Jordan Jessep

Hi everyone, I thought some of you might be interested in how I actually go about creating my music so I decided to make a blog post to explain my process. 

My composing process first starts when I find myself in a creative mood and begin to imagine chords, melodies, timbres and rhythms in my head. After getting this inspiration I then record a real time improvised performance of what I'm imagining in my head (yes, this means when I am writing and performing the meditation music, I am actually meditating as I do it)! I also find that I naturally imagine tempo changes in the music, so while others use a metronome (which keeps a steady beat) when doing their first recording- I do not. This is because I find it makes me leave the creative mood I was inspired by. I think of this first recording as the 'backbone' of the music, as it carries the bulk of the musical ideas I wish to convey. Depending on the complexity of the music, as well as the style, I then may go on to change which performance instruments make up this backbone.  

For instance, in the Ambient Worlds albums, I performed on my 88 key midi keyboard with two handed chords, with some string or vocal synthesisers as the instruments. For my piano and orchestral music however, I performed on my keyboard using the piano as the main instrument along with my voice. (I would sing at the same time as playing and then later replace my voice with other instruments).  

(pictured above: this is my keyboard, a Kawai ES6)

Lately however I've been trying to mix up how I perform this first recording. For instance for the tracks in Dreams of Air and Water, I have begun to record with my keyboard split into two instruments. This means I can play the piano with my left hand, and the bass flute with my right. I also use a midi breath controller to perform dynamics and vibrato while I am playing (it's basically a tube I blow into while playing to control the expression).  

I'm currently exploring other ways to enhance the expression and fullness of the improvised performance so that my first recording of a piece captures more of what I am imagining. I've even ordered a footboard (like the ones organists use) to try and incorporate the use of my left foot into my performances! I hope to use the footboard in the bass role in the future. This will allow me to free up some of my left hand to pursue more interesting and accurate harmonies to again make my backbone recording closer to what I am imagining. 

After I am finished creating the 'backbone', I go back through the recording and begin to fix the errors that stand out (sometimes however I actually choose to keep an error in as I feel it adds a human touch). I also start to create musical notation, and then do multiple 'pass throughs' where I add additional instruments or effects, and make minor adjustments to EQ as well as the timbre of individual instruments. I run through the entire piece again to make any final edits and then I'm done and ready to share my work! 

That just about summarises my music creation process and finishes this post! If you'd like to hear about a specific topic regarding myself or my music or have any comments - I'd love to hear from you! Just add your request or comment below :) Thanks for reading! 

Music has an extraordinary power to change how we as humans think and feel. And it has been a great friend to me throughout my life. When I was growing up I loved to sing, and I received some rudimentary piano training. As time went on and my piano classes ended I began to self-teach myself not only how to play adeptly, but to create music. There were many times  when I was a teenager that I would turn to music to express myself and become one with my emotions. I came to appreciate the beauty that is hidden behind every note and I began to explore my own creative potential. It is my mission to share my own feelings of joy, peace and oneness with the world through my music. It is my hope that my music will instill positive emotions in others and enhance their lives, just as it has strengthened mine. 

My name is Jordan Jessep, and I have lived in Sydney my whole life. While studying Science at university I composed my first meditation album Ambient Worlds as well as some other creative projects. These meditative works were a respite from the fast paced lifestyle of full time study, as I would compose by closing my eyes and meditating, humming to myself while improvising. After releasing the album I was delighted to discover that my music was selling well. But then something happened that touched me greatly and inspired me. I had begun receiving emails from people thanking me for creating my music, that it had provided comfort during difficult times for them. I knew then that I wanted to create more music that would would help people in their daily lives. Maybe this is my purpose in life. 

Let me tell you a bit about my musical influences and my style. I grew up listening to a variety of music styles. I was very interested in rock and pop like an average kid born in 1995, but I was also an avid film and video game music enthusiast, and I developed a taste for classical and romantic music because when I was a child I had loved the Disney films Fantasia and Fantasia 2000. This mix of genres gave me my particular taste in melody, harmony and rhythm. However I think my main musical influence is my willingness to explore my own creativity and my persistence to teach myself and play by ear. I learned that through improvisation, I was able to somewhat replicate the music in my brain in almost real time, and to this day, every time I perform something, it is a unique experience, as I try to impart my emotions in the moment into the music. Since learning how to create music on the computer I have challenged myself to impart as much emotion and expression that I envision in my mind in the moment into the music, and that can be hard when it is all digital. Nevertheless I strive to make my music meaningful to everyone who listens. 

Currently I am working on my next few albums. I plan to release a fifth meditation album this year as well as a fantasy album, a piano solo album and another album that features piano and strings. I look forward to the releases and the feedback from my audience. 

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