Now that school, and its associated thesis is firmly out of the picture, I'm going to try and concentrate on music again. My goal is to write out the entire Music for a Suburban Scene out by the end of the year. Its high time I get the damn thing finished in some form (even if means later re-writes). I've also decided I want to undertake an even more personal project, the creation of pieces for all my close friends and family.

Right now I have written out one of these kinds of things. A short, simple piece called For February 18th (my friend's birthday) and I Have every intention of writing a For December 18th, For July 2nd, For September 26th, and so on. Its a little more personal than a card. I always liked doing art projects for friends. Gives me a purpose to make something. I mean, if its just for me, whats the point?

I've discovered that while the piano midi on Sibelius sounds like crap, the marimba midi is great. Conclusion: Everything sounds better in Marimba.

Been admiring the musics of The Decembrists recently. Never has a song about two gay male prostitutes (on the bus mall) sounded so beautiful. Their folksy melodies can span a wealth of emotions and moods, from melancholy to jittery and energic. Anyway, i'm impressed.

school has picked up again. Now i have some thesis to write and graduation to apply to. ? Still working piecemeal on my piece for my friend For December 18th I've decided to make it one in a series. The problem is, who's birthdays mean the most for a piece of music? I've nailed down family as immediately important, but how far does that extend? Better yet, How many people care?

It is true that i've been abscent from this blog. I just havent felt the energy. I've been busy. Other excuses like work and school come to mind. Frankly, i just havent had anything particularly meaningful to say. I feel like I'm stagnating in terms of my musical development a little. I want to stretch the piano in different directions but don't feel incapable at that. What i need is a good electronic keyboard that offers some interesting new sounds to work with.

I've been writing more of Music for a Suburban scene. I'm just starting the third piece, which is the one im most hesitant at adding anything too. Ironically its the piece i know the best when i play it.

Sometimes I feel like this kind of thing is an embarassing mistake, a display of my inability to be fresh or original. Some days I feel confident that my piano works have some merit to them and that they're worth presenting to people. I go back and forth. I like my works, most of the time, if that means anything. The movement of suburban scene has got a solid energy and even virtuositic touches. Its structured, maybe too structured. Maybe bordering on stilted, maybe just poorly structured. Maybe well structured? Maybe its too archaic in format, maybe its refreshing and effective? Is my music a watered down compromise or is it still interesting? I guess you guys can tell me. I'll post it soon.

Two Little Pieces from 2006

So Sibelius has been an EXCELLENT program for me, and has given me the opportunity to write up in classy fashion some old pieces from 2006. Its amazing to me how much things change in 2 years, i would never write music like this anymore, but these two i've hung on to because i really like them a lot.

This Berceuse written back around 2006 and is one of my favorite pieces i've written. Its extremely simple, but if played correctly, very delicate. This is a midi version of the piece, which i have from the Sibelius, and it aint playing it with any delicacy, but thats ok, you get the idea.

Midi Version: http://www.zshare.net/audio/13795384e1fb620e/

Another super easy little piece (one of those few that i really enjoyed both writing and playing) is this untitled piece, written a little earlier. Any ideas for a nice little title for it? I'd name it after you if it sounds right... Personally, though i like the piece, its too retro for me, sounds too much like Ravel- but thats ok, I tried. And at least its pretty. Anyway, it is also pretty delicate and simple, and all the same i have a crude midi version here to go along with the sheet music

http://www.zshare.net/audio/137961439b5d1ca3/



Anyway, like i said. I wouldnt write music like sounds like this now adays, not because of some change in attitude, but because i know how now. But I'll have to prove that another day.

30 second improv

Me again. Making noise.

In Imitation

• What’s your purpose?
• To eat. To eat well, to share the passion of eating well with others.
  

• What’s your passion?
• Butter chicken, panang curry. Good and interesting sounds.
  
• What are your peak experiences?
• pretending to be arab and getting away with it....My sister says i look like Ali Baba with a turban.
  
