Name: Noam Wiesenberg
Nationality: Israeli
Occupation: Bassist, composer, arranger
Current release: Noam Wiesenberg's latest single "Neonomadic" is out now. It is taken off his forthcoming full-length album by the same title, slated for release November 17th 2023 via La Reserve.
Recommendations:
1. Anything by Emahoy Tsege Mariam Gebru. You can’t fake authenticity. Her music transcends me every time.
2. Just started reading Rick Rubin new book - The Creative Act: A Way of Being. Highly recommended.

If you enjoyed this Noam Wiesenberg interview and would like to stay up to date with his music, visit his official homepage. He is also on Instagram, and Facebook.  



When I listen to music, I see shapes, objects and colours. What happens in your body when you're listening? Do you listen with your eyes open or closed?

I usually listen with my eyes closed.

Truthfully, if the music hits me I feel something that is beyond just visual expressions such as objects and colors. When music really hits me, it has the super power of freezing time.

I am not a religious person, but music can definitely make me feel transcended at times.

What were your very first steps in music like and how would you rate the gains made through experience - can one train/learn being an artist?

I came from a musical family, so my first steps in music were at a very early age. My father, Prof Menachem Wiesenberg is a composer, arranger, pianist and educator. Though my musical journey started on the Cello at age 6, playing classical European music, my dad would play me everything: Beatles, Stevie Wonder, Duke Ellington, Paco De Lucia, Turkish music, Bulgarian, Indian music, Klezmer ... Everything!

I definitely believe one can train to being an artist. I just had a clinic, teaching high school Jazz student last month, and we were talking about “Talent”. I think society is over-romanticizing the concept of talent. Though I believe natural talent definitely has importance, it does not the main ingredient to become a great artist. What’s important is determination, focus, stamina, curiosity and true love and passion for your craft.

People always say Picasso was a genius and super talented from an early age. That’s true - but he also worked on his craft every day for hours (some say close to 14 hours/day).

According to scientific studies, we make our deepest and most incisive musical experiences between the ages of 13-16. What did music mean to you at that age and what’s changed since then?

At that age I was a cellist, playing at recitals in different formats - duo with piano, piano trio, string quartet. However, around age 12-13 I started composing a little bit. I wrote a piece for 2 cellos, and later a short piece for a string quartet I was playing with. I remember the feeling of writing something down and then listening to it played by my fellow musicians. Felt almost like magic!

The main difference between then and now is of course life experience. When you are 13, other than homework, you don’t have to do much other than making music. You are also exposed more often to new composers and styles of music for the first time. Today I have my own family and music is mixed with my livelihood, which might create a dissonance at times between the passion for the art and the day-to-day mundane life.

Having said that, I always try to be aware of it, and find ways to light that spark. One way that always works is finding musicians that inspire me and listen to their music (and if I can see them playing live, even better).

What, would you say, are the key ideas behind your approach to music and what motivates you to create?

Like I wrote before, I am mostly motivated to create by other artists. However, I don’t believe also in waiting for “muse” to hit me. I tried to practice composing the same way I practice the instrument.

Having said that, sometimes in life there are major events that have a great, long-lasting impact on you: the birth of my child for example. In those moment I might feel very inspired to express my feelings and write something.

I don’t think I have strong ideas behind my approach to music, other than trying to tell a good story. I never write tunes as a platform for musicians to improvise. I try to write a tune that hopefully has an interesting ark to it - and takes the listener on a journey.

People told me my music sounds very cinematic, and I relate to that.

To quote a question by the great Bruce Duffie: When you come up with a musical idea, have you created the idea or have you discovered the idea?

It’s a discovery process to me. I believe the music is already there, but like a fine diamond, you have to find it and then polish and clean it until it’s perfect.

Sometimes it happens immediately, and sometimes it takes a while.

Paul Simon said “the way that I listen to my own records is not for the chords or the lyrics - my first impression is of the overall sound.” What's your own take on that and how would you define your personal sound?

I don’t write my music in order to show my abilities on my instrument, or to show off some technical ability (rhythm, harmony, orchestration …). Like I wrote before, people told my music feels very cinematic, and I agree.

I look at my albums as a story I’d like to tell, so similarly to Paul Simon, it’s the overall sound I care about. The experience.

Sound, song, and rhythm are all around us, from animal noises to the waves of the ocean. What, if any, are some of the most moving experiences you've had with these non-human-made sounds? In how far would you describe them as “musical”?

I can listen to bird songs all day. I understand why Olivier Messiaen was so fascinated by them and transcribed them.

Also, I have a 10 month old, and I find it moving seeing his reaction to sounds - from a dog barking to a vacuum cleaner. He finds everything musical, which inspires me.

From very deep/high/loud/quiet sounds to very long/short/simple/complex compositions - are there extremes in music you feel drawn to and what response do they elicit?

While I’m listening to a composition my mind isn’t trying to dissect the composition to categories such as these. It either hit my or it doesn’t. And it could be a very complex and loud piece or a short, simple, and quiet one.

That’s the beauty of music. You can’t always put your finger on the secret ingredient.

Do you conduct “experiments” or make use of scientific insights when you're making music?

The only science I incorporated into my music is a sample of an audio recording from NASA of dark matter, in the beginning of the track “Dark Matter” :)

How does the way you make music reflect the way you live your life? Can we learn lessons about life by understanding music on a deeper level?

Absolutely. I think I’ve learned a lot about patience and trusting the process from music. Also, you learn very quickly that whenever the ego takes control of the wheel, the music usually suffers.

I learned from practicing my instrument how to set a long-term goal, find a practice routine and exercises that will help me get there, and achieve it.

Every time I listen to "Albedo 0.39" by Vangelis, I choke up. But the lyrics are made up of nothing but numbers and values. Do you, too, have a song or piece of music that affects you in a way that you can't explain?

Too many to count. I’ll have to come back to you with a specific example :)