Bob Good's blog

Making the most of Family and Youth Concerts

Mon, 21 Apr 2025 18:00:23 GMT

Heroes, Animals, Stories, it's child's play

I hope this will help you engage and inspire your younger audiences - the future of our industry - with some simple ideas of how to make the most of my short and accessible works for full orchestra. All these ideas have been used in performances of my most popular works.

Take " The Animal Suite ", for example; useful for highlighting Nature, Climate Change, Resilience, Bio-Diversity and so on:-

If you're one of the ambitious youth orchestras performing this work, have a member of the orchestra introduce each movement.
Engage the little ones by getting them to dress up as their favourite animal, and award a prize for the best costume.
Invite children to bring a cuddly toy along to enjoy the performance
Get your audience to join in with kazoos/mirlitons at the end of the last movement (sounds like a recipe for disaster to me!).

Click Here for demo audio

Click Here for the score

For " Olivia, The Witch And The Christmas Tree ", two great ideas that came out of last season's performances:-

Have the narration performed by a local celebrity.
Have the narration performed in your local dialect. The broader the better!

Click Here for demo audio

Click Here for the score

And with " Silver ", my first Sinfonietta written for younger audiences, every performance I've been told about has used the first movement " Serenata " to open the concert. Whether performed as a one-movement, two-movement or three-movement work, it's always opened the whole concert. That should tell you something! So if you're looking for a good concert opener, I may have just found you one. In one performance I was lucky enough to attend, members of the (youth) orchestra talked to the audience about the work in between the movements. That was appreciated, and also took it away from the otherwise "stuffy" feeling that young audiences get from the silence we adults love in between the movements.

Click Here for demo audio

Click Here for the score

And finally, a note on programming. My " The Three Musketeers " is suitable for all manner of themes including Literature, Heroes, France, Comradeship, Fighting for Justice, Allies, The French Revolution and more!

Click Here for demo audio

Click Here for the score

Making The Most of My Christmas Music

Mon, 18 Nov 2024 13:27:06 GMT

Olivia, The Witch And The Christmas Tree

Making the most of my Christmas music.

Particularly "Olivia, The Witch And The Christmas Tree".

With a new take on why we decorate trees at Christmas time, "Olivia, The Witch And The Christmas Tree" tells the story of a young girl (the daughter of a poor woodcutter) who ventures too far into the forest one Christmas Eve and meets a witch.

This charming narrated Christmas story is packed with characterful musical moments, suitable for all orchestras and ideal for a family audience.

As well as a Christmas-themed overture and finale, the colourful character sketches include "The Woodcutter" and "The Witch's Dance", along with the balletic "Playing With The Animals", each piece short, accessible and individual.

And it's as easy as 1, 2, 3!

1. One click on my website. I'll sort out everything from then on, whether you want to download the performance materials in A4 or Letter size, or receive printed copies delivered to your doorstep.

2. Two performances happening on the same day: The Lowell Philharmonic Orchestra (Massachusetts) and The Paddock Orchestra (Huddersfield) are both performing this work on 7th December this year. The latter narrated with as broad a Yorkshire accent as you'll hear this side of Christmas!

3. Three easy ways to perform it: As a narrated story, as a ballet or as a Christmas Suite.

So there you go! Get in touch with me when you're planning your next season.

The picture shown here is available for your publicity, too!

Bob Good has around 500 production tracks available exclusively on half a dozen libraries, including Cinephonix in the UK and Music For Productions in Canada. He prides himself on producing high quality music, recorded using real instruments.

His orchestral music, aimed primarily at youth audiences, is being performed around the world, with both "Silver" and "Sonessence" included on the Texas UIL PML.

Bob’s recent library placements include BBC ’s Masterchef, Autumn Watch, The One Show, Wanted: A Simple Life, ITV 's This Morning, Long Lost Family, Channel 4 ’s A Place In The Sun, Come Dine With Me, Channel 5 's Age Gap Love, Billionaire Babies, Netflix ’s Al Hayba, Todo Var Estar Bien, Discovery ’s British Treasure, American Gold, France 3 's Au Fil De La Durance, Canal Vie ’s Ex Au Defi etc. etc..

Sinfonietta No. 1 "Silver"

Sat, 23 Jul 2022 14:53:26 GMT

Sinfonietta: What, Why and When

It was the idea of getting young people interested in classical music which first prompted me to create a short, melodic, accessible symphony.

A sinfonietta.

A bit like taking symphonies back to how they started.

My Sinfonietta No. 1, sub-titled "Silver" because in the second and third movements I've alluded to melodies from "Silver's Ghost", is a three-movement symphony for full orchestra. Each movement is around three minutes long, the sort of length at which my target audience typically streams pieces of music. It's not challenging, either to play or to listen to, because I wanted to make it accessible, but I hope it's both interesting and exciting, especially when performed by a full orchestra!

The world première took place in Reading in October. The USA première was in New York in February, and the Canadian première is in May in Ottawa.

Midi audio is available on Spotify, i-Tunes and the like. Listen to that here https://bfan.link/sinfonietta-no-1

Performance materials are available from the publisher at https://studio-music.co.uk

Do check back here for news of performances where you are. Similarly, if you know of a performance coming up, I'd love to hear about it!

And there are more Sinfoniette on the way ...

Bob Good has around 400 production tracks available exclusively on half a dozen libraries, including Cinephonix in the UK and Music For Productions in Canada. He prides himself on producing high quality music, recorded using real instruments.

Bob’s recent library placements include BBC ’s Masterchef, Autumn Watch, The One Show, Wanted: A Simple Life, ITV 's This Morning, Long Lost Family, Channel 4 ’s A Place In The Sun, Come Dine With Me, Channel 5 's Age Gap Love, Billionaire Babies, Netflix ’s Al Hayba, Discovery ’s British Treasure, American Gold, France 3 's Au Fil De La Durance, Canal Vie ’s Ex Au Defi and many more.

