What Are You Practising / Composing Now?

[Dave2002]

I sometimes wake up with lines of music that I’m pretty certain I have created . Had ( what seemed like) a great line for a rockabilly style song not so long a go. I really should write them down.

Anyway, good to hear that you are enjoying it and creating something Dave.

Thanks - it's experimental - let's see where it leads.

Do you write things down yourself? If not, you should try it.

Best wishes, D.

[Joseph K]

It seems to me that, on the topic of playing with jazz backing tracks, forms such as the blues or rhythm changes are less effectively practised therewith, owing to the fact that these forms - but especially the blues - can have as many or as little chords as you like. I mean, you can play the first three bars as I7-IV7-I7 or you could just generalise the tonic over it. So, while the limitations of back tracks, and the fact they won't follow you if you want to reharmonize, are always apparent, this is especially so on more fluid forms like I mentioned.

[MrGongGong]

Give my regards to Mrs. Trellis.

She seems to be struggling to stand up in the storm
head for the theatre with the electroacoustic music gig seems a good plan

[Joseph K]

Bluesette, something I've been woodshedding a bit...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6b4W2fOzp48

[Suffolkcoastal]

String Quartet No 3, another work to hide away when I've finished.

[BBMmk2]

String Quartet No 3, another work to hide away when I've finished.

Sounds like a good idea to keep going.

I’m going through my current project.

[BBMmk2]

Bluesette, something I've been woodshedding a bit...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6b4W2fOzp48

I play that on keyboard sometimes. A lovely piece.

[Joseph K]

I play that on keyboard sometimes. A lovely piece.

Indeed it is.

[Dave2002]

Bluesette, something I've been woodshedding a bit...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6b4W2fOzp48

Another new word. I didn't know about "woodshedding" - but years ago I'm sure I used to drive people mad with it. Still do, probably, but different pieces, different instruments.

Is that you in the video? You don't have to own up to it!

I'm still trying to figure out how to make a virtual recorder - or indeed several sets of them. Progress is being made - slowly.

[Bryn]

Another new word. I didn't know about "woodshedding" - . . .

Something nasty seen in it?

[Joseph K]

Is that you in the video? You don't have to own up to it!

I'm still trying to figure out how to make a virtual recorder - or indeed several sets of them. Progress is being made - slowly.

It is indeed me. Hence posting in this thread.

What's a virtual recorder?

[Dave2002]

It is indeed me. Hence posting in this thread.

What's a virtual recorder?

Pretty decent playing - though I'm not a player of that type of instrument. Well done - you got a lot further than I often do. As you mentioned - "woodshedding"!

A virtual recorder - mmmm. If one has a DAW such as Logic, Reaper, Ableton etc. one can record instruments, and also connect Midi instruments. The way things have evolved over the last few decades one doesn't even have to have real instruments - for example one can write a score in Sibelius, or MuseScore, or Band in a Box etc, and then squirt some digital codes over to a DAW to get the music played. There are even attempts at full orchestra compositions, either brand new, or transcribed - such as Holst's Planets or Stravinsky's Rite of Spring. If one prints off the music, it can be played by "real" instruments, or "real" orchestras. However this isn't always necessary now - see Spitfire Audio's set of the BBC SO - virtual orchestra sounds - https://www.spitfireaudio.com/info/f...ony-orchestra/

One instrument which they don't feature is a recorder. There are some examples in a few synthesisers or DAWs, and there are a few fairly expensive ones. There are also some cheaper ones, but one issue is whether the files are compatible with whatever DAWs one happens to have. I now have several, so that's less of a problem now.

This guy (Guy Michelmore) has some really amazing videos - and is enthusiastic and quite fun to watch. Not everyone will want to, but ...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ElUkiNWxSyk Native Instruments

https://youtu.be/iAtZyWtRRaI BBC SO - Spitfire Audio

He has a pretty decent basic intro to music theory too - it is only at an introductory level, but it only takes 16 minutes.

Does that at least partially answer your query?

Planets - Holst - Musescore - https://musescore.com/openscore/scores/5271023

Part of Rite of Spring - https://musescore.com/mooing/the-adoration-of-the-earth

[Joseph K]

[Joseph K]

Here I am playing Stella again:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rugnTMFMVYU

[Dave2002]

Here I am playing Stella again:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rugnTMFMVYU

I have a query about that. How was it recorded?

Did you use a microphone, or is the guitar mixed in somehow? There are a few "scratches" - for example around 1 min 30 seconds.
Don't worry - I'm not a guitarist, but I wonder if they were picked up by the guitar pickups, or an external microphone. I just wonder if a different method of recording would get rid of those, or at least reduce them a lot.

Prompted by ANother round here I've got some new kit - audio amp for recording and a few new microphones. Probaby won't actually improve my playing, but I'd like to see (hear) how things work out. After I've either succeeded (or perhaps failed) with the recorder virtual instruments I'll probably go back to multi-tracking "experiments" which so far have been very disappointing.

For wind instruments, microphones tend to pick up breaths, and any kind of sucking noises, and clicking (with keyed instruments) one makes. Hard to tell really whether they're as obvious without a recording - but I suspect they may be less obtrusive - or maybe audiences are just a lot more tolerant.