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
Animation Composing with Paul Fraser
Paul Fraser went into the CalArts composition program with the mindset that he would spend half his time making weird music, and half his time composing for animations. He’s since worked with some am…
00:28:48 |
Wed 23 Apr 2014
Adrienne Albert, Composer and Stravinsky’s Favorite Alto
As a singer with a very pure tone, Adrienne Albert has been recruited to work with many talented composers over the years, including Leonard Bernstein, Philip Glass, and Igor Stravinsky. In this epis…
00:29:35 |
Wed 16 Apr 2014
Quest 9: Film Scoring for Live Orchestra
The MNKINO filmmaking group and the Composer Quest podcast are teaming up to bring you a fun challenge for the summer. Filmmakers will make short films, composers will write scores for them, and the …
00:15:46 |
Mon 14 Apr 2014
Music Theory for the Bored with Justin Merritt
In order to be more productive, composer Justin Merritt once tried polyphasic sleeping, meaning he slept only a couple hours per day. After countless hours of busyness, he finally came to the revelat…
00:41:02 |
Wed 09 Apr 2014
FEZ’s Composer Disasterpeace on Creative Music Theory for Games
I’m excited to bring you this Composer Quest podcast episode with talented video game composer Rich Vreeland (aka Disasterpeace). We talk about his snowflake-catching game January, and how he infused…
00:40:58 |
Wed 02 Apr 2014
Quest 8: May the Four-Hand Piano Be with You
In honor of Star Wars Day (May the 4th be with you), our eighth Composer Quest quest will involve the number four. Your challenge, should you choose to accept it, is to write a piano piece for four h…
00:12:33 |
Wed 02 Apr 2014
Polka Expert Joey Johnson
When he was just 14, Joey Johnson started touring with America’s Polka King, Frankie Yankovic. Joey has carried on the tradition with his own polka band, and in this episode of Composer Quest, he sha…
00:29:41 |
Wed 26 Mar 2014
Minimalist Mandola Songwriting with Nathan Eliot
We get a sneak preview of Nathan Eliot’s first solo album, Universe in Me. Nate talks about singing super high as a countertenor, and bringing his mandola into a special ed classroom. The album Unive…
00:32:09 |
Wed 19 Mar 2014
Eggs, Bacon, and Composer Wisdom from Rick Sowash
“Outsider” composer Rick Sowash has 14 beautiful chamber music albums to his name, all self-published and fan-supported. After graduating from a prestigious music school that he hated so much he refu…
00:40:55 |
Wed 12 Mar 2014
Starting a Composer/Producer Career with Tom Snively
Fellow composition podcaster Tom Snively has been producing new tracks weekly and picking them apart on his show Making My Own Music. However, his inner composer was dormant for many years as he work…
00:35:03 |
Wed 05 Mar 2014
The Art of Banjo Songwriting with Ellen Stanley
Ellen Stanley (aka Mother Banjo) brought her banjo over to the Composer Quest studio to share some songs and stories. We talk about everything from her Walden-inspired song to her unusual connection …
00:36:55 |
Wed 26 Feb 2014
Tax Tips for Musicians
If some episodes of Composer Quest are like delicious deserts, then this one is like eating your vegetables. Just in time for tax season, we have a special episode on tax tips for musicians and other…
01:05:05 |
Wed 26 Feb 2014
Sound Scientist Seth Horowitz on Dolphins, Aliens, and Aural Therapy
After a failed dolphin keyboard experiment, Seth Horowitz decided to change roles from dolphin trainer to biopsychologist, neuroscientist, aural therapist, and author. In this Composer Quest episode,…
00:37:46 |
Wed 19 Feb 2014
Composer Infotainment with Mr. Wilson
If you heard the Questmas episode, you’ll remember Josh Wilson’s thrilling adventure to find a fortune cookie in Taiwan. I’ve gotten a kick out of his quirky YouTube series Mr. Wilson Presents, which…
00:38:49 |
Wed 12 Feb 2014
Honest Songwriting with Laura Marie
Laura Marie believes one of the keys to great songwriting is overcoming self-consciousness and writing with brutal honesty about your own life. In this episode of Composer Quest, we talk about the be…
00:30:20 |
Wed 05 Feb 2014
Songwriting Theory with Pat Pattison
At Berklee College of Music, Pat Pattison created the world’s first songwriting major. He has taught a host of talented songwriters, including Grammy winners John Mayer and Gillian Welch. I was intro…
00:29:42 |
Wed 29 Jan 2014
Quest 7: Compose Music for Your Valentine
The 7th Composer Quest Quest is here! As Valentine’s Day quickly approaches, I challenge you to write a piece of music for your valentine. The twist is, it must be for your valentine to perform, not …
00:12:34 |
Sat 25 Jan 2014
Composer Career Conseling with ACF’s Craig Carnahan
Craig Carnahan has been a part of the American Composers Forum since it was small enough to fit in someone’s living room. In this episode of Composer Quest, he shares some advice on writing grants, g…
00:37:15 |
Wed 22 Jan 2014
Freelance Video Game Composing with Chris Kukla
Chris Kukla shares some practical advice about freelancing as a video game composer: where to find gigs, how to get paid, and how to work with your clients.
00:30:00 |
Wed 15 Jan 2014
Lazerwülf on Charity Songwriting
The infamous trio Lazerwülf joined me for a Composer Quest interview about their new charity single to raise money for children in Africa. We also unearthed some deep cuts from the Lazerwülf catalogu…
00:27:07 |
Wed 08 Jan 2014
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