tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8827040061563065922.post6642526186014424721..comments2024-03-29T07:38:17.008-05:00Comments on The Music Salon: Why I Am a ComposerBryan Townsendhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09482696991279345516noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8827040061563065922.post-73728269171372338372015-07-11T15:32:55.680-05:002015-07-11T15:32:55.680-05:00No, Rickard, all very interesting! Somehow I suspe...No, Rickard, all very interesting! Somehow I suspect that if you pursue the video game mod hobby, that might end up with you making a lot of money. Which probably won't happen with composition. Look, my work on composition also varies a lot. Sometimes weeks go by and I don't do much. Then I get into it and write a lot in just a couple of days. I don't try and force it. If I were working to a commission, that would be a different story. Why don't you try writing something for a particular performer or group that you know. Promise them a piece for an upcoming concert and make sure you deliver! That is the best motivation of all, I think.Bryan Townsendhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09482696991279345516noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8827040061563065922.post-63290785023140547672015-07-11T13:00:02.780-05:002015-07-11T13:00:02.780-05:00There is still plenty of work left, mainly doing t...There is still plenty of work left, mainly doing the rest of the props, rest of the textures, making better lighting, adding extra areas that weren't in the original (i.e. in Nightfire) etc. So yeah it will look better plus be more complex in terms of level design.<br /><br /><br /><br />Either way, I've started working on the video game modding hobby (something I've wanted to do a while back but didn't really get into it until recently) sometime in February I think. I mostly watched Hammer Editor tutorials at first. I think I started the level design of this level in April and worked on it a lot during that month and also a lot during May. So yeah, that caused me to sidetrack away from composing etc.<br /><br /><br /><br />Also in June I've started another goal of mine, specifically to walk a trail called Bohusleden which is 370 km. So I did a few day trips with my mother and so far we've walked about 160km of it. Right now we're having a break since my mother got sick (stomach issues) but we intend to return to it asap, maybe on Tuesday if the weather allows for it. Of course I can't blame it on that alone. I guess I fell into more procrastination because of it though.<br /><br /><br /><br />Finally I also bought a Playstation 4 maybe two to three weeks ago and that has also kept me occupied since I finally had the opportunity to play Bloodborne and I'm still playing that (still much left before I finish the game completely). Of course that's another source of procrastination.<br /><br /><br /><br />Well, today I've started getting back on track. Trying to increase the time I spend on music and also on video game modding (since I've started procrastinating from that too...). The most difficult thing will probably be to get back to composing as I'm not sure how to go about it in order to create the best motivation to keep going. Basically I need to somehow push myself to actually finish compositions, maybe by setting up reasonable goals. I don't know, I'm motivated by the pursuit on one hand but on the other hand the difficulty reduces the motivation. I guess this is one of the bumps in the learning process and when I come across such bumps (in this case being stuck and not having composed anything for a while) I tend to stagnate due to the slow progress. I know I need to keep pushing despite that the progress is slow at the moment. If I keep pushing I will eventually overcome the bump and the learning will get back to its' normal pace. Well, I'm open for ideas of how to overcome this bump, make the composition learning process faster and actually get things finished. <br /><br /><br /><br />Sorry for the rambling response. I realize I probably haven't explained the situation perfectly but hopefully it's well enough.Rickardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08084578675339015204noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8827040061563065922.post-35828030513683263472015-07-11T12:59:49.236-05:002015-07-11T12:59:49.236-05:00Sadly not. Well, it's been a lot of procrastin...Sadly not. Well, it's been a lot of procrastination on my part. I guess it started a while ago (many months ago already) when I for some reason got stuck in starting ideas but not being able to finish them. And I guess I've also felt too much pressure to compose something better than I already composed, basically thinking what I was doing to be not adequate enough. And the cycle just kept repeating. And as time went on I felt as if I needed to do even better since I've spent much time on not composing anything. Something like that.<br /><br /><br /><br />Another reason why I haven't been working much on it is that for some reason I started getting head aches after playing the piano for a while (not much, maybe 1h or less). It turned out to be due to ear wax being pushed too far into my left ear when I used earphones. Well, I went to the doctor and got the ear wax removed. The situation got better but I still get (milder) head aches from playing at the piano.<br /><br /><br /><br />The third factor is that I've started pursuing video game development on a hobby level, or more specifically video game modding. Basically video game modding refers to taking a finished video game and modifying the game in various ways or using a video game engine to create video games based on it. Specifically I've been learning Hammer Editor for Source Engine. And even more specifically I'm working on a new level/map for a Source Engine mod called Goldeneye: Sourced (based on the N64 game Goldeneye 007). I'm working on re-creating a level/map from Nightfire 007 called Sub Pen. Hammer Editor is the main program used for the level creation but I'm also learning a 3D modelling program called kHed which is needed to make props (basically more detailed 3D elements including things like railings, lamps, computer consoles, pipes etc.). Finally I'm also learning GIMP in order to create the textures I need. Here are some images of an older version of the level/map:<br />http://s13.postimg.org/y5htpx5mf/subpen_wip1.jpg<br />http://s13.postimg.org/tsja7hwvr/subpen_wip2.jpg<br />http://s13.postimg.org/gcw9i1odz/subpen_wip3.jpg <br />http://s13.postimg.org/bi2kjrq2f/subpen_wip4.jpg<br />http://s13.postimg.org/ez4mmqp4n/subpen_wip5.jpg<br /><br /><br />And these railings are probably the most advanced, or at least most time-consuming of the props I've made:<br />http://postimg.org/image/v0h980si5/Rickardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08084578675339015204noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8827040061563065922.post-65464850926139299432015-07-10T23:17:22.300-05:002015-07-10T23:17:22.300-05:00That's great, Rickard. Welcome back. Have you ...That's great, Rickard. Welcome back. Have you been doing any composing?Bryan Townsendhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09482696991279345516noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8827040061563065922.post-60249490676133053752015-07-10T13:14:01.291-05:002015-07-10T13:14:01.291-05:00Interesting to read about your background. You'...Interesting to read about your background. You're of course right about rejecting the modernist ideology for the most part. The ideology itself is faulty but it did produce lots of great music too, along with the not so great of course. I think the best approach is to try to be innovative but not at the cost of aesthetic quality. Aesthetic quality should come first and it does not matter whether the compositional techniques are modernist or not.<br /><br />Either way, I've been inactive on here recently but I hope to catch up to some degree at least. You can look forward to more of my comments soon.Rickardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08084578675339015204noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8827040061563065922.post-3700968293845535482015-07-08T07:36:50.932-05:002015-07-08T07:36:50.932-05:00Thank you Marc. Yes, Arnold's Dover Beach ran ...Thank you Marc. Yes, Arnold's Dover Beach ran through my mind a few times in recent days. It is interesting that he was so far ahead of the times. Though not published until 1867, the poem was apparently written in 1851, at the very beginning of the trends in Western society that are coming to their culmination today.<br /><br />I am rather lucky to have commentators with such elegant Latin tags as "spes contra spem" at their disposal!Bryan Townsendhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09482696991279345516noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8827040061563065922.post-85685500931819671722015-07-07T23:20:39.105-05:002015-07-07T23:20:39.105-05:00I very much appreciate that you've shared this...I very much appreciate that you've shared this thoughtful <i>confessio</i> with your readers. When I was a young man, early years in high school, perhaps, I recall being mesmerized by Matthew Arnold's Dover Beach, with its 'melancholy long withdrawing roar' of the 'Sea of Faith'-- the civilisation of the Mass in B minor, in this context-- that managed to resolve itself into nihilism lipstick painted with hedonism, no love, no joy, no peace, no certitude, no light, 'nor help for pain', if I remember rightly. Such nonsense, but it moved me in the early 70s. I am not at all confident that the Vegtabanders have failed-- sometimes I cannot bring myself to look at the news-- but I hope you're right; <i>spes contra spem</i>. The St John Passion, Helmuth Rilling conducting, Thursday night....Marc in Eugenehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04331547981498637474noreply@blogger.com