International Composers Festival 2022

Tue, 10 Aug 2021 09:38:18 GMT

"Andante For Three Cellos"

I had a great time at the International Composers Festival, held in Bexhill-On-Sea in May this year.

I was there because my "Andante For Three Cellos" was being performed as part of the "Small Is Beautiful" concert of chamber music on the Saturday morning.

I went with my usual feeling of trepidation. "Why am I here? I won't know what to say to anyone".

I needn't have worried.

People were, as they so often are, very friendly, and there were some inspiring performances of some equally inspiring music.

The (sadly still down in numbers because of the pandemic) audience were enthusiastic and appreciative (especially bearing in mind it was a morning concert!) and the whole atmosphere was very positive, a credit to the organisers. Here's to the next one!

Click Here for further details of the festival.

Click Here for the sheet music for "Andante For Three Cellos".

"Better Days, Brighter Times"

Mon, 05 Jul 2021 14:28:09 GMT

New Album of Upbeat, Retro Tracks

Available for licensing exclusively from the Impulsion label, “Better Days, Brighter Times” is a collection of upbeat retro instrumentals to add warm feelings of optimism to leisure content, light entertainment and light news.

About eighteen months in the making, this album includes three of my all-time favourites: “Baptism Of Funk” (check out Spud Smith’s bass solo in the final verse, which he did in one take!!); “Bring It On” (Lol Warburton squeezing that trumpet up to a top D) and “We’re Coming Home” (which I simply love) and has tracks covering states of happiness from the chilled/contented to the excited/exuberant.

It's Better Set To Music

Wed, 24 Mar 2021 15:58:50 GMT

But not just any music

Saw a new advert the other day on national TV (UK). Not a cheap slot.

Photography: Excellent, said “expensive quality”
Script: Great, said “time & effort”
Voice-over: Nicely performed, good warm feelings
Animations: Fine, did the job
Music: WHAT!!? You’d have to go a long way to find a more cheap-sounding instantly-forgettable backing. I know at times music should be very much in the background, supporting the production without getting in the way. But that’s just it. It should support the production, not say “look what we saved money on”.

And I know music is my thing. I know I’m passionate about it. I know I think it should always be the most important part of any production. I know we disagree about that and I know we always will. But it seems to me that whoever chose the music for this particular ad WANTED to say “this is a cheap ad/product”. Why? When everything else said otherwise.

It could have had a melody for someone to catch on to or an emotion to draw them in. It could have had some performance or production quality that echoed the class of the photography. But no.

Finding suitable music shouldn’t be out of anyone’s reach. There are music supervisors out there who will do a very professional job. I’ve no idea what their fees are, but if you can’t afford that, a bit of simple research or reaching out to a composer or a production library should give you a few ideas.

Come on production teams. Make your productions memorable for the right reasons!

Pizz Perfect

Thu, 21 Jan 2021 11:25:30 GMT

Why we hear so much pizzicato on TV

You can often hear tracks with pizzicato strings used behind magazine programmes and documentaries.

There are no surprises there. The pizzicato technique necessarily produces a short note, and the shorter the note, the more it keeps out of the way of the human speaking voice.

But, as well as that, give some thought to how versatile a medium it is.

Used melodically, high short notes can convey images of little ones (animal or human) playing, discovering and learning. Lower short notes can give a lumbering, comedic effect.

Used chordally, they can invoke and enhance feelings of mystery, danger and the frisson of being up to no good.

In short, the atmosphere they create can be anything from airy / cheeky to moody / mysterious.

CLICK HERE to hear my Pizz Perfect Playlist. Some examples are solely strings, others have other instruments intermingled in some way.

These cover the comedy scenarios (penguins in the snow, young animals playing, slow-wittedness etc.):-

A First Journey

A Ball Of String

Plodding Along

They cover the element of mystery:-

On The Prowl

Prowling Piano

And finally, some more general usages from the light to the dark, from the simple to the sophisticated:-

Playful Pizzicato

Careful As you Go

Ascent Of Venus

I hope you enjoy them. All tracks can be licensed for all uses either through me or through the Cinephonix library.

Bob Good has around 400 production tracks available exclusively on half a dozen libraries, including Cinephonix in the UK and Music For Productions in Canada. He prides himself on producing high quality music, recorded using real instruments.

Bob’s recent library placements include BBC ’s Masterchef, Autumn Watch, The One Show, Absolute Genius with Dick and Dom, ITV 's This Morning, Long Lost Family, Channel 4 ’s A Place In The Sun, Come Dine With Me, Channel 5 's Age Gap Love, Billionaire Babies, Netflix ’s Al Hayba, Discovery ’s British Treasure, American Gold, France 3 's Au Fil De La Durance, Canal Vie ’s Ex Au Defi and many more.

New Album released on the Boom! Music Library

Mon, 15 Jun 2020 08:46:33 GMT

"Time For Reflection"

I know I’ve said this before, but it really is a great feeling when a library releases a whole album dedicated to your work!

“ Time For Reflection ” is now available for licensing from the Boom! Music Library.

Over the years I’ve been writing and producing music for use in TV and film, I still find it humbling and an enormous privilege when someone else puts in all the work involved to create an album consisting entirely of my pieces.

They describe this one as “evocative & poignant … expressing bittersweet feelings of nostalgia, fond memories & regret”.

Mostly piano and strings, some guitar, some great build-ups and some solid scene-setters.

Bob Good has around 350 production tracks available exclusively on half a dozen libraries, including Cinephonix in the UK and Music For Productions in Canada. He prides himself on producing high quality music, always recorded using real instruments.

