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The Escaping Society

​A film and television composer based in Los Angeles, ​Tommy Walter gives a unique window into his creative process and philosophy of music. Designed to be interesting for the casual music fan as well as for aspiring and seasoned musicians, he offers music theory courses, production tips, film scoring tutorials and private lessons.

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Abandoned Pools 6 Update, Podcast News + a Weird Streaming Spike 🎧

Abandoned pools, Tommy Walter + the School of Music TW05 Hello friends — There’s a lot in the works right now — and I’ve been building something special that I can’t wait to share with you soon. AP6: New Music in Progress Here’s a behind-the-scenes look at what I’ve been working on lately. The track you’re hearing is just a mockup for now — those aren’t real strings yet, but a full string orchestra will be recorded for the final version. I hope to post video of that recording session here....
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Jerry Jones Neptune in The Remedy Video

The Stories Behind My Guitars + How Jonny from Radiohead Contributed to Humanistic.

Abandoned pools, Tommy Walter + the School of Music TW04 Hello, My Guitars and Basses + The Stories Behind Them I have more guitars than some, fewer than others. But what I do own I've kept for a long time. I don't tend to go crazy collecting them. Here are the guitars I own and the stories behind them. First up and the latest addition to my arsenal, a red 1970s... Gibson Marauder Gibson Marauder with the late, great Ollie, doing his best to keep that cable from flying away. I’m not exactly...
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The Maestro at the piano

A Thank You Gift + Part 2: Favorite John Williams Album Tracks

ABANDONED POOLS, TOMMY WALTER AND THE SCHOOL OF MUSIC TW03 Hello, A Thank You Gift The first studio version of 'Tighter Noose' was recorded at a friend’s studio in the Valley here in LA, sometime around 2003. It’s been up on my Bandcamp for a while now. What hasn’t been released—at least not officially—is the original demo version, recorded on a digital 8-track back in 1998. Written before Humanistic, the song didn’t find a permanent home until Armed to the Teeth was released in 2005. Perhaps...
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Abandoned Pools 6 Preview + Top 10 John Williams Album Tracks, Part 1

ABANDONED POOLS, TOMMY WALTER AND THE SCHOOL OF MUSIC Hello, I’m currently working on a new Abandoned Pools song, though I’m still undecided on the title—I'm leaning toward 'Holding On,' but I feel like it’s a bit on the generic side. Still, it seems to capture the essence of the song. The arrangement feels like it would really benefit from an orchestral arrangement, budget permitting. Please enjoy.... There's a poll at the end of the post asking what you'd like out of this newsletter. Please...
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School of Music

Announcing a New School of Music

ABANDONED POOLS, TOMMY WALTER AND THE SCHOOL OF MUSIC TW01 The world is a crazy place. Build yourself a fortress of music. Hello, I am pleased to announce the building of a new school of music. This is something I've been wanting to do for a long time. Aspects of the school will be announced as it grows, the first offering being a newsletter. Every 1-2 weeks, I'll share insights on my creative process, philosophy of music, production, film scoring tutorials, and the like, separate from the...
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