Inspiration, part 1
Sometimes I'm asked in interviews or by colleagues about inspiration. Questions like what inspires me to compose, what inspires me for an album project, what inspires me for recording sessions, how do I get inspired, what or who inspires me, and so on. Those kinds of questions always make me uncomfortable. Not the actual questions, but how to answer honestly without sounding anything other than honest and sincere. The answer to all those questions is the same: I don't really believe in inspiration. I just do the work when it's time. In other words, I don't wait until I'm inspired for a recording session; I just book the recording dates. I don't wait until inspiration strikes to compose something; I just decide I'm going to write something that day, then sit down and do it. There are times when I'm practicing wherein I'll accidentally stumble across something and a composition comes from it. For example, I might find a new chord voic...
