In this lesson
Andrew York answers questions from the Classical Guitar Corner community about composition, musical identity and the experience of playing with others. The conversation moves from the titles of individual pieces to a much larger question: what makes music rewarding to hear, study and create?
York’s answers connect imagination with sustained attention. He speaks about the music he absorbed as a child, the rhythmic demands of ensemble playing and the work needed to develop an initial idea into a composition. There is encouragement here for a first experiment, alongside a candid account of the study behind a professional composer’s craft.
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Originally published in 2017. These listening notes draw on the recorded conversation. Roles, projects, releases and event announcements refer to the time of recording. Practical reflections are suggested applications, not additional quotations from the guest.
Explore the conversation
Use these approximate timestamps to jump to a topic in the recording.
- 4:59 — A title may follow the music rather than explain it
- 9:25 — An artist’s language changes with experience
- 13:44 — Ensemble playing makes your sense of time accountable
- 18:27 — An improvisation can supply the material for a finished piece
- 26:19 — Musical richness is more than surface complexity
- 30:25 — Learn to compose by composing and listening structurally
A title may follow the music rather than explain it
Asked about Royal Plum Pudding, York recalls a remark from his father and an association with a friend. The story leads into his broader experience of naming pieces: often the music comes first and the title is the final decision.
He is comfortable with listeners finding imagery in a title, but does not require that image to define the piece. Instrumental music can remain abstract and still communicate strongly. Occasionally a specific idea does shape a work, as in his description of two machines trying to communicate in Mechanism.
For a player, this leaves room for an individual response. A title can suggest a character, but the phrase, harmony and rhythm still deserve close attention. Let an image help your listening without forcing every detail into a story the composer may never have intended.
An artist’s language changes with experience
York links changes in his writing to the experiences of his life. He describes much of his earlier music as joyful and optimistic, while later work had become more introspective. He values music from different periods rather than dismissing an earlier voice.
His account suggests that artistic development need not mean repeating a successful formula. New experiences can affect the way themes interact, the emotional character of a piece and the kinds of musical questions a composer wants to explore.
The useful reflection for a returning student is that your relationship with a piece may change too. Revisit an old favourite and notice what you now hear differently. A new interpretation can grow from experience as well as improved technique.
Ensemble playing makes your sense of time accountable
“So I think playing ensemble is critical and it did help me immensely.”
— Andrew York, 16:41
Simon admires York’s pulse, but York identifies time as an area that has demanded conscious attention. He distinguishes his strong harmonic ear from the exceptionally refined rhythmic perception he hears in some jazz musicians.
Playing in bands and later in the Los Angeles Guitar Quartet exposed him to different understandings of where the beat sits. Four accomplished soloists still had to learn how to agree. He describes that process as work developed over years, rather than an automatic consequence of technical ability.
For a duet, this means listening beyond whether both players reach the same bar line. Notice the feel of subdivisions, the placement of an arrival and the amount of space around a phrase. Shared time is a musical relationship that needs attention.
An improvisation can supply the material for a finished piece
York recalls playing historic Torres guitars for videos and describes the origin of Home. His wife recorded an improvisation, allowing him to return to the material, recognise what was there and arrange it into the form he wanted.
The story contains both spontaneity and editing. An initial performance supplied the ideas, but a later act of listening helped turn them into a piece. The finished result was not simply a matter of waiting for inspiration and leaving everything untouched.
He also describes musical references that have personal meaning for him: a chord, groove or moment from another work can suggest an expressive quality. His listening includes classical music, rock, pop and jazz. The interest lies in understanding what a musical moment does and how it might speak in a different context.
Musical richness is more than surface complexity
“And that also does not mean that complexity for its own sake makes beauty or makes integrity.”
— Andrew York, 29:39
Asked what he considers good music, York answers in terms of patterns and the relationships between them. A work can reveal more as the listener returns to it: connections within the structure, details of harmony or the way one idea influences another.
He explicitly separates this richness from complexity for its own sake. Simple music can reward attention; a crowded surface does not automatically make a piece compelling. His answer is a personal account of what he values, rather than a universal test that every listener must adopt.
