David McMullin

@forestine@sunny.garden I wouldn’t mind reading a few “60 over 60” and “70 over 70” pieces either for a change. (Especially if they’re not just the same people 30 years later.)

I’ve been in Georgia for the last week and a bit while my dad is in the hospital here. (He’s doing better, and they’re planning to discharge him to the acute rehab facility probably tomorrow.) The whole time I’ve been here, the skies have been beautiful and dramatic. Here’s what it looked like earlier this afternoon when I went out for a walk.

@Cognessence@social.linux.pizza I don’t get out much since the pandemic started, but there are definitely people who like quiet dissonant music—I’m one. Anywhere without much ambient noise would work, as long as the audience knows what they’re coming for. A church or gallery space, or small concert or recital hall, but probably not a cafe or bar.

@NorcalGma2@sfba.social The challenges you’re facing are very hard, and though I’m experiencing some of my own, I’m in no position to help or offer advice. However, I want you to know that the way you approach these challenges, the way your family support each other, and the way you write about it here, gradually with more and more openness and vulnerability, are truly inspiring. Your occasional updates and Summer stories are little beacons of hope.

As a result, the vocal lines in these settings are very plain and unadorned. The melodic contours don’t specifically ape the Mandarin tonal inflections of each word, but I was as careful as I could be not to contradict them. Some listeners who are native Chinese speakers have commented that this sounds very strange to them. Traditional Chinese singing is usually quite florid and not concerned about such things. 4/ @composers@fedigroups.social

@composers@fedigroups.social My wife and her parents all worked closely with me to help me understand the poems. My Chinese is not very good, and it was worse then, so there’s no way I could have done this on my own. I listened closely to how my father-in-law recited the poems, and recorded him doing it. I memorized them all myself too. They explained to me what they meant, both generally and word by word, syllable by syllable, making me aware of many subtle connotations and allusions. 2/

If this reveals a specifically un-Chinese way of hearing and reacting to this poetry, that doesn’t necessarily bother me—I’m not Chinese, after all, so it’s not surprising if my perspective is different. This is a foreigner’s respectful appreciation. Perhaps respectful in a weird way, but in a sincere and personal way at least. 5/ @composers@fedigroups.social

This was all very new to me, and I enjoyed getting a quick education at a level way above my own understanding. I also loved their enthusiasm to do this, and how surprised and pleased they were that I was that interested. What struck me most about the poems themselves was the beauty and subtlety of their sound. I was determined not to mess that up with my music, but to let it shine through as much as possible. 3/ @composers@fedigroups.social

@charliejane The whole Renaissance happened at a place and time where things were generally unstable, unjust, unsafe and crappy. Imagine if DaVinci, Michelangelo and the gang had felt like the bad rulers and the dire political and economic problems of the day were just too important, that this was no time to think about something as trivial and personal as art. @Trenton_Hoshiko

@sknob@mamot.fr @prinlu@0x.trans.fail @bazkie@beige.party The piece I posted today is a prime example of this. I felt like I was writing the same kinds of harmonies too much, and falling into personal cliches. So I wrote a percussion piece where harmony of any kind, or even specific pitches, would not be an option. I couldn’t rely on any those techniques and habits, so it would have to hang together some other way. https://musicians.today/@mcmullin/116993426893392991

@sknob@mamot.fr @prinlu@0x.trans.fail @bazkie@beige.party I enthusiastically second (third?) the idea that “music is listening.” And I also like hearing about other people’s processes, even when they’re doing something quite foreign to me. There’s always something to learn.

The Li Bai Songs are now on bandcamp too, in case that's your preference. https://davidmcmullin.bandcamp.com/album/li-bai-songs More info, PDF score, texts etc. here: https://david-mcmullin.com/music/li-bai-songs/ @composers@fedigroups.social

@NorcalGma2@sfba.social Also, I have total confidence that you’ll know how to make all the right choices.

@sknob@mamot.fr @prinlu@0x.trans.fail @bazkie@beige.party I’m coming from quite a distant part of the musical universe, so feel free to take or leave anything I say, depending on its usefulness to you. Sometimes when I’ve felt in a creative rut, or like I’m relying on the same bag of tricks too much, I’ll just forbid myself to use them, and see what else I can come up with.

RE: https://musicians.today/@arendleejessurun/116902705380746422 I’d add that this is also for you if you grew up in the church and were not burned. @arendleejessurun@musicians.today ‘s album isn’t anti-religion; it’s anti-hypocrisy.

@meljoann@topspicy.social That makes sense in terms of the percussive transient sounds, but consistent periodic rhythmic sounds are pretty rare in nature, and don’t tend to mean any one thing. Why are we so drawn to those? Maybe because they’re typically human? I don’t know.

@alisynthesis@io.waxandleather.com @sknob@mamot.fr @meljoann@topspicy.social Good point—more human rhythms.

@d01 @Cognessence Right—for me, inspiration isn’t something that happens first on its own so I can start. It develops after I’ve been working for a while and things start to come together. Just begin. Don’t wait for inspiration; inspiration is waiting for you.

@brianbilston@mastodon.online Preordered!

@sknob@mamot.fr @meljoann@topspicy.social Heartbeats, footsteps too especially. Breathing to some degree… all of which are rhythms we ourselves produce rather than ones we find in the forest or wherever. I’m having trouble even thinking of any external ones. Water dripping is probably the most common. Ocean waves are generally periodic but with a lot of variation, not precisely rhythmic. Certain bird calls and insect sounds? What else?

@Gaolaitch@cupoftea.social No fair! She’s making the rest of us look even worse than we already do.

@teledyn@mstdn.ca I wonder how that would have gone over with the HVAC repairman.

“I don’t have the time/energy/attention/focus for that,” “That’s not a priority,” “I’m too busy,” “I’m overwhelmed,” “Go away”… These all sound at least a little insulting, either to the person asking or to myself. What did we used to say before “bandwidth” became a thing?

I was looking for an image to use for my Magnificat when I put it on Bandcamp and Mirlo. I’d need permission from Trinity College to do that so it’s not going to happen, but still, it’s incredible that such resources exist.

@KydiaMusic@mastodon.social One vote for the Flintstones themed kitchen

@PatrickOBeirne@mastodon.ie I touched on that topic a bit in this old thread too. https://musicians.today/@mcmullin/112094655861658591 @composers@fedigroups.social #composing

@PatrickOBeirne@mastodon.ie Yes, I’ve heard plenty of examples of cultural appropriation in new music, some detestable. And I can understand how someone might accuse me of that regarding a couple of my compositions, but I do my best to approach other cultures, when I do, with humility and respect. In this case, there were special circumstances too; I wasn’t really even going outside my family. @composers@fedigroups.social #composing

@ossobuffo Check out his choral music! Much less grand in scale but very good stuff. I’d start with Locus iste, or Os justi, short a cappella pieces that are just gorgeous.

@arendleejessurun@musicians.today Surprisingly for someone into jazz and esoteric harmonic theories, I’ve never even read Russell’s Lydian Chromatic Concept.

@maj As close to zero as I can make it, but honestly not sure how close I actually get. @sknob

@stephan Me too. I almost never reject a follow request, and I feel a little bad because he seemed sincere and there was nothing offensive on his profile. Except “AI Music Producer,” which is offensive in itself.

@admin (cc: @sknob ) I’m neurotypical as far as I know, but I’ve been thinking about something similar in terms of cultural expectations in different places. I’m from a part of the world (northeast U.S.) where people are known to be blunt and to the point, which can seem rude to others. The “rudeness” I think comes mostly from different expectations around how to take what others say.

@stephan I had the same exact thought process. He doesn’t seem like I bad guy… I should explain my objections… but do I really want to spend my time arguing about this with someone who for all I know may not even be a real person?

@oleksiy@sonomu.club @lislegaard@sonomu.club Me too… but how do you actually subscribe to a thread? I can bookmark it and hope I remember to check later, but is there a way to get notifications of replies in a thread? Or have them show up in your timeline even if they’re from people you don’t follow? Anybody know? I would do this a lot if it’s possible.

@PhoenixSerenity@beige.party My instance must have blocked him already. Sorry you’re subjected to this crap.

@Cognessence@social.linux.pizza I’m not sure what counts as British, but to me, Leroy sounds most likely to be a Black American, or perhaps a white American from the South.

@Cognessence@social.linux.pizza Does (Italian) Ferdinando count? He goes by Ferdy. I’ve also known a few (Spanish or Latin American) Fernandos. But no Anglo Ferdinands.

@kristiedegaris@mastodon.scot Congratulations!

@nigelharpur@musicians.today What!? I haven’t been checking in regularly and didn’t know it was happening. Well congrats, and glad it went well!

@admin @sknob Thanks for elaborating; I appreciate your perspective. My comment was not intended in any way to question your original point, just to share something that seemed maybe related from my point of view. The challenges of cross-cultural communication among neurotypical people are not the same as between neurotypical and neurodivergent people, I understand.

@Gaolaitch@cupoftea.social And she hasn’t delivered it yet, so it remains an unverified unicorn sighting

@ossobuffo@deacon.social I’ll enjoy exploring that! But if I end up using something like this, Latin would be better for the purpose since my piece sings it in Latin