Composer Interview
Greg Fellman
Greg Fellman is a highly talented and passionate music composer who specializes in creating the perfect music for media. Greg's exceptional skills in scoring for films and commercials, and his ability to write production music for libraries, have made him a trusted name in the industry.
S: What were some of the earliest musical influences that you can remember growing up? What instrument did you grow up playing?
G: Like many musicians, I started on piano at a young age learning the classics, Beethoven, Mozart, Chopin, and more. But then we also had these Readers Digest books with all sorts of tunes from the American songbook, Gershwin, Cole Porter, and the like. Those songs are still near and dear to my heart. And then growing up in the 80’s I was into everything on the radio as well as classic rock. I played bass guitar for a cover band in high school and we would do anything from Metallica to Tiffany to polkas (This was Wisconsin, so if we were playing weddings, we had to have a few polkas!). I soaked up as much music as I could; still do.
S: What led you into making music for media?
G: Hearing Bear McCreary’s score for “Battlestar Galactica” really woke me up to media music and the originality that was possible in that realm. I had been a social worker for my entire professional career but had always dabbled in music on the side. I eventually got to a point where I wanted to dedicate all my time and energy to music to make it my profession. So I went back to school for music production and that led me to composing music for media.
S: How would you describe your style of writing?
G: First and foremost I want to write something that I enjoy listening to. If it’s not doing it for me, then something needs to change. On the other hand, if I am also constantly aware of what the brief is. Because if it’s not doing it for the client, then I’m not doing my job.
"Mood Overdose"
Feel-good, stylish funk music that gives you a powerful and freeing attitude. Strong funky bass line, guitars and thick organs.
"You Want the Passion"
Full Track; Pop Funk music that makes you move with fun rhythms. Vibrant guitar melody, energizing wah guitar and drums with a bubbly bass line.
S: What was your intention behind "Mood Overdose" and "You Want the Passion"?
G: I wanted to make some simple, straight ahead riff-based funk a la The Meters that still had enough variability and layers to work well as game music. And I had a ton of fun writing them!
S: How did you start creating these songs and eventually achieve your vision?
G: Being a bass player, I just picked up my bass and started playing around with some possible riffs. I recorded a few and then went through them trying to determine which had the most potential. I selected those two and started developing them, adding guitar, organ, drums and everything else.
S: What were some of the compositional challenges that you faced?
G: The greatest challenge with this project was coming up with the different state mixes. Adding enough variability to each so that it was different than the rest without changing it into a completely different cue was a challenge but a fun one.
S: What was your favorite part of the process?
G: For me, getting lost in the process of composing, getting into that flow state, is really the best part of the process. I can lose hours doing that and enjoy it the entire time. A close second to that is hearing the final version and (hopefully) being satisfied and pleased with it. I also look forward to hearing the cues used in a game!
S: Outside of music, where do you find inspiration in your life?
G: I have a daily meditation practice which always helps keep me grounded and centered. I also thoroughly enjoy offering Chinese tea ceremonies to friends and acquaintances. Inspiration is not hard to find as long as we keep looking and keep ourselves open to it.
