New Age Improvisation

[jovian_w2002]

Hey Guys

 

I took New Age improvisation classes for the piano, and there'll be a mini test in a week.

 

I'm not sure if my standard is up to par with the others in class, because I admit I'm a horrible pianist haha.

 

Anyways, I recorded a song I improvised on my keyboard (using these instruments: piano + strings) a while ago. I thought it'll be better for me if I upload it here and get some opinions on the song: whether the song is "all right" or "bad" etc, hehe. I know I've made a couple of mistakes, so pardon my mistakes hehe

 

 

The title is weird, I know. I just threw in some random title for it hehe.

[Tiger]

I actually like it. I don't know why you think you're no good. That's a lot better than anything I could come up with.

[hh5]

Hey I think you got another fan here.

My nephew is 3 years younger than you. And I like his stuff.

 

Yours is good too. Treat your humanities with as much passion equally.

 

Keep on practicing. Its just playing another kind of story.

 

Go with the flow.

When you play its just you the author and the story your writing or playing.

Nothing else should be there in your perfect place.

 

I like it.

 

I notice what you said at the 2:10 - 2:30 mark.

 

You know mistakes can be part of the story too.

Maybe you could write a story about a pianist thats composing a piece of music plus drama of your choice.

[darkfoxprime]

I enjoyed it. You've got the hints of some nice themes running through it, and it's got a reasonably good sense of timing and pacing throughout. Transcribe it, clean it up, and play it without the few mistakes, and it'd be something I'd be happy to have in my collection.

[Bondwriter]

Nice theme. Thanks for sharing.

[David McLeod]

Jovian,

 

"Icicle Dance" isn't weird, at all. At about 1 minute into the piece, the tempo picked up...as the icicle began to melt? About 30 seconds before the end, the tempo slowed. I presume this indicated the "death" of the icicle. Throughout, the higher register notes (the crystalline icicle?) contrasted with the lower register (the warm air? sun? meltwater?) The notion of an icicle, fixed to an eave, a dripping faucet, a tree limb, "dancing" is poignant, since the only way it can dance is by melting. Actually, it's a hell of an allegory.

[glomph]

At first it sounded like a movie theme from the '70s. Then it developed a certain hypnotic quality that fits, I guess, its New Age intentions. Once you had established the pattern, then came the welcome tempo change, complemented by the nicely done rit. at the end.

 

I don't really know anything about New Age aesthetics, but the piece was very nice. It was coherent, and it went somewhere. About time that the repetition was going on a bit long for this non-New-Age listener, you sped up.

 

As for how icicles can dance, I think one way is through transmitting, refracting, and reflecting ever-changing light.

[MikeL]

I know nothing of music theory, but I know what I like. I like it.

[David McLeod]

...As for how icicles can dance, I think one way is through transmitting, refracting, and reflecting ever-changing light.

 

Your interpretation is certainly more optimistic than mine, and it brightened (pun intended) my morning.

[Arpeggio]

I liked it. The mistakes are fine because they can be fixed.

 

Do you use a metronome?

[Former Member]

Wow! Amazing! This is absolutly wonderful I really really liked it and had myself in my head going do doo doo doo along with the beat. I can really see people outside on a snowy day making Angels in the snow and having a snowball fight, very colorful.

I could also see in my head the icicles dripping down the windows. Very Well done

 

Bravo! Bravo! Bravo!

[jovian_w2002]

Awww thanks guys I got a B for the so-called "test" by the way. Yep, so there are still rooms for improvement. Now I have to improvise a song with a mixture of any 2 themes with the major D chord for my assignment (love, rejection, unrequited love, anger, melancholy, or epiphany) *gasps*

 

Oh and yep Arpeggio (cool nickname! *my arpeggio skill sucks haha) I do have a metronome, but i hardly use it

[Arpeggio]

Awww thanks guys I got a B for the so-called "test" by the way. Yep, so there are still rooms for improvement. Now I have to improvise a song with a mixture of any 2 themes with the major D chord for my assignment (love, rejection, unrequited love, anger, melancholy, or epiphany) *gasps*

 

Oh and yep Arpeggio (cool nickname! *my arpeggio skill sucks haha) I do have a metronome, but i hardly use it

 

Yeah lol, my teacher kinda forced me on scales and arpeggios. I couldn't pass without them.

[Former Member]

lol and only now did i realize how to properly say your name its like the Aristocats song "Don't forget your scales and your Arpeggio's" I was saying it like Apreggio. (blond roots i swear)

 

Best of Luck Jovian in your next assignment

[Arpeggio]

lol and only now did i realize how to properly say your name its like the Aristocats song "Don't forget your scales and your Arpeggio's" I was saying it like Apreggio. (blond roots i swear)

 

Best of Luck Jovian in your next assignment

 

LOL, I havent seen that movie in forever.

[Raro]

One thing I've always had fun with with piano improvisation: there's no such thing as a mistake. If you play a note differently from how your were expecting, ok, you've just changed the theme, added a detour, are exploring elsewhere. This approach forces you to pick up some new styles and sounds, to let you play around those notes you previously thought were mistakes/dead ends.

 

-- Raro

[glomph]

One thing I've always had fun with with piano improvisation: there's no such thing as a mistake. If you play a note differently from how your were expecting, ok, you've just changed the theme, added a detour, are exploring elsewhere. This approach forces you to pick up some new styles and sounds, to let you play around those notes you previously thought were mistakes/dead ends.

 

-- Raro

 

 

If I hit a "wrong" note while improvising, I repeat the resulting pattern and make it part of the new structure.

[AFriendlyFace]

I liked it

 

If I hit a "wrong" note while improvising, I repeat the resulting pattern and make it part of the new structure.

That's a good idea!

[MikeL]

If I hit a "wrong" note while improvising, I repeat the resulting pattern and make it part of the new structure.

Is that what we used to call progressive jazz?

[glomph]

It works pretty well, whatever the style.

 

Getting a good balance between unity and variety is important in any art, I guess, but especially in music. So when you're improvising, that's something to keep in mind, along with everything else. In jazz you have the underlying structure of the chord changes. Melodic development needs its structure, too. Repeating a "mistake" is one way to deal with structure on that level.

[corvus]

Sounds great. Since improvising is all about turning deviations into intent, it's pretty hard to make "mistakes." I did hear one note that was clearly a slip, but that was the only one. Personally I've never tried improvising, so this was very well done and impressive...

[Drewbie]

I like it Jovie keep on practicing.

[jovian_w2002]

Awww thank you so much guys haha, for a second there i had forgotten about this thread haha

 

By the way, check out Corvus's self-composed 'opera': http://www.soundclick.com/bands/default.cfm?bandID=632226

He's truly amazing with his compositions

 

I'll prolly attach another "improvised song" on this thread next week

 

Cheers

Jovian