02/12/2013 (12 Moons Solo Project Day 43)

12 Moons Solo Saxophone Project Day 43

Date: 02/12/2013

Instrument: Tenor saxophone

Location: Choir room at Chief Sealth High School.  Seattle, WA

Notes:

I had a rehearsal tonight with my friends and musical counterparts Jared Borkowski, Gerg Sinibaldi and Ivan Arteaga.  After spending some time freely improvising and working on structured improvisations, we discussed the idea of art requiring or not requiring a “subject.”  I’ve come to believe that no matter how abstract or vague a concept I work with as an improvisor, my work always has a subject.   Often my mind gravitates towards my sound itself as being my subject, and in this sense no matter what I play I believe there is always this point of focus.

 

I recorded this improvisation earlier in the day before having this rehearsal.  During this brief recording session, I decided to challenge myself to find a clear note-based melody born out of a multiphonic fingering.  My aim was to create a plainspoken melody with chordal accompaniment.  I intentionally tried to pair the use of a “traditional” subject (the melody) with a non-traditional subject (chordal accompaniment with multiphonics).  For the chordal sound I used the following fingering: (Left Hand) B-A-G Keys // (Right Hand) F-E Keys, Low C.  The chord in this recording is only made by opening and closing further keys.  I alternate the opening of Side Bb and my G Key in order to create a rhythmic cycle that has interloping chords inside it.  The more traditional melody that opens this piece is created by slowly playing this multiphonic while opening the G Key, Side Bb, and the Side C as well. 

-Neil

02/11/2013 (12 Moons Solo Project Day 42)

12 Moons Solo Saxophone Project Day 42

Date: 02/11/2013
Instrument: Tenor saxophone
Location: Home studio in Clinton, WA (Whidbey Island)

Notes:

As a daily exercise I work on articulation patterns to increase my speed and flexibility. A recurring theme in this daily practice is articulating consistent sixteenth notes as fast and light as possible. I’m always amazed by how difficult it is to consistently produce even a single pitch over and over again for a number of minutes. Fatigue becomes a major issue during this task, but I’ve found that by trying to retain focus I’m able to make slow but steady progress. My improvisation today features consistent sixteenth note articulation, but with phrasing interruptions with tradition pitches performed at will.

When I articulate sixteenth notes as quickly as possible, I find that I actually use very different parts of my tongue than when I articulate at even just a slightly slower speed that what I believe to be my maximum tempo. This has shown me that the idea of articulating “as fast as possible” is really just a trick of the mind. If I record myself from day to day I find that my fastest tempo will fluctuate a bit in either direction, but as stated above, I still use this different part of my tongue. During this improvisation I attempted to play sixteenth notes as fast as possible, and then retain that original speed throughout. Consistent with my current ability, I found that during this 9 minute improvisation I begin slowing down after about 45 seconds, and then remain fairly consistent until the end.

While attