Music Calculator

It sounds like a clean equation where time equals talent, but reality is rarely that tidy. If only life worked this way. Unfortunately, it rarely … Read more

Pick up a violin for the very first time and you’ll instantly know that the instrument is one of most difficult to learn. Where’s the … Read more

For months, you’ve sculpted this sound around a project. Arguing about each fade out, obsessing over way it’s sequenced, because it matters to you. And … Read more

In some ways, the encore is less of a musical number and more of a high-wire act: You’re playing it under time constraints imposed by … Read more

There’s no sound quite as deafening as a missed cue. Bands has fallen apart on a failed bridge passage. Choirs have struggled on a tricky … Read more

It’s understandable if you’re panicked by realizing a song sounds fine in isolation but falls apart when the full band hits it together. Typically it … Read more

You record a new sixteen bars and song sounds loose, although in your head, you had a nice tight verse going on. You were rapping … Read more

Math first: Before burning that disc, you double-check the math to make sure it will fit. Does that archive or album fit on this piece … Read more

At some point in the last week of mixing an album, something happens where you freak out. You glance over your tracklist and notice that … Read more

Lights dimmed. First chord strikes. And then, oh, crap! The opening act was such a hit, they stretched out by 20 minutes. Now the headliner’s … Read more

Confident that everything will blend together correctly, you step up onto the podium and raise your baton. The chord rings out, but something isn’t quite … Read more

The moment dawns: your song will not play on the radio because it’s eight seconds over, or you see in the movie that the drum … Read more

More is not always more when planning a drum feature. Raw talent isn’t enough. Architecture play its part too. Before picking up those sticks you … Read more

It’s not just about finger speed; it’s about where you choose to end the solo. Too often, length is an after-thoght for most players who … Read more

French Horns have their particular panics: They don’t play the note indicated by three semitones upwards. This not only demonstrates a breakdown of the communication … Read more