Started to dial in the mix – this is a very rough version of one of my favorite sections

It is coming along…

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Starting the mix in the next couple of days – I like this new ending

Download audio file (coyote-end-rough-2.mp3)

Makes me very happy listening to it.

Been loving this week – here is the intro to Coyote – all based around the E7 – giving the core to the strings and letting the piano dance around it:

Download audio file (coyote-e7.mp3)

Funky Ass Week Again

It is so tempting to write about the creative process – suffice to say:

• This piece came about after abandoning the approach I had used for 4 weeks
• It still took me several takes to get there
• In making this leap I also made several other connections at the same time
• I was kinda depressed throughout the process as I was worried I wouldn’t “get there”

So I’m working through the piece and it’s beginning to come together – the main theme and first variation are dialed in and I’m beginning to flesh out the second theme. As is my practice I’ll fire up the metronome and start playing the themes at different Bpms to see what comes out and this little blues clip appeared on Sunday. The left hand is a super simple walk down but it’s the right hand that caught my ear.

Download audio file (coyote-blues.mp3)

The track’s in B minor & I realized that I don’t think I’ve ever played the blues in this key before – which is kind of odd really. Although technically playing the same relative notes – different keys sound completely different to one another – the positioning of the different black and white keys and how they relate to each other change depending on what key you’re in – think I might play in B minor a little longer!

The second theme variation comes in at the end – I’ll post later on this week the development of the primary theme.

Image Credit: Coyote tlindebaum Flickr CC

Having conquered the obligatory new year cold I’m back into the early morning routine – scales and arpeggios followed by theme development at varying bpms. I’m working on a theme for Maja’s new baby with the working title Coyote and came across this theme over the weekend.

Download audio file (coyote-101.mp3)

I think it works pretty well and I really like that F#7 at the end – think that is definitely a road to a more uplifting development

OK, so maybe I was on acid!

Clearly influenced by Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata here – I love how the string patch sits underneath the keys and creates that ominous and brooding feel to the piece.

From a much longer 25 minute development track in march of this year – lots of good ideas in this one.

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Image Credit:MonkeyMike

I suspect like many, my phone is now my alarm clock. Aside from the rather worrying habit of checking my email 30 seconds after I open my eyes – this does give me the facility to choose what sound I wake up to.

I spent a month with Radiohead’s “No surprises” – which made me chuckle as I woke and those opening tones are a nice gentle way to come into the world, but recently I’ve been playing with different music2work2 themes.

I’ve been “living” with this for the last week and it seems to be doing the job very nicely – I’m up early with a bounce in my step after a nice calming start to the day:

Download audio file (ebm127.mp3)

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Image: PhotonQ-Waking up under a shower of light By PhOtOnQuAnTiQuE – Flickr

Have been hard at work – mixing this and tinkering with the website. Three string passes on top of the piano in 7/8 at 59 beats per minute.

Download audio file (willmix1.mp3)

Need to listen to this for a week or so but I’m digging where it’s going – check it out at around 9 minutes – some of my favorite stuff this year

Hopefully we’ll get a nice image from Sam over at explodingdog.com

DrasticJo is the nom de plume of a certain Jody Schneider that we’re working with over at Kilted Chaos – she’s a singer songwriter with a killer second talent as a graphic artist (that’s her artwork over there on the right)- you can check out her sounds and images at the DrasticJo website.

I’ve been playing with one of her tracks for the last month and have been looking to develop a piece that can accompany her recent acoustic version of Fade and I’m beginning to get somewhere:

Download audio file (fade-aug23.mp3)

I think I’ll continue to work this up throughout the week and see where we get to – it would be nice to have it finished and up on Jo’s site before I disappear off to Paris! Heh, heh, heh

I cannot describe – (although clearly I’ll have a shot at it!) – what it is like – not to play – or I guess more appropriately – when you can’t play.

Download audio file (720-wendi.mp3)

I’m not talking about an injury or about Golf – I’m talking about a blockage – I’m talking about the creative process.

I’m beginning to get a handle on mine – having listened to the amazing Elizabeth Gilbert – I wish it was slightly less intense -however -I’m very thankful that it is there at all.

The nearest analogy I can come up with is a writer who’s pen – for some reason or other – stops writing. They can see the ink in the barrel – there’s no malfunction with the ballpoint or nib – and yet – nothing comes out.

I imagine the writer looking at the pen – initially with curiosity, then frustration and then usually kinetic energy – shaking it and banging it on the desk. And then I imagine the pen splitting open and the ink exploding over the writer’s face – leaving them ridiculous with nothing to record the event.

When I don’t play – the ideas stay in my head – it’s as if – if they can’t get out one way – they’ll explode and create a new way out – it’s fucking bizarre – but actually kinda logical in a way.

I’ve worked out how I want to move forward and it involves further development of the themes I’ve been working on over the years. I have a lot of good reasons as to why this makes sense which I’ll write about at some point.

Here’s a development of Wendi’s G Minor theme – no tempo – just the first time I’ve played in 4 weeks – I think it’s sounding pretty cool.  You can download the track by joining the mailing list using the widget below.

Image Credit: C Explosion by mary.streepy – Flickr