The Composer's Life

Aeolian is the sound most people associate with sadness in music — but it’s more subtle than that. It doesn’t push forward like some other modes. It sits a little lower, feels more…

There’s something immediately relaxed about Mixolydian, but not in a neutral way — it has attitude. A kind of laid-back tension that comes from that one note that shifts everything…

Lydian has a very immediate “lift” to it — like the sound is constantly moving upward. There’s something unusually bright and open about it, almost weightless. Today we continue th…

Phrygian has a very immediate sound — it doesn’t take long to recognize it once you hear that first half-step. There’s a tension built into it that feels unstable in a very specifi…

Dorian is one of those modes that sits in a really interesting place — it’s minor, but without the dark qualities you might expect. It has a sense of movement in it, something slig…

Ionian is the mode most people already know — even if they don’t realize it yet. It’s the sound behind a huge amount of familiar music, and in this episode I start a mini-series lo…

Composing for a client changes the way you think about music. Instead of writing purely for yourself, you’re responding to a brief, a story, or someone else’s creative vision — and…

All composers have it- an endless supply of ideas and projects in their heads, starting everything but finishing very little of it. However, when working, more does not always mean…

By the time you’ve written a musical idea and started developing it, the real challenge becomes knowing when to stop changing things — and when to let the music speak for itself. I…

Once you’ve written a musical idea, the next question is always: what now? This episode continues from Part 1 and explores what happens after the first phrase is down on the page.…

Music theory often gets treated like something separate from composing — as if you learn it first, and then apply it later. But in reality, most composers use theory in a much more…

Networking is one of those things nobody really teaches you as a composer — but it often ends up being the thing that leads to actual work. Today I talk about what networking looks…

This episode is a conversation with video game composer and sound designer Virginia Leo, whose work also includes adaptive & interactive media, VR, and film. We talk about how she…

Starting to compose music can feel like you need to “know what you’re doing” before you actually begin. But in reality, most composers don’t start with a perfect plan — they start…

Transcribing music by ear is one of those skills that feels impossible until it suddenly isn’t. In this episode of The Composer’s Life, I talk through how I approach ear transcript…

Composition in our time isn't just sitting down to write notes on a piece of staff paper. We live in an age where technology can be used to enhance sound, hear what our music will…

Some days composing feels exciting and full of ideas. Other days it can feel like nothing is working and you’re getting nowhere. In this episode of The Composer’s Life, I talk abou…

From developing creative workflow habits to honing your music theory and composition techniques, explore what actually matters in real composing careers — not just musical talent.…

Whether you’re a beginner or an emerging composer, this episode offers real composers insights into how the creative process works in practice—not just theory. Learn how composers…

Get an overview of what to expect from the show, including conversations about music composition, music theory, creative workflow, and real-life insights into working as a professi…