Sonar composition.

May 8, 2011

This casual music-making tool from the blog littleover. is a great introduction to composition. The premise couldn’t be simpler: click on boxes to add notes to the looping, sonar-like “strum.” As you add notes you start to get a feel for what the low (“bass”) notes bring to the piece, how multiple notes stacked together (“chords”) can add richness, and how overstacking leads to a muddled, less desirable sound. You start to hear potential melodic lines as the highest notes in a pattern begin to stand out, and you begin to appreciate the value of space and variety when planning rhythms and harmony.

The low barrier to entry is what I like most about this little widget. While aesthetically similar to Soundprism, it functions more as a tool for brainstorming and warming up the creative juices rather than formal composition. Its repetitive looping led my brother to dub it: “instant Radiohead.”

It’s surprisingly addicting, too…


Soundtrack for a Book

June 12, 2009

soundtrack_for_a_book

The website for the band Concave Scream (I have never heard of them before either…) is astounding. Crank up your speakers, click the link, and get lost in it all. It’s pure inspiration: Soundtrack for a Book

Tip: Play with the levels in the upper-righthand corner!

(Post courtesy of Daily Exhaust)