Snow Snow (Brokeback Mountain) is emblematic of Gustavo Santaolalla’s minimalist, and egoless songwriting. There’s an unusual dissonant chord position at the end of each cycle. It catches you off guard. While Santaolalla is probably following his ear when writing music, he has a proclivity for […]

In a previous post I had mentioned that I had yet to watch Alejandro Inarritu’s, 21 Grams. I did, but made it a 1/4 of the way through. It’s well done and well acted, but I just can’t take prolonged sorrow in movies these days. […]

21 Grams is a 2003 drama directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu (Birdman, The Revenant).  This was the second collaboration between Santaolalla and Iñárritu. The first was Amores Perros, and the 3rd was Babel for which Gustavo Santaolalla won his second Academy award. This is the only movie […]

Babel is a movie directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu (Birdman, The Revenant). The movie connects seemingly unrelated people around the globe, and may challenge your biases, or preconceived notions.  Gustavo Santaolalla won two back to back Academy Awards for Best Score. Brokeback Mountain in 2005, […]

My gosh, if anything else, the Netflix series Making a Murderer highlights the unscientific (and uncertain) design of our American justice system. I’m not judging, as it might be the best we can do. Beyond a traffic ticket, most of us will never be caught up […]

I’m usually mimicking the actual guitar, ronroco, or instrumentation of my favorite composer, Gustavo Santaolalla. For the Making a Murderer opening theme, I had the opportunity to use Santaolalla’s tragic music to create my own guitar arrangement. My wife and I are almost through with the […]

Qhapaq Nan, Retracing the Path with Gustavo Santaolalla, is a documentary series following the footsteps of the cultural heritage left by the Incas through a unique audiovisual experience. The road system — built by the Inca Empire — has been granted World Heritage status by […]

A music mentor In the mid 2000’s I was playing bass in a rock band. Despite some regional success, this band wasn’t going make it. It wasn’t for a lack of trying. We were very good — but the blown up music industry hadn’t yet […]

“If you want something done, ask a busy person to do it. The more things you do, the more you can do.” – Lucille Ball I’m convinced that busy people are superior at 2 things: managing their time, and controlling their perfectionism. They create an […]

Unconflicted “I think the person who takes a job in order to live – that is to say, for the money [not for purpose or passion]- has turned himself into a slave.” ― Joseph Campbell I don’t have a specific New Year’s resolution, other than […]

Just a short post this time. I’ve thankfully found some rare and unusual free time this holiday. However, rather than relax (which I’m not sure I know how to do) I decided to transcribe and post a quick little tune. As Paul McCartney says, “You play music, […]

I think this will be my last transcription from Gustavo Santaolalla’s music from The Book of Life. For those who don’t know, there was a secondary score released with a lot of instrumental music and guitar work — which is kinda more my thing. The […]