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๐Ÿ“š 18 Books Every Creative Pro Needs to Read ๐Ÿ“š books Sep 05, 2023

The comfort zone of a composer is--you guessed it--writing music.

But the reality of making music for a living is that at least 70% of your time will be spent on non-musical tasks. That includes (but is definitely not limited to):

  • Networking
  • Negotiating
  • Admin & Organization
  • Ongoing communication with clients
  • Bookkeeping
  • Sending & receiving invoices

That's why today, I'm sharing...

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๐Ÿ“š Family-First Composer ๐Ÿ“š books May 09, 2023

Whether you're just getting started trying to compose for a living, or you've been doing it for decades, this book is invaluable.

I've had the privilege of speaking with Steven, and he's the real deal.

He's accomplished what many professional composers have not--maintaining a life outside of his career.

Early on, most composers jump at the chance to work any amount of...

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๐Ÿ“š Essentialism Changed My Life ๐Ÿ“š books Apr 11, 2023

If you asked me to recommend one book to everyone in the world--especially creative professionals--this would be it.

Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less - by Greg McKeown

This book taught me so many things:

  • How to say "no" early and often
  • How to prioritize my needs over others
  • How to remove work that doesn't excite me
  • How to be more productive, but less busy

I began reading...

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๐Ÿ“š From Piano to Strings - A Practical Handbook ๐Ÿ“š books Apr 04, 2023

 I'm often asked for recommendations on reading materials to improve orchestration/composition.

Honestly, I'm not a big reader of music books. I much prefer to study by listening to music I love, emulating it in a DAW, and making observations about the results.

That said, of all the music books I have read, this book is one of my favorites:

What I love about it is its ...

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