Category: Music and Life
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A trip down memory lane – How did I get here?
I’ve always been passionate about music. Since the earliest time I can remember, it was a vital part of my life. My father loved classical music and jazz and he had lots of great records that we often listened to as a family, both vinyl and 78’s. Some of my…
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Listen to this..
As a composer and musician it is sometimes hard to remember how important it is to listen to music. I spend so much time writing, practising and playing that it can be difficult to make time for that all-important task (and pleasure!) In my studio I have a sheet pinned…
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Constructive Criticism
Some years ago I was a member of an excellent music forum called Sonikmatter. It dealt mainly with the ins and outs of the music production software package that I use called Logic but it was also for all things to do with the writing, playing and recording of music. It is…
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Scales, scales, scales..
I have been studying and practicing scales and modes for many years. On the guitar, it is no mean feat to master all the important scales needed for improvisation because you always have multiple alternatives for where to find the same scale on the fingerboard; a guitar’s fingerboard is laid…
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More on Creative Process – Recording
I have a love-hate relationship with the business of recording. On the one hand I love the sense of achievement and satisfaction as something begins to take shape and come together. It’s great to get a tangible result and to give form to your ideas. On the other hand it…
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Practice makes perfect – or does it?
Every musician has to practice their instrument(s). Some do so more than others. A lot of people play so many gigs or recitals etc. that this becomes their practice, to some extent anyway. However, at some point we all do need to improve or to maintain our technique and knowledge.…
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Creative Process
Writing and playing music is what I live for but there’s no doubt that composing can be a difficult and frustrating process at times. However I have come to understand that that is a part of it, the sense of frustration and feeling temporarily blocked. I’m sure that sometimes for…
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Progressive Rock – Dinosaur or Legend?
I grew up in the 70’s when there were much fewer genres of popular music than there are today. Pop was for the masses, then you had folk, jazz and rock for the more discerning listener while progressive rock was reserved for people with a taste for more complex and epic sounds, reminiscent of classical music but tailored…
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Meetings with a Remarkable Man
(The title is a reference to a book by the mystic and teacher G. I. Gurdjieff called “Meetings With Remarkable Men” which is great read if you’re interested in that sort of thing.) Some years ago, after having produced two CD’s of electronic/rock music, I decided that I wanted to…
Mark DuBerry Composer and Guitarist 