• What are the top qualities you look for in a good friend?
• Someone with their feet on the fucking ground. Is that so hard to find? someone authentic, someone with the ability to accept unusual and new things/experiences. I also very much like rude people who are funny about it.
  
• Who are your heroes and heroines from mythology and legend, and from history and religion?
• Helen Thomas, Kurt Vonnegut and the Cookie Monster.
  
• What are your unique talents and how do you like to express them?
• Unique? um. being able to philosophize about weightlifting by attacking moronic platonic/Cartesian dualism. I love weightlifting.
  
• I speak french. I express it by speaking french, usually in the context of criticizing france.
  
• What are the best qualities you express in your relationships? (Those are the qualities that allow soul to manifest in the world and in the work place.)
• Strange Noises. Baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa- is a personal favorite, also known to use BWAAAAAAAAAH and WAAAAAAAh (usually in the context of pouncing on somthing) as well as Bleeeeah and mmmmnaaaaaayh

2 more

these are the longer ones. haha. Its wierd to think that a 1 Minute 20 some second piece could be long, but its all relative. doing these short pieces each second feels significant. I write some 4 bars that last 15 seconds and i sit back and cant help but think how much music i made in 4 bars. haha.
These are by far the most technically demanding pieces in the set. In fact, im thinking they almost go beyond the range of what i was initially trying to do, which was really write tiny un-intimidating works that any one could play. But aside from the repetition which simplifies things the demands in number 12 ^ above are beyond the abilities of the person i wrote for in (say) number 7 below. I'm happy to keep em though.

hey, do any of you want to play this?

The radiohead laser show last night was sweet. They did a good job with "pyramid song" in particular

Um, i said i'd "publish" the fruits of my winter vacation, so here are 5 samples of some 12 pieces i've written up. The title of the set is "music for begining" the idea here is that they're incredibly easy pieces that would serve as music for a novice pianist, or music thats good for warmups good for sight-reading etc. So they are sort of functional-music type things. I havent written any performance indications, but i've been kinda lazy. Anyway, i know how they're supposed to be played, it should be obvious from the way they sound and are written, but hey, who knows. Do any of you 3/4 guys who see this site want to play my music? they're super easy! hahaa

Anyway, heres the first few:

Aphex Twin- Drukqs

I swear every time i try to post something half-way serious or intelligent it just comes out looking ridiculous and stupid.

On the other hand, i've been listening to these great pieces of Aphex twin. The work as a whole is extremely diverse, and I was surprised to hear how well he handles the piano! The prepared piano pieces are charming and beautiful, while the"techno" tracks are facinating, manic and really well done.

I recently got Sibelius and im writing down a few of my tiny piano pieces that ive composed over break. Its a great tool, im enjoying it. I plan on sending off a few of my files off to some friends, im even tempted to post my little pieces on here

Probably my last post of the year

And i really just dont have that much to say. Vacation is nice, but it makes me lazy. Ive written a number of tiny little piano pieces specifically tailored for beginners. Its the only kind of composition i can really tolerate right now. I think I've written about 8 of these little things. They're nice, maybe i'll post them sometime.

um. What else. Ive continued to browse youtube on occasion, i stumbled upon a good performance of Shoenberg's gorgeous Verklarte Nacht. ( I found that after listening to Blondie... hahaha.) And realized that the wierd and unpleasant world of blindingly ignorant youtube trolls makes its way to shoenberg videos too. Bizarre and stupid comments litter this video of six nice musicians just doing their job... (and doing a great job that would make Schoenberg proud) I cant really say much in the face of so much stifling idiocy (its more a problem of "where to start tearing down this monolithic tangle of crap?") So i just generally ignore what people post on youtube.

Probably the best for my sanity.
____

So thats the last post for the year of 2007. Onto 2008.

When did my perception of the passage of time become so warped? I swear time seemed to pass slower when i was little. The years just seem to speed up as they go.

i have to get minor toe sugery today. Stupid big toe and its problems.

