Music by William Chad Newsom
Music by William Chad Newsom
Below are samples of some of the music I have written, arranged, performed, and produced for podcasts, audiobooks, or my family. I am not a trained composer or a great instrumentalist. I am a hobbyist who occasionally does music professionally. I am fascinated by songwriting, composing, and music theory. Big Rick Beato fan.
I narrate audiobooks and produce podcasts, and for several of them, I have composed (or arranged) and produced short pieces. For my audiobooks, I always offer publishers original chapter-bridging music as a free bonus, just because I love doing it and want to get some of my work out there. Nothing fancy or virtuosic, but I enjoy it. For those interested, I almost always compose a piece on acoustic guitar, then fill it out with orchestral VSTs on keyboard. Sometimes I use an electric guitar, depending on the music.
This is a piece I wrote for one of my daughters on her birthday. Bright and happy, just like her. Acoustic guitar, short strings, and a harp are the main instruments.
Another short piece for another daughter on another birthday. I like the chord changes on the main theme. The fingerpicking was played in D but with a capo on the 5th fret, while the melody was played in G un-capoed. The second section feels a bit like Nickel Creek at their most contemplative.
This is the theme music I wrote for The Boniface Option audiobook. Double-tracked acoustic guitar to lead off, but quickly bursting into a tense but heroic arrangement with the acoustic guitar still prominent in the mix. Orchestral percussion and a crunchy electric guitar fill out the lower end.
This is an arrangment I did of the hymn O God of Earth and Altar (text by G. K. Chesterton) for the Canterbury Trails podcast. A moody hymn, in both text and tune, but hopeful and lovely. An interesting blend of acoustic guitars, orchestral instrumentation, and an organ supporting the melody underneath to remind of the hymnic nature of the song.
This is a song I wrote for my wife. It's just the instrumental part of the song without vocals or lyrics (though not a true instrumental, as the melody is not performed). A rock/pop song at heart that reminds me of something vaguely Celtic at times. Nine key changes across four keys throughout the piece make this one interesting for me. Keyboards and VST orchestral instruments, drums, bass, and acoustic and electric guitars on this one, including three guitar solos using three different tones. Drums are sampled, but mostly performed on keyboard rather than programmed. My bass was on the fritz at the time, so I played that on keyboard, too.