Author: Dan Steven Erickson

Spontaneous

As I reflect on my latest musical compositions, there’s a word that comes to the forefront: spontaneous. There’s a spontaneous nature to the music. However, it’s not just my music that’s spontaneous. That thread runs through all of my work.

A SoundCloud follower who listened to all of the tracks from Five Birds on a Wire pointed out that the music is different. I like that description, but I sought a reason. What makes it different? I think the aleatoric method of setting parameters lends to a spontaneous nature, but there’s something else going on.

When I’m composing and writing, I often make creative decisions quickly. This essay for instance: I just woke up and started writing. Tracks on Five Birds on a Wire include sampled vocals, percussion, and whistling. Each of those parts was completely spontaneous. I simply turned on the microphone and made sounds. I kept the first take and found a way to weave that sample into the song. I didn’t deliberate. I just did it.

I’ve been hard on myself because sometimes it feels like I produce material too fast, without enough care to detail. However, in working that way, a spontaneous element is introduced into my work.

It other words, I throw things at the wall to see of they stick. Then, more often than not, I say, “that’s interesting,” and keep those spontaneous parts in my work. And why not? Being spontaneous can make things different, weird, quirky, and as a creator. . .

fun. – dse

Funk

If you do any kind of creative work, you’ve dealt with the dreaded funk. No, I’m not talking about funk music, I’m referring to that depression that comes when we avoid a creative task. And there’s usually a simple reason we get into a funk and avoid a task. The words or music just won’t come. Nothing’s flowing.

In a way, I’ve been in a funk going on four years now. But I’m not too worried about it. You see, traditionally, my first creative gig is that of the singer-songwriter. I spent most of 40 years writing and performing over 1000 songs. A few years ago, something weird happened. I all but stopped writing songs.

When I discovered electronic music production, I started focusing on composing music without words. And instead of writing songs, I started writing free-verse poetry. It’s almost as if the music and words divorced themselves, a kind of deconstruction.

In fact, I started this new website with the faith that when COVID-19 is all said and done, and life returns to a bit more normalcy, I’d start writing and performing as a songwriter again. I’ll reconstruct the old singer-songwriter in me.

Yet, currently, that songwriter funk is still lingering. What am I going to do about that? Honestly? Nothing. If there’s something I’ve learned in over 40 years of practicing music and writing, it’s this: Never try to force creativity. It doesn’t work. Just wait it out. The funk won’t last forever. I promise. – dse

Five Birds on a Wire

Five Birds on a Wire is out now and available at BandCamp. Check it out today.

This five-track experimental album uses elements of chance in the composition and production. This is also known a aleatoric music. A 12-sided die was used to pick five notes for each track. Then the die was used again to pick five sounds or samples for each track. The die was also rolled to determine the tempo and the approximate length of each track.

The live samples used were also done in simple spontaneous recordings and then weaved into the music.

The result is unique. The album would not be what it is without these purposeful limitations and restrictions. I did take some creative license at times, but mostly stayed within the parameters of chance. – dse

Drum Rudiments

If you’re not a drummer, or at least a musician, you might not know what drum rudiments are. Simply put, the rudiments are short drumming patterns that can be practiced in order to become a better drummer. For example: LLRL-RRLR.

Guess what? Most drummers you might meet on the street may never have learned the rudiments. A few years ago, I spent a couple of months learning all 40 of them, and I didn’t even have a drum set at the time. I simply used a practice pad on top of a five-gallon bucket.

Okay, it’s not really drum rudiments I want to discuss. It’s plain old discipline. Whether we’re talking about writing poetry or playing the drums, in order to create, you need discipline. That doesn’t look the same for everyone. There is no exact rudiment regimen. You don’t have to set a timer and write for exactly two hours each day. You just have to have the gumption to practice regularly.

For some odd reason, I woke up at 3:20am thinking about drum rudiments. So, I wrote this piece. Nothing creative comes without discipline, and sometimes writing at wee hours. That’s not to say that creativity is hard. It just takes a little time and extra effort. – dse

Books on Writing

I’m not making a living as a writer. I’m not a master of the craft. My day job is that of a college instructor. I teach subjects like mass communication, public speaking, and feature writing. So, yes, I have studied writing. Over the years, I’ve read a bunch of books on writing. I can’t remember them all, but I’ll include a few here.

Currently, I’m prepping an online feature writing course. I was asked to teach it as an overload. That will make up for the money I don’t make here. I went to the local bookstore to choose a couple of good books on writing for the course. Here’s what I’ll be using this term:

  • Dreyer’s English: An Utterly Correct Guide to Clarity and Style
  • Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation

I chose the two titles above because I’ve never read them before. That’s one of the perks of being a teacher. But I’ve used or read several other books on writing over the years.

There have been others, but I’m not one to keep a shelf of books. I tend to read them and pass them on. Hopefully the short list I’ve provided will give you some options if you’re a budding writer. Even if you’ve been writing for years, reading about writing is never a bad idea. – dse

Five Birds

I’ve started an experimental album using aleatoric methods of determining certain components of the compositions. Many of the parameters of the music are chosen by chance. I rolled a 12-sided die to dictate five notes and five sounds to be used on each track. The die is also used to determine the tempo and the length of each track.

I still allow myself the creative freedom to work within those parameters. It creates limitations that one must work around which can lead to interesting results. I’m happy with the initial recording.

Five Birds is the first of five compositions for the forthcoming album, Five Birds on a Wire. Look for the complete album in the near future.

Listen to Five Birds. – dse