Melted (extended, live)
By orangedrink on May 31, 2020 10:51 pm
Another live performance on the Model:Cycles! All the sounds are from the Model:Cycles, including the delay effects.
I wrote the A section in one sitting, and then came back a few days later and challenged myself to write a B section. I think it's really tough to write a new section out of nowhere - painters talk about "painting yourself into a corner" when you've overdeveloped one part of a painting too much, making it difficult to match the rest of it. The best practice is to evenly develop each section at a time (easier said than done). So I'm proud of myself for doing it.
I've been practicing a lot of jazz drumming recently, and working on a half-time shuffle - and it's really making me think of rhythms where the hi-hat is the star. I think that's a big piece of jazz as opposed to rock drums; the time keeping is the "beat". So last week's track had that Shepard's tone hi-hat, and this week has one with built-in off accents.
I have been trying to keep my electronic pieces concise, but I just relaxed and had fun with this recording - no editing or truncating like with other pieces! I've only had this synth a few months and it is already becoming one of my all-time favorite musical instruments. The shuffle break down at the end required a lot of frantic knob twisting, and when I was able to bring it back, I cheered very loudly to myself! I should have filmed it!
Still trying to stay positive despite some soul-crushing current events. Sometimes I feel like I'm trying hard to make the world a better place, but it's not enough. Sometimes I doubt myself and my work - does my artwork actually make a difference? Are we just playing music while the Titanic is sinking?
But then I think, where would I be without music, and all forms of art? Creative expression feels like such a gift, and it seems like such a waste to be here, alive on this Earth, with all of you, at the same time, and not share my gifts, especially because others have given so freely to me. There is so much beauty in the world, and in this time of global suffering, I feel like it's my job to heal, comfort, encourage, and inspire with my work.
Is anyone going to listen one of my sick shuffle drum beats and decide to love life? I mean, who knows, but it's more important to me that I made the work rather than if anyone likes it. Have you ever seen beautiful scenery in nature? It's made up of thousands of leaves and blades of grass and trees and flowers. There is no one plant that solely makes the scene beautiful; but it wouldn't be the same without it. So, I'm just trying to be the best tree I can be, facing the sun, soaking up the water, standing firm in the soil, bearing down in the wind, providing fruit and shade to those who need it.
It feels so crazy to work on music when there are "more serious" problems right now, but working on music is the best tool I have to fix these serious problems. What would happen to us if we cut down all the trees?
Thanks for listening to my thoughts; I know this is the group that 100% understands who I am because you intimately know my work. That's why I feel comfortable writing this here. Thank you. Thanks for your commitment to music, it's also our commitment to each other. This is important. This is how we let others know they're not alone; for now and generations to come. This is how we heal the planet.
Audio works licensed by author under:
CC Attribution Noncommercial Share Alike (BY-NC-SA)
crying tears of joy - thanks for the comments! I get a little nervous "letting a beat rock" because I think sometimes my insecurity says "this isn't that good, so I shouldn't overstay the welcome"- but honestly the beat swing really spoke to me and I just wanted to hear it for a long time. other times I make a shorter song and just listen on repeat, but this time I let it unfold (and, it takes time to get stuff switched over in a live setting, so it's hard to be super fast with arrangement changes!)
