23 January 2012
by Bill Parsons
0 comments
The Maples Inn I first met Blair at the Maples Inn in Montreal somewhere in the mid to late 1970s. The “Mapes” was a local watering hole on the north shore of Lac St. Louis. It was the place to … Continue reading
31 December 2011
by Bill Parsons
1 Comment
LOOPING Looping is a technique I have often used when composing. It involves repeating or “looping” musical materials, such as a melodic phrase, a texture, or a chord progression. The term “loop” comes from early electronic composition where a piece … Continue reading
7 December 2011
by Bill Parsons
3 Comments
Active Life “If you’re not having fun, you’re doing something wrong.” – Groucho Marx I am creating four large projects: a lessons website, a dvd, a cd, and a novel. All of them are progressing well but it makes for … Continue reading
12 January 2011
by Bill Parsons
3 Comments
This version of Rain has the rhythm section in 3 supporting an 11-bar structure in 4/4. In another Rain post you’ll find the score.
13 November 2010
by Bill Parsons
5 Comments
Click photo to hear Rain – an analog cassette transfer of Mosaic’s version (Blair Mackay, Bernardo Padron, John Yelland, Steve Castellano, Paul Ormandy and myself). The fidelity is poor but the tune carries. . I rented a synthesizer and found … Continue reading
11 November 2010
by Bill Parsons
2 Comments
In 1985 I wrote an introspective tune called Rain. Recently, I introduced Bill Frisell’s We Are Everywhere to one of my Fusio ensembles at the conservatory. As we played I thought it would be interesting to bring these two songs … Continue reading
18 April 2010
by Bill Parsons
1 Comment
I wrote St. James in the mid-1990s after returning from Vancouver with an interdisciplinary MFA in music composition. I had an idea to create a recording of pieces that explored rhythm in an unconventional manner. Of the eight pieces that … Continue reading