Michael AllenAug 7, 2017Voice leading - an introductionIt is cool and damp here in Colorado this morning - it feels like fall. The sound of (gulp) drum lines fills the air. My high school band...
Michael AllenAug 6, 2017A quick word about MIDIMIDI has come a long way in 30 years and there are some really good MIDI sampled sounds. But music that sounds right coming out of your...
Michael AllenAug 5, 2017Four Dimensional TextureThis blog is a way to collect my thoughts and 'ship em.' This is modeled after the blogging philosophy of Seth Godin (one of my daily...
Michael AllenAug 4, 2017Damned by faint praiseIn about 1843, Hector Berlioz wrote in his famous Treatise on Instrumentation "The bass tuba possesses an immense advantage over all...
Michael AllenAug 3, 2017Opportunities to write for the alto tromboneI know some trombonists who just felt a disturbance in the force. My brass ensemble has 6 treble instruments and 5 bass instruments,...
Michael AllenAug 2, 2017What mouthpiece do you play?Most of the trumpet players I play with usually play C trumpet in public, so I used to write only C trumpet parts. But there was some...