Making music by hand

I really, really, really, really enjoy writing music. The physical act of writing it. Putting pen to paper and watching the ink absorb and spread out into the paper in fine shards. 

Writing music by hand is a much more fluid process for me than using a computer. When I use my laptop to write, I overlook tiny details that make a song work as a whole. I've seen images of Bach's music, I've seen Beethoven's sketchbooks for his ninth symphony, and I've seen video of Quincy Jones writing out his scores in a meditative state and have always wanted to replicate that. 

Don't get me wrong, computers bring a lot to the songwriting process, everything from speed to experimentation. But, as I was writing out some ideas this week for Too Many Pieces, I noticed just how much foundational detail I missed. One has to really get into the weeds when writing by hand. 

Writing by hand brings me so much closer to the raw material. You have to get deep into the lyrics, rhythms, melodies, and harmonies. Like a Renaissance painter, I have to mix the pigments and binders myself to get the colors I want.  Writing by hand is much harder and frustratingly slow. 

My hope though, is to be able to create something like the Mona Lisa, even if, like Leonardo, it takes me 30 years to make.

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