Ashley Morgan » Composition

Defeating time

Ashley Morgan — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 23:37:28 +0000

Creativity takes time. Writing an album, especially an album that has so much personal emotional resonance, takes a lot of time. Indeed, it would be more accurate to say that it takes as much time as it requires.

I faced a choice. I could either rush and push to release an album at the end of 2009 or give it the time it needs, the time it deserves.

The album will be released when it is finished. Not a moment before and not a moment after.

The inspiration hour

Ashley Morgan — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 08:08:15 +0000

Creative inspiration can strike at any time making it important to be able to capture your thoughts quickly and efficiently whenever the metaphorical lightbulb appears above your head. I remember watching a Wynton Marsalis interview a long time ago when he was describing the depth of knowledge that is necessary to understand the language of jazz.

One phrase in particular stuck in my mind.

You don’t just roll out of bed and fall onto a flat nine chord.

Of course, he was correct, but what if inspiration strikes while you are asleep? What if you do roll out of bed with a head buzzing with ideas? Or, worse, what if you wake in the middle of the night, itching to get your thoughts down, terrified of the potential regret you will face if you fail to capture them?

The solution is old school. A fountain pen, Noodlers bulletproof ink and some index cards. I also add a diet coke to the list to help pry my eyes open.

That’s all you need to capture your thoughts and ideas before returning to your comfortable pillow.

Why Noodlers bulletproof ink? Because at four in the morning it is very easy to spill that coke.

Solitude

Ashley Morgan — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 07:48:15 +0000

Writing any kind of music requires concentration. Writing jazz, arguably music’s most cerebral genre, requires a level of commitment that necessitates solitude. As I use my recently discovered extra hours to transfer ideas from my head, through my mouthpiece, onto paper and then into Sibelius or Finale, whichever wins the battle for my attention, it’s important to create an air of solitude around my workspace.

The solitude that I need can only be achieved if I am comfortable and pain free. With more and more hours spent sitting in front of a computer, blogging, promoting, writing, composing or transcribing it’s time to get serious about the chair that supports me.

I need an ergonomic chair. And I need one now.