Italian guitarist, composer, and musician Richard Green has been living in London since 2012. He began his guitar studies at school when he was 12 years old. After a few years, he left school to move to London, where he went on to earn a music degree and a higher guitar diploma. In December 2020, he released his first single, Dark Horses, which served as the soundtrack to a video introducing an artistic event in Piacenza. After a short while, in August 2021, he released Color and Sound, his debut EP, a collection of 6 incredibly distinctive and original songs. He combines traditional elements of classical music with more contemporary sounds in his second musical EP, “A Journey,” which includes compositions for piano and strings like “Just Different,” which is primarily blues-jazz in some sections. This EP features his first truly outstanding collaboration with musicians, including Archimia Strings Quartet (Elisa, Eros Ramazzotti) and Irene Veneziano (finalist at the 2015 International German Piano Award in Frankfurt) . One of the main characteristics of his music is the wide variety of musical genres, which is why it is possible to listen to neoclassical music on his most recent music EP, A Journey, or electro/dance music on his most recent single, Astronaut. Check out his latest EP, A Journey and the exclusive interview below:
1. Can you tell us a bit about where you come from and how it all got started?
RICHARD GREEN: Well, I think all come from my father, that’s not a musician but a huge lover of music and massive fan of The Beatles, indeed I grew up listening the Beatles since I was a real kid, like 3-4 years old.
2. Did you have any formal training or are you self-taught?
RICHARD GREEN: I did 5 years in a academy of modern music in Italy but I never completed cause I went to London at 19 and I got an higher diploma as guitarist 10 years ago and musician Degree the years after .
3. Who were your first and strongest musical influences and why the name ‘RICHARD GREEN’?
RICHARD GREEN: Strongest musical influences are really related to the period of my life, for example, my very begin has been influenced a lot by guitarist as Jimi Hendrix, John Frusciante and Red hot chili Peppers of Gun s and Roses,then I spend a couple of years listening a lot of Eric Johnson….
About this Ep, that is my very first one of classical music, I think pianist like Giovanni Allevi or composer as Ennio Morricone influenced me.
4. What do you feel are the key elements in your music that should resonate with listeners, and how would you personally describe your sound?
RICHARD GREEN: About my sound, well, surely melodic and arrangements very researched.
Even if I like to experiment and I do not put any limits to myself in term of music style, that s why you can listen classical music compositions and the ep after maybe will be electronic music, I mean, as you can see with my release, I think a have a good range of music styles, but one common thing and the main point of my music is the music expressivity,
5. For most artists, originality is first preceded by a phase of learning and, often, emulating others. What was this like for you? How would you describe your own development as an artist and music maker, and the transition towards your own style, which is known as CLASSICAL?
RICHARD GREEN:
I can confirm about the first phase, but not really about emulating others. I mean, I’ve been always obsessed to understand music and its rules, that s why I remember that it was not just study at school, but I spent a lot of time to ask myself how music works, why the intervals are so important, much more important than notes itself and much more.
Understand it make easier the learning of it, that s huge and impossible to learn everything, that s why I consider the best way to learn it is understand it. But I can’t confirm the emulating phase cause I never done it, I mean, I always wanted create my own music, my own sounds, my own style….clearly, I faced a period of strong self-criticism and I deleted a lot of compositions done at the begin, but I always follows my instinct and my ears.
About my style, as I said before, I don t have a specific style cause so far I release electronic music, pop rock music , kind of electro dance music and this classic music that s my very first music Ep produced under a music label.
6. What’s your view on the role and function of music as political, cultural, spiritual, and/or social vehicles – and do you try and affront any of these themes in your work, or are you purely interested in music as an expression of technical artistry, personal narrative, and entertainment?
RICHARD GREEN:
I think that music can be important in many aspects of the world, as the past shows to us, I mean,
Bob Dylan, on of the greatest songwriter of the music history, use this art to protest against the society in some of his song( “like a Rolling Stones” is a clear example and probably the first song with that amount of criticism to became so famous, a song that it s still listened after more than 50 years)
But, at the moment, my music is mainly focus on my personal experience and connect myself with people, it s my way to talk to them, this is mean that if I have to criticize something or discuss about a problems of the world , my strongest way to do that will be with my music.
7. Do you feel that your music is giving you back just as much fulfillment as the amount of work you are putting into it or are you expecting something more, or different in the future?
RICHARD GREEN:
Well, my very first track released was less than 2 years ago, so I m very fresh and I always put in my mind that we need patience,
So ,even if it s not enough what it s giving me back (talking about incomes ) the fact that I ve been able to find a music label who believe on my and I did already some important collaborations in just 2 years is a great personal satisfaction….But, my idea is work to be better and better day by day.
8. Could you describe your creative processes? How do usually start, and go about shaping ideas into a completed song? Do you usually start with a tune, a beat, or a narrative in your head? And do you collaborate with others in this process?
RICHARD GREEN:
My creative process is pretty simple and it maybe could sounds strange to you, but I usually sit in from of my music program or I just pick up the guitar, and I play the feeling ( or experience ) that I like to talk about with that “new song”…..sometimes is totally free, other time ( in order to force myself to improve as musician and not just create music) I set up some specific info that I need to follow with that track, but it s more technical, like “i wanna make a song using a different time signature 5/4 or 6/8, or I did a instrumental track where I modulate 4 times using 5 different key in 4 minutes of track, or set up the metronomo incredibly slow as 50-55 in order to use some less common “beat speed”, but in term of sounds, arrangements, melodies created, that s totally free and I follow my instinct of that specific moment.
I do everything by my own, using the music program and midi instruments for the stuff that I m not able to record by my own, indeed I don t collaborate during the creation of the song but I collaborate with many musician in order to substitute the midi instrument with the real one.
9. What has been the most difficult thing you’ve had to endure in your life or music career so far?
RICHARD GREEN: I think the most difficult thing is get visibility now days, it s long and we need patience, a lot and a lot of effort in term of money.
The problem is, considering the amount of musician nowdays, the amount of music released everyday, it s totally normal that it takes a lot of time cause this market is saturated, music never disappear cause it s really necessary, but cause of that saturation, I consider “be a musician a job for rich people” because most of the time , even if the musician is incredibly talented, he needs to face 3-4 years of a lot of expenses and minimum incomes.
10. On the contrary, what would you consider a successful, proud or significant point in your life or music career so far?
RICHARD GREEN: My last music Ep, I ve been able to find people interested to spend money to produce my music(the music label),i m proud of it but even more proud to have been able to collaborate with one of the great pianist in the world for this Music Ep,
,Irene Veneziano, the one who recorded all the piano parts in my music ep, is really an awesome pianist well know in all the world, indeed she played in many important theater around the world,
Her concert available on Sky HD arts, and her CV has more Than 70 awards in less than 8 years in piano competitions,
Like
-Finalist at the “International German Piano Award” in Frankfurt 2015
-Semifinalist at the “16° International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition” 2010 in Warsaw
I can say that be able to work with this kind of musician and receive compliments by her on this project is something that I m very proud.
I thinks it s done, but I like to thank you for your interest on my music and I hope it s just the being of a long collaboration.
Many thanks , your support and this interview is very appreciated.
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