Bob’s recent library placements include BBC ’s Masterchef, Autumn Watch, The One Show, Absolute Genius with Dick and Dom, ITV 's This Morning, Long Lost Family, Channel 4 ’s A Place In The Sun, Come Dine With Me, Channel 5 's Age Gap Love, Billionaire Babies, Netflix ’s Al Hayba, Discovery ’s British Treasure, American Gold, France 3 's Au Fil De La Durance, Canal Vie ’s Ex Au Defi and many more.

New String Quartet Tracks Available

Tue, 21 Apr 2020 15:36:22 GMT

Elegantia 2 - another album of String Quartet recordings

My latest album of String Quartet recordings, " Elegantia String Quartets 2 ", is now available for licensing
from the Roba Production Music Library.

This album is for those occasions when, for example, you want an underscore that gives the impression of Mozart’s style and era, without the distraction of it being a piece everybody knows and which would draw the ear away from whatever else is going on.
Or perhaps you want to give a sympathetically sorrowful feel without the distraction of a melody.
There’s something there for a range of background uses.

I’ve covered a good range of emotions too, using jaunty pizzicato, dark sombre chords (with more edit points than you can shake a baton at) and many other techniques that remind me why I like working with a live string quartet so much.
And why I was persuaded to write another album along similar lines to my pleasingly successful “Elegantia” album of seven years ago.

Seven years!? Crikey, where did that go!? I hope you find it useful.

Bob Good has around 300 production tracks available exclusively on half a dozen libraries, including Cinephonix in the UK and Music For Productions in Canada. He prides himself on producing high quality music, always recorded using real instruments.

Bob’s recent library placements include BBC ’s Masterchef, Autumn Watch, The One Show, Absolute Genius with Dick and Dom, ITV 's This Morning, Long Lost Family, Channel 4 ’s A Place In The Sun, Channel 5 's Age Gap Love, Billionaire Babies, Netflix ’s Al Hayba, Discovery ’s British Treasure, American Gold, France 3 's Au Fil De La Durance, Canal Vie ’s Ex Au Defi, Finnish Film ’s Spandex Sapiens and many more.

Sticking To Your Guns

Mon, 21 Oct 2019 08:55:42 GMT

Why being unique is important

There's a piece of music I wrote several years ago. A string quartet. I recorded it live in a session along with another half-dozen quartet pieces.

I stuck to my guns over that. I always try to record all of my pieces with real musicians. No programming, no synthesisers. This piece was particularly tricky because much of it is pizzicato and that, by its very nature, sounds scrappy.

I remember when it was put up for an album I was working on with another composer. His comments were along the lines of how "live" it sounded. I think he meant "scrappy". His work is always very neat. Very "perfect".

And I do doubt myself. I often think how much neater my music would sound if I programmed it.

But I persevered. I like working with other musicians. They can bring to a piece so much more than I ever could with sampled sounds. And you always get unique audio! This track may not sound "perfect" in terms of being neat, but it has life. It has character. It has the human touch. And that, to me, is most important.

So. This piece has been languishing on a library for several years. Until a few months ago. Since August it has been licensed for not one, not two, but THREE separate online social media campaigns. Woohoo!

They include a high-profile campaign for a major credit card provider and a campaign about a new diabetes drug. But the one I like the most is this quirky advert for the Port Of Oakland. This too has the human touch.

Port Of Oakland video >>

So. I stuck to my guns. I was patient. It worked for me.

Music For Halloween

Sun, 06 Oct 2019 09:31:59 GMT

A few ideas for Halloween Music

Need music for a Halloween project / article?

I may have just the thing!

Click Here >> for a brief playlist.

They range from scary through atmospheric to tongue-in-cheek.

Enjoy!

Getting Ready for Christmas

Thu, 26 Sep 2019 09:29:33 GMT

Sourcing your Christmas Music

It's not too early to start thinking about music for your Christmas projects.

Lets face it, it's never too early to start thinking about music for ANY of your projects! Other of my Blogs have touched on the importance of choosing your music early in the project cycle. But don't let me get distracted from the purpose of this blog: Christmas Music.

It can be tricky finding decent Christmas music, but think about it, what do you really need? What gives music that Christmassy sound?

Christmas Bells and Sleigh bells.

There you go. Sorted.

The Boom! Music Library have some great examples of this.

Click Here >> to check out their "Christmas Wonderland" album, for example.

You're welcome.

Another Milestone! (2)

Mon, 22 Jul 2019 14:31:43 GMT

Non-exclusive tracks available.

Did you know? As well as the 300-odd tracks I have available on exclusive libraries, I also have some tracks available on a non-exclusive basis.

And now I've reached another milestone.

I now have 200 non-exclusive tracks.

The majority of these are my Surrey Dance Music back catalogue. Although produced inexpensively, they do serve a purpose and they’re proving very popular.

Check out my catalogue on Pond5 >>

Bob Good has around 300 tracks available exclusively on half a dozen libraries, including Cinephonix in the UK and Music For Productions in Canada. He prides himself on producing high quality music, always recorded using real instruments. Except those in his back catalogue on the Pond5 library, that is.

Bob’s recent library placements include BBC ’s Masterchef, Autumn Watch, The One Show, ITV 's Long Lost Family, This Morning, Channel 4 ’s A Place In The Sun, Channel 5 's Age Gap Love, Billionaire Babies, Netflix ’s Al Hayba, Discovery ’s British Treasure, American Gold, France 3 's Au Fil De La Durance, Canal Vie ’s Ex Au Defi, Finnish Film ’s Spandex Sapiens and many more.

On Daring To Be Different

Mon, 24 Jun 2019 09:48:36 GMT

Don't be a parrot

This blog is by way of encouragement to do something different.

To dare to stand out.

To claim your own unique identity.

I know we're all influenced by what's around us. What we see, and what we hear. That's natural. It's part of what makes us human.

However, another part of what makes us human is the ability to express our own identity. And to be creative in the way we do that.

I was asked, earlier this year, to write an album of music for String Quartet. Around ten to twelve pieces, each two or three minutes in length. My first thoughts were "Why me?" and "What should they sound like?", and it was in trying to answer those two questions that I realised that there wasn't anything they should "sound like", they should sound different, exciting and new. After all, if this person had wanted them to sound like Mozart, he'd have picked a recording of a Mozart piece and used that.
No, he wanted something different, (and that's what I'm currently working on).

I'm sure, if you're reading this, that you're the creative type. You've had to learn how to produce what you produce, maybe by watching other people or by listening to them. Even, to begin with, by copying them so that you could learn how to put something together.

OK, you've been there, you've done that. Now it's time to do things your own way.

Are you, for example, using the same music as everybody else?

Do you hear someone else's work and think how familiar it sounds? And how yours could fit in so well to that genre? Stop and think! Maybe that merely makes it run-of-the-mill?

Dare to be different! Be brave! You need to STAND OUT to be noticed, otherwise people will just pass you by!
Be egregious! Be inspired!

After all, as a composer it doesn’t make sense to write something that’s similar to something else. I mean, that’s already been written, right? It only makes sense to write something new. Do the same with your videos.

I can help!

Yes, I've got some banging new tunes available exclusively on the Cinephonix library.

Click here to check them out >>

As Maya Angelou said "If you’re always trying to be normal, you will never know how amazing you can be."

The Power Of Music (3)

Sat, 08 Jun 2019 14:09:04 GMT

A reminder of how powerful music can be in video

We’re constantly being told about the power of video, but have you thought about the power of music. Especially the power of music in video.

You may ask “Why?”, in the belief that your video will be viewed on social media with subtitles on and the sound off.

But not everyone will see your video on social media.

And not everyone will have the sound turned off.

Music is such a powerful tool in enhancing what you want to say. As it has often been said more eloquently that I could put it, music “has the power to make us smile, and bring us to all types of tears. It can carry us back in time, and inspire us to dance in the moment. For all our happiest days, and our saddest, there is music.“

Just think how much more impact your video has with the right music.

Choose it carefully. Choose it wisely. Is it of a quality that's going to support your creation?

Luckily, I have some great pieces of music available to license exclusively from various libraries.

Click Here to check out my catalogue on the Cinephonix library >>

Click Here to check out my catalogue on the Boom! library >>

Click Here to check out my catalogue on the Music For Productions library >>

Bob Good has around 300 tracks available exclusively on half a dozen libraries, including Cinephonix in the UK and Music For Productions in Canada. He prides himself on producing high quality music, always recorded using real instruments.

Bob’s recent library placements include BBC ’s Masterchef, Autumn Watch, The One Show, Absolute Genius with Dick and Dom, ITV 's Border Life, Long Lost Family, This Morning, Channel 4 ’s A Place In The Sun, Channel 5 's Age Gap Love, Billionaire Babies, Netflix ’s Al Hayba, Discovery ’s British Treasure, American Gold, France 3 's Au Fil De La Durance, Canal Vie ’s Ex Au Defi, Finnish Film ’s Spandex Sapiens and many more.

Putting A Track Together (2)

Tue, 07 May 2019 12:53:14 GMT

Why I do things my way

Following on from my earlier blog about how I put a track together, and why I do things my own way ...

... we'd got to the stage where I've written a number of tracks and got the instrumentalists into the studio. This is the point where we always have a chat about each track as we work with a view to getting the best out of the performance.

Whether the string players should use more of the middle of the bow or increase the vibrato for extra warmth, for example, or whether the guitarist can use a different inversion of a chord to get out of the way of other instruments.

It’s possibly my favourite part of the process. It's why I use talented and experienced musicians, and it adds so much more to a piece than just the sum of its parts.

I always look forward to my recording sessions and rarely sleep the night before one. I know there’ll still be lots to be done afterwards in the editing and mixing processes to bring the best out of their performances, but those chats often lead to quirky times in the session and also to some great moments in the track.

Check out Paul-the-trumpet-player getting increasingly wild in “ All Over Again ”, for example.

Or Spud-the-bass-player’s little extra embellishments to his line in “ Something For The Boys ”.

All these moments go to making the tracks more than just ordinary. Making the tracks something special.

Click here to check out my catalogue on the Cinephonix library >>

Bob Good has around 300 tracks available exclusively on half a dozen libraries, including Cinephonix in the UK and Music For Productions in Canada. He prides himself on producing high quality music, always recorded using real instruments.

Bob’s recent library placements include BBC ’s Masterchef, Autumn Watch, The One Show, Absolute Genius with Dick and Dom, ITV 's Border Life, Long Lost Family, This Morning, Channel 4 ’s A Place In The Sun, Channel 5 's Age Gap Love, Billionaire Babies, Netflix ’s Al Hayba, Discovery ’s British Treasure, American Gold, France 3 's Au Fil De La Durance, Canal Vie ’s Ex Au Defi, Finnish Film ’s Spandex Sapiens and many more.

Cheap Music

Wed, 24 Apr 2019 12:52:08 GMT

Where Can I Get Cheap but Great-Sounding Music for a Video?

Do you sometimes get to thinking "I don't want to have to pay for using music in my video."?

After all, it's so low in the mix that no-one ever hears what it's really like, right?

What do you do?

Firstly, don't get caught out.

Pause for a moment to consider whether you might, at some stage, need to bring the music up in prominence (and you still want your customers to feel good about your product). Bear in mind that not everybody will view it on social media with the sound turned off!

Secondly, How much can you expect to pay for well-written, well-performed, well-recorded and well-produced tracks?

Did you know? My well-written, well-performed, well-recorded and well-produced tracks on the Cinephonix library are only £30 a pop for corporate use?
That's got to be a good deal.

Check out my Cinephonix catalogue here >>

For an even more affordable solution, those same tracks are on my own library (it's administered by Cinephonix). I can't offer the same facilities (such as Try-Before-You-Buy or a blanket licence) and the site isn't as mobile-friendly, but I can offer you a small discount.
And that'll save you money.

Check out my own library here >>

Lastly, if I haven't persuaded you that it's worth paying a little extra for a quality product, and that you get what you pay for, not only in quality of product and service, but also for other reasons such as copyright indemnity, then my back catalogue is available for licensing at ridiculously low prices from the Pond5 library. The music is great (of course!) and we don't care about the recording quality, right?

Check out my Pond5 catalogue here >>

Wedding Season Is Approaching

Tue, 02 Apr 2019 08:29:11 GMT

Calling all String Quartets!

It may seem a long time away, but it's time to prepare: Wedding Season is fast approaching.

Now might be a great opportunity to get some new music under your bow.

I mean, you don't want to have to be playing the same old pieces you played last year, do you.

Luckily I have some new sheet music available!

My succinctly-titled collection “10 Classical-Style String Quartets For Weddings And Other Celebrations”, downloadable by clicking here >> has been selling so well I’ve come up with a second collection, imaginatively titled “10 More String Quartets For Weddings And Other Occasions”. This can be downloaded by clicking here >>

And there's plenty more! String trios, piano trios, piano rags, pieces for flute choir, cello trio, horn quartet, jazz ensemble, the list goes on...

Click here to check out my full catalogue >>

New Album of Cinematic Sadness

Thu, 14 Mar 2019 09:36:40 GMT

New Production Music Released

It's a great feeling when a library releases a whole album dedicated to your work!

Not just the odd track here and there, but a whole cohesive album.

My sixth "solo" (all my own work) album, "Cinematic Sadness" is now available for licensing exclusively from the Boom! Music Library.

Recording for this album started tentatively in 2015, with the majority happening in late 2017 / early 2018. It wasn't a quick, cheap project.

They describe it as "a set of beautifully crafted cinematic themes capturing the essence of grief, regret and heartache."

That's twelve tracks packed full of emotion.

Click Here to check it out >>

My previous album for this library used mechanical pianos, contrasting these with the beauty of a string quartet and woodwinds. Whilst those tracks were quickly being used on TV around the world, I wanted to get away from their “mechanicalness” and write some with more emotion.

I may have gone a bit over the top!

Over an extended period between 2015 and 2018, I got various instrumentalists into the studio and bit by bit we built up the components which went to make this album. I’m playing a plastic tom tom on one of the tracks, but the majority of the work, as always, was done by more talented musicians and I’m grateful to them all for spending days “out in the country” and making this cohesive set of pieces.

Bob Good has around 300 tracks available exclusively on half a dozen libraries, including Cinephonix in the UK and Music For Productions in Canada. He prides himself on producing high quality music, always recorded using real instruments.

Bob’s recent library placements include BBC ’s Masterchef, Autumn Watch, The One Show, Absolute Genius with Dick and Dom, ITV 's Border Life, Long Lost Family, This Morning, Channel 4 ’s A Place In The Sun, Channel 5 's Age Gap Love, Billionaire Babies, Netflix ’s Al Hayba, Discovery ’s British Treasure, American Gold, France 3 's Au Fil De La Durance, Canal Vie ’s Ex Au Defi, Finnish Film ’s Spandex Sapiens and many more.

The Benefits Of Having A Clear-Out

Fri, 01 Mar 2019 11:16:19 GMT

Time for some new music

Whether or not you follow the latest trend in de-cluttering, there are undoubted benefits to having a clear-out.

Just like Spring-cleaning your home, clearing out those old pieces of music can give you a new lease of live.

It can also give you freedom. Freedom to listen to new pieces of music. Freedom to explore new genres or at least new libraries. Freedom to be that bit more creative.

I know it can be a bit scary sometimes. Cleaning out old things. I mean, you’re comfortable with them, right? Like a friendly pair of old slippers. You might not notice they’re a bit worn around the edges. But your customers might .

It can be cathartic. It can be an opportunity. And it can certainly be rewarding. There’s so much out there to discover.

Oh. By the way, I have new music available on the Cinephonix library.

Click here to check out my new music >>

Bob Good has around 300 tracks available exclusively on half a dozen libraries, including Cinephonix in the UK and Music For Productions in Canada. He prides himself on producing high quality music, always recorded using real instruments.

Bob’s recent library placements include BBC ’s Masterchef, Autumn Watch, The One Show, Absolute Genius with Dick and Dom, ITV 's This Morning, Long Lost Family, Channel 4 ’s A Place In The Sun, Channel 5 's Age Gap Love, Netflix ’s Al Hayba, Discovery ’s British Treasure, American Gold, France 3 's Au Fil De La Durance, Canal Vie ’s Ex Au Defi, Finnish Film ’s Spandex Sapiens and many more.

The Power Of Music (2)

Mon, 18 Feb 2019 09:08:50 GMT

Music as a trigger for product recall

In much the same way as a smell can bring back a particular memory, music also triggers parts of the brain which evoke emotions.

Attached to some emotions are memories, particularly those referred to as implicit memories, stored in the subconscious.

In other words, music triggers emotions which trigger memories.

This makes music a great trigger for memory.

It's why you hear stories of people coming out of a coma on hearing a favourite piece of music.

It's also why successful advertisers use music to trigger product recall,

in the same way as a signature tune can be used to "call someone in from the kitchen" when their favourite TV soap starts up.

And, of course, if someone hears that tune out of context, the process kicks in and they're reminded of the show.

Or the product.

Now consider, if that music has a hummable melody, then they can take it away with them and recall it all by themselves.

That's the power of music.

A great trigger for product recall.

Need some hummable melodies?

