building a new SCHOOL OF MUSIC
Subscribe to the newsletter and we will contact you as new aspects of the music school are announced.
|
A film and television composer based in Los Angeles, Tommy Walter gives a unique window into his creative process and philosophy. An experienced teacher at all levels, he offers music theory courses, production tips, film scoring tutorials and private lessons.
|
|
SCHOOL OF MUSIC PHILOSOPHY
Music Theory is your superpower
The first offering from the school of music is a free newsletter (use the sign up link above). Every 1-2 weeks, I'll share insights on my creative process, philosophy of music, production, film scoring tutorials, and the like, separate from the distractions of social media and its mercurial algorithms.
“Oh, but I’m just a casual fan,” you say. “I don’t really care about the study of music.”
Understood. I used to have a blog on the old Abandoned Pools site from the early 00s. It even got me in big trouble once (but that’s a story for another time). Like that blog, I'll write about topics that will interest the casual fan as well. Some of my favorite topics I’m considering discussing may include:
Tales from the road
Stories behind AP songs
Influences and favorite songs
My guitars and the stories behind them
Clone High theme breakdown and story
The Evolution of Abandoned Pools — Metromax, Tely, Abandoned Pools
My Prince story
Creativity
Getting my start with the Eels
The lost art of music notation
Time management
Music appreciation
John Williams
Johann Johannsson
Books I’m reading
My mix setup
Breaking up with your phone
But if you want to dive deeper....
The other new offering is a 45 minute private online lesson with me. Instrument lessons offered are guitar, electric bass, French horn and beginning piano, but if you'd also like to learn a song, study music theory, composition, orchestration, score analysis, film scoring, music software, songwriting, talk about music, get career advice or just ask questions you can do that too.
The first offering from the school of music is a free newsletter (use the sign up link above). Every 1-2 weeks, I'll share insights on my creative process, philosophy of music, production, film scoring tutorials, and the like, separate from the distractions of social media and its mercurial algorithms.
“Oh, but I’m just a casual fan,” you say. “I don’t really care about the study of music.”
Understood. I used to have a blog on the old Abandoned Pools site from the early 00s. It even got me in big trouble once (but that’s a story for another time). Like that blog, I'll write about topics that will interest the casual fan as well. Some of my favorite topics I’m considering discussing may include:
Tales from the road
Stories behind AP songs
Influences and favorite songs
My guitars and the stories behind them
Clone High theme breakdown and story
The Evolution of Abandoned Pools — Metromax, Tely, Abandoned Pools
My Prince story
Creativity
Getting my start with the Eels
The lost art of music notation
Time management
Music appreciation
John Williams
Johann Johannsson
Books I’m reading
My mix setup
Breaking up with your phone
But if you want to dive deeper....
The other new offering is a 45 minute private online lesson with me. Instrument lessons offered are guitar, electric bass, French horn and beginning piano, but if you'd also like to learn a song, study music theory, composition, orchestration, score analysis, film scoring, music software, songwriting, talk about music, get career advice or just ask questions you can do that too.
A NEW COUNTERCULTURE
What I hope to see in music (and the arts in general) is a new counterculture. For musicians, this means:
You Don't Have to Dumb Down Your Music
Respect your audience. The human brain is capable of processing large amounts of information. Instead of making the message shallower, you must deliver that information in a way that is more coherent. People are hungry for it.
Unlocking the Magic in Your Music
Music is an expression of what it means to be human and music theory is your superpower. Does it take some time to master? Of course. Anything of value does. The key is being confident in knowing what you know and humbly approaching what you don’t know.
“But it’ll kill my creative muse!”
Hogwash.
Why you should love music theory
This is where the magic and beauty is. Why would you take the magic out of your music? It helps to know what techniques exist to convey certain emotions. If you are struggling with finding musical solutions, chances are someone else has had that exact problem and has solved it. That's where theory comes in. I am wary of companies who sell software products with the line “no music theory necessary.” Some even consider it “elitist” to have the knowledge. But theory is your secret weapon. When I was a grad student at the University of the Pacific, I met a guy outside of the school who played guitar. I believe he was a singer-songwriter, but I know he played locally in the Stockton area. He asked me what I was studying at UOP, and I told him “music theory and composition.” He said, “So, you know all that theory stuff?” I answered, “Yes.” He then said, “Well, you’re an #%!@.” This guy had just met me 30 seconds prior, didn’t know anything about me, I had barely spoken more than ten words to him, and when he learns that I know music theory, that’s his conclusion. Maybe he’s just an excellent judge of character, who knows. But my friends who were with me and I laughed about this for months because it was really shocking and pretty hilarious. But what’s also true is that he was intimidated by theory.