A practical listening experiment is to return to a short passage several times with a different question. First follow its rhythm, then its bass, then the return or alteration of an earlier idea. Familiar music may become more interesting when you change what you attend to.
Learn to compose by composing and listening structurally
“You do it by doing it.”
— Andrew York, 31:09
York encourages people to try composition while being clear about the work involved in developing the craft. An attractive opening idea raises further questions: how can it continue, change, contrast with something else or become part of a larger form?
His account of childhood listening is particularly revealing. Surrounded by records from family members with different tastes, he listened repeatedly and closely. He heard harmonic relationships before he had technical labels for them, and tried to understand how the music worked.
For someone beginning to write, that suggests combining a small practical attempt with attentive listening. Write a phrase, try a contrasting answer, then examine how a piece you admire handles a similar problem. The attempt gives your listening a question; the listening supplies possibilities to investigate.
The discussion includes a popular idea about the number of hours behind expertise. The useful point here is sustained engagement, not a guaranteed numerical threshold. York also makes room for playing and inventing simply for enjoyment. A first composition does not have to become a professional commitment to be worthwhile.
Ideas to take into your own music
These prompts are reflections on the conversation, rather than a routine prescribed by the guest.
- Listen for relationships: find one musical idea that returns in a changed form.
- Test your pulse with another player: discuss how the beat feels, not only whether the notes align.
- Record an improvisation: keep a promising fragment and decide how it might develop.
- Read with a question: examine how a composer moves beyond an opening phrase.
- Allow a small beginning: write a few bars for the experience of discovering what the task involves.
Original episode notes and resources
The original introduction and resources are retained below. Any time-sensitive announcements belong to the episode’s publication period.
Andrew York is one of today’s most recognized and accomplished composers for the classical guitar and he is an internationally renowned concert performer. York is one of the founding members of the LA Guitar Quartet, with whom he received a Grammy award. He also received Grammy awards for his own compositions that appeared on Grammy-winning albums Play by Jason Vieaux and Journey to the New World by Sharon Isbin. He has recorded numerous albums of his own works, the most recent of which is Yamour, which was chosen as one of Acoustic Guitar Magazine’s “Essential Recordings of 2012.” Many masters of the guitars have recorded and performed Andrew’s works and his compositions have been published by numerous respected presses. Andrew is not only a classical performer but is an accomplished jazz guitarist and published a book of jazz guitar instruction for classical guitarists aptly named Jazz Guitar for Classical Cats (in 3 volumes).
Andrew is also passionate about mathematics and he has not only written compositions around mathematical themes, such as his recent “Equations of Beauty,” a suite in six movements each focusing on a different mathematical theme, but he has also written blog posts about math on his website.
Sitting in the kitchen in the late afternoon we enjoyed listening to the podcast. Andrew’s idea of patterns is strong. My wife says it is everything she enjoys about quilting. As an art teacher I am aware that it is patterns which form so much of what art is throughout the world. Thank you for the inspired conversation!
Indeed, humans are pattern seaking by design and as a graphics teacher I was quite obsessed with patterns.
Love Andrews guitar work – especially the composition ‘home’.
Great podcast. Andrew was probably looking for the word “synergy”
Excellent podcast – loved it! Also love his composition “Home” and hope that it finds its way onto a recording sometime soon.
Really enjoyed this podcast. Andrew is fascinating to listen to. I could have listened for another few hours. Thanks Simon for allowing so much space for forum member questions. Whilst the questions didn’t fit with any pattern, Andrew had lots of interesting things to say on whatver issue came up. I liked the fact the interview didn’t have a predictable structure.
I have always liked Andrew York’s compositions, so it was especially interesting to hear him speak of his thoughts and passions that lie behind the music he compose and plays. Fascinating interview, along with two inspiring videos.
What a great interview; he is an excellent story teller and had very interesting answers to all the questions we fired at him. His answer about the interrelated patterns resonated with me because that’s what I’ve loved about my favorite books: the more you peel back the more find; and the more complete the entire work feels. Thank you Simon for doing this interview and allowing CGC members so much input!