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Fugging Fugue
I posted this as a Flowtones track, but remixed it to focus on the piano. The synth comes in halfway through.
I realize all of my music (like most here) sinks into oblivion, like a short lived cicada making a brief noise and falling into silence. This track is something beyond my ability… I doubled the speed to 155bpm in Cubasis3. However, I did the smallest amount of midi editing and the track was a flat out improvisation.
So, I was surprised not to receive one comment even after I bumped it myself! I had to think about it. So tonight I replaced the Flowtones Hybrid organ patch with Ravenscroft 275. It is even more beautiful, IMHO, and I may never again improvise something so almost perfect.
I hope some of my friends, like @Gravitas @McD @Edward_Alexander @Daveypoo @rs2000 @Spidericemidas @kuhl @GeoTony @JudasZimmerman @pbelgium @NeuM @onkey @CapnWillie @jwmmakerofmusic @wim @waynerowand @mjcouche @echoopera @CracklePot and many others who have supported me along the way will give this a listen (with headphones if possible) and share with me a moment of accomplishment that probably will never be topped.
Thanks for the indulgence, friends. Also, it is a great demo of BeatHawk Total Bass, an iap being currently discussed.
Comments
Sounds like a classically written piece, not an improv.
Beautiful piece of work LL. You never fail to impress.
Would love to hear the version with the original tempo.
Agreed! ^^ I too would love to hear the original.
I bet 1/2 the speed does not mean 1/2 as impressive.
Thanks for listening @Poppadocrock. Frankly, I am not capable of writing something like that. It’s just what happens. More like willpower.
@Ben @Edward_Alexander here is a version at 100bpm. It’s def not as impressive, Ed. At 80 it starts being a bit tedious. But I was imagining a fast tempo as I played it. It’s interesting the flaws that get fixed at a fast pace, but also, no time to dwell on some good phrases.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/aku8ffml0o0i8ve/Fugue 100bpm.wav?dl=0
does the creation vibration need to be heard? or just felt?
the creative urge i imagine, is strong with most of us here - the apps and their creative impluses
time, on the othr hand, maybe less so
the act of listening, to the past, is this a re- creative attivity?
does our culture allow enough time - across the bored _ for recreative activity?
i’m not sure
it would be nice if i could listen to tracks created by users , as i flipped between threads
[[ this was typed as i listened
) nice track ]]
@LinearLineman : I feel your pain. (And shared your fate: my last track, shamelessly bumped here:
also received not a single comment here. )
Ah well. Perhaps it’s time for my stumbling noisy Dark Ambient toddlers to make their own way without assist in the rough world of SoundCloud…! After making 43 tracks in the last two years - I can take a hint
@simonnowis : in answer to your question, on one level, no, speaking personally I’ll still do my thing, as I’m sure @LinearLineman will do his, even if I’m the only one that ever hears it. But knowing a thing has been heard, and maybe even liked, by others, particularly those whose opinions and skills you respect, sure does help make it seem a little less like whistling in the dark.
For the general relief of all though, I am mostly grappling with modular these days, and my skills there are so far from prime time that I am unlikely to be releasing any more needy toddlers from that direction to any forum for quite some time to come. So relax everybody: the darkness has passed!
Thanks for sharing that. At 100 bpm it takes on a completely different feel. The longer gaps between the notes brings a sadness that isn’t in the uptempo version, more of a dynamic.
Although I do love me some fingers flying over the keyboard chops.
Not sure what version I’m more fond of.
Fuck it. I’m keeping both.
You know, for years I belonged to a site called "iCompositions" which was a site by musicians for musicians and it was focused on getting feedback on new music by members. That site shut down because the owner had finally had enough with the maintenance, server crashes and other associated problems. I was part of that group of very creative people for about ten years. I found this site by happenstance and it felt like a return to the good old days of making music and getting feedback, so believe me when I say I know exactly how it feels to pour your heart into a creative endeavor and then get no response or not exactly the response you were expecting... my priorities aren't the priorities of other people here all the time and it can be disappointing to not feel appreciated.
