Music Documentaries Discover stories of musicians and the creative process.

Music documentaries

Discover stories of musicians and the creative process
courtesy of Q2

1-Bit Composer Tristan Perich's Practice Space

Q2

The composer makes big music with tiny electronics. A visit with the multimedia artist reveals hundreds of bins — from a carton marked "squeezing tools" (scissors, pliers) to one simply labeled "art."

Morton Subotnick in his studio. WQXR hide caption

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Morton Subotnick's Practice Space

Q2

The pioneering electronic composer responsible for Silver Apples of the Moon turned 80 years old this week. Q2 Music visited with Subotnick and his wife in the couple's Greenwich Village apartment.

Jimmy Tamborello and Ben Gibbard discuss the unexpected success of The Postal Service. Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Special Delivery: The Postal Service Story

Dntel's Jimmy Tamborello and Death Cab for Cutie's Ben Gibbard reflect on Give Up, which emerged from a casual collaboration.

Dave Grohl gives the keynote speech at SXSW 2013. Mito Habe-Evans/NPR hide caption

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Dave Grohl's SXSW 2013 Keynote Speech

Dave Grohl has become the unofficial Mayor of Rock 'n' Roll. Watch Grohl's keynote address at the SXSW Music Festival in Austin, Texas.

Dan Deacon at home in his practice space. WQXR hide caption

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Dan Deacon's Practice Space

WQXR

Spaces is Q2 Music's new series of documentaries that capture creative composers in their practice studios. The first installment focuses on the always eccentric Dan Deacon.

David Byrne and Annie Clark of St. Vincent Mito Habe-Evans/NPR hide caption

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David Byrne And St. Vincent

Peek behind the curtain at the final rehearsal before David Byrne (of Talking Heads) and Annie Clark (of St. Vincent) took their collaborative album, Love This Giant, out on the road.

Mito Habe-Evans/NPR

Jeremy Denk

Jeremy Denk sees his apartment as his own "piano boot camp." Except for books, a coffee pot and a laptop, there's not much to do there but practice. We eavesdropped as he worked on complex etudes.

Mito Habe-Evans/NPR

In Practice: Jonathan Biss

A building demolition inadvertently helps pianist Jonathan Biss discover the perfect practicing solution. Moving the piano out of his apartment away from the commotion allows him concentration.

New York Polyphony perform Renaissance songs for an In Practice recording session. Mito Habe-Evans/NPR hide caption

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New York Polyphony

New York Polyphony sings ancient music built for big spaces. But cathedrals aren't easy to come by for every practice session. That's when the group falls back on a modest-sized living room.

Jeremy Denk reviews notes on The Goldberg Variations. NPR hide caption

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Jeremy Denk vs. The Goldberg Variations: Contrasting Variations

Bach's Goldberg Variations are filled with contrasts, which swirl inside the head of pianist Jeremy Denk. Seated at his living room Steinway, he muses about how Bach built his opposite variations.

Jeremy Denk performs J.S. Bach's Goldberg Variations - Variation No. 15. Mito Habe-Evans/NPR hide caption

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Jeremy Denk vs. The Goldberg Variations: Bach's 'Dark Jewel'

Bach's Goldberg Variations is sweet and beautiful music. But Jeremy Denk, from the comfort of his living room Steinway, digs deeper to focus on one of the Goldberg's "dark jewels."

Jeremy Denk discusses the Aria from Bach's Goldberg Variations. NPR hide caption

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Jeremy Denk vs. The Goldberg Variations: The Musical DNA

What makes Bach's Goldberg Variations tick? Pianist Jeremy Denk reveals how Bach's musical DNA — a simple strand of bass notes — is fleshed out into the beautiful melody that fuels the Goldbergs.

Jeremy Denk plays The Goldberg Variations at his NYC apartment. NPR hide caption

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Jeremy Denk vs. The Goldberg Variations

On a Steinway in a cluttered apartment or on a broken down upright in the streets of Manhattan, Bach's Goldberg Variations invite a variety of unusual observations from pianist Jeremy Denk.