03/23/2016 (Continuous Resonance Solo Saxophone Project)

Neil Welch Continuous Resonance Solo Project 2016

Date: 03/23/2016

Location: Practice Room C at South Whidbey High School. Langley, WA (Whidbey Island)

Instrument: Tenor saxophone

Notes:

During this improvisation I maintained a triple-tonguing technique focused around a single pitch center of Eb (quarter step sharp), with deviations in quarter steps above and below. I also interjected additional pitch material into the strains of continuous Eb, most notably the lower octave pitch near the middle of the improvisation. The room captured the resonant overtones nicely, creating overlays of the fifth above the fundamental Eb.

The image Nebulous 55 accompanying the post today by Eric Baum.

03/22/2016 (Continuous Resonance Solo Saxophone Project)

Neil Welch Continuous Resonance Solo Project 2016

Date: 03/22/2016

Location: Choir Room at Chielf Sealth International High School. Seattle, WA

Instrument: Tenor saxophone / Piano

Notes:

I recorded this aggressive improvisation in the choir room at Chief Sealth International High School between teaching my afternoon students. I was interested in exploring the intersection of overtone-heavy upper register pitches, buzzing difference tones in the ear and moments of punctuation created by sustain within the belly of the baby grand piano in the room. I recorded this piece with my mic set up in the center of the piano (with the lid open) and the sustain pedal down throughout and the improvisation. The mutliphonic at the conclusion of the piece used the following common fingering:

(LH) 1,2,3 / (RH) 1,2, LC

The image, Let’s Walk to the Middle of the Ocean, accompanying the post today by Mark Bradford (2015).

03/21/2016 (Continuous Resonance Solo Saxophone Project)

Neil Welch Continuous Resonance Solo Project 2016

Date: 03/21/2016

Location: Thornton Creek House in Seattle, WA

Instrument: Tenor saxophone

Notes:

The image Chronochrome Set 10 (2011) accompanying the post today by Cheyney Thompson.

03/17/2016 (Continuous Resonance Solo Saxophone Project)

Neil Welch Continuous Resonance Solo Project 2016 Date: 03/17/2016 Location: Laundry room in a small house in Austin, TX Instrument: Tenor saxophone Notes: This piece was recorded during the Bad Luck duo Spring tour, in the laundry room of a small house in Austin, Texas. I practiced for a few hours in the mid-afternoon heat and documented towards the end of this session. The image Ovitz House (2010) accompanying the post today by Roe Ethridge.

03/15/2016 (Continuous Resonance Solo Saxophone Project)

Neil Welch Continuous Resonance Solo Project 2016

Date: 03/15/2016
Location: San Antonio, TX (Flight Gallery)
Instrument: Tenor saxophone

Notes:

This improvisation was recorded while on the Bad Luck duo Spring Your to the SXSW music festival. We played an the art gallery called Flight in San Antonio to a packed house. Afterwards a large large crowd had gathered by the front entrance drink, talk, yell, and walk in and out of the gallery as music played overhead and outside—all of which can be heard in this recording. I decided to document an improvisation in a small room inside the gallery, and made it my goal to execute as subtle a piece as possible within an otherwise chaotic and completely inappropriate environment for such an improvisation to take place.

The image IN-EL Mendori (2011) accompanying the post today by Issey Miyake.