Greetings from Maine

[FrankMaine]

Hello everyone!

My name is Frank, and I live in Maine...in case the handle didn't give it away.   

I'm no music expert; in fact, I'm not even much of a student, save for one elective on String Quartets in college twenty-something years ago.  But I do love it and try to spend an hour each day taking a serious listen through my headphones.  Lately this time is also serves as a break from the household chaos, as my wife and I brought our newborn daughter home from the hospital two weeks ago. 

It's probably cliche, but my favorite composers to date are Bach, Mozart and Haydn.   Schoenberg, Takemitsu, Reich, Machaut, and Bartok are the composers I've been listening to most recently.  Some are definitely easier to get my mind around than others, though I really like them all.  The threads in these forums have been a great help.  Hopefully, I'll discover some other great music here, as well. 

I probably listen to as much jazz as classical music: Oscar Peterson, Miles Davis, Bill Evans, Stan Getz, Dexter Gordon.   And I also listen to music for five or six hours a day as I write (I'm a novelist).  ALthough I'm sure it will call my taste into question, my two favorite recordings to write by are Gould's Goldberg Variations (the '50s one) and Jarrett's Koln Concert.  For some reason, they don't distract me too much but provide just the right nudge into creativity.  Go figure....

Anyway, I've enjoyed reading many of your posts here and look forward to meeting you all, even if it is only online.

Cheers!

Frank

[North Star]

Hi Frank, and welcome to the forum!

There's nothing wrong with liking Bach, Mozart or Haydn! And Bartók and Schoenberg are among my very favourites (listening to Pierrot Lunaire now)
Those are some great jazz musicians, although I haven't listened to that much Getz.
Enjoy your stay!

Karlo

[Karl Henning]

Welcome, Frank!

[SonicMan46]

Hi Frank - welcome to the GMG Forum!

Wife & I have vacationed in New England at least a half dozen times and probably half of those visits were to Maine - love the state & of course the lobsters!

Hope that you will enjoy - Dave

[Lisztianwagner]

Welcome to the forum, I hope you will have a nice time here.
You seem to have nice and various taste; Bach, Haydn, Mozart, Schoenberg and Bartok are certainly great.
Oscar Peterson was such a wonderful jazz pianist, I like his music too.

Ilaria

[mc ukrneal]

Welcome and enjoy! And congratulations on your new arrival!

[FrankMaine]

Thank you all for the warm welcome! 

And regarding your jazz interest there are a couple of threads you might find interesting, Make a Jazz Noise Here and one on Miles Davis.

Those are very interesting, and very much in keeping with my tastes and curiosities.  Thanks!

... (listening to Pierrot Lunaire now)
Those are some great jazz musicians, although I haven't listened to that much Getz.

Lovely piece...I've only heard it a few times, but it is charming.  As for Getz, he may not be particularly innovative (though, who am I to judge?), but his playing is lyrical and generous.

Cheers!

[Karl Henning]

Good for you for calling the Schoenberg Op.21 charming! It is not an adjective many would think to apply to it.

[North Star]

Thank you all for the warm welcome! 

Those are very interesting, and very much in keeping with my tastes and curiosities.  Thanks!

Lovely piece...I've only heard it a few times, but it is charming.  As for Getz, he may not be particularly innovative (though, who am I to judge?), but his playing is lyrical and generous.

Cheers!

Well maybe not (but that is not necessarily a bad thing) - but at least he had a hand in introducing bossa nova to U.S. audiences.

Good for you for calling the Schoenberg Op.21 charming! It is not an adjective many would think to apply to it.

+1

[bhodges]

Hi Frank, greetings from NYC, and welcome. Nice composer portfolio there; glad to see some love for Takemitsu among your picks. (And another jazz fan here, too.)

--Bruce

[Sean]

Hi Frank, Gould playing Bach provides inexhaustible returns of course and I agree the music's level headedness is great for work like writing- not too much emotional interference...

Hello everyone!

My name is Frank, and I live in Maine...in case the handle didn't give it away.   

I'm no music expert; in fact, I'm not even much of a student, save for one elective on String Quartets in college twenty-something years ago.  But I do love it and try to spend an hour each day taking a serious listen through my headphones.  Lately this time is also serves as a break from the household chaos, as my wife and I brought our newborn daughter home from the hospital two weeks ago. 

It's probably cliche, but my favorite composers to date are Bach, Mozart and Haydn.   Schoenberg, Takemitsu, Reich, Machaut, and Bartok are the composers I've been listening to most recently.  Some are definitely easier to get my mind around than others, though I really like them all.  The threads in these forums have been a great help.  Hopefully, I'll discover some other great music here, as well. 

I probably listen to as much jazz as classical music: Oscar Peterson, Miles Davis, Bill Evans, Stan Getz, Dexter Gordon.   And I also listen to music for five or six hours a day as I write (I'm a novelist).  ALthough I'm sure it will call my taste into question, my two favorite recordings to write by are Gould's Goldberg Variations (the '50s one) and Jarrett's Koln Concert.  For some reason, they don't distract me too much but provide just the right nudge into creativity.  Go figure....

Anyway, I've enjoyed reading many of your posts here and look forward to meeting you all, even if it is only online.

Cheers!

Frank

[pencils]

Hi there 

[vandermolen]

Welcome from East Sussex, UK

Make the most of your daughter's early years - they grow up very quickly!