• Petite reprise

    Just as I settle down to my journey on the 91 I reflected on how often I’ve probably been on the 91. Many, many times. Does that somehow diminish the experience? Yes, there remains the notorious Russell Square roadworks that introduced a subtle variation to the journey which was enough to spark renewed interest. Apart…

  • Hide and Seek – Imogen Heap

    There is something disturbingly beautiful about this song. Perhaps it is the concentration on the voice; it sounds as if it is a cappella yet there is a synthesised sound played homorhythmically with the voice. Harmonically it uses primary triads coloured with extensions. All sounds rather straightforward – yet this music fits the text so…

  • Does harmony fuel the emotional energy of a song?

    As I sit on the 188 reading the recently penned lyrics for “Notice Me” I immediately heard a melody; perhaps this is due to the quality of the lyric rather than the speed at which my creative process works. Nevertheless I started to think how much the harmonic content of a song increases the power…

  • Getting started on my first musical

    I thought I would catch up with the rest of the world and start a blog. I am just starting to work on a musical for the school I teach at which is already proving an interesting experience since I am keen to write “tunes”; tunes that younger performers can actually sing. The first song…