Music theory shouldn’t be frightening
Music theory is the language that musicians use to create, communicate and understand music. But often, we communicate in different dialects. There have been situations where I’d have to figure out which dialect is being spoken to get the most out of a performer. The pedal steel guitar player from Oklahoma is going to speak a different dialect than the French horn player in the LA Phil or a singer in Paris. It is important and useful to know what these dialects are so you can properly communicate your musical ideas. When I was in music school at USC, it seemed like the professors liked to create labels and definitions for their students to memorize solely to quiz them. This somehow justified them having a job. Nonetheless, these labels can be useful in communicating properly to other musicians. I would have even been able to find common ground with the aforementioned singer-songwriter.
I really enjoy teaching, learning and talking about music. I hope you find it useful too. I have ideas for the school that I hope to unveil in the coming weeks.
- Tommy
You Don't Have to Dumb Down Your Music
Respect your audience. The human brain is capable of processing large amounts of information. Instead of making the message shallower, you must deliver that information in a way that is more coherent. People are hungry for it.
Unlocking the Magic in Your Music
Music is an expression of what it means to be human and music theory is your superpower. Does it take some time to master? Of course. Anything of value does. The key is being confident in knowing what you know and humbly approaching what you don’t know.
“But it’ll kill my creative muse!”
Hogwash.
Why you should love music theory
This is where the magic and beauty is. Why would you take the magic out of your music? It helps to know what techniques exist to convey certain emotions. If you are struggling with finding musical solutions, chances are someone else has had that exact problem and has solved it. That's where theory comes in. I am wary of companies who sell software products with the line “no music theory necessary.” Some even consider it “elitist” to have the knowledge. But theory is your secret weapon. When I was a grad student at the University of the Pacific, I met a guy outside of the school who played guitar. I believe he was a singer-songwriter, but I know he played locally in the Stockton area. He asked me what I was studying at UOP, and I told him “music theory and composition.” He said, “So, you know all that theory stuff?” I answered, “Yes.” He then said, “Well, you’re an #%!@.” This guy had just met me 30 seconds prior, didn’t know anything about me, I had barely spoken more than ten words to him, and when he learns that I know music theory, that’s his conclusion. Maybe he’s just an excellent judge of character, who knows. But my friends who were with me and I laughed about this for months because it was really shocking and pretty hilarious. But what’s also true is that he was intimidated by theory.
Music theory shouldn’t be frightening
Music theory is the language that musicians use to create, communicate and understand music. But often, we communicate in different dialects. There have been situations where I’d have to figure out which dialect is being spoken to get the most out of a performer. The pedal steel guitar player from Oklahoma is going to speak a different dialect than the French horn player in the LA Phil or a singer in Paris. It is important and useful to know what these dialects are so you can properly communicate your musical ideas. When I was in music school at USC, it seemed like the professors liked to create labels and definitions for their students to memorize solely to quiz them. This somehow justified them having a job. Nonetheless, these labels can be useful in communicating properly to other musicians. I would have even been able to find common ground with the aforementioned singer-songwriter.
I really enjoy teaching, learning and talking about music. I hope you find it useful too. I have ideas for the school that I hope to unveil in the coming weeks.
- Tommy
MEET the PROFESSOR
Tommy recently finished scoring the two-season reboot of Clone High (creators Phil Lord, Christopher Miller and Bill Lawrence, producing) streaming on Max. He has also written a number of film and television scores as well as commercial spots and trailers for Disney+, Sony, Dreamworks, and HBO among others. Tommy began his career as a founding member of the critically acclaimed band EELS, then went on to start his own project, ABANDONED POOLS, touring in America, Europe and Japan with artists such as Garbage, Lenny Kravitz, Pink and A Perfect Circle. An experienced teacher at all levels, he holds a Bachelor of Music degree in Theory & Composition and a Certificate from the prestigious Scoring for Motion Pictures and Television program at USC.