Making music

Quite often we get the question how the music is created,
which is rather a tricky one to answer. But we will give
it a go…

The musical ideas are most often composed during free-form
sessions when visiting the south west of England and Wales,
or in our studio in the Swedish countryside.

During this phase we try to collect as many ideas as possible,
not prejudging or categorizing them. To illustrate this follows
two first drafts from our last trip to Port Isaac, Cornwall (we
lurk behind the two windows of the white buidling in the middle
of the picture below). The drafts were preliminary named Malabar
from a coffee brand which became a favourite at the time.

Malabar 1 – mp3
Malabar 2 – mp3

After this stage we choose a few ideas, from a sort of instinctive
knowing, and begin to develop them. Sometimes with a starting
position in a landscape scenery, myth or legend, or perhaps
inspiration from litterature or film. All the time we keep our
minds open to the other, not yet chosen, ideas or even to new
ones that might turn up. A most creative period of developing
music, and often extremely gratifying.

The next phase is mostly about letting the actual “songs” take
their form and try to put them into a context or a theme in which
they together later can function as a whole. The Malabar themes
from above were destined to become the abandoned city of Osgiliath
(the picture shows our inspiring view from the room).

Osgiliath – mp3

And, before you know it, the content of an album is completed… : )

Composed greetings,
ad dios