Click Here to check out my Cinephonix catalogue >>

Did You Know? One of my first commissions was for a jingle for a furnishings company on a local radio station. I obviously made it too memorable, because the radio station in question used it to advertise their own in-house jingle-writing service! I learnt from that experience.

Bob Good has around 300 tracks available exclusively on half a dozen libraries, including Cinephonix in the UK and Music For Productions in Canada. He prides himself on producing high quality music, always recorded using real instruments.

Bob’s recent library placements include BBC ’s Masterchef, Autumn Watch, The One Show, Absolute Genius with Dick and Dom, James Martin Home Comforts, ITV 's This Morning, Long Lost Family Christmas Reunion, Channel 4 ’s A Place In The Sun, Netflix ’s Al Hayba, Discovery ’s British Treasure, American Gold, France 3 's Au Fil De La Durance, Canal Vie ’s Ex Au Defi, Finnish Film ’s Spandex Sapiens and many more.

Another Milestone! (1)

183:721078443 (Bob Good) — Sat, 02 Feb 2019 16:44:33 GMT

300 Exclusive Tracks

I've reached a significant milestone!

No, not a big birthday. I've now got 300 exclusive tracks available on production libraries around the world!

These aren't just those thrown-together churned-out tracks that sound like wallpaper, either. No, these are carefully composed, crafted tracks, painstakingly recorded using real instruments played by some of the best at their art. They're getting use in all manner of high-quality TV programmes and the occasional film and I'm uber-proud of every single one of them!

About 1/3rd of them are on the Cinephonix library.

Click here to check out my Cinephonix catalogue >>

Bob has around 300 tracks available exclusively on half a dozen libraries, including Cinephonix in the UK and Music For Productions in Canada. He prides himself on producing high quality music, always recorded using real instruments.

Bob’s recent library placements include BBC ’s Masterchef, Autumn Watch, The One Show, Absolute Genius with Dick and Dom, James Martin Home Comforts, ITV 's This Morning, Channel 4 ’s A Place In The Sun, Netflix ’s Al Hayba, Discovery ’s British Treasure, American Gold, France 3 's Au Fil De La Durance, Canal Vie ’s Ex Au Defi, Finnish Film ’s Spandex Sapiens and many more.

Music Of Love

183:721078443 (Bob Good) — Sun, 20 Jan 2019 09:39:03 GMT

Music can touch your soul

Not long now until Valentines' Day. Are you ready for it?

You need some music.

No, trust me, you really do.

Don’t just take my word for it.

Confucius, for example, said “Music produces a kind of pleasure which human nature cannot do without”.

John Dryden upped the dramatic stakes when he said “What passion cannot music raise and quell!”.

And Plato, going on about Rhythm and Harmony finding their way into the inward places of the soul, well, he kind of hit the nail on the head too.

But what is romantic music?

Some thoughts to help you decide ...

Is there a depth of longing, making it A Poignant Moment ?

Is there hidden passion, as in A Smouldering Night ?

Is it simply something soothing and caressing, like Stillness ?

Is it candlelight and wine, as with Honey Blue ?

Or is it just contentment, and Dropping Off ?

Whatever your passion, I’ve got just what you need on the Cinephonix library.

Click Here to check out my Cinephonix page >>

By the way, the sheet music for some of my romantic solo piano music is also available to download ...

Click Here to view "4 Romantic Piano Pieces for Valentine's Day" >>

Bob has around 250 tracks available exclusively on half a dozen libraries, including Cinephonix in the UK and Music For Productions in Canada. He prides himself on producing high quality music, always recorded using real instruments.

Bob’s recent library placements include BBC ’s Masterchef, Autumn Watch, The One Show, Absolute Genius with Dick and Dom, James Martin Home Comforts, Growing Up In Scotland, ITV 's This Morning, Channel 4 ’s A Place In The Sun, Netflix ’s Al Hayba, Discovery ’s British Treasure, American Gold, France 3 's Au Fil De La Durance, Canal Vie ’s Ex Au Defi, Finnish Film ’s Spandex Sapiens and many more.

Putting A Track Together (1)

183:721078443 (Bob Good) — Wed, 09 Jan 2019 07:53:38 GMT

Why I do things my way

I’ve seen so many articles and pieces of advice on how to write a “production track”.

They all start with laying a beat down with some percussion and adding to it, in various orders depending on the writer, until the track is “finished”.

That’s all well and good if you want to churn out the same old stuff as everyone else.

But it doesn’t work for me.

Music to me is much more emotive than that. It doesn’t have to have a regular beat and it certainly doesn’t have to have percussion. I like my music to have feeling, to be beautiful or to be funny or to be dark and scary, to set a scene or tell a story.

Check out " As A Flower Blooms ", for example.

Or " Stillness ".

No hint of regular beat, and no percussion. But it's still music.

I might have an idea of the structure in my head, but I like to feel my way into the music, experimenting with ideas and harmony and arrangements as I go. That’s the great thing about writing library music (i.e. not writing to a brief), you can let the music lead you astray! Similarly not writing to a timescale means that I can be relaxed about the recording and editing sessions and use everyone’s time efficiently.

More about that later.

Click Here to check out my catalogue on the Cinephonix library >>

Bob Good has around 250 tracks available exclusively on half a dozen libraries, including Cinephonix in the UK and Music For Productions in Canada. He prides himself on producing high quality music, always recorded using real instruments.

Bob’s recent library placements include BBC ’s Masterchef, Autumn Watch, The One Show, Absolute Genius with Dick and Dom, James Martin Home Comforts, ITV 's This Morning, Channel 4 ’s A Place In The Sun, Netflix ’s Al Hayba, Finnish Film ’s Spandex Sapiens, Discovery ’s British Treasure, American Gold, France 3 's Au Fil De La Durance, Canal Vie ’s Ex Au Defi and many more.

New Year, New Toons!

