Sunday, February 24, 2008

23 Jan 2008, #5. Fedora - 6m21s

After "Beret" and "Cowboy Hat," both overwhelmingly diatonic, it seems pretty obvious that I tried to cleanse my palate with the first two minutes of this piece, which are just me trying not to make much sense at the keyboard. From there, it takes on a restless feeling; I think it is caused by the C# ostinato pedal.

(See if you can catch where I get mixed up and switch the top and bottom C sharps.)

I didn't know how to end it.




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Recorded on January 23rd, 2008, at Peace Church of the Brethren, in Portland, OR, with a Zoom H4 Digital Recorder. Edited with Audacity music software.

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

23 Jan 2008, #4. Cowboy Hat - 5m30s

For this improvisation, my one stipulation to myself was to only play chords. No single notes, no melodic lines. It's all about changing harmonies. A series of tone-colors.




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Recorded on January 23rd, 2008, at Peace Church of the Brethren, in Portland, OR, with a Zoom H4 Digital Recorder. Edited with Audacity music software.

Friday, February 15, 2008

23 Jan 2008, #3. Beret - 7m21s

Some of the improvisations thus far have spent the majority of the time exploring one tonality, but none have been so single-minded as this one. I begin with an F major triad and repeat it with different voicings, though the root remains the F. After 30 seconds I incorporate Bflat into the mix, then D, then E, then finally G to complete the F major scale. I consciously avoided any chromaticism – there are absolutely no pitches outside of the mode. There is a constant F pedal tone throughout the entire piece. There is a steady eighth-note rhythm, but no clear bars or time signature until past the five minute mark. More than anything, this is simply a study in F major.




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Recorded on January 23rd, 2008, at Peace Church of the Brethren, in Portland, OR, with a Zoom H4 Digital Recorder. Edited with Audacity music software.

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

23 Jan 2008, #2. Top Hat - 4m29s

When I come up with an interesting melody, especially if it's a bit unusual, I often have trouble remembering it. Such is the case with this piece. 46 seconds in, I come up with a measure of tune, but the fifth time I repeat, it gets changed just a little. It's like I'm playing Telephone with myself.

So, I took the mistake and ran with it – it became an excuse to play anything. What came were the relentless, ever-searching eighth notes in the right hand, over a methodical bass.

I realized that this piece was becoming circular and wasn't going to end well, so for the first time I consciously decided (as I was still playing) that I would fade it out on the recording.




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Recorded on January 23rd, 2008, at Peace Church of the Brethren, in Portland, OR, with a Zoom H4 Digital Recorder. Edited with Audacity music software.

Monday, February 11, 2008

23 Jan 2008, #1. Bowler - 8m52s

Brought to you by Orville Redenbacher.

I should clarify. It tickles me that the section starting at around 2:30 sounds like popcorn popping. I suppose it could be hailstones falling, but the rhythm is more unpredictable, closer to popcorn. And, like popcorn, it stops after about two minutes. From there it finds a plodding, slightly ominous sound.




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Recorded on January 23rd, 2008, at Peace Church of the Brethren, in Portland, OR, with a Zoom H4 Digital Recorder. Edited with Audacity music software.

Monday, February 4, 2008

7 Jan 2008, #7b. Helena - 5m23s

I wish that I had had three hands for this one. It started off very promisingly, but I think I bit off more than I could chew. Starting at 3:57, my hands want to do more than they can handle – my right hand is doing all the work, while my left hand just sounds confused ("Buh!") – and the piece suffers.




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Recorded on January 7th, 2008, at Peace Church of the Brethren, in Portland, OR, with a Zoom H4 Digital Recorder. Edited with Audacity music software.

7 Jan 2008, #7a. Hermia - 5m11s

Until the ragtime ending, I'm not sure what's going on here (but I like it). Can you tell me what this is? What dance rhythm is this? Tell me more!




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Recorded on January 7th, 2008, at Peace Church of the Brethren, in Portland, OR, with a Zoom H4 Digital Recorder. Edited with Audacity music software.

Sunday, February 3, 2008

7 Jan 2008, #6. Viola - 4m56s

I like the opening Mixolydian feel to this, the slightly exotic opening chord that is rolled again and again, the two minute build until I find a syncopated but smooth groove that eventually (big surprise) hits a blues progression. There are more wrong notes than I'd like, but who cares?




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Recorded on January 7th, 2008, at Peace Church of the Brethren, in Portland, OR, with a Zoom H4 Digital Recorder. Edited with Audacity music software.

7 Jan 2008, #5b. Kate - 5m50s

A bluesy take, over only two chords and one pedal tone. Like the previous piece, definitely not "A" material, but semi-interesting.




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Recorded on January 7th, 2008, at Peace Church of the Brethren, in Portland, OR, with a Zoom H4 Digital Recorder. Edited with Audacity music software.

7 Jan 2008, #5a. Bianca - 2m50s

I had just played about 20 minutes of the most flowing, emotional music, so this piece is a rebellion against all of that. I tried to make it as disjointed as possible while still stay in a rhythm. It's ridiculous, and I realized it quickly. Still, I'll leave it in as a sort of palate cleanser.




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Recorded on January 7th, 2008, at Peace Church of the Brethren, in Portland, OR, with a Zoom H4 Digital Recorder. Edited with Audacity music software.