Something New to review.

Very pretty melody or theme, and a nice atmosphere. The programming of the drumming (I don't really know what I should call it) is a huge improvement. But I think that when your musical expression is this minimal, you can play around a little with the rhythms, to keep things interesting. It would be nice to feel that it sort of takes you somewhere. I don't mean a whole lot. You can make it go quiet at one point, or slow it down, speed it up maybe add some spice and ornaments. I don't know.

These are real drums, but it's kept very simple. There's just these tiny little adds or changes every once in a while that make all the difference. More human and lifelike perhaps. I love the sheer sound of the percussion here as well.    

^ Do what you think is best, but I have no problem with the tracklength. It's kind of nice to be allowed to stay inside the music for a while.

Hi,

For me, it depends on how you trust your work to be ... something else that your mind wishes to express, as you end up finding that what you created is not exactly what you had in mind.

The ideas and changes, suggested and thought about, will destroy the reality of this piece as it is. I don't recommend it.

It is the hardest part in my writing, always having the thought that something is better, or can be better, and not recognizing the life and breadth of what you just created.

I tend not to make "changes", since the "moment in time", while it can only be done once, it can be remembered a few times, though never really the same, until it becomes a senseless piece of something that had a small life, that got taken away with different days, touches and ideas.

My sister, paints like this, and sometimes her touch on one spot takes days, and for my tastes and thoughts, it made no difference to the painting, as if it were a highlight that had to be seen and created a moment of thought, or confusion, or ... some imaginary this and that ... and this is the main reason why I do the internal writing, or the external writing. In general, the internal is what it is ... a special moment in time, and I can clean up the English, but changing it or taking something out, or adding something else, makes it a different moment in time, as if you could change something from yesterday ...

In the end, you will find it doesn't matter, and the amount of time wasted in thinking that more, or less, has to be done here, there, everywhere, is an illusion ... a greener grass on the other side of the fence, or on the other side of our minds.

Dream on first. And make it live ... live ... and live ... there's a beauty in that.

NOTE: Sorry ... sometimes I like things a bit too much, and they bring up special moments. Go ahead and kill your piece of music by doing something or other to it, because you don't think it is perfect. Life isn't perfect. We don't allow it to be perfect!!!!!

Happy days with a little wind in the sails of the heart.

Believe me when I say I listen to suggestions, critiques, And peoples feelings about this stuff. Saperpoppetes observations were/are right on the mark.   Also appreciate the time moshkito takes to air his feelings about things.   I have no formal music education, I was a painting contractor since 18 years old, so the learning experience concerning the mechanics of music is vital if I am to continue. Nothing is ever really ‘finished’, but I’ve abandoned unfinished things just to move on to the next project. This song is meant to showcase Kalvin’s talent And feel for the guitar. It’s his track. I want to back it as best I can.

Edited by Valdez - June 12 2025 at 08:21

I gave some of that "Anti-Drumming" a go.   This is NOT Prog. its 100% experimental. See if you can last the whole 7 minutes. (Phone speakers dont like it one bit)

That Carny is a SPY

Edited by Valdez - June 25 2025 at 21:13

Valdez wrote: I gave some of that "Anti-Drumming" a go.   This is NOT Prog. its 100% experimental. See if you can last the whole 7 minutes. (Phone speakers dont like it one bit) That Carny is a SPY

Hi,

You're not gonna like what I say! And I think you underestimate someone's listening ability to details, even from a "non-musical" idea or thought. I heard it a couple of times, and kinda enjoyed it ... but saying something as a way to "break it up", is not my intent or idea. But I guess I look at a lot of music as a huge score, and it has 20 staffs and it seems like each one is doing their thing, but ... but ... together, is another story. However, many times, I would think/suggest, that there might be things in there that are not necessary for the totality to show itself clearly.

If you sit and plot this thing, 3 minutes into it, you're gonna ask ... what is this bit for? what's going on? what is it doing? What for? And before long, you stop. It makes no sense. AND, more importantly, if it does not make sense, why are parts being put here to make some sense?

