Music, the language of the soul

Since Flat was born, our community tremendously grew. We are very proud that such talented composers and musicians choose our platform to create their scores. You are the 💙 of our company, and we want to maintain a strong relationship with our users. Consequently, we have created the Indigo program, our ambassador program. The objective is to improve the Flat experience and strengthen the relationships that exist within our community. We want to offer the best music notation software available in the market. Also, we want Flat to be a safe and friendly space for music creation. We want to provide the service, product, and experience that our community deserves.

Today we would like to introduce you to our first Bluebird, our first ambassador, Sawyer Tucker.

✨ Our first Bluebird✨

Sawyer is a 16-year-old talented composer from Missouri, USA. His first experience with music dates back to his childhood.

"I played around on my grandparents piano as a kid any chance I had but I didn't really have any musical concept or theory. I was pretty much just banging on the piano just knowing that it made sound"

His musical intuition led him to the Alto Saxophone when he was in 6th grade, transitioning to the Baritone Saxophone in High School. He participated in the Marching band, Concert band, and Jazz band. His restless curiosity did not allow him to stay there, he learned to play guitar and piano. Also, he started composing in March 2020 when he was 14 years old.

"In March of 2020, when quarantine had started, my cousin and I were bored and interested in writing our own music to play as a small "family band" among us and a few siblings and cousins. We stumbled upon Flat, where I started composing music. It was nothing special, in fact, it was pretty bad. But a year later, I have come a long way and have learned a lot more musicality and music theory and love it"

⛵ Music is the salvation in difficult times for many of us. Indeed, the pandemic has been challenging.

What would we do without music? We can't and don't even want to start imagining it.

Anyhow, lest you think we're exaggerating about how talented Sawyer is, this is one of his pieces:

We suggest checking out his profile on Flat, and his Spotify profile. Don't forget to follow him so you don't miss any of his upcoming releases.

The influences

His eclectic taste translates into his style. Sawyer mentioned he has many influences: modern pop stars and old school composers.

"I recently discovered two modern artists named Cody Fry and Anson Seabra who really inspire my music and style. I also look up to modern pianists such as Yiruma and Ludovico Einaudi"

Another important source of inspiration for Sawyer is the fellow composers on Flat.

"But there are also fellow composers on Flat I look up to for reference and as inspiration. There are too many to list but some of the big ones are Chris Cecere, more commonly known as "Groovy", Jonathan Yoni knoll, BC Mix Music, Madison Salsbury and so so many more"

More than music notation software, we are a community. You only need to enter the discover section to listen to composers who will blow your mind and inspire you to create.

We had to ask him who his favorite composer is on Flat. It was a tough question since there are so many great composers!

"I feel like I can't just pick one, there are seriously TOO many amazing composers on Flat. The talent on here is so unreal. But if I had to pick a handful of people that you NEED to listen to right now. I'd suggest Groovy, Yoni, BC, Madison Salsbury, Audrey West, Finesden, Noah Barrett and so so many more"

His time on Flat

Sawyer joined almost 2 years ago, in 2020, just when he started to compose.

"We were limited with what we could find due to the fact that we were using censored school computers, which also made finding stuff hard. We then stumbled upon Flat and have loved it. It has seriously changed my life"

🙇‍♂️ He confessed that, at first, he did not feel very assertive and that his music didn't perform well.

"There were times when I was frustrated and really needed someone to push me. I would have also liked to know that followers, views, and likes don't mean anything and that music should be about helping others and expressing yourself"

But as time went on, he became more experienced and confident.

"I went from not knowing how to compose, to learning how, loving it and craving it every single day. It has truly been a remarkable experience and I absolutely love"

🥺 Having the opportunity to see our users grow as artists and be part of their journey is priceless.

The creative process

🧑‍🎨 The creative process is indeed particular to each person. The creative process of each song is different, even for the same composer. But, it never hurts to hear what works for others, as this can serve as a reference to try different things and find what works for us.

For Sawyer, the process usually starts with a chord progression. After finding the one he is looking for, he experiments by varying the chords. Then, he adds some rhythm, arpeggios, etc. The last step would be to come up with a melody, harmonies, and instrumentation.

By the way, we have some articles regarding chord progressions, modulation, and instrumentation that might help you create stunning scores.

Music: the meaning of life

Generally, for musicians, music is everything. It's the way we express ourselves, the way we connect with the world, and so on. Sawyer shares this perception of music.

"Music means everything to me. Whether it's listening to it, writing it, playing it. It acts as a vent, an escape from the world. An outlet. It is a way for me to express my feelings and make something beautiful out of sadness, joy, anger. It means a lot for me to sit down and just express my emotions through music. Listening to music calms me down, writing music allows me to express myself, and playing it gives me that little bit of adrenaline that I need throughout my day"

Music is somehow the language of the soul.

The world needs music, especially music as beautiful as that of our first ambassador. Fortunately, he believes that music will always be a part of his life.

"Music is very important to me and will always hold a place in my heart. I would love to eventually become a professional pianist or composer, where I can share my music to everyone in the world"

"Don't give up" is his advice to new composers

"People often get frustrated with composing when they first start, because it "doesn't sound good" or it "doesn't perform as well as they wanted". But music is something that takes time, effort, practice, and patience. When I first started, I had no followers, not that they matter anyways, but I didn't really see myself going anywhere. I was simply composing pretty bad music, just for fun out of boredom. But now, I sit at nearly 640 followers. I have come a long way and what got me there was patience, lots of practice, and a solid mindset"

🚵 It's not about the destination, it's about the journey. Sawyer is very clear about this, which has allowed him to devote himself to music without expectations and to be surprised by what he is capable of creating.

To finish, a few words from Sawyer:

"I'm here for you guys if you need it. I'm always there as support and a listening ear and absolutely love helping fellow composers, friends, and people. It has come a long way and I'm so glad to look back on what flat has turned my life into"

Thank you Sawyer for your music, for being part of this community, and for this interview. We are very excited to have you as our first ambassador.

We wish that all your musical dreams come true, no doubt you have everything it takes and you totally deserve it!

Bye,