I like the music you post here (and I like this piece), LL. I don't always respond to every post, so I apologize for missing some of your delightful works now and then. Please do not be discouraged. People are listening.
Sorry I missed this one - I don't catch all the tracks folks post here and my day to day (especially now) often makes focused listening a challenge. I try to comment when I can but rarely make it through a full track without interruption simply due to the circumstances of work, life, errands, etc - to quote Greta Thunberg "blah blah blah"
I gave this a quick phone listen just now but I'll make a point to carve out some listening space in a bit to give this my full attention and I'll get back with some snarky observations 😉
@Svetlovska, it’s not pain that I feel. I understand that talent and audience do not necessarily jive. I’ve been exploring Herman Melville’s career lately. The author of “The Great American Novel”, Moby Dick, was an utter failure during his lifetime. He actually only wrote for less than a decade.
Much good it does him that every famous author now lauds his genius. He worked a low level job and was in debt all his life. Now that’s pain. For me it is just about sharing the experience and trying to be an example of someone who takes risks and believes strongly in the concept of originality.
Of course I like feedback, but not really looking for what @NeuM is talking about when he describes the iCompositions site. I’m on my own creative journey and, tho I will listen to advice, I’m not really looking for it. It’s so late in the game, for me, and I’m set in my ways. My teacher, Connie Crothers, gave me many musical gifts, but the greatest was her affirmation. I believe that affirmation created the will to create in me. I knew her affirmation was not exclusive and that she offered it with almost everyone she taught. It’s what each of her students did with that affirmation. I took it in on a deep feeling level… the affirmation was just as much about the source of creation as it was about me….
It’s not my brain that creates. My brain often says “That’s it, boyo. The party’s over”. Then I sit down and create something new. My brain helped, for sure. It did the legwork of practicing. Now my brain is almost vestigial… tho it does fuel what’s left of my ego. So, @Svetlovska, it’s not pain at all. It’s just the ride. I suggest you do the same. You’ve been heading in a good direction lately. It makes sense that your success triggers something that might want to shut it down… by deciding not to post, or that you’re played out. The brain is envious of the inner child. It wants to control shit. Even if that might mean hurting it’s owner.
@NeuM, don’t worry about listening or commenting. I know you’re out there. For me listening is somewhat transactional. I’ve commented regularly with some posters, but if I never hear from them I simply stop commenting. No hard feelings, of course. But we’re good.
@Ben, yeah, slow and fast… different energies. It’s great we have both.
Marvellous! Sounds more like a classical composition than an improv! 😲 There’s a lot of energy and movement in there with that rattling bass string sound and flurries of piano. I didn’t hear the version with the organ but I think replacing it with the Flowtones patch gives the piano much more sparkle than an organ could.
One to be very proud of and Mr. LL raises the bar again! 👏👏
@LinearLineman
Thanks for tagging me.
Jacques Loussier came to mind the
moment I heard the first couple of bars,
that’s really good company.
It’s a remarkable piece of improv,
impossible to repeat the same way twice.
Obviously it could be transcribed using midi or by someone with a keen ear but then it would become a facsimile of an improv not an improv.
It’s one of those pieces that you have
to step back and simply appreciate that
you wrote, performed, recorded and mastered yourself and say to yourself,
‘I did that’.
It’s good to acknowledge that once in awhile.
Most probably you will be able to top
this but the moment of this piece is now.
In regards to comments or the lack of them.
I and a few others also don’t get many comments if at all when we post tracks or videos so it’s something to be expected.
There’s that quote about horses
and water that springs to mind. 😁
Tag me whenever you wish.
Your music is always welcome in my time.
Awesome!
Mind the language in the titles, please @LinearLineman !
@LinearLineman I don’t normally listen to music posted on here and that is not anything against the very talented folk that produce it - since lockdown started for some reason I don’t make time to listen to any music really. It is really strange considering how much I used to enjoy listening to music but I have got to the stage where I would rather be using my time to try and make sounds rather than listen to them. I don’t quite understand why this has happened, something to do with not having the house to myself for 18 months and not wanting to impose my preferred noise on others.