Do not read on!!! Danger DANGER .... Do not read on!

Some day I will get a better idea of why folks that create "music" are so attached to having something hitting something else as a way to keep a beat, or make sure they are ... on par with "music". Do folks really have to "refer" to "music" in order to create something with an instrument? Or two instruments?

On this piece, I probably would have taken out half all that "anti-drumming" as totally not necessary, and not adding anything to the totality of the piece.

"Anti-drumming" does mean kinda doing its own thing, but mostly it is about not doing the beat thing at all ... poetry has a flow and it can be musical, but in many cases, because of its moods and quick changes, the flow tends to dismantle some ideas that depend on a beat ... and you want to think of it as The Doors (sometimes) with no bass player, and not needing one, because Jim's vocals might not on different nights, do the same thing, and without the bass, it leaves things more open to interpretation from a visual/film perspective. Your piece, from my view of it ... and me not being a musician per se ... is something trying to find nothing. As such, it ends up being a sort of ... who cares ... in terms of improvisations.

I never thought, as many improvs as I have done, that any of them had a "who cares" kind of thing to it, not that it can't be done, as (in general) within a theatrical situation, in an open improvisation, folks would almost always be looking for some kind of situation that can formulate, specially when you have other folks around in the room. At that point, the idea of improvisation, takes on a different dimension, since the environment changed it some, as folks attach themselves to one thing or another which is the easiest thing to do. Thus, folks (generally) would be too busy, to simply be doing this or that for no rhyme or reason.

That is not to say that no rhyme, or reason, or who cares, has no place in the equation. If the whole piece is just that, then it's fine, though I (again) would cut down the shaking of the witch stick (my term for the "anti-drumming" you did), to make it a bit more interesting in terms of ... what is going on? what is happening? In other words, don't give it away ... let the listener try and figure it out ... but if (in the end) all you're doing is keeping that thing on, I kinda look at it as just making it more mechanical than it needs to be, or (likely) was not meant to be.

Keep on crinting ... keep on crinting! Somewhere along the road, something else comes along that helps define its crinting and being!



Edited by moshkito - Yesterday at 06:29

Valdez wrote: ... I don’t compose music, I build it from scratch, tear it down, do it again, until I find to my liking.   I will keep certain parts and certain sounds and work with them. And I’ll do away with many also… I will add things as I go, or not. ...

Hi,

Being totally intuitive and off the dreaming, I don't compose either ... but things are just there on their own, and I don't have to experiment at all ... the continuity is on its own, and not something that I can define or create.

It's an interesting process as you mention, and fairly conventional I might think now and then, as my sister, a painter (in Paris, France) does the same thing, somewhat similar ... it is something that is hard for me to work with since I would change so much, and lose it all sooner or later, as bits and pieces and parts, become something else. That eats up the idea of creating something about this or that for me.

But, on the free form side, via the dreaming, the interesting thing is that the thoughts, ideas and "meanings" are there on their own, like magic I am inclined to say, though in a situation like mine I don't need the magic at all ... what is there is there and that's that. Changing it, would take it away from its continuity, and so I don't.

It's like a poem, for me. The continuity of the visual via the words, is what makes it, work, and being intuitive on my end, the far out thing is that things come up with some "meanings" that I did not think about ... the visuals just followed on their own.

I never thought of myself as a "beatnik" but now, that you said it, I can see it ... interesting thought, and I have a lot of appreciation for the actual original beatniks, and their works, and how it was carried to more modern times ... but the intuitive continuation of the whole thing is something that not all of us is capable of enjoying, and sometimes it doesn't sound right, but the whole thing is not about sounding right or not, it's about the flow ... as much as possible, which has a tendency to take away any possible idea of "creation" at all.

It feels like "creation" is not an idea or thought ... it just is!

"beatnik free flowing salad" ... with no dressing!