Greg's Gazebo

[Szykneij]

I enjoyed listening to that too, Greg, but I have one concern. Are you scoring this piece for authentic instruments? If it's meant to be performed by synthesized instruments, I like the effect, but I'm trying to imagine what it would sound like played by a real ensemble and I can't. The long sustained (clarinet?) notes are too unnatural sounding for me. Those dudes need to breathe at some point. Just a point to consider so you don't lose playability points.

[ibanezmonster]

That is one concern. In that one transition section with the clarinets, I've changed it slightly (into a better sounding transition), but it still is somewhat problematic. Since we're allowed to score for up to 3 woodwinds each, I'm using 3 clarinets (3 plays bass clarinet when necessary). My solution to make it a bit easier is making the first clarinetist play the notes during the transition and have the second play that long, sustained note. It all depends on how long the clarinetists can hold their breath, so I might need to make a note in the final score indicating that if it's not possible to sustain the note that long, then the third clarinetist can smoothly make an imperceptible entry to ease the lungs of the second clarinetist- or simply write it in the score. The sustained effect is what I'm going for, though.

[Szykneij]

That is one concern. In that one transition section with the clarinets, I've changed it slightly (into a better sounding transition), but it still is somewhat problematic. Since we're allowed to score for up to 3 woodwinds each, I'm using 3 clarinets (3 plays bass clarinet when necessary). My solution to make it a bit easier is making the first clarinetist play the notes during the transition and have the second play that long, sustained note. It all depends on how long the clarinetists can hold their breath, so I might need to make a note in the final score indicating that if it's not possible to sustain the note that long, then the third clarinetist can smoothly make an imperceptible entry to ease the lungs of the second clarinetist- or simply write it in the score. The sustained effect is what I'm going for, though.

It's hard to tell if this is possible without seeing the score, but if two clarinets are available to double the same long note, staggered breathing between the two players will give you the effect you want.

[ibanezmonster]

It's hard to tell if this is possible without seeing the score, but if two clarinets are available to double the same long note, staggered breathing between the two players will give you the effect you want.

True- now I just need to not forget this when writing the final score. 

[ibanezmonster]

Steady, but slow progress...

someone has a job/project for me- as far as I understand, it has something to do with setting up a website. I might not be able, too, though, since as slow as this is going, I'll probably be finished around the end of summer, which is the end of my free time.

Pretty much almost all I did today was look up different information, learn interesting stuff and play basketball with some kids. I'll force myself to write a few notes and jump to something else because I really just do not want to work on anything at all. Probably the messed up work schedule takes a few days to wear off, as long as a certain amount of time of relaxing occurs. The next three days I have plenty of time... (or it could be that I'm trying to finish a section which I know exactly how to shape, so it's really tedious to write, even though it will end up sounding nice)

[ibanezmonster]

10 minutes total of written material so far. However, out of this ten minutes, there is still some editing I'll have to do- just editing to make it sound better, because in some parts I just had to write something. Those parts I just consider drafts. In all, this piece may even end up being as long as 18 minutes long, since I do plan a long-ish, slow ending.

One interesting new development: although this is a single-movement, uninterrupted piece, I've actually designated section titles. There are six sections:

Landscape.
Limbo.
Night.
Contradiction.
Flight.
Eternity.

Right now I have to figure out how to connect the Contradiction section to the Flight section. Ugh. 

[ibanezmonster]

I almost completed a second piano sonata, but I have to warn: it is VERY, VERY unusual.
It's in three movements, and actually, only the middle movement is atonal. The last movement uses a technique which I've never heard explored before. Also, the last movement is slow, but only the most capable pianists would be able to pull it off. I won't give away any more details, though.

There's just one thing I need to fix, and I'll have it uploaded soon. Let's just say that this piano sonata did not take much time to write, which is why I wrote it. 

[ibanezmonster]

There's just one thing I need to fix, and I'll have it uploaded soon. Let's just say that this piano sonata did not take much time to write, which is why I wrote it. 

Maybe I'll upload the 3rd movement sometime, but for now I'm not going to worry about this at all.

Concerning my orchestral work: I ended getting about 14 or 15 minutes of material written, but I erased so much and reorganized it that I brought it down to 10 minutes. However, this is a pretty solid 10 minutes. What I erased was good material, but it simply did not fit in with the character of the work (I'll eventually upload the music snippets of these). Just a tad of touch up is needed- maybe only an hour or two worth, so that's why I say it's a solid 10 minutes. The last challenge is to simply develop the "Limbo" section, which I plan to end loud and then break off into silence before the "Night" section starts. Hopefully I can make 3-4 minutes out of this, to bring the total timing to 13-14 minutes.

