Beating the Block

I've noticed a pattern to my creative output over the past few years:  I tend to be very productive in the spring and summer months and then suffer terrible writer's block in the autumn.  It's not a lack of ideas - I have a bunch of concepts and styles that I'd like to try - but whenever I sit at my computer to get to work, nothing comes out right.  I usually take this opportunity to take a short break and focus on something else, like an art project, a new recipe, or some other endeavor, to get my mind away from writing music.  If possible, I like to take a vacation out of town or just listen to music I've never heard before. This way, I can come back with a fresh, renewed perspective.

So in September and October I've worked on a few art projects and recipes and have planned a trip to Ft. Lauderdale, Florida in early November.  I've also been plugging away at writing and have amassed pages and pages of sketches, slowly developing a few ideas into a new piece.  It will be a pseudo-Baroque piece in E minor that features G-string notes and a little bit of bariolage.  It should be a fun challenge for beginners.  It's coming along slowly, but I like the direction it's headed.

New Videos

It's been a while since I've updated the ol' blog!  I found a couple of new YouTube videos that I can share.  First up is a nice performance of "A Breeze In The Keys" by the Evergreen Orchestra.  They do a great job with the syncopation.

The second video is not really a video.  It's a recording of "Las Mariposas Exoticas" accompanied by an odd little collage.  The style and the use of dynamics are really spectacular in this recording, the intonation is beautiful, and the tempo is rock-steady.  I'm not sure who the group is or where they're from, but bravi to them and hats off to their director!