What Are You Practising / Composing Now?

[Serial_Apologist]

Probably a silly question but do you mean me or Bill Evans?

Reminds me of the sketch satirising civil defense in Beyond the Fringe:


Peter Cook (addressing public meeting): Now there are just two issues when it comes to nuclear war: kill, or be killed.

Dudley Moore (from back of the audience): Or both,,, heh heh heh.

[Ian Thumwood]

In the last few months I have been picking up quite a few pieces of classical music as I had almost forgotten how to read music and my interest was piqued to understand how certain composers worked. I must admit that I had not appreciated the wide range in quality of music available and that certain publishers are not really treating the music with respect or making their copies easy for people to read. I had also not realised how much music is alleged to ahave been published with errors in the manuscript. Was not aware that this was such an issue.

I initially picked up some Janacek published by Barenreiter and thought that this was a really good edition. Other publishers have been hit and miss. Wish I had got another edition of Field's Nocturnes as the Schirmer edition is not clear , or at least far more difficult to read that their edition of Scarlatti. The AB editions are quite clear too but I have learned to sty clear of Dover whose editions are effectively photocopies of out of print editions. I think the Salabert edition of Poulenc Improvisations I bought about thirty years ago is probably the worse as half of the type appears to be really faint. I quite like his music - an upgrade on Satie, I think.

Aside from the Bareneiter, I have to admit that the Henle editions are just about the best. They are really clear and the paper is not too shiny. I like the notes too. Henle are a bit addictive but the publisher suffers from a combination of having pieces which are far too difficult for me to play and a Germo-centric approach which means I have acquired about one each of composers who appeal. Shame that so much of this music is well beyond my ability, even if it is just for curiosity rather than to properly learn. I just like being able to play the chords the composers use and see how the music works. So far, Henle is the best albeit they are the more expensive publishing house.

[Joseph K]

Yes, another Stella you need to hear!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i07acXJP4-A

[Dave2002]

Currently trying to get loads of sample libraries sorted out for use with various software systems, including DAWs and notation programs.

Just discovered that Pianobook - at https://www.pianobook.co.uk - doesn't only have pianos, but also other instruments. I thought it was just for pianos, but it seems not.

I don't know how good the libraries are. I suspect some are very good, others less so., but it's good to see people trying and making the libraries available.

Some of the pianos have been recorded using ambisonics - and surround sound mics, though how that turns out in the libraries I'm not sure. Control is also a factor for virtual instruments.
I only recently discovered that one of the free guitar libraries I had years ago, but then couldn't get to work due to system changes, actually has more than just plucking, picking and strumming, but to make those work you need either a more sophisticated controller, or specialised software. However I have managed to reload that one, so even if I don't exploit all the features, I can get it to work with some of the software I have.

If anyone wants to try the guitar it's here https://www.amplesound.net/en/download.asp - Ample Guitar M Lite v2.31

Yes - I have been writing test scores for the libraries and software I've been testing.

[Jonathan]

BBM and I spoke last year about my ongoing transcription of Franck's Le Chasseur Maudit for solo piano (which I've now been working on for 25 years) and he encouraged me to finish it. I think I will have another go at completing it.

[Joseph K]

All The Things You Are

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e1jznxtL-Ig

[richardfinegold]

Taps. Left hand only. I played it for our neighbor whose husband, a career military man , just passed, and it was played at his funeral. She had tears streaming down her face, which I think was due less to her emotions and more to the quality of the playing.
Currently working on Brahms Lullaby to get those C Chord Harmonies down

[Joseph K]

Over on the What Are You Listening To thread I mentioned I was composing a solo over the Stella By Starlight chords. Well, I finished that and have played through it and it sounds nice. I only changed one or two notes after playing through it. The idea in this solo was to keep everything as inside and diatonic as I could, and I took a few concepts away from the book Modern Jazz Guitar Concepts by Jens Larsen - in fact, its five chapters are what I intend to base five solos of Stella on, each illustrating the particular chapter's concepts; so the first is diatonic vocab, and the second will be chromatic enclosures. I mean to compose and learn one a week, though it may take a little more time to absorb these ideas and even longer for me to get it into my improvising vocab - which is the real point of this.

[Dave2002]

All The Things You Are

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e1jznxtL-Ig

Interesting, and prompted me to look this up.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_the_Things_You_Are

There's more discussion of the music than I was expecting, though whether it's all correct I don't know. You really seemed to be warming up and getting more fluent as you went through this. Well done!

[Joseph K]

Thanks, Dave!

[Dave2002]

Here you are - fragment ....

https://soundcloud.com/user-977473438/where-to-go-next-v2

[Joseph K]

Autumn Leaves -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g66gJMMH9Ic

[Joseph K]

Someday My Prince Will Come -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=my-yIkIPDBg

[Suffolkcoastal]

In case anyone is interested my 4th Symphony was completed a couple of days ago, after what has been a difficult year so far, 6 months is a long time for me to take to compose a 35 minute long work.

[Serial_Apologist]

In case anyone is interested my 4th Symphony was completed a couple of days ago, after what has been a difficult year so far, 6 months is a long time for me to take to compose a 35 minute long work.

Congratulations, Suffolkcoastal!