Gerry Bassermann’s “Composer’s Forum” series features his unique insights on composition.
Forums were part of my musical training, and those experiences have stayed with me and informed my music and teaching. I’m really happy to share them. The information ranges from understanding music theory and history to partnering with electronic music devices and software, working your way through a creative void, and much more.
The articles reveal ways to construct a compelling musical piece, a natural-sounding song, or a well-built guitar solo, for example. There is no dogma and no advice, per se. I offer ideas to consider and options to try. It’s important to find your own way, not someone else’s, and to find the balance where you can consider an audience’s headspace while satisfying your own integral artistic core.
University graduate sessions in which student composers audition and debate each other’s work are the inspiration for “Composer’s Forum.” The column discusses topics such as playing techniques and phrasing, a composer’s intention and actual result, and psychological time versus real time. They consider the dynamics of musical energy and the power of managing expectations whether delivered or denied. There’s no limit to these discussions. When it’s your music being reviewed, do they get it or not?
As music evolved, repetitions became patterns, and patterns became musical meters. Meters are time signatures. While tempo is how fast the music goes, meter is how the music goes fast. Together
Go beyond simple repetition and explore new musical territory by composing patterns. Last month, I contemplated the concept of repetition in music. That made me
File away your musical ideas for future use. Think about how you make music. It can be pretty nonstop: playing, listening, producing, and posting finished
Exploring harmonic relationships beyond chords and intervals. Chords. What are chords? Oh, that’s right, they are collections of notes sounded at the same time. They
Managing the horizontal and vertical dimensions of musical space. Chords. Who doesn’t love chords? Generally speaking and to most people, chords appear to be the
Ever wonder why some moments in your favorite pieces of music seem so deeply satisfying? Most often, it’s because the composer has carefully designed such
GERRY BASSERMANN is a composer who works in many different acoustic and electronic styles, playing a variety of instruments and programming music computers and synthesizers. A graduate of the Eastman School of Music, he holds a doctorate in music composition and performance. Since 1992, he operates Opus Nine Productions, a music and sound design project studio. Gerry has produced soundtracks for video and multimedia projects and has designed sounds and installations for many electronic music companies. He performs regularly, singing and playing guitars, keyboards, and percussion. Gerry currently resides in Asheville, North Carolina.