I did listen to this though as I wanted to hear how your improv style worked when turned to classical and it kept me interested the whole way through. There were some great little turns in there and I like the part about a third of the way in which bridged the first and second sections and which gets a reprise towards the end. You truly are talented.
I know that you improvise your pieces which is what makes this all the more impressive, even if it was recorded at half tempo. Do you improvise it in one shot or improvise sections and then piece them together? I know you are big on jazz but do you have a classical background as well?
It is a great piece, I remember it. I just find it very hard to make meaningful comments on any kind of art. I've been wanting to post to the Song-of-the-Month thread for ages, but I chicken out because I don't think I'll be able to express any opinions, not that I don't have them.
I go through the Creations forum regularly to listen to what's posted, and apart from the fact that a lot of it is very good, I find each new production very uplifting in that it is something that was conceived, worked out, and then completed. Helps very much when feeling stuck with stuff. But when it comes to express some appreciation for all this, I feel like a invisible ghost with no voice at all. What to say?
On the social medias the ghosts can click on the thumbs-up buttons, which I guess is the very least one can do. On Soundcloud, that saves the track to my collection, so I use it for that instead. So the tracks pass by while I mumble "I quite liked that" to myself.
Anyway, I liked it, but my favourite of all your pieces is this:
(sees modified title): @LinearLineman you're getting soft, mate
Ok - giving it a thorough listen now.
Quick side note - feel free to tag me in anything you'd like me to listen to specifically. I try to catch what I can but like I said above - active listening can be a challenge most days, and I typically scan Page 1 and then get pulled away. If anything slips off the front page, likely I'll miss it.
Firstly, there are not enough superlatives for not only your musicality, but my admiration of you and said musicality as well.
If I didn't know you or you hadn't stated as much, I'd never know this was improvised. The Bach family, especially PDQ, would be proud.
I would love to see this transcribed and scored. To have this performed by a small ensemble would be something to behold. Your mastery of concept and then the execution that follows (while maintaining thematic presence throughout) while IMPROVISING is astonishing, and this is one of the best examples of that.
You should score this, man. Seriously - don't waste this as some track on an album somewhere that will fade into obscurity. This needs to be worn as a musical badge of honor. This is elevated and studied musicality at it's best.
I'm duly impressed and envious but this is not unexpected. While I certainly prefer your more consonant pieces to those that lean toward sound collage/atonality, this is exceptional.
Aaaaaand it's back to the drawing board for me. . Thanks you old b@$+@rd. 😘
That rhythmic footwork at 2:16 and handover to Flowtones. Just sublime!
Thanks for the callout:)
That's really fuck...erm, FUGGIN amazing. The piano is about the best I've ever heard on iOS and makes me want to purchase Ravenscroft. Total Bass always sounds totally boss, and I love the synth patch. Musically-speaking, it sounds like something straight from the Baroque period of European/Western music, which is to say Bach's era. Well done mate.
Great Bachian themes and fuguing @LinearLineman! We're all very fortunate that you captured this amazing improvisation!
@LinearLineman goin' for Baroque.
The piano version works better to conjure up the master of the Fuggin' Fugue.
This one actually is more of an Invention or Prelude since Fugue has very strict requirements
for melodic development:
But your approach does fit the psychiatric definition of Fugue:
I'd call this one a "Baroque Fantasia".
I'll go Fugue myself now... I know the way out.
I've having a hard time listening or creating music lately... but something will come along an
break me out of this fugue.
If it is an instant impro, you came close to divine genius, Mike. Amazing.
Strange coincidence, yesterday I was watching a baroque improvisation from Ted Greene. He is improvising and analyzing his playing in real time !
Well said @pbelgium 👍
I missed the original post completely… easy to do with the volume of new creations and as @Daveypoo says once it has slipped off the first page it takes effort to find these gems.
@JudasZimmerman , I know what you mean but sometimes a simple ‘well done’ or equivalent works as well for the creator of the piece as anything clever or profound… does for me anyway😊
Prelude seems more apt, since the title became somewhat lewd after posting it the first time...