I also renamed the work because... well... don't ask. It's now called "Phantom Travels." 

Now the sections are labeled:

Landscape.
Limbo.
Night.
Contradiction.
Coalescence.



The only thing is that I might have to put off (actively) working on this for around a week or so. I need to take care of some school-related issues so I'll be ready when I go back in late August.

[ibanezmonster]

So close... I could probably finish it today if I really pushed myself, but it shouldn't take any longer than a couple of days. It'll be around 14 minutes long.

Of course, I'm only talking about the (posting) audio file. The pdf score will take at least a week to set up, then a day or two to figure out how to mail my score to Japan.

[ibanezmonster]

Finished with the audio! 

op.9 Phantom Travels

I might have to reupload it sometime, though, because in a few parts there are glitches and some of the dynamics didn't come out quite right. My computer was slowing down a bit during Sibelius' write process to the audio file, so maybe that explains the glitches. Also, it's kind of insane how much messing around with dynamics is necessary.

(Minor note: I'm naming it as op.9 because I'm going to add that "Orchestration of Prokofiev's op.88 Symphonic March" as my op.8 ).

Overall, I'm very pleased with how this turned out. I keep imaging this as an overture to an opera or something, because of its length...

Next step: prepare score in pdf (estimated time: 1 week)
Final step: print and mail

[Karl Henning]

Just downloaded that puppy . . . .

[Karl Henning]

Greg, this is beautiful, and really strong. You've made great strides since The Bend of Time. Bravo!  I'll listen to this one several times again.

[Karl Henning]

I say it again: very well done! A pleasure to listen to, even in MIDI guise.

[Cato]

I almost completed a second piano sonata, but I have to warn: it is VERY, VERY unusual.
It's in three movements, and actually, only the middle movement is atonal. The last movement uses a technique which I've never heard explored before. Also, the last movement is slow, but only the most capable pianists would be able to pull it off. I won't give away any more details, though.

There's just one thing I need to fix, and I'll have it uploaded soon. Let's just say that this piano sonata did not take much time to write, which is why I wrote it. 

We want to see it and hear it!  ASAP!!! 

[ibanezmonster]

Thanks, Karl! 

We want to see it and hear it!  ASAP!!! 

Haha... well, okay. For now I can post the third movement, but the first two are incomplete. However, considering the formulaic and minimalistic nature of each movement, it shouldn't be much work to finish the first two movements.

Here's the audio:
http://www.mediafire.com/?h28xz3mak4dpf8p

When I end up getting the score ready, you'll be able to see the technique I'm using more apparently- not only in this, but in how I use it at the end of Phantom Travels.

Basically, the left hand is repeating the same note at a gradually lower proportion (15 notes per measure, 14 notes per measure, 13, etc. down to 1). The right hand is simultaneously playing a melody which repeats, but every time it repeats, one more note at the end is chopped off. It's like a lullaby of death. 

[ibanezmonster]

I reuploaded Phantom Travels:

http://www.mediafire.com/?pj8q8x0lys2dryv

This time there's a bad glitch at the 2 minute mark, but the rest is completely fine, so it's overall less glitchy than the previous version.
Still really liking the piece. 

[AndyD.]

I heard a little Bartok...in fact I thought of the Music for Celesta, etc.

A little Mahler too, plus I hear some of the extreme metal influences that both Greg and I like.

The midi can be irritating, but then so much midi can be. Really good music, definitely keep writing Greg!

[Karl Henning]

Andy!!!

[AndyD.]

Andy!!!

[ibanezmonster]

I was a little bit surprised when you mentioned Bartok, Andy, but I realized that the beginning uses the Half-Whole Diminished scale, which is what Bartok uses quite often. We use it quite differently, though, but there is that similarity.

Also interesting that you hear a Blut Aus Nord influence... honestly haven't listened to them much- I've been listening a bit more to a band called Deathspell Omega, which is another French black metal band that is somewhat experimental and associated with Blut Aus Nord. But I will listen to Blut Aus Nord, keeping that in mind. 

I though it would be funny if I was a finalist in the competition and had to talk about my piece and influences at a workshop (I think that's part of what they do) and mentioned all of these heavy metal influences. 




As for the op.10 2nd Piano Sonata... I might have done by the end of the year. Or next month. Who knows.
3rd movement is fine as it is, 1st movement I need to rework, and the 2nd movement I'm just completely redoing (making it the long, complex, non-formula based slow movement, though I'm still considering the idea of still using a recording of Vocaloid's Hatsune Miku, who will sing some Japanese lyrics of my choosing).