Composing in the 21st Century

I am copyrighting this 16.02 on whatever day of December this is!

Sun, 07 Dec 2008 17:08:36 +0100

I have just composed the first of a set of 17 genre-benders a la mode de 2008 Attention Spans (subtitle Flute etude #1).

Jonathan S. FeBland K.1376

100% PRS and 100% MCPS Copyright ownership belongs exclusively to:

Jonathan S. FeBland

Will be published in roughly 48 hours on Sibelius Music dot com

Will be on YouTube in around 8 days - maybe sooner, performed by a 14 y.o. flautist from Hong Kong called Johann Chan to whom I am dedicating the whole set of 17 pieces.

The YT performance will be a "World Premiere".

Is it December? It was like June in Edgware today!

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A slight misunderstanding!

Sun, 07 Dec 2008 09:36:48 +0100

Footnote: "Composeraster" means Composer with Zero Talent.

JS commented thus:

What music is this exactly please?

It has a talent rate of -3/100

The composeraster answered thus:

Good that you are sincerely, Jonathan, your opinion is valuable for me. Three percents don't means very much... You don't like this song, am I right?

JS clarified thus:

My man, you are "almost" right. btw is it OK if I can use the word shit on your channel? I do not normally say shit very much because swearing is bad, especially in front of children. This is a piece of shit. It is nowhere near remotely getting a score of 3% the score if you read it again is not 3/100 at all !!! The score is -3 (negative 3) out of 100 !!! Pure Shit - One could say (perhaps) "Shit Gold" !!!!! xoxo

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People are now working for me.

Sat, 06 Dec 2008 17:29:03 +0100

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=bt65AjyWueA

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Very little activity

Fri, 05 Dec 2008 17:33:17 +0100

Just to repeat something I mentioned a day or was it two days ago...

"I have written circa 38 songs since May 2008"

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Another typical day at the office over here in dullsville.

Fri, 05 Dec 2008 17:31:38 +0100

I am going to the Opera with the most stunning young lady on the whole of YouTube.

Do you think things have moved on for me this week at all?

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My recent YouTube schedule

Fri, 05 Dec 2008 11:55:52 +0100

Monday - 16 hours of YouTubing
Tuesday - 17 hours
Wednesday - 17 hours
Thursday - 20 hours

I now have confirmed performances from rising stars in the Classical music world of my compositions.

Things are happening a little slowly by my standards i.e. only 500 m.p.h.

My regular speed is Warp Factor 11.

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Who am I working with in Switzerland - Listen Free !!!

Thu, 04 Dec 2008 18:13:38 +0100

http://www.judgegaffney.com/miketurtle/miketurtle.html

http://tinyurl.com/knoll9

Free Music starts after about 20 - 30 seconds.

Each page runs for about 30 minutes.

you can skip tracks if you can work out what to click!

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If you thought some of my other news recently was big...

Thu, 04 Dec 2008 10:40:48 +0100

My Switzerland CD has just been confirmed.

17 (yes, really 17) tracks have been approved for the project.

A little more info is avail. here -

http://uk.youtube.com/user/FeBlandMusic

I have written circa 38 songs since May 2008 and was worried that only about 9 or so would be selected and that I'd need to write another 3.

Mike is now talking in terms of a follow-up album!

How excited do you think I am right now?

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Someone on YouTube asked me a question

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 20:18:17 +0100

How to be a professional musician

This is what you need:

1. God-given talent
2. Hard work over many years (I heard recently, 10,000 hours work!)
3. Some luck - in fact, a lot of luck!

I think that sums it up about as quickly as I can! I thought this email was going to take me about an hour to write - ha ha!

Best wishes,

Jonathan

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Another exciting day on YouTube

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 00:05:12 +0100

Previously I was getting 1 to 2 messages per week over the last 6 months.

We are talking 200-300 within the last 48 hours.

That is how quickly things have moved on thanks to the promo-

It's almost embarrassing to quote some of the comments I've had, but what the hell, this is my blog so I'm gonna do it!

I've been compared to Beethoven once, Chopin, twice and Horowitz (the greatest Pianist of all time) once - and that's just for my piano playing!

Well, that's got that nonsense out of the way!

All I can say is that you probably won't be seeing quite so much of me on this website in future as I will instead be focusing on my YouTube presence.

Presence is bloody important over there.

You need subscribers, friends, comments, "Channel" comments, there's also off the record correspondence to deal with. This is all highly time-consuming (as you can probably imagine), but it will pay off for me eventually. How?

My aim is to ask other talented YouTubers to start performing my Compositions on their channels.

This has already started being instigated.

A lot of interest has been expressed and I can see a truly rosy future on that website for me. It appears my time has arrived (finally).

This is just an example of one tiny message that happened today:

Hi Jonathan,

Thanks a lot for the message and your advice

You're a great musician and inspiration

All the best

Ben

Keep the Champagne on ice!

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I wouldn't say the 'blue wave' is quite happening yet, but...

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 14:11:54 +0100

I have just started to make a bit of a breakthrough on YouTube today thanks to some intense 1-2-1 convassing among classical music fans who are already established on that website.