@Spidericemidas, thanks, mate. Yes, ‘rattling” sound of the bass… I was searching for a word to describe that beautiful imperfection… somewhat exaggerated in Total Bass (it’s the jazz double bass preset, not present on the pure double bass presets).
Thanks for the kind words @Gravitas . Yes, Jacques Loussier, PDQ Bach, Wendy Carlos and the Swingle Singers filled that need to merge the old with the new. It’s pretty easy to swing Bach. Maybe @McD can explain why. As far as your tracks, I never miss a one, tho they are, unfortunately, few and far between.
While I ain’t gonna call out every track for inspection by the beloved tech mob, I do think we should be bolder when we do something we believe is the highest quality. It’s not personal, of course, as we are all universally ignored. I understand folks don’t have time or patience to check everything out… especially when we even want them to don headphones!
Thanks @Pxlhg. You’ve been posting more lately, and it sounds good 👊🙏
Thanks for listening @MisplacedDevelopment. Our relationship with music is, of course, affected by our environment and emotional state. To go inward makes total sense these days. Still, I wish more members, such as yourself, would take a shot at posting, even if it’s only a minute or two. You never know what the universe will send back or how your efforts may affect other music producers. As to improvising, it’s almost always a one go, the exception being a lead line overlaying an initial improv. Those I usually do piecemeal, playing until the hot line, for example, falls apart. Then I erase the breakdown and pick up from the last good note. I did play classical music as a kid, mostly Chopin, but I can hardly say I “studied” it.
Hi, @JudasZimmerman, thank you very much for your continued listening. I don’t see you having any difficulties expressing yourself… and, if you do have opinions, that they wouldn’t be of interest to those here, including myself. I guess I am anything but an invisible ghost here… but the ABF vibe and acceptance made that possible. I don’t frequent, much less comment, on any other sites. You might put your toe in, as you have done here, and see what happens. Best to you, my friend.
@ervin, indeed I’m getting fucking soft! Age and lack of exercise are the secret sauce. @Michael came down like a hammer and changed it to f-ing fugue. Lenny Bruce might argue with the master, but I bend the tugging knee.
Thanks for the deep praise @Daveypoo. I’ll try to get Dorico to transcribe this, but i’ve never been successful. Impossible for me to write it out. This brief moment in the sun is sufficient, however, and I’m grateful you’re here… or there, I guess. Are you putting on weight yet.? Seems impossible not to.
@onkey, great to hear from you, Wes. Hope all is good down under. Don’t buy any wooden submarines!
Thnx for listening @jwmmakerofmusic. You don’t have effing Ravenscroft!? Well, you better frigging get it next time it goes on f#@&;8%g sale!
I appreciate your ears @pbelgium. Thanks for the affirmation!
@McD, indeed, not a true fugue, but def delivered in a fugue state. I see you’ve posted stuff on SoundCloud, but not here. Your tracks always draw lively discussion I have trouble following.. Put one out there. You owe us!
Thanks @JanKun. Fortunately, the speed up enhances the “wow” factor. As your vid demonstrates, lots of great musicians can create the effect… usually from assiduous practice. I, personally, must call on the divine to get the occasional good result. It’s total seat of the pants stuff. Hope you’re well in beautiful Japan 😘🙏
Thanks guys, for the positive comments. It means a lot.
Or, when I save up $40 and get it full price rather than waiting for a sale. 😂 😉
I experimented with some baroque and Shakespeare many moons ago.
I came out with quite a few tracks during that period.
Thank you.
Much appreciated.
I’ve been studying so my recorded musical output decreased as a result.
The need to compose is returning as always, the only thing is pulling together
what I need to say, the improv’s I can do anytime.
I have a small backlog of concepts and ideas that are almost ready to complete.
I should actually create a thread at some point with all of soundclouds.
Agreed.
Agreed.
I have a few steady listeners and I’m happy.
@jwmmakerofmusic, for sure it’ll be on sale on Black Friday.
@Gravitas, would love to hear some Baroque-Ish stuff! What are you studying?
Thanks for listening @GeoTony.
But can I wait that long? That's the trick.