A Grove of Ashes and Aspens

  • Collaboration in Music: Important Aspects of Creation in Art

    Now Playing: Nightfall by Blind Guardian So as an artist, there are a few things to consider in one’s approach to creation. (I will make a note here that within the realm of music, my area of expertise, both performance and composition are acts of creation. I will expand on this later.) One aspect, yes,…

  • The Western Myth of Classical Music

    Now Playing: Incantations by Elvenking So I’ve talked about how there’s some elitism in Western classical music in the past. (Go read that mini rant here.) Now, I stand by that. There’s potential for elitism and racism basically everywhere in Western classical music, because a lot of the composers that we play and study were…

  • Range Practice: Singing Baritone in a Genre of Tenors

    Now Playing: Stormseeker by Heroik In the realm of singing, there are six main categories of voice range: soprano, mezzo-soprano, alto, tenor, baritone, and bass. Each of these ranges, split into two broader categories of treble/higher (soprano, mezzo-soprano, and alto) and lower (tenor, baritone, and bass). Each range has a distinct sound and range, though…

  • The Inherently Political Nature of Art

    Now Playing: Elvenlegions by Elvenking Throughout history, we can see discussions of political themes within art, ranging from a comedic look at history to playing with gender roles to open criticism of current political leaders to a critical look at social issues affecting the modern human being. Now, whether or not some people want to…

  • Powerfolk and Other Melody Centric Metal and their Classical (ish) Influences

    Now Playing: Neverending Nights by Elvenking “But wait, there’s melody centric metal? That’s a thing? I thought metal was all just really angry screaming and growling and walls of noise!” I hear you cry. And yes, a lot of metal is just screaming and growling and walls of noise. But there’s a lot more to…

  • Music and Religion: Performance of Christian Music as a Pagan

    Now Playing: Midnight Madonna by Powerwolf Currently, I sing in a community choir. As with most community choirs, this choir rehearses and performs in a church as a way to reduce expenses, since rehearsal spaces can get quite expensive, especially for larger groups. Many of the pieces we perform are also based around Christian themes…

  • Classical Music: Universal Language or Tool of Oppression?

    Now Playing: Wonderland by Tungsten So as a classically trained musician living in Canada, I read music in the traditional European (or “Western”) fashion. Basically, I was trained to read music like all those snooty, elitist assholes who act like the big name composers from before 1920 are the best thing to ever happen to…

  • Interests and Composition Style: Should They Overlap?

    Content warning: Mentions of death, mental health, suicide, and war. Now Playing: The Time of Your Life by Elvenking A question that composers who are just starting out sometimes ask, and one that is very worth considering, is the question of how to make music, specifically what music one should make. This is an interesting…