I did a little experiment on my facebook fanpage last week. I posted a home video of myself playing a composition that I will premier next week and needed a title for. I was really just looking for a title, but when people started to submit their suggestions I realized that everyone was expressing how the tune made them feel. To me that was really neat. I rarely get such direct feedback from listeners. Most of the suggestions had a commonality and many referenced the season. It would be interesting to see how that would change if I had done this in summer. I got so many great suggestions that I really would like to write music with those titles in mind, if there are no objections.

The title I chose is "Long Pair Bond" which was suggested by Liz Gilbert/Chordata. I really liked what she wrote and it's a shame you can't convey blushing on a blog. I feel that this title leaves room for the listener's own interpretations or speculations. It captured me.

I feel very honored to have received all those suggestions and I value everyone's input. You can see the video and comments here

I often find it hard to name my tunes. I really care about them and sometimes feel that my ideas for a name are too generic and meaningless or maybe I just feel vulnerable because the title may open the window to my soul a little too much.

But does the name really matter? Do you think of the meaning of the title when listening to music? Will someone like a piece less or be less inclined to buy a CD because of its name?


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