Composer Quest: A Songwriting and Music Composition Podcast
Join the quest! Learn how composers and songwriters create music in this podcast hosted by Minneapolis composer Charlie McCarron. Whether you’re a music composition grad or simply an occasional noodler on a guitar, each guest has a new perspective for you on the creative process of composing and songwriting, along with some concrete ideas to apply to your own music.
- Update frequency
- every 5 days
- Average duration
- 49 minutes
- Episodes
- 166
- Years Active
- 2013 - 2017
Tour 12: Finale in Minnesota
It’s finally here. Four years and 166 episodes later, we’ve arrived at the finale of the Composer Quest podcast. Before I get too sappy about it, I want to let you know what you’ll be in for in this …
04:42:27 |
Wed 25 Jan 2017
Tour 11: Psychology in the Southwest
Ever since I heard music psychologist Dr. Diana Deutsch on Radiolab, I’ve been fascinated by musical illusions. In this penultimate episode of Composer Quest, I got to visit Diana in person! Join me …
03:37:16 |
Wed 18 Jan 2017
Tour 10: Squirrels in California
This episode marks my return to the US after my trip to Australia and Asia. Despite the jet lag, I was able to get 5 interviews in for this Composer Quest episode. Also, Jeff Goldblum?! And you’ll ju…
02:38:55 |
Wed 11 Jan 2017
Tour 9: Surprises in Taiwan 2
The second act of my Taiwan adventure features more interviews with music makers in Taipei, plus an interview with me about interviewing. We also discuss the jingles heard everywhere in Taipei, from …
02:02:48 |
Wed 04 Jan 2017
Tour 8: Surprises in Taiwan
Join me on a musical tour through Taiwan in today's episode of Composer Quest. I stumbled into a music festival celebrating Hakka culture, and I got to record a bunch of interesting ensembles, includ…
01:32:09 |
Wed 28 Dec 2016
Tour 7: Family in Australia
Australia has been my dream vacation spot since I was about six years old. In today’s episode of the Composer Quest World Tour, you’ll get an audio peek into my adventures staying with musical famili…
03:02:28 |
Wed 21 Dec 2016
Tour 6: Creative Work in LA
If you've ever thought about moving to Los Angeles to pursue a creative career, today's episode will give you a glimpse into that world. I talk with six creators about what it takes to turn art into …
02:40:51 |
Wed 14 Dec 2016
Tour 5: Games in Chicago 2
Take a peek behind the scenes of the Composer Quest Olympics in today's episode. I also talk with video game composers in Chicago about career advice, rhythmic composing tips, and silly six-second Vi…
02:17:47 |
Wed 07 Dec 2016
Tour 4: Songwriting in New England
From pig racing to public-access TV, this three-hour episode chronicles my adventure around New England. I talk with four different songwriters about their process, and I co-create two songs from scr…
03:10:24 |
Wed 30 Nov 2016
Tour 3: Theory in New York
This episode, I'm in Philadelphia and New York to chat about music theory, film scoring, and slot machine composing.
01:59:35 |
Wed 23 Nov 2016
Tour 2: School in Ohio
This second episode of the Composer Quest World Tour is all about school. Should you go to undergrad or grad school for an artistic field? What do you learn in school that you couldn't on your own?
02:00:49 |
Wed 16 Nov 2016
Tour 1: Games in Chicago
For the final season of the Composer Quest podcast, 110 Kickstarter backers decided it would be fun to send me on a two month trip around the world, interviewing composers and songwriters. I'm thrill…
01:17:14 |
Wed 09 Nov 2016
Quest 20: Olympics
Since I'll be on my Composer Quest World Tour this fall, I decided we had to do something worldly and big for the final composing quest. In the spirit of the 2016 Rio Olympics, I'll be hosting the of…
00:11:33 |
Sat 20 Aug 2016
Sound Design and Score: An Indie Film Round Table
How does a composer write music that doesn't draw attention to itself? How can a director convey scoring ideas if they're not a musician? Why is temp music important for an editor? When should sound …
01:16:34 |
Wed 29 Jun 2016
Hypnotherapy and Creativity with Vanessa Cornett-Murtada
St. Thomas professor Dr. Vanessa Cornett-Murtada specializes in teaching piano, creativity, and performance anxiety reduction techniques. In this episode of Composer Quest, Vanessa shares some tips o…
01:04:52 |
Wed 22 Jun 2016
Comic and Sublime Songwriting with Erik Ostrom
Erik Ostrom was working at a Silicon Valley startup when he realized songwriting was his true passion. He has since moved back to Minnesota and found another passion: the improv comedy world. In this…
01:12:42 |
Wed 15 Jun 2016
Episode 150: UBK on Music Production and Arranging
For this special 150th episode of Composer Quest, I got to talk with Gregory Scott, co-host of my favorite music production podcast, the UBK Happy Funtime Hour. Gregory answers my tough music product…
01:19:23 |
Tue 07 Jun 2016
Magical Songwriting Tips with Jess and Peter
Jess Scherer and Peter Lund faced a songwriting quandry: what do you write about when you've been happily married for several years? They decided to stretch their imaginations by writing a magical co…
01:02:54 |
Wed 01 Jun 2016
Thing a Week with Bryan Schumann
Composer Bryan Schumann has embraced self-imposed deadlines; he’s been consistently making at least one “thing” every week in 2016 and blogging about it. In this episode of Composer Quest, we talk ab…
00:59:29 |
Wed 25 May 2016
Quest 19: MIDI Remix
Since the recent episodes of Composer Quest have been about electronic and video game music, I thought we could do a composing quest related to it. So here's your challenge, should you choose to acce…
00:07:12 |
Wed 18 May 2016
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