Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, Stravinsky...who comes next?

Throughout history music has been used with the other arts to create entertainment. Opera was a popular amusement of past times, and the modern day equivalent would have to be film. The audience are allowed to sit and allow the sights and sounds to tell them a story. Film music is often looked down upon by classically trained musicians, but I love it. In my opinion, Howard Shore and John Williams bring orchestral music to the masses, just as Mozart and Wagner did in their time with opera.

I recently discovered a new channel for orchestral music. For some people, it is not enough to be stimulated by just sight and sound. They have to actually be involved in the action, and to dictate the events. I am of course talking about the world of computer games. Through my brother and his friends I was given a glimpse of this massive industry. They used to spend weekends in Oxford at LAN parties (local area network parties) where a hall full of young men would link their computers and play games against each other almost non-stop for 48 hours.

It can get a lot bigger than that though, and the music industry is catching on to this fact. A couple of years ago two orchestral concerts were performed in Sydney and Melbourne which sold out weeks in advance and still had people queuing on the day. They were concerts of the music used in computer games. A similar series was held at the Festival Hall in London last year.

When I heard of this, I imagined orchestral arrangements of the electronic music in games like sonic the hedgehog; not great concert material. However, after last week I can now say I understand the art of the modern computer game’s soundtrack, and therefore the appeal. A major games company, Blizzard, is releasing an album of their music, and I was hired to do one of the recording sessions. I spent the day at Fox studios in Sydney, recording two tracks.

Those of you who watch film DVD extras will have seen images of the recording studios where the music soundtrack is created. Picture a whole orchestra wearing headphones, listening to a click track to keep in time, surrounded by wires and microphones, and with a conductor at the front. This is what I did last Monday. A darkened booth to the side contained the composer and recording engineers, who communicated to the orchestra via the conductor, who heard them in an earpiece. It was quite disconcerting when the conductor first started conversing with the almighty shadows from the booth, rather like when you see someone talking to themselves and then realise they are not mad but just on a hands-free phone.

As for the music itself, I really enjoyed playing it. Good tunes, lots of loud bits, and excellent basslines. It had a lot in common with film scores such as Lord of the Rings, which are often a lot more fun to play than a lot of the ‘proper’ classical music of our time (weird dissonant compositions where if you can spot a melody you’re lucky). No, if computer games and film scores are the future of popular orchestral music I’m not complaining. In fact, I think I might buy the album of Diablo 3 when it comes out.

Hail to the bus driver, bus driver, bus driver...

Something which struck me in the first few days I arrived here was the pleasant Sydney bus drivers. It sounds a trivial thing, but it makes such a difference to the feel of a city if when boarding a bus you are welcomed with a smile and maybe a vocal greeting. Passengers do not hesitate to ask the driver questions about the destination of the bus, and if it is not the correct bus the driver will more often than not give directions to the right one. The pleasantries are reciprocated by passengers, as it is normal practice when getting off a bus to call ‘Thanks driver.’
I suppose the only other place I’ve used public buses on a regular basis is in London. The London bus system requires the passenger to buy a ticket before boarding, which seems to create the impression that there should not be any communication between passenger and driver. A lot of the drivers certainly like to encourage this practice with their rude and short responses on any questions. I obviously do not speak for every London bus driver, as some are very pleasant, but it’s quite a contrast to Sydney. I have actually found myself shocked when coming in contact with a moody bus driver here, as it’s so unusual.


I suppose that in a way bus drivers are ambassadors for their city. Who else do tourists and locals come in contact with every day? Shop owners perhaps, or taxi drivers, but their business may be affected by their manner. Not so with bus drivers. They get paid as long as the bus gets from A to B.


I cannot say for certain the reasons behind the pleasant Sydney drivers, but I can make a few guesses. The first is the fact that Sydney bus drivers are trained well. We had a talk at university orientation from the Sydney transport system. The drivers are well educated in the routes and zone system of Sydney, and are therefore equipped to answer questions from passengers. I suppose then that it is part of their job to be helpful.
Another reason might be that there is respect between driver and passenger. It is a relationship which seems to have gone sour in London, where I’ve witnessed many arguments at bus stops. Here in Sydney even drunk passengers at night seem to respect the driver, whereas in London they would be more likely to throw abuse.

The last explanation is the most simple. It is a fact that people are happier when the sun shines, and it shines a lot in this part of Australia. The passengers are happy, as it’s easier to get up in the morning when the sun shines through your window, and it’s easier to de-stress at the end of the day when you walk out of your office block/college into the a bright golden environment. I love riding the bus when the sky is blue, as everything looks gorgeous, and the drivers are allowed to appreciate that all day.


I’ve experienced a lot of new things since arriving here, but perhaps the most unexpected was this morning when an idea entered my mind; if bass playing doesn’t work out, I’d quite like to be a bus driver.
No, I must be more specific, I’d quite like to be a Sydney bus driver.