Now, for your general amusement, here are some remarks I've picked up today...

I see you play piano as well lovely

Woaooo Awesome xD Did you really composed this by yourself?! Woaoow Nice
5 Stars for Sure. Really nice I LOVE IT

very nice melody, has a playful singing quality. I love your injection of polyrhythm near the middle, gave it a very carefree feeling. You've got some talent as a composer!

Now this can be taken one of two ways...

you've got 'some' talent as a composer or,
you've got SOME TALENT there, as a composer

(I wonder which he really meant!)

Perhaps I'll never find out!

Oh well, it's all fun and games on YouTube and as they say, there's only one thing worse than being talked about and that is not being talked about!

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I was almost discovered by a Film Director today!

Fri, 28 Nov 2008 15:07:46 +0100

Just received this in my inbox:

From: bonjourfatped RE: Jaunty Blues

Hello Stephen Duro,

I'm doing a film production course at the University of Central Lancashire. I'm in my final year, in which I have to do two films.
I was looking for music and I came across your video.

Originally I was going to compose a song on my own but I thought your song was pretty much spot on for what I wanted to use.

I was wondering if there was any way you could perhaps send me a recording of your Jaunty blues to use in my film?

I hope you can accept. If you do, I will send you the full details.

Thank you for your time, I await your reply.

- Ruhull Alom

My response was more or less as follows:

Greetings from Edgware, Middlesex.

Interesting. I am not Stephen Duro. I am the Composer/Pianist Jonathan FeBland. As well as performing my own compositions on YouTube I also occasionally feature the work of other musicians/composers.

Stephen Duro is a published composer whose work is published as it clearly states on the page where you found Jaunty Blues, by ABRSM.

Now, since the music is published it is very much in the public domain and anyone can play it as long as Mr Duro receives royalties, PRS, MCPS etc etc

I feel the best way forward for you if you want this exact piece of music (whether performed by me or by someone else) is to contact the Composer directly.

How might you do this? My suggestion is write to the ABRSM music website which is easily discovered here:

http://www.abrsm.org/?page=home

In any case, good luck with your venture & I hope you will listen to some more of my compositions and performances!

Best wishes,

Jonathan S. FeBland (Composer)

Comments

Another non-starter

Fri, 28 Nov 2008 14:04:01 +0100

"Our social life consists of doctors and hospitals"

was just a little bit too much information given to me by the grandfather of a 13 y.o. boy who just enquired about the prices of one-hour lessons for a beginner.

I pointed out to him that a beginner only needs 1/2-hour lessons.

The one major flaw in the ointment is that he forgot to tell me near the beginning of the conversation that he was looking for a teacher to travel to his home to give the lessons.

Plus he only had some puny little cheap and nasty keyboard at his place.

Fewer and fewer teachers travel out to people's homes these days. Just the travelling between a, b & c kills it becuase of the time factor involved in dragging through traffic.

The conversation ended pretty quickly after that.

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helpful/unhelpful

Fri, 28 Nov 2008 12:51:27 +0100

Sometimes Piano Teachers go off subject.

I asked my grade 6 boy if generally speaking he considered that there were a lot of unhelpful people around.

He asked me why I'd asked him that question, but thoroughly agreed with me!

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Grade One result

Fri, 28 Nov 2008 12:10:04 +0100

An 8 y.o. girl has just passed grade one with 115 (a very solid pass).

I was extremely worried about this becuase the exam people gave me a date and the father said he couldn't do it as both he and his wife were working that day.

I phoned through to the exam people and they offered me a different (but similar) date. Once again both parents were tied up. I asked them if they could get an Uncle or Aunt to do the honours, but no luck.

When I phoned the exam people up again they went slightly crazy as one of their rules is that you can only change the date once!

They then offered me a really early date which I just took without further argument.

The parents still couldn't easily manage to take their daughter on this 3rd agreed date. After a lot of wangling and wrangling they finally agreed to take her to the exam.

This was really 2-3 weeks before she was even ready to take the exam and I was biting my fingernails over it as I was sure she was going to struggle.

Fortunately, she had a particularly good day and we can now progess on to grade 2.

The exam people are noted for not being particularly flexible, but I will have to have words with the parents as they were making things very difficult for me.

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Another positive from a Radio Station

Fri, 28 Nov 2008 11:18:41 +0100

A German Radio Station has now expressed interest in Piano Colours. This makes 6 Radio Stations in total that are talking in terms of airplay/broadcasts.

The CD is not even on sale to the public yet!

It should be on Amazon/iTunes in January.

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YouTube charts - a second appearance!

Thu, 27 Nov 2008 11:00:27 +0100

I'm back in the YouTube charts at position #39 today!

http://uk.youtube.com/user/FeBlandMusic

As well as the young Concert Pianist yesterday, I also heard from an exceptional Clarinettist who wants to start programming my work.

YouTube is without doubt the way forward for me.

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Now here is something super-positive from today!

