Thursday, 25 August 2011
New album published: 3 7 4 11 2 5
My newest album is already available for free listening and download on Jamendo: 3 7 4 11 2 5 features six tracks, all entirely instrumental, with a radically more electronic and abstract sound than my previous releases. The title of the album is a numeric pattern used to determine most -- but not all! -- of the rhythmic aspects of the music in different scales, from within each individual measure, to the album as a whole. All of the melodies, harmonies, instrument choices and everything else were NOT generated algorithmically, however.
Sunday, 14 August 2011
Eleven Gifts in depth, part 11: v
This was one of the easiest songs to conceive -- and I mean easy in a good, self-assuring way, not in a dismissive way, if you know what I mean. Basically, this song was begging to be written; firstly because, since it would be the closer of the suite, I wanted it to be VERY different, upbeat and sparkling; and secondly because it matched exactly the mood I wanted for it. It was a win-win situation, and I can't think of any better piece to fit in here.
Yet, it's the simplest song in the set - a boogie-woogie, nothing more, nothing less. Of course, me being me, I just have to twist it somehow; and the best way to do that was to use unexpected chords -- in this case, modulating from C major to C-sharp major, and so on and on, culminating in a crescendo over a diminished chord, and back to the main key. It didn't need to be anything else. It's one of my favourite tunes in here, for being so effective.
Yet, it's the simplest song in the set - a boogie-woogie, nothing more, nothing less. Of course, me being me, I just have to twist it somehow; and the best way to do that was to use unexpected chords -- in this case, modulating from C major to C-sharp major, and so on and on, culminating in a crescendo over a diminished chord, and back to the main key. It didn't need to be anything else. It's one of my favourite tunes in here, for being so effective.
Eleven Gifts in depth, part 10: t
This short piece came to my head in one lucky, inspired moment. I don't know exactly what prompted me, but I was seeking for a slow, solemn theme that transmitted a stately, not exactly sad, but poignant feel. Not that there's any special significance to this track, but I wanted it to have a different feel from the others. I guess I was thinking of using the sustain pedal for an enhanced effect, and when this sequence of notes hit my head, I scribbled them down on a notebook, with the working title of "Pedal".
Writing it was very easy a fast -- the song pretty much wrote itself from start to end. It uses a pretty predictable trick halfway through, which is to switch to what would be the relative major key, but in the minor key. In practical terms, the song starts in G minor, which has B-flat as its relative major key, but the song switches to B-flat minor instead. Yet, the tail end suggests a major key, and I like the effect of the trailing notes, which creates a hazy, ambiguous tonality.
Just not I realised that G minor and B-flat minor are exactly the two keys used in the song The Wedding, by the Legendary Pink Dots, which is also a piano led track which I truly, really love -- but I don't think I knew that particular song back then! A minor coincidence, I believe...
Writing it was very easy a fast -- the song pretty much wrote itself from start to end. It uses a pretty predictable trick halfway through, which is to switch to what would be the relative major key, but in the minor key. In practical terms, the song starts in G minor, which has B-flat as its relative major key, but the song switches to B-flat minor instead. Yet, the tail end suggests a major key, and I like the effect of the trailing notes, which creates a hazy, ambiguous tonality.
Just not I realised that G minor and B-flat minor are exactly the two keys used in the song The Wedding, by the Legendary Pink Dots, which is also a piano led track which I truly, really love -- but I don't think I knew that particular song back then! A minor coincidence, I believe...
Tuesday, 9 August 2011
Eleven Gifts in depth, part 9: s
I have to admit, I was scraping the bottom of the barrel for this one tune. I was out of ideas! All the other tunes just came to me one way or another: either the idea hit me on the right moment, or I remembered I had something that fit; but for this one, neither occurred. So I sort of "cheated": I started listening to old songs from the "project" mentioned in the "c" and "i" posts, trying to see if I could salvage something, but without much hope. Then, suddenly, this incredible bass riff hit me in the face: I had completely forgotten it, and not only it was brilliant and perfect for this spot, but I was delighted to write a "reggae" for the cycle. All I had to do was to start writing.
The beauty here is that I didn't have to change any melodic content at all from its original incarnation. The left hand melody was left intact, chord changes and all, and all I had to do was write the right hand staccatos, and make a crescendo lasting for the whole composition. I was amazed at how good it turned out. This was the very last piece I wrote for the cycle, and after it, I just started recording. A very happy ending indeed.
The beauty here is that I didn't have to change any melodic content at all from its original incarnation. The left hand melody was left intact, chord changes and all, and all I had to do was write the right hand staccatos, and make a crescendo lasting for the whole composition. I was amazed at how good it turned out. This was the very last piece I wrote for the cycle, and after it, I just started recording. A very happy ending indeed.
Eleven Gifts in depth, part 8: l
Among the eight compositions, this is the oldest one. The interesting fact is that it has been published before, on an album that I have pulled off because of its extremely subpar quality. It had eight tracks, and one of them was called "Water", and it contained a quite pretty piano melody that I had come across about 11 years ago. Of course, back then, I simply didn't know moderation, and the song carried on and on to nine minutes.
The only thing that truly saddened me about removing that album from the Internet is that the pretty melody would go to waste... but only until this project came to happen. It was the perfect opportunity to showcase the melody in its glorious simplicity. I didn't change anything substantial, so it's essentially the same as it was 10 years ago. Of course, this version is only one minute and a half long, and features solo piano, but it sounds a lot better now. I have always been quite proud of it, and I was happy that it fit so well in the project. It's a calm, peaceful song without being too cheesy.
