If Possible

@jim-4

@jim-4

Link to Score

Starting this blog has made me look at my back catalogue and there sitting rotting away on my hard drive was “If Possible”. Something that I wrote over two years ago, had fun with it and then moved on to the next big thing. The minute I reheard it I was drawn in. It has an unsettled feeling but is still melodic. The unsettled thing is because I used Bartoks Axis

It was short and I thought too simple with just a piano over an arpeggio of the cords. So I said to my self “I am going to fix this”. First I wrote a little middle section, that allowed me to repeat the piece and change the order of the bits, to give it variety. I added some guitar to play the harmony and a bit of percussion to enhance that waltz feel. “Do you now what? “ Yes I was very disapointed. The melody still shines through but the backing is like clockwork. It dose not work. Where did I go wrong?

I think I did not analyse the music enough. I needeed to ask myself “what do I like about this?” First when I originally wrote it and now in my second encounter I though the cords where the most important. It is the notes of the appeggio. They at times cause dissinance but then at the end of a phrase they resolve. Thats where it gets its movement from. In my opinion this is really counterpoint. So if you have had a look at the score you seen many notes are enharmonic, To agree with the harmony.

My to do list on this is

1. I need to simplify the notes, what is realy going on here
2. look at doing this as a solo again, there may be room for more instruments

Then I think more of it’s secrets will be revealed

Jim

I reserve the right to Re-visit this at a later date.

Bartok

Pilgab at hu.wikipedia, Public domain, via Wikimedia Common

Bela Bartok was a composer that wrote music that employed a lot of dissonance. To enable Erno Lendaval to be able to analyse his work, he developed a system called Axis System.

See This Video from Milton Mermikides on You Tube.

My take on this is the cords can be laid out as in the table below.

1	C	A	F#	Eb
2	G	E	C#	Bb
3	D	B	G#/Ab	F

Assuming we want to create tension then resolve, if we make a particular group tonic. We have for a three cord melody the below ways of moving through.

Tonic	Sub Dominant	Dominant
1	3	2
2	1	3
3	2	1

If for example you use 1 – 3 - 2 from first column you get a standard Jazz II V I.

Some of the other possible combinations are

C – E - B Where C is the tonic, E the sub Dominant and B the dominant.

C – F – C#

There are many more.

Also bear in mind cords can be minor or major. I personally think that Dominant Cords work best. That could be the Blues lover in me coming out.

Take the time to go over this and watch Milton Mermikides Video again, because this system opens up a whole new World of possibilities.

Jim

June

@jim-4

@jim-4

Link to Score

Well I am in a bit of a quandary, I have two versions of the same piece of music and I don't know which one I prefer. They are based on the same score, but I recorded them in different ways. Now I need to know which is the best.

June

This was recorded by using the MIDI files produced by Musecore 3 and importing them into Garage Band. I have a Plug by Spitfire Audio of the BBC Symphonic Orchestra which I used to make the WAV files you hear here.

The second version, used the WAV files exported from Musecore 4 and imported them into Garage Band.

The Jury is out but as I say I have the right to revisit this again at any time

Jim

Crazy

Crazy

@jim-4

@jim-4

Link to Score

When I first started the blog all of a week or so ago I was not sure why. That is always a dangerous approach. I just had a need to do it. I put it down to having too much time on my hands. At least now I have a good answer. To give my head a bit of piece. Last Friday I posted a piece of music that I felt had a few problems. Why I hear you ask. To which I reply to get rid of the horrid monster. I did not know do with it, but I was sure one off two things could happen.

• Dump it
• Add a bit somewhere

I realised that posting the music however unfinished gave me a chance to sit back and look afresh. Imagine my shock when suddenly I felt I could make a decision. So here we are maybe not finished but I could call it a first draft. I am not saying the result it is perfect, but it is in a better place. The act of posting in fact gave me a chance to get it out of my head and take a step back. I do find it hard to keep some sort of perceptive when you create on your own, because the music is always running through your head.

I am convinced that I will come back to the piece again in the future. The thing is by putting it out there I have somewhere to come back to, and after this blog a place to compare the two versions and decide what more I need to change. That could even be a complete re-write. I need na new mantra “I reserve the right to revisit this at any time”

Notes

• I used Musecore 3 to write it.
• I used Musecore 4 to finish and get a track to post, Musecore 4 dose not make track as loud, so in future may have to adjust main volume

Jim

This Weeks Work

@jim-4

pdf of score

This piece has come to a crossroads and I need to stand back and decide what to do

• Dump it
• Needs slow down or breakdown earlier
• Needs slow down break down now, and then go on

The harmony is Bartok Axis(hence the craziness) C F# C Ab Bb. For places where it needs a turnaround or bridge I have used Neapolitan Harmony

The intro was an attempt to make a texture using random numbers, and a pattern for the cords, hence its rhythmic craziness nature. To me it sang out a melody. I added two other melodies I had (I do not know where they came from). The idea is that it creates a little competition and out of that magic appears. I do not think I have quite concurred that yet. Give it time. The whole thing was put in a Sonata form

Jim

Ghosts

@jim-4

Ghosts (Orchestral)

@jim-4

Link To Scores(feel free to download pdf)

Piano Version

Orchestral Arrangement

What I wrote

Ghosts is written in the Dorian mode with a time signature of five eight. It has a floating harmony that I have tried not to tie down too much yet still have movement. The lightness of the clarinet adds to the ghostly effect.

I like to compose music in odd time signatures as they make the music awkward. I also think any time signature that uses threes has a fluid feel. And when the tempo is slow it can be menacing.

In the Orchestral version the melody interchanges between clarinet and flute, in registers that both instruments sound light. The interchanges are to represent more than one ghost hence the title.

I apologise for the vocals but the piece needs them. Luckily I managed to find a filter that hides most of the hardness in my voice, hopefully it is not too out of tune.

The wooden blocks and triangle give both rhythm and represent other ghostly noises.

Feel free to down load and use and abuse as you wish. I do ask if you come up with something you let me know. I would love to hear any versions or uses you find for this.

Jim