you apart from every other musician out there trying to make a name for themselves?" This article by Kole will go into depth on how to answer and approach these questions, as well as, how someone can help themselves find their own "uniqueness."

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The Theory of Appreciative Comparison Part 1

In Psychology, there is a theory that people can't fully appreciate something (or appreciate it more) until they have the complete opposite to compare it to. For example, if someone lives in the Midwest it is more probable that they will fully recognize and appreciate a warm sunny day. This is because they have been able to compare the great weather they are having now, with blizzards and ice storms a few months earlier. Where as a person living in California is less likely to fully recognize and appreciate beautiful weather because they are exposed to it constantly. In this article, Kole will demonstrate how this theory can be applied to songwriting.

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3 Ways to get out of a Songwriting Rut!

Every Songwriter and Composer, no matter the experience level, has at one time been stuck in a musical rut. Just like instrumentalists, Songwriters and Composers can find themselves repeating the same musical/lyrical ideas over and over, believing that they aren't improving at all and instead just recycling the same predictable material. This article by Kole explains three useful tools for getting out of a songwriting rut.

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5 Priceless Composition Tips for the Young Composer

The act of writing an entire piece of music and expressing everything you want to express can be a little daunting at first, but as cliched as the saying may be, "Practice Makes Perfect." This article by Kole will go over five tips all composers of any style or level can use in practice to perfect the art of composing music.

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Making Music CAN Be Taught

Math. Science. History. All of these subjects are commonly taught in school. From an early age we learn to memorize concepts, formulas, and critical thinking. But what about art? What about learning something that uses the left-brain instead of the right-brain? Can that be taught as well? In this article, Kole goes into depth on why it's possible to learn something considered an art.

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Craft, Creativity, & Customization

Creating music is a wonderfully satisfying experience that not only can be appreciated and performed by the Composer, but by the listener as well. In this article, Kole shares three essential and very effective concepts for making music.

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Shockwave-Sound.com Exclusive Articles

Things to Consider When Scoring for Games (Part 1)

When scoring for any medium, our ultimate goal as a Composer is to enhance the listener/audience/participant/gamers’ experience. In this way all Composers are exactly the same, as we want to move people when they hear whatever we’ve created. The differences always come down to the technical details. The technical skill set one has to have when composing to locked picture is quite different from those necessary for creating an adaptive score ready to change based off the gamer’s choices. Likewise, there are different things we must consider as Game Composers. Kole shares four topics that came up for him while creating the music for the Box Knight puzzle game.

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Things to Consider When Scoring for Games (Part 2)

In this follow up article, Kole discusses the differences in challenges and priorities he faced while creating the music for his next project, another mobile-based game called Bag It.

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Ideas for Effectively Using Sibelius and Pro Tools 8

Pro Tools has never had the reputation of being (MIDI) Composer friendly, but with the upgrade to PT 8, many composers prefer it as their sequencer when composing. In this article, Kole will share his method along with its benefits and drawbacks.

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Excuse Me, You've Got Some Sound Effects in My Music

The use of certain elements we consider "Sound Effects" in Music is much more common than we may think. Whether it's nature ambiances heard lightly in the background of a New Age track or the aurally unpleasant bang of a trashcan lid in Industrial music, our perception of what purely differentiates the line between Sound Effects and Music is rapidly blurring. In this article, Kole shares how he became aware of this while composing an eerie / ethereal background track for a horror game.

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Mixing as Part of the Music Composing Process (part 1)

Mixing is typically considered by the majority of people as the thing you do to "sweeten" the music after it has been written and recorded. Furthermore, the "Mixing" definition tends to only refer to what we think of as "modern mixing" with balancing volume levels, EQ, Ducking, etc. via a Pro Tools (or other) session. So what happens when we no longer use Equalizers, Compressors, etc. in the way they were "intended," but instead think of and use them as creative tools? Something that you're not aware of and thinking about after the music has been recorded, but BEFORE...In this article, Kole explains how he used this technique to add flavor and color to ethnic instruments.

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Mixing as Part of the Music Composing Process (part 2)

In part 1 of this 2 part series, the idea of combining the mixing & composition processes were introduced... "Pre-meditated Mixing" if you will. Many of the potential benefits were laid out and even a few arguments on when it may not be practical. Furthermore, a hypothetical Game Audio example was introduced and we went through my thought process for the track BEFORE a single note was played. This article by Kole will explain how the track was created, why certain decisions were made, and reinforcing the idea that "Pre-meditated Mixing" can be quite beneficial.

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Do the Work —Music Composers' Strategies and Tips for Overcoming Procrastination

We've all been in this kind of situation before... Deadline is approaching quickly, inspiration and motivation are lacking, but procrastination is in full effect. No matter what field you work in, the "wall" will rear its ugly head and it is essential as working professionals that we obtain the knowledge to climb over it so we can become productive once again and finish our project(s) before the deadline. A victim of procrastination before, Kole shares insight of how to overcome it and "Do The Work."