Michael AllenMar 14, 2019Good writers write...alwaysI retired from a 30+ year professional playing career in May 2018. Retire is a funny word because I hardly feel retired. Since before...
Michael AllenSep 23, 2018Another possible approachI might have tried to transcribe something as awesome as the first movement of Mahler's 5th Symphony decades ago - I might have even...
Michael AllenMar 18, 2018Texture 1 - Writing for the whole ensembleA while back, I wrote an entry called 4 Dimensional Texture where I identified 4 basic ways to group instruments in a large ensemble.
Michael AllenMar 9, 2018Breaking my own rulesI usually have three or four arranging projects on the front burners and many more unfinished projects in my "work in progress" file....
Michael AllenDec 5, 2017Texture 2 - Writing for familiesHowever, in my brass ensemble writing, I'll write passages for a grouping of trumpets when the music calls for it, and/or as a contrast
Michael AllenDec 3, 2017Texture 4 - writing chamber musicRecently, I've undertaken some large engraving projects - I'm making clean versions of the Tchaikovsky ballets. This may seem a little...