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
Quest 13: Arias on Tap, the Sequel
For the next Composer Quest quest, we’re partnering up with Opera on Tap Twin Cities again to premiere new arias and art songs. You can write for up to 4 voices accompanied by electronic piano. Optio…
00:09:10 |
Tue 25 Nov 2014
Scoring and Re-scoring Films with Alex Ruger
By day, he works for living legends Danny Elfman and Inon Zur. By night, he composes film scores himself and “re-scores” classic films like 2001: A Space Odyssey, Inception, and Saving Private Ryan. …
00:57:52 |
Wed 19 Nov 2014
Chopin, Hendrix, and Pianist Paul Cantrell
What do Chopin and Jimi Hendrix have in common? What do “Graceland” and “Yesterday” have in common? How do mp3s work? What is the purpose of music? These are just a few of the random topics Paul Cant…
01:10:23 |
Wed 12 Nov 2014
Geriatric Songwriters and Music Therapy with Angela Johnson
It isn’t every day you hear about a CD release party at a nursing home. Music therapist Angela Johnson worked with some older folks to create a CD of songs that include everything from sage advice to…
01:01:06 |
Wed 05 Nov 2014
Composing with Knobs and Patch Cables, Featuring Mike Olson
Mike Olson schooled me in the ways of old-fashioned analog electronic composing, where you only have dials and cords to create music with. In this episode of Composer Quest, Mike shares how his creat…
00:59:24 |
Wed 29 Oct 2014
Quest 12: Suzuki Flute Choir
For the 12th Composer Quest quest, I challenge you to write a piece of music for flute choir, with parts that can be performed by beginner, intermediate, and advanced students. We’ll be collaborating…
00:21:39 |
Fri 24 Oct 2014
Episode 100: Mitchell Johnson Returns
For this special 100th episode of Composer Quest, I thought I’d invite back my songwriter guest from the very first episode: Mitchell Adam Johnson. If you heard that episode, you know Mitchell has a …
01:03:22 |
Wed 22 Oct 2014
Superfan Dan Wheeler’s Top 10 Composer Quest Memories
I’ve been putting out more Composer Quest episodes over the past year and a half than most people can keep up with. So I was taken aback when I heard that Dan Wheeler had listened to all 90+ episodes…
01:02:01 |
Wed 08 Oct 2014
Melody and Modulation with Composer Coach Jon Brantingham
After his time as a helicopter pilot in the army, Jon Brantingham returned to his love of music theory and composing. He’s been inspiring people with his practical approach to learning composition, w…
00:59:35 |
Wed 01 Oct 2014
Quest 11: Halloween Reeds
I’m excited to announce our 11th Composer Quest Quest, brought to you by our woodwind friends, the Twin Cities Trio! You may remember them from such quests as Quest #1, in which my podcast listeners …
00:07:43 |
Wed 01 Oct 2014
Fargo Composer Jeff Russo on TV Scoring
When Jeff Russo’s band Tonic hit it big in the 90s, he was just beginning to get interested in film and television scoring. Now his IMDb page is chock full of major TV credits, including composing fo…
00:42:42 |
Wed 24 Sep 2014
Losing Control of Your Music
In the last summer Composer Quest episode, we got to hear from two entertainment lawyers about how to get your music into films and TV, without getting screwed by a bad contract. In this episode, we …
00:55:19 |
Wed 20 Aug 2014
Quest 10: Autumn Strings
For the 10th Composer Quest quest, I challenge you to write a string quartet inspired by autumn. You have until September 1st to send me your composition ([email protected]), and the best str…
00:09:59 |
Sun 17 Aug 2014
How Music Licensing Deals are Made in Film and TV
If you’re a songwriter or composer, you may have been approached by a filmmaker who wants to use your music in his or her film. After the initial burst of excitement, a few practical questions should…
01:02:36 |
Wed 23 Jul 2014
Film Scoring 101 with Adam Conrad
In this special summer episode of Composer Quest, composer Adam Conrad shares a ton of great insights about how music works in film. He also explains why he transitioned from using MIDI mockups to wr…
00:49:31 |
Tue 17 Jun 2014
A Concept Album for Every Season with Chris Koza
For the Season 2 finale episode of Composer Quest, I interviewed Chris Koza, who had the crazy idea to create four concept albums in one year, following the change in seasons. These Rogue Valley albu…
00:51:54 |
Wed 28 May 2014
Composing Tips from Triple Major Alex Cooke
Alex Cooke majored in Math, Psychology, and Theater, but he eventually came back to his first true passion – music. He’s an interesting guy, and in this Composer Quest interview, we talk about everyt…
00:32:58 |
Wed 21 May 2014
Rock and Docs with Composer Silas Hite
I guarantee you’ve heard music by Silas Hite before. If you didn’t play Sims 2 or see Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, then you at least heard Silas’s score for the ubiquitous Mac vs. PC ads. Silas…
00:36:03 |
Wed 14 May 2014
Dame Evelyn Glennie on Percussion and Dynamics
Evelyn Glennie lost her hearing by the age of 12, but that didn’t stop her from becoming a percussion virtuoso, a three-time Grammy winner, and a Dame Commander of the British Empire. In this Compose…
00:41:28 |
Wed 07 May 2014
Behind the Curtain of Composing Wizard Tyler Tholl
My talented friend Tyler Tholl evaded coming on the Composer Quest podcast for over a year, but finally my pestering paid off. I was really excited to visit Tyler in his studio and see the man behind…
00:40:10 |
Wed 30 Apr 2014
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