Thoughts

Life is good. Things really do seem to be going well. Part of it is faith. It is not like I’m bringing in buckets of money as a composer, but we have enough to pay the bills and buy our groceries, we have two bedrooms (one serves as my office) a bathroom and a common living room and kitchen (I do most of the cooking).

I’m grateful for these gifts and that we have enough to be able to keep going, trying to make the dreams come alive.

Another thing I am grateful for lately is that I’ve come up with a time management system that I finally feel I can live with and will keep me going.

• I’ve put all my projects on 3x5s and posted them on my magnet board.
• I cycle through these cards in the order I’ve put them up on the board.
• I only have to touch on a project for 5 minutes, but I have to do something on it before I move on to the next project.
• Usually, once I’m into the project I spend more than 5 minutes, but I try not to spend more 30 minutes on small projects and 120 minutes on major projects (though I’m flexible with this if I feel inspired to do more).
• I’ve inserted exercise inbetween every 2 projects, because improved health is one of my major goals.

After working with this system and fine tuning it over the last couple of weeks I’m really pleased with the results. I usually get depressed if I work on the same project nonstop for several days in a row (especially when it is web design or marketing). This keeps me touching on all the things I want to accomplish and yet is flexible enough that I don’t feel trapped by my schedule (a big issue for me; I just can’t say at 9am I’m going to work on this and at 10am I’ll switch to this, it feels too suffocating).

The current rotation (which I can add or retire projects to or from any time) includes:

• The New World 2121 : a space opera
• An art song transcription project for my friend Brian Manternach
• Update MRyanTaylor.com
• Update MySpace
• String Quartet : Small World Fantasies
• Phoenix Rising, my chamber choir
• Update YourAmericanFork.com
• Bake bread.
• Tuba writing or practice
• Update ChoirWorks.com
• Concert Band : Dry Bones March
• Update Thirteen for Halloween.com
• Orchestrate The Other Wise Man for piano trio accompaniment
• Do something for my soulmate
• Sing
• Organize and fundraise for the Art Song CD
• Mail 5 scores to people or publishers
• Work on my novelization of 2121
• Art project
• Giga file development (Gigastudio sampler) for use in compositions

There are a couple of things waiting in the wings to go on the board, but I think that’s enough for right now, don’t you?

What meaning can music have? Can a tune portray a specific event or storyline? There are many pieces and works that are definately associated with stories and events, but is it really the music that tells the story? or is it the title of the piece, words and images that go along with music (as in songs or movies), or even the program notes at a concert?

I definately think music can and does tell stories, but only in the most broad of terms. Music is like a mythology, which in itself is a time-dilated metaphor for our own lives. We’ve been taught the stock characters: the hero, the villain, the quest, the true love, etc. . . . all we need is a few clues for how to relate the music to our own life (such as a title) and then we fill in the blanks, providing the imagery within our own mind to tell the story of the music.

Even ‘pure’ music, like Bach’s famous ‘Toccata and Fugue in d-minor’ has it’s heroes, trials, upward slopes, deep vales, conflicts and resolutions. It is wonderful that we can feel these things as the music progresses. Even if there is no specific story we are in a way living through a drama as we listen. Hopes are raised, conflicts ensue, we are surprised by unforeseen turns . . . I think this is at least one of the reasons that music moves us on such a deep emotional level. I think there are other reasons, but the innate drama of music is a major one.

Music: a constant stuggle between harmony and dissonance that passes through time . . .
Life: a constant stuggle between harmony and dissonance that passes through time . . .

I like to play Scrabble, and I like to win, but there are a couple of things I’ve learned from the game that seem to apply to life as well.

• If everyone only looks out for themselves at the beginning of the game, always going for the best move for the most points, you’re likely to build yourselves into a corner right quick.
• If you build yourself into a corner, you’re not likely to enjoy the rest of the game very much.

• Therefore, be nice and be helpful when you make your moves. If you’re any good, you’ll still probably win and everyone will have a better time of it.