Currently listening to Glass. I figured out how to open two winamps at once and thought it'd be fun to make a recording of me playing music in 12 parts at the same time. Like tape looping, except with winamp, and no loops are involved, just me sliding the music around as i feel fit. Its fun.... More on that craziness later.

Also, my 30 some second frucked up version of music in a similar motion. and some random improv.

To be honest, the etude below is a little too adams-y for my tastes, a little too old-fashoned. Also, sorry for all the mistakes in the recording.

Oh well.

Etude For Octaves

Linkie

In the bay area...

Currently just north of San Jose. Staying with family. Visited San Francisco again today, did a few of those tourist things, it was lovely. Nice day, not too cool either, sunny. Reading Vonnegut, and thinking about relocating to the bay area. I should ask Mr. Gable about it. I wouldnt mind living in a tiny little studio. My sister just moved into a studio in downtown seattle. She looks out over skyscapers, im envious. Then again, here in san fran, the financial district here is not somewhere i'd really want to live. I would prefer somewhere a little towards the west, in one of those beautiful old neighborhoods where everything seems lovely. Im too idealistic. But i guess thats what happens when you grow up feeling stranded in the suburbs.

In two days im going to Barstow. Not on some harry Partch homage trip, just a stop to sit in a pool and see death valley the following day. Im taking it easy here, no 12 hour drives for me.

I had a dream recently in which i was listening to a recording of a compostion i had writtten (which exists only in the dream) And then, as often happens in dreams i was magically and inexplicably transported back to an actual performance of my piece, watching the musicians do their thing. It was such a satisfying feeling. As i remember it, the music was very much like Cages variations I (as performed by Patricia Kopatchinskaja.) In my version it was all the same except the trio of violin,piano,singer/vocalist was all amplified. The piano part was pure...well, me: decending appeggios of minor sevenths and open fifths with a tinge of dissonance and post-minimalist mannerisms, but the vocal/spoken parts were pure cage.

Speaking of cage, my friend recently had on some prepared piano pieces by Aphex Twin. I had never heard them, but they were preeeetty nice. I need to get myself a copy.

Messing Around

A Nocturne is what i want to call this , not because it is one, but because i think its a nice name. I'll hold the pretention for this second one, and call it what it is-

me messing around
some shit made with the same amazingly limited recording abilities
....again-

I wish i owned a synthesizer.

old improvs

This is a collection of old(er) improvisations, dating from the dustbin of history (2006) recordings that i felt were somewhat sub-par, so i havent published them until now, But i figure i've thrown worse things onto this blog than what im about to present. (they're not that bad, right?) Anyway, here they are:

Febimprov- On the electric piano, just some random stuff.
June3- This formless blob of somewhat contrasting sounds includes the addition of distortion fuzz from overloading the mic.
Feb2- This is my favorite of the three, and the least poor, i imagine. It changes character at the end.

So thats that for now. Still in Emrbun, taking the night train to paris tonight, and Im leaving for the States wednesday, I dont know when i'll be back to europe.

self portrait in B minor

I gave a little concert for friends before leaving Nantes, so these are pictures from that day, These are my friend Immanuelle's photos

If i had photoshop and knew how to use it, i could remove the red-eye... ah well

So since there are no pianos in france ive been releasing all my anxiety by drumming on things. various things, water bottles, tables, chairs kitchen utensils, it bothers some friends and it... well, no, i think it just bothers them. Anyway, when i was in maroc i had the opportunity to buy a lovely handmade drum for a little less than 20 dollars. I figured for an authentic, nice drum i cant get a better price elsewhere and i just when ahead and bought it.

anyway, for archival purposes im posting this humble (really humble) little recording of my near incompetence playing a drum. Hell, i dont even know what proper drum playing sounds like or what the is name for mine in particular. Vive l'ignorance!. Maybe i'll figure these things out someday.

Dolmen Music

Went to Karnag (carnac in french) today in brittany. This was my birthday present.

And exactly what i wanted.











































Sarah here is posing for a perspective of the size....