183:721078443 (Bob Good) — Sat, 29 Dec 2018 10:01:29 GMT

Make a New Year's Resolution, with a little help

Are you using the same music you did last year?

Getting stale?

Worried your reputation might suffer as a result?

Don't worry, I have the answer!

Yes, I have new tunes exclusively available from the Cinephonix library.

Click Here to check out my latest tunes >>

Bob Good has around 250 tracks available exclusively on half a dozen libraries, including Cinephonix in the UK and Music For Productions in Canada. He prides himself on producing high quality music, always recorded using real instruments.

Bob’s recent library placements include BBC ’s Masterchef, Autumn Watch, The One Show, Absolute Genius with Dick and Dom, James Martin Home Comforts, Growing Up In Scotland, ITV 's This Morning, Channel 4 ’s A Place In The Sun, Netflix ’s Al Hayba, Discovery ’s British Treasure, American Gold, France 3 's Au Fil De La Durance, Canal Vie ’s Ex Au Defi, Finnish Film ’s Spandex Sapiens and many more.

The Power Of Music (4)

Mon, 24 Dec 2018 14:42:25 GMT

More thoughts on how powerful music can be

Have you considered just how powerful music really is?

Lady Gaga said “Music is one of the most powerful things the world has to offer. No matter what race or religion or sexual orientation or gender, it has the power to unite us.”

But don’t just take Lady Gaga’s word for it.

After all, Elton John, who knows a thing or to about the subject, said “Music has healing power. It has the ability to take people out of themselves for a few hours.”

And wasn’t it Plato who said “Music gives flight to the imagination.”

Meanwhile Hans Christian Andersen compared its power to that of words, when he said “Where words fail, music speaks”.

Just think how much more impact your video will have with the right music behind it.

My music will tell you more about me than I ever will.

Click Here to check out my Cinephonix catalogue >>

The Power Of Music

websitebuilder@1and1.de — Mon, 17 Dec 2018 10:16:53 GMT

Exploring the Emotional Connection of Music

Why “ It’s Better Set To Music ”

Sometimes it helps to remind ourselves why we do what we do.

Why do we underscore adverts, documentaries and other important messages with music? And how can we get better at it?

I mean, we already know that music captures the viewer’s attention , establishes the mood , builds an emotional connection , helps motivate the subconscious and creates a lasting impression . But why and how does it do those things?

1. Music is better than Silence

When I’m working in my garden I’ve often noticed that if I hum a tune, birds come closer to me than if I’m silent. They seem to feel safer. It’s also well documented that a store can be beautifully designed, lit and laid out, but will lose some of its selling power if customers are greeted with silence.

So ... choose music over silence

Many experiments have been carried out and research done into the psychological perception of music, some involving the sounds of safety, stress and danger. To cut many articles down in to one sentence, situations with music are experienced as less stressful and dangerous than situations with silence or natural sounds. Music makes us feel safe, in these terms representing a relatively predictable pattern of auditory input, and creates the impression that there’s nothing dangerous going on.

Simply put, we like music !

2. Music is better than Other Sounds

You can’t hum a metronome click.

And if you’re humming a tune, or a jingle, then you’re reminded of an experience, or a programme, or a product. But it’s not all about content recall and creating that lasting impression. Did you know that a person’s heart rate changes when listening to music? And that whether the heart beats faster or slower depends on the tempo of that music?

Yes ... music is that powerful!

Brain imaging studies have shown that music works at a very deep level within the brain, stimulating not only those regions responsible for processing sound but also those associated with emotions.

Studies have also shown that music with a faster rhythm, such as rap, increases a person's heart rate, instead of providing a relaxing effect. Yes, music makes us feel safe, but it also draws us in and makes that emotional connection.

In other words, the tempo and rhythm (speed and density) of the content are important factors. But it’s important that that content is music .

Continuously-rhythmic music entrains us (causes our brainwaves and heart rate to synchronise with the rhythm). Interestingly, it’s the emotional connection which music makes that triggers this response; it doesn’t work with en emotionless sound such as a metronome click. The more emotionful the music, the more connection it makes with us. Which brings me on to …

3. Quality Music is better than Cheap Music

Take, for example, a piece of violin music.
Imagine the emotional connection we have with that piece of music if we are holding the violin in our hands and playing it ourselves.
Now imagine we’re merely in the audience watching/listening. Our connection with the music, although still good, is reduced.
And we lose a little bit more of the connection with a recording of that performance.
But that connection tails off markedly if we listen to the same piece recorded using sampled sounds.
And it decreases even more markedly if recorded using midi-generated sounds.

You get my gist, I’m sure. Get real! The closer you are to the real thing, the more of an emotional connection you have. That same emotional connection which gets you humming a tune, feeling good about it, remembering where you heard it and going back for more.

Lucky there are libraries with quality music at affordable prices then!

As a composer, Bob has around 250 tracks available exclusively on half a dozen libraries, including Cinephonix in the UK and Music For Productions in Canada. He prides himself on producing high quality music, always recorded using real instruments.

Bob’s recent library placements include BBC ’s Masterchef, Autumn Watch, The One Show, Absolute Genius with Dick and Dom, James Martin Home Comforts, Growing Up In Scotland, Channel 4 ’s A Place In The Sun, Netflix ’s Al Hayba, Discovery ’s British Treasure, American Gold, France 3 's Au Fil De La Durance, Canal Vie ’s Ex Au Defi, Finnish Film ’s Spandex Sapiens and many more.

Are You Spending Too Long Choosing The Wrong Music?

183:721078443 (Bob Good) — Sat, 10 Feb 2018 00:00:00 GMT

What to look for, and how to find it

As a composer, earning a fair proportion of my crust from library music, it’s important for me to know how you as an editor or video producer go about choosing the perfect piece of music for your project.
Some of what I've found during my research is pretty obvious. Of course. But, delving into the When? Why? What? and so on has taught me a thing or two ...

