Why study music now?

A while ago my sister and I were talking about “what would we do differently if we could do it all over again”. She said that with the confidence she has now (now she knows she is smart!), she would go into nursing. I said that I would try for a degree in music and aim towards 1) composition and 2) music technology — synthesizers, samplers, recording; sound effects, backgrounds for films and video games. Back in the ’80s we didn’t have music for video games the way we do now (it was “chip tunes” — monophonic — only one note at a time!). Now, music for video games is composed using complex software, and the games themselves have enough storage that the music can be recorded by an actual orchestra and it will be played back with CD quality.

Composing music for games is an extremely competitive field. I don’t have the ambition to study cutting edge technology; I don’t have the energy to get another college degree!

However, I would really enjoy studying on my own. Maybe I could compose for an indie game. The composer I am inspired by is Ben Prunte, who was self-taught (much of that time while working as a janitor). Here are some of his interviews. I first heard him on the NPR show “Top Score”.

Here is his cheerful, retro soundtrack for the game FTL (Faster Than Light). I really like it because it reminds me of some synth music that was popular when I was in high school. I like to put this soundtrack on when I need to focus on writing.