Composer Quest: A Songwriting and Music Composition Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Teaching Kids to Compose with Maia Hamann Feb 03, 2013

Show notes

This episode, I talk with my girlfriend, Maia Hamann, about how she teaches her young students to compose music. She explains her strategy of breaking music down into individual elements, something all composers could benefit from. Maia shares tips on composing for bassoon. We also get to hear about her unique experience studying Somali music.

The Okee Dokee Brothers' Joe Mailander on kindie songwriting Jan 30, 2013

Show notes

I think there's a good chance Joe Mailander will win a Grammy for Best Children’s Album. He and his fellow Okee Dokee Brother Justin Lansing took a trip down the Mississippi river to write some beautiful bluegrass songs for their album Can You Canoe?. We talk about Joe's philosophies on deceptively simple songwriting, work ethic as a DIY musician, and involving the audience. Joe also performs a new Okee Dokee Brothers song called "Echo," which will be a part of their upcoming Appalachian adventure album.

Composing for iPhone games with Whitaker Trebella Jan 26, 2013

Show notes

In this episode of Composer Quest, I chat with video game musician and coder Whitaker Trebella. He shares his words of wisdom on writing for games, producing chiptune music, and getting composing gigs through Twitter. He also composes an on-the-spot "quickprov" using Logic Pro. Finally, we ponder what would happen if Beethoven was given a laptop. Would he be making dubstep tracks?

How to write a pooping duck robot song with Matt Schubbe Jan 23, 2013

Show notes

Matt Schubbe, the graphic designer behind our 8-bit Composer Quest art, is also a songwriter himself! In this episode, we talk about how he writes songs for (and with) his wife, Donna. Matt tends to choose strange lyrical topics, like a kid getting his head stuck in the banister, or the 1739 invention of a pooping duck automaton.

Taking the stage with drummer Luke Friedrich Jan 19, 2013

Show notes

Luke Friedrich was too young to carry a musket when he joined his Civil War reenacting unit, so he picked up the fife and drum instead. Now, he plays in more bands than would seem possible, including Crimes, Strange, Rupert Angeleyes, Flowerstalks, Secrets, ThoughtTalk, and his primary songwriting endeavor, Squares. We talk about performing, the music business, and his fascination with horrific lyrical topics.

Composing textures with theater sound designer Kevin Springer Jan 16, 2013

Show notes

When does sound become music? That's a line blurred by Kevin Springer's sound art. He designs sound and music for plays, including Tenesse Williams' Summer and Smoke. He has also found a niche for his brand of experimental electronic composing online, and we talk about how he works in this strange musical language.

Catchy dissonance with Nathan Graves Jan 12, 2013

Show notes

I talked with my cousin, Nathan Graves, who fronts the band With a Gun for a Face and writes solo music under the name Kurtz. Nate's music is usually pretty dark and dissonant, but strangely catchy. We talk about why avant garde art is important.

Going solo with guitarist Peter Frey Jan 09, 2013

Show notes

Kazyak's Peter Frey shares his new, more personal album See the Forest, See the Trees. He also shares his philosophy on soloing, the pros and cons of touring, and his advice on promoting your music.

The art of lyrics with fiction writer Ryan Ruff Smith Jan 03, 2013

Show notes

Ryan Ruff Smith and I talk about a bunch of lyric-writing techniques, including seeing the big picture, using subtext, writing as a character, and focusing your song ideas.

Pop music theory with Beatles expert Mitchell Johnson Jan 02, 2013

Show notes

Mitchell Johnson from Spencer McGillicutty talks about pop music theory, Beatles songwriting techniques, and his “Douchiest Song Challenge.“