Hello Mr. Manring, it feels like such an honour to be able to contact you and it just simply amazes me. I just want to say that I grew up listening to you and Mr. Hedges play - my father would always have Aerial Boundaries or some other work of Mr. Hedges playing and through that I also heard much of your playing. It wasn't till a few years ago, though, that I picked up playing bass and gained a serious attitude concerning music. Since then I have... rediscovered your work - both yours and, again, Mr. Hedges, and I am just amazed beyond belief at the compositions that you two have created and I just feel so hopeless when compared to such! I know you may not be able to answer for the late Michael Hedges, but even input of yourself would be much appreciated. My question is this: how do you go about composing your music? One of my favourites of yours, the Enormous Room, always astounds me as to the technicality in the playing and the melody is wonderful and you fulfill harmony and rhythm as well... as a listener I just don't know how to analyze what I'm hearing. I wish to one day be able to play at a level akin to yours and to be able to create such fantastic and beautiful pieces of music and expression, but I have to start somewhere... and I thought how better to start then ask how Mr. Manring does it... and again, I feel honoured in being able to merely contact you like this. I apologize for my incessant praise but you truly deserve every kind word that has ever been spoken to you and more.
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A question to Mr. Manring about composing
- Thread starter SidMau
- Start date
Thank you so much for your very kind words, SidMau. And thanks for remembering Hedges!
Composing is an all-encompassing experience for me, involving as much of my intellect, emotions and spirit as I can bring to to it. I consider composing a big part of who I am and often find myself composing music unconsciously, even when I'm asleep! I tend not to compose in a single way -- sometimes it's entirely by feeling, sometimes it's more intellectual, but usually lots of both. I can't really say if any one method of composing is better than any other; for me it's an integral part of the overall process of being alive.
The best advice I can offer is to learn as much about music as you can -- from books, private teachers, the internet, other musicians, courses at a school -- whatever is available to you. Listen a lot and deeply to music you care about, but to music you don't like as well. Try to understand how things are working on an intellectual, structural level as well as in more ephemeral ways. Ask yourself big questions without worrying about whether you'll find the answers and try to integrate the process into the whole fabric of your life. I hope that makes sense and I hope you'll find as much fulfillment in it as I have!
Composing is an all-encompassing experience for me, involving as much of my intellect, emotions and spirit as I can bring to to it. I consider composing a big part of who I am and often find myself composing music unconsciously, even when I'm asleep! I tend not to compose in a single way -- sometimes it's entirely by feeling, sometimes it's more intellectual, but usually lots of both. I can't really say if any one method of composing is better than any other; for me it's an integral part of the overall process of being alive.
The best advice I can offer is to learn as much about music as you can -- from books, private teachers, the internet, other musicians, courses at a school -- whatever is available to you. Listen a lot and deeply to music you care about, but to music you don't like as well. Try to understand how things are working on an intellectual, structural level as well as in more ephemeral ways. Ask yourself big questions without worrying about whether you'll find the answers and try to integrate the process into the whole fabric of your life. I hope that makes sense and I hope you'll find as much fulfillment in it as I have!
Great post! I echo Mr Mau's sentiments completely. I've been a fan of Hedges since seeing him utterly captivate the audience at Maine Center for the Arts when I was 13 (1993) -- his music is my personal benchmark for transformational art. And I've always been astounded by the symbiotically intuitive rapport that Mr Manring and Hedges shared. Like on "I Carry Your Heart" when Hedges sings "...wherever you go, I go.." and Manring just *drops* the perfect glissando in there to support the emotional content and shift to the bridge -- unbelievable.
Thanks ubermega for the insights, Mr Manring!
p.s. speaking of "...Heart," I just realized while reading the other day that cummings (along with the hotel you mention in the recent video) must have been an inspiration for "The Enormous Room" <-- is that accurate?
p.p.s. I've been spinning "Unusual Weather" a lot this week. Is "Longhair Mobile" pronounced as in "batmobile" or as in "mobile device?" [my bet's on the former]
Thanks ubermega for the insights, Mr Manring!
p.s. speaking of "...Heart," I just realized while reading the other day that cummings (along with the hotel you mention in the recent video) must have been an inspiration for "The Enormous Room" <-- is that accurate?
p.p.s. I've been spinning "Unusual Weather" a lot this week. Is "Longhair Mobile" pronounced as in "batmobile" or as in "mobile device?" [my bet's on the former]
Thank you, tsar. Both Hedges and I were big e. e. cummings fans. "I Carry Your Heart" is a cummings poem to which Michael wrote music; "The Enormous Room" is the name of cummings' first book. His writing, both the poetry and prose, really is lovely and it has a certain musical quality that makes it almost irresistible!
>p.p.s. I've been spinning "Unusual Weather" a lot this week. Is "Longhair Mobile" pronounced as in "batmobile" or as in "mobile device?" [my bet's on the former]
I suppose I tend to pronounce it "moe-bile," but I'm OK with however you want to say it!
>p.p.s. I've been spinning "Unusual Weather" a lot this week. Is "Longhair Mobile" pronounced as in "batmobile" or as in "mobile device?" [my bet's on the former]
I suppose I tend to pronounce it "moe-bile," but I'm OK with however you want to say it!