Importance
It scares me sometimes, how late some people start to sort out their music.
Music is the most powerful way to create a connection with your audience. Whether it’s there to drive a video forward, to set a scene, to create a mood or whatever, its role in your production should be thought about right from the beginning. By all means change it as your project evolves, let it evolve with you, but let it be your driver, as it will the audience’s, not an afterthought.
To put it another way, music can make your production. Leaving your choices too late can, and likely will, break it.
That’s all very well, and I guess that answers the question “When?”, but how to choose the right piece? After all, there are hundreds of libraries out there, with thousands of composers and millions of tracks. And new tracks are being produced as you read this.
Let me suggest five other areas to consider. They may or may not apply to you, depending on your role and requirements, so find the best bits!

1. Where From?
Sourcing Your Music
There are two choices here for pre-existing tracks: Commercial Music or Library Music.
Commercial music (i.e. that written and produced for sale to the general public) has two big advantages:-
(1) you’ve already heard it and (2) there’s so much choice!
Library music (i.e. that written and designed expressly for productions) also has two big advantages:-
(1) Appropriateness (it’s likely been written to set a mood, to keep out of the way of dialogue and to be adaptable with the use of devices such as stems and alternative versions. Also, it’s more likely to have the sort of structural elements you’re looking for, such as an appropriate length and a defined ending), and (2) Time/Cost (licensing it is easy, most likely cheaper and instant).

2. Why?
Emotions
Time to think about what the music is there to do, and I think this is all about emotions.
Whether it’s setting a scene, exciting your audience, enhancing a narrative, making your viewers laugh or your customers feel warm and fuzzy, or any of the many reasons music adds to your project, it’s all about emotions. Some people spend useful time writing down a list of feelings and moods they want to create, to use as keywords when searching for music.
“Music Fit” can be a tricky task, but, as well as mood and emotion, tempo is one of the properties of music which play an important part in psychological perception, and therefore the attitude your viewer has towards your project. Consider the information density of your project, and the relationship that has with the music. Studies suggest that the processing power of the viewer is increased when there’s a good match between the musical tempo and the information density.

3. Who For?
Know Your Demographic
Knowing who your target audience is is another key element. This may sound obvious, but you'd be surprised how easy it is to assume you yourself are typical of your demographic. Genre is a factor here, but I’m not just talking genre. A target demographic of 15 to 17 year olds, for example, is probably going to need a track which is positive, with pace and energy, probably with swagger and cool as well, regardless of the music genre. Again, a list of keywords can help with searching.
An audience with the attention span of young children is going to need music which changes direction every few bars. And that gets me on to structure, an equally important element. For a TV documentary, for example, typically aimed at adults, you want your music to set the scene, bubble away for a while, come to a hit point, bubble away again and come to a definite ending.

4. Where To?
Background vs. Foreground
It’s always worth considering where you see the music sitting. We all know that the music in an action scene can sit further forward than that underscoring some intimate dialogue, but are there any tips to help achieve the right balance when you want to set it back a bit? I think there are.
Are you underscoring dialogue, or producing a TV factual, for example? Research has found that there’s decreased cognition when the frequencies of the music overlap with that of speech (especially narration or voiceover). Typically these frequencies are in the 85Hz to 250Hz range, similar to that of an alto singing voice. Music which doesn’t use these frequencies at all would sound very strange, very harsh, but their effects can be mitigated by choosing pieces where notes within these frequencies have reduced attack, or, bizarrely enough, are part of repeated chords. This latter trick is in two parts. The chords mean that the effect of individual notes is masked, and the repetition is all to do with our ‘fight or flight” response - we’re programmed to notice new things, a sudden movement or a new sound for example, and it follows that if that sound is repeated then soon we notice it less.
Other vocal sounds (even whistling, which is out of the danger range), will compete with the human voice. Best avoid those annoying ukulele and whistling tracks, then, if a voiceover is involved!

5. What Works?
Unique Selling Point
As someone who strives to produce unique audio, I’m in danger of getting on my soapbox here! Some libraries and composers thrive on producing vast masses of cheaply-produced music. But why? Do they think you want your production to sound cheap?
I would always advocate using tracks recorded by real musicians using real instruments, if only for the extra emotion a skilled craftsman can bring. I’ve begun watching far too much TV than is good for me. I can recognise which sample sounds were used to produce which tracks. There’s no doubt that some of the high-end sample sounds do sound fantastic, but ultimately, digital versions of acoustic instruments cannot replicate the real thing, and will in the end give a production a cheap and dated feel. And there are, as previously stated, so many libraries with so many tracks available, that there’s no need to compromise on quality.
After all, you are the creative type. The very nature of your job is creating. You might want it to have the cheap feel of the production company down the road. Or you might want something unique to set it off.
The curated libraries all know their content and will be happy to make suggestions if you want more ideas. And there’s nothing wrong with experimenting, as long as you’ve allowed yourself the time. Many good libraries operate a “Try Before You Buy” scheme, whereby you can download a track and play with it to see how it works within your project. That’s invaluable, in my book.

Whatever decisions you make, bear in mind the needs of your audience. It can take time to find the right piece of music, but that time is well worth spending.

Bob has around 250 tracks available exclusively on half a dozen libraries, including Cinephonix in the UK and Music For Productions in Canada. He prides himself on producing high quality music, always recorded using real instruments.

Bob’s recent library placements include BBC ’s Masterchef, Autumn Watch, The One Show, Absolute Genius with Dick and Dom, James Martin Home Comforts, Growing Up In Scotland, Channel 4 ’s A Place In The Sun, Netflix ’s Al Hayba, Discovery ’s British Treasure, American Gold, France 3 's Au Fil De La Durance, Canal Vie ’s Ex Au Defi, Finnish Film ’s Spandex Sapiens and many more.