Ep 21 - Alan Belkin

“The point is obviously not the colonoscopy, the point is what we remember. And music is all about memory. When you write music, if you don’t appeal to the person's memory at all, it’s not going to have much of an impact.”

I was very excited after receiving an email from Alan that he would be happy to join me on the podcast. His work as a composition instructor - through the articles and books he has produced - has really impacted the way I understand how music is experienced. These concepts are all explained in his book titled Music Composition: Craft and Art (linked below), where he lays out various principles that are style-neutral and designed to enhance the emotional impact of your music: what features of an opening invokes curiosity in the listener; how do you maintain interest in a way that makes sense to the character of the piece; what degree of novelty vs. invariance is an appropriate balance, etc. We talk quite a bit about many of these concepts in this episode, as well as realizing how music is perceived by learning about psychology, Alan’s experience studying with Elliott Carter, his YouTube channel - where you will find videos about these topics, I would highly recommend subscribing to! - and so much more on episode 21 of the Making Noise Podcast. 

I hope you enjoy it!

—-

Follow Alan’s Work: www.alanbelkinmusic.com

Subscribe to his YouTube Channel www.youtube.com/channel/UCUQ0TcIbY_VEk_KC406pRpg

Purchase his book, Music Composition: Craft and Art, on Amazon
www.amazon.com/Musical-Composition-Craft-Alan-Belkin/dp/0300218990/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=music+composition+craft+and+art&qid=1630336515&sr=8-3

—-

Watch the podcast on YouTube

Listen to the podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, iHeartradio, and my website - www.adamkennaugh.com -
where you can listen to music, purchase scores, and learn how to commission a new piece for your ensemble.