To me, the stretch of "i", "j" and "l" is the true crowning achievement of this work for me.
The only thing that truly saddened me about removing that album from the Internet is that the pretty melody would go to waste... but only until this project came to happen. It was the perfect opportunity to showcase the melody in its glorious simplicity. I didn't change anything substantial, so it's essentially the same as it was 10 years ago. Of course, this version is only one minute and a half long, and features solo piano, but it sounds a lot better now. I have always been quite proud of it, and I was happy that it fit so well in the project. It's a calm, peaceful song without being too cheesy.
To me, the stretch of "i", "j" and "l" is the true crowning achievement of this work for me.
Sunday, 7 August 2011
Eleven Gifts in depth, part 7: j
One of the things that worried me is that this song is just too beautiful, and it terrified me that it would overshadow "i". Honestly, I'm not sure if it does -- I have no doubts that "i" is superior, but this one makes quite a competition.
It's an old composition, but not so old. In fact, all I had was a left hand figure in A major and in E minor, which is used in the beginning of the piece, and that was all. I found it so good, though, that I wrote it as a MIDI file and kept it filed with the title "Moon", because that is what it reminded me of. I'm not sure of when I wrote this, but I'm fairly sure it predates Big Robot, Little Robot. I never forgot about it, and when this project came by, I was delighted to bring back that little piece for it.
Like I said before, I had originally envisioned "d" for the place of "j", but I always felt that it didn't quite fit. I wanted a piece that evoked a profoundly fertile and imaginative mind and a gentle, tender feeling with a tinge of playfulness. I initially thought of a happy, jumpy melody with unpredictable chord changes and large intervals, but it wasn't working. Then I listened to that little piece I had written, and it all just came to me. It was just a matter of expanding those figures to other chords and making those dreamy, vague notes on the right hand. The closing chords were just a happy finding and matched my vision miraculously. I always had a penchant, for whatever reason, towards the G chord with that suspended augmented fourth; it works in other chords as well, but in G, it seems to have a very peculiar beauty. And for whatever reason, it translates exactly what I wanted to express in this piece.
It's an old composition, but not so old. In fact, all I had was a left hand figure in A major and in E minor, which is used in the beginning of the piece, and that was all. I found it so good, though, that I wrote it as a MIDI file and kept it filed with the title "Moon", because that is what it reminded me of. I'm not sure of when I wrote this, but I'm fairly sure it predates Big Robot, Little Robot. I never forgot about it, and when this project came by, I was delighted to bring back that little piece for it.
Like I said before, I had originally envisioned "d" for the place of "j", but I always felt that it didn't quite fit. I wanted a piece that evoked a profoundly fertile and imaginative mind and a gentle, tender feeling with a tinge of playfulness. I initially thought of a happy, jumpy melody with unpredictable chord changes and large intervals, but it wasn't working. Then I listened to that little piece I had written, and it all just came to me. It was just a matter of expanding those figures to other chords and making those dreamy, vague notes on the right hand. The closing chords were just a happy finding and matched my vision miraculously. I always had a penchant, for whatever reason, towards the G chord with that suspended augmented fourth; it works in other chords as well, but in G, it seems to have a very peculiar beauty. And for whatever reason, it translates exactly what I wanted to express in this piece.
Eleven Gifts in depth, part 6: i
This piece is an interesting case: the person represented in it, in spite of being part of the larger group of people represented by the album, is a special case for me. Therefore I wanted to give it a piece that was at the same level as the others, but that was particularly precious at a personal level. Therefore, I reached for this old composition that, for whatever reason, struck a chord in me and never left my memory.
It belonged to the same project from "c", but it was never actually included in it. I had a sudden moment of inspiration and wrote the song all at once, and I noticed that it truly stood out from the other songs. Originally, this was arranged for synthesizers and a few woodwinds, and it was a challenge to adapt it for piano, because I wasn't sure on which octave each line should be. I didn't want the notes to overlap, but I wanted them to be at the right range. I was afraid to make the right hand melody too high pitched, but it was pretty effective. I have to say I'm very proud of this song, and utterly surprised that I was able to salvage such an old composition with so little changes. Basically the only thing that is new is the arpeggios in the finale with that sudden change in dynamics. To me, the song does have a tinge of sadness, but the most important quality is that of deepness and introspection, of something huge, profound and profoundly beautiful. It gives me the feeling of climbing a hill and, at the top, finding an immensely beautiful landscape. Yeah, it's THAT personal.
It belonged to the same project from "c", but it was never actually included in it. I had a sudden moment of inspiration and wrote the song all at once, and I noticed that it truly stood out from the other songs. Originally, this was arranged for synthesizers and a few woodwinds, and it was a challenge to adapt it for piano, because I wasn't sure on which octave each line should be. I didn't want the notes to overlap, but I wanted them to be at the right range. I was afraid to make the right hand melody too high pitched, but it was pretty effective. I have to say I'm very proud of this song, and utterly surprised that I was able to salvage such an old composition with so little changes. Basically the only thing that is new is the arpeggios in the finale with that sudden change in dynamics. To me, the song does have a tinge of sadness, but the most important quality is that of deepness and introspection, of something huge, profound and profoundly beautiful. It gives me the feeling of climbing a hill and, at the top, finding an immensely beautiful landscape. Yeah, it's THAT personal.
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