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Merrill Crissey
Aug 11, 20202 min read
5 Composition Tips You Can Use Now
1 - Don't try to sound like someone else. It's inevitable that everyone's music will resemble someone else's. We are all influenced by...
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Merrill Crissey
Jun 18, 20204 min read
Three Causes of Writer's Block and How to Beat Them
I've written before about overcoming writer's block. My favorite piece of advice on the subject is to "just keep writing." But what...
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Merrill Crissey
May 26, 20203 min read
A Composer's Quest for the Sublime
In my last post, I mentioned the author C.S. Lewis. In his autobiographical work Surprised by Joy he talks about an experience he had...
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Merrill Crissey
May 6, 20203 min read
Somewhere Over the Rainbow
When I was growing up there were a couple of movies that would air on TV about once every year. One was The Sound of Music and the other...
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Merrill Crissey
Feb 11, 20204 min read
Crafting the Perfect Song
There are nearly as many ways to compose as there are composers. Sometimes I write by just noodling around the piano until something...
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Merrill Crissey
Jan 6, 20203 min read
Japonica: the Liner Notes
I remember wading through a sea of people in Namba train station still dazed from the ridiculously long flight across the Pacific. I met...
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Merrill Crissey
Dec 2, 20194 min read
10 Things You Can Do in 2020 to Level Up as a Musician
With a new year coming up soon I figured I would get a head start on my resolutions. These are ideas that I have either benefited from...
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Merrill Crissey
Nov 7, 20192 min read
Arashiyama
One of the most popular tourist spots in Kyoto, Japan is Arashiyama. It means "storm mountain" in Japanese, but whenever I've gone there...
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