If you're a musician who has learned their craft through the long hours of practice, playing along to favourite songs, etc. striving to improve and always be better, you're getting a good grasp of about 75% of the tools you'll need. What is that other 25%? Lots of people might answer “hustle and work ethic” and they wouldn't be wrong. In my experience, something that has served me very well is the ability to hear the ENTIRE room. See the ENTIRE picture. Playing a song in a room with other musicians, the ability to hear where you and your instrument should “sit” within the group is crucial. 

Every player has played with others who are listening to mostly themselves. They might be the loudest player in the room, causing a chain reaction of other players turning up to achieve balance, or to hear mostly themselves also. With experience, it's easy to tell these players. When you're the loudest in the room, dynamics and detail go out the window. It's a struggle between instruments and voices. One player like this can wreck the sound of a collective group. 

Playing with others in a room is a lot like mixing music in the studio; different parts step forward in a mix, and other parts back off to allow that. There is balance, but also movement to feature different elements at different times. This should happen in an ensemble as well. When one player is “featured” (a guitar solo or maybe a big keyboard riff, etc) other players in the same tonal register should make adjustments: play a little less. Back off a bit. Simplify your part so it doesn't distract. If you're a lead player, stay out of the way of the singer - perhaps your lead is played between vocal lines. 

A group of players who are mindful of this will make the music sound effortless and balanced, with no need to steamroll everyone in the room with loudness. Give it consideration the next time you're jamming with a band or playing a live show. It can often make the difference between sounding great or struggling! 

What a year, huh? Maybe you were fine. Maybe you lost someone close. Maybe you lost your job, or at least had to adapt to a new difficult situation. For me, work dried up but I still had some shows to write for, with no guarantees my music would be used. Everything was still cool - bills paid, family healthy, much to be thankful for, and not much to complain about. I work in an isolated environment writing music and mixing all day, nearly every day so lockdowns and isolation weren't a big deal... on the surface.

Extistential crisis? Concern for the world outside? Check. Overwhelming crisis of confidence in the quality of my work? Check. The first two are easy to understand; the latter, however, hit me out of the blue. I found myself listening to hundreds of cues I wrote over years, never pleased with what I was hearing. With much of my work suspended due to covid, I had no publisher or client giving the thumbs up on music I was sending. Nobody asking for more. No collaborations happening. No stage to stand on in front of a loud attentive crowd, no appreciative voice on my phone telling me they love it. I went down the rabbit hole of feeling not good enough at my craft. For a brief time, I questioned the most basic foundations of what I know about composition and mixing.

What did I do? I did the only thing available: My work. Every time my fears of failure haunt me, I respond the only way I can - I do my work. I simplify the fear, and I use the only tool at my disposal that can put that fear to rest - my work. Work through it - chances are the dip in confidence is happening because it's been a while since you had a "win" - a great show, a terrific mix, a eureka moment writing a song, a happy client. Work through that feeling and you'll eventually get back on a even keel after the storm is over.

We are thrilled to announce a new publishing partnership with Rinse the Sync in the UK. Best known for their music contributions for Star Wars: Rogue One, Alien Covenant and Underworld: Blood Wars, Rinse the Sync are a young aggressive music sync company on the rise in England.

Stay tuned for more big things to come! Now back to work :)

Wow it's June already.

It's been a fast half of 2018. I estimate that so far this year Doddmusic has written roughly 100 cues for shows around the planet! Enjoying watching the careers of my creative partners take off too - Kevin Barrett will have some big things coming soon! I've been playing a lot of shows with Liz and working in the studio with producer Mark Troyer on her next radio single! Working with Miles Silver on a massive conceptual record for next year.

Also busy writing music for a couple song campaigns for Foley Entertainment with Artists4Artists. Whew. I may need a break after just reading this!

Greetings, everyone! Lots happening at Doddmusic as we all thaw out a little and move into spring! We are writing a ton of music for Real Housewives of NYC Season 10. Also a whole bunch of electronic pop and roots music for various programs around the globe!

Doddmusic are busy writing and recording with Calgary artist LIZ. She recently signed with Artists4Artists Canada and now has representation in the USA and worldwide with Foley Entertainment in the United States. Great things ahead for her.

Speaking of A4A artists, we have been writing for Atlanta Jane for her upcoming song campaign with Foley Entertainment. We're glad to be a part of some great up-and-coming artists!

Here's to an amazing spring. Stay warm until then.

Back from Hollywood's Sync Summit  and it was a lot of fun, with some huge doses of networking and knowledge. Discussing Fox Sports' music over the years with the people who wrote it, learning about blockchains (the technology that may finally save music from being used without permission), and connecting with excellent artists and composers were just a few of the highlights.

And we managed to get out of town before the terrible wildfires took over. Donate HERE  to help out those affected.

Merry Christmas, everyone. Huge musical things coming in 2018!

We're heading to Sync Summit 2017  in sunny California on December 3. This will be a nice break from the poor sad existence of composing in the studio alone, and some warmer weather and networking won't hurt either!

I'll report back with my review and some stories!