illumination:
About Will F.L.
Tone Poem Composition Technique
Why I Don't Perform Regularly
Will F.L. Art and Wallpapers
Will F.L. Videos
About Will F.L.:
When asked what style of music I write, I usually find it difficult to respond.. I think the most accurate description would be "Classical Fusion". I use instruments such as piano, guitar, trombone, or even synthesizers, and take a classical approach in my songwriting. I am heavily influenced by composers like Brahms, Vivaldi, Holst, Rimsky-Korsakov, Sibelius, and Dvorak. I usually take a modern, minimalistic approach, mixing in strong dynamic contrast and voicings, which leads to a very romantic style.
Tone Poem Composition Technique:
I've had people ask one question fairly often.. "Why are your pieces so short?"
Well, pretty much all my short pieces are tone poems. I will give you one very short, concise reason why they aren't very long: they are focused on one particular aspect of the subject. Read on for more.
Listen to "Tone Poem for Jackie". I tried to capture just one part of her personality in the piece; her will to survive. She pushes. She moves hard through the unsavory parts of life, and doesn't let too much stand in her way. At least, that is how I perceived her when I wrote the tone poem :)
You don't need 5 minutes to go into detail on a subject. I'm not one who enjoys the verse-bridge-chorus-verse-chorus-bridge-chorus-chorus-chorus ad nauseum structure a lot of pop songs try to share. There is little reason for it, in my book (I'm a minimalist).
I also try to layer my tone poem recordings, using harmonies to supplement the intensity of a live show (Nothing matches a good live show). Some would say this is a bad move. I would argue, however, that the meaning of my pieces live don't always translate well into recordings. I'm feeding off of the audience, and you have the natural reverb and harmonics that the room adds, which doesn't work 100% in recordings. Plus, I can convey extra meaning with the harmonies. A melody that expresses a simple love can become deeper, going into the intense passion I feel for my friends or lovers. All that can be done with a few simple harmonies, and supplemental counter-melodies. A good example of this will be available when I release the new recording of "Love Theme" - those who heard me perform it live will hopefully be able to grasp the change and intensity.
I also approach a lot of my pieces like a literary work; therefore, you can assume that tone poems would be similar to a regular poem. My poetic influences include Poe, and Milton. Milton had one poem that was only a couple lines long, if I remember correctly (alternatively, you can look at his "Paradise Lost", or "Paradise Regained" for an example of an incredibly long series of poems).
Poe also makes a very good point in his Theory of Composition; Too long of a poem, and you lose the intensity (the reader might get up in the middle of it, or need a break). Then you have to write something that compensates for that, or just target non-AD(H)D audiences. In essense, I am doing the same thing - I keep my tone poems short (usually) so the listener can hear it and not decide "Oh, I want to listen to something else", and then switch away. They get the full effect in as little as 1 minute and 15 seconds - this hooks the listener, then, hopefully drawing them into my other pieces.
Why I Don't Perform Regularly:
I get asked to play fairly often, but I usually have to respectfully decline.
There are multiple reasons why, but the most important one is this: my guitar compositions rely heavily on performance emotions. When I perform a piece such as "Love Theme" or "Theme from Requiem for a Dream" (unrecorded due to copyright issues), I live through the meaning of the piece. The emotional background of my pieces are very intense, and are draining to me. As well, I fear that the more I perform certain pieces, the less they will mean to me, which means a less intense experience for the audience.
Another reason why I don't perform regularly is because of time constraints - I require a lot of practice. I'm not that great of a technical player (argue all you want - It takes a lot of work to get recordings right, and even then, I let certain mistakes slip by because of a good emotional performance).