Wed, 26 Nov 2008 14:28:29 +0100

I just received the following comment from young budding concert pianist Enzo (who goes as blueyoyi on YouTube) who is based in Manila, Philippines.

http://uk.youtube.com/user/blueyoyi

"Dear Jonathan,
May i thank you a googlezillion for all the encouragement you have been giving. Being the prolific and fine composer yourself, I am most flattered and honored.
I have gone through a good number of your compositions as posted here and frankly I would not know what to say. I felt this way the 1st time I heard Chopin and Beethoven my dad is fond of playing. It feels totally different from what classical music my ears have been used to these past few years. My dad says I should also try learning jazz and contemporary music, that is why I have been listening to your compositions... which you have a lot of.
Thanks again and my very best wishes goes to you!
Enzo"

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A clip of something serious

Wed, 26 Nov 2008 02:01:50 +0100

YouTube direct link -

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=LsIbZ_oD8_I

This is a clip from a composition dating from 1983 entitled "Transitions" which was written for my Pianist colleague Louis Alvanis. It has been performed by my colleague in various concert halls including the Queen Elizabeth Hall on the South Bank as well as venues in Athens and Salonika.

It is included (in full) on the forthcoming CD "Piano Colours".

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Just a small taste of some of my latest obstacles

Mon, 24 Nov 2008 20:27:32 +0100

I composed a Jazz Symphony over a 5-year period 2002-2006 for a competition called "The Masterprize" which offered a £50,000 first prize but which also seemed to go bankrupt one day after I finished composing my masterpiece.

I offered it to the Royal Academy of Music (where I studied 1978-82) for a World Premiere only to receive an 'unhelpful' response.

I have since befriended two conductors, both female and both called Collier.

They have both been trying to premier a pair of works I've written for string Orchestra.

The Collier on the French/Spanish border has been banned by her agent from performing my work for at least the last two years. No performance is currently scheduled.

The UK Collier who really likes my compositions as well has just been banned by RAM (yes, the same place I studied as per above) from performing my work with the String Orchestra.

Reason? They wish to focus on "established repertoire".

Here's a review of one of my string orchestra works that was written by another former Academy student, Mark Donlon:

"This is an impressive piece - all the threads are woven together with excellent craftsmanship in a tautly argued musical process - this would sound superb in live performance."

[extract published at the Sibelius Music website]

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Guenther Johannes Schmitz, Flute

Mon, 24 Nov 2008 00:54:16 +0100

Here's another talented musician I discovered on YouTube today! this builds up to a pretty awesome Jazz solo!

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Mauricio Murcia, Clarinet

Sun, 23 Nov 2008 23:58:55 +0100

This is one of the talented musicians I discovered today on YouTube.

Here is an amazing composition for 2 Clarinets and Piano entitled "El Pereirano" composed by the Clarinettist wearing the red, Mauricia Murcia.

I will be inviting him to play some of my compositions on his YouTube channel.

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Promo- continues

Sun, 23 Nov 2008 15:09:59 +0100

Today's promo- consists of trying to find talented musicians who perform on YouTube and ask them whether they'd be interested in playing some of my compositions on their channel.

I've had a couple of promises like this in the last few months but nothing has yet materialised.

Comments

Scriabin Piano Sonata No.4 in F sharp major Op.30

Sun, 23 Nov 2008 00:20:52 +0100

This work is in two sections or "movements" which are almost seamlessly linked. Up to 3.03 is the slow first movt. the link or bridge passage is up to about 3.12 and the rest of the composition is fast.

This is an example of "Late Romanticism" and is one of my favourite Piano Compositions.

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11 1/2 months to come to the wrong decision.

Fri, 14 Nov 2008 00:16:34 +0100

To those who knew or were interested, the BIG deal I was waiting for didn't materialise. I found out about 12 hours ago.

I am making light of it in view of the fact that I have a lot of very major things going on in my life right now.

How big a deal would it have been? It's hard to put into words exactly. It would have been massive, though. Still, that's the problem with these all or nothing situations. The chances are you are going to end up with nothing.

My next step (in that direction) is to find another major player in the Classical Publishing world. I think there are about 12 Worldwide that are worth considering. I've researched the next best option and a preliminary email will go out next week. This could be a long game.

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"Yes Indeed!" by Sy Oliver

Thu, 13 Nov 2008 20:30:47 +0100

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52nd Street Theme by Thelonious Monk

Thu, 13 Nov 2008 20:29:53 +0100

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Hornpipe by Purcell

Thu, 13 Nov 2008 20:28:46 +0100

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Le Ruisseau Limpide by Charles Koechlin

Thu, 13 Nov 2008 20:27:30 +0100

"The Limpid Stream" Op.61c No.5

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Another Radio Contact emerges

Wed, 12 Nov 2008 19:10:58 +0100

A valuable contact in Radio in Belgium has materialised today. The broadcast involved has a website here ~

http://autourdebabel.blogspot.com

With some seriously fantastic innovative music programming.

I think Piano Colours will fit really well into their scheduling.

This is now the 4th Radio Station that has shown interest in the CD since I launched the Press Release about 5 days ago. Quite a positive result IMHO yoho.

The glass is half full.

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