Your Roots

Wow am I really the only person who listens to primarily Japanese composers? Joe Hisaishi, Nobuo Uematsu, Taku Iwasaki, Taro Iwashrio, Yoko Kanno, Shiro Sagisu... These are the big influences on my music.I grew up listening to my parents' Chinese folk songs and have been in love with the oriental ever since. I just really like the chords and chord progressions that a lot of these Japanese composers use. It's a very different sound from what's in Western music (not saying either is better -- just that they're different).

I do like Western composers as well such as the usual: Hans Zimmer, Danny Elfman, James Horner, John Williams. I do like classical music but I usually gravitate towards modern film/video game music more. I really enjoy Ravel, Chopin, Vivaldi, Liszt, and Rachmaninoff.

Overall I think it's nice to have exposure to both Eastern and Western music because you discover new ways to improve your composition that you haven't thought of before -- but that's just me.

Not true! When I said I was influenced by folk music, I also meant things like Chinese folk tunes. I've always loved the sound of the music, and I even own a banhu!

My inspiration comes from Jazz (Nikolai Kapustin to be a major influence), Musical Theatre, and the impressionistic period.

Phil, I guess our definitions of "Eastern" are different. I'm speaking in a broader but not so literal sense. I'm not talking about songs involving strictly the pentatonic and 4th harmonization. It's hard for me to describe because of my rather limited music vocabulary but a lot of the "Eastern" -- or more specifically Japanese -- songs that I listen to have have a profusion of chromatic harmony and chord progressions that employ rapid alterations between major/minor chords that I find pleasant. Of course, I do enjoy the really oriental songs that heavily employ the pentatonic scales and 4th harmonization but most of the ones I listen to do not have that.

I don't really get my music out of other composers, I think what you're asking for is what inspires us, which, I think, is the most important tool in composition. For me, it's the night. I do my best writing at night, sometimes with the window open to here the D.C. night symphony perform it's famous cricket concerto. But also (kinda cheesy, but true) the stars really influence a lot of my music. That's my biggest inspiration. What I do with all my pieces, is that I name it after what inspired me to write the piece, so if you're looking for specifics, see if you can decipher the inspiration.

Devil's Dance

Home

White Roses (not posted yet, but it's very pretty)

BLOOD (also not posted yet)

I feel like I have to explain BLOOD, in case some people r like "what did he do?!". So, this piece came from a dream I had, where I was fighting a team of assassins out to kill me, and just so you know for sure it was a DREAM. XD But I think you can see my point, that it comes from just about anything, and only your music comes from this inspiration, music that comes from another composer is called an arrangement, so I don't think anyone's inspiration here was any sort of famous musician, or music style. (and I'm definitely not being a hater (haha, never thought I'd use that word) to anyone here)

...music that comes from another composer is called an arrangement, so I don't think anyone's inspiration here was any sort of famous musician, or music style.

I would go so far as to say that all my music is (in some way) directly inspired by the music, musicians and composers around me.... Indeed, there's numerous other influences; however, I don't think your statement is fully thought through ... :whistling:

lol. If people weren't influenced by SOMETHING at SOME point in their life, would anybody truly be a composer?

Hmmm... My musical roots stem from a scene or a location that I get stuck in my head for long periods of time. For the last year or so, I've taken inspiration from the deep sea almost exclusively. Specifically marine snow, or those boiling jet things... I think the darkest parts of the ocean have a musical personality that just can't be described, and that's where I start most recent work. Then I involve more personal emotions in the work and bring it to life, so to speak... Before that, everything I wrote revolved around the image of a secluded, wintry thicket with a huge city across the sky in the background... So... Yeah.

As for a specific musician or style that influenced me, I can't say I haven't been swayed by anything from Fiona Apple to the Carnival of the Animals....

I think this is something I hadn't thought of... Maybe all you need is a picture or something! :) Also who is Fiona Apple? And Carnival is a really fun piece to play! I like Saint-Seans, even though his music is really tonal....

Also, how do you pronounce your name? Like "Harley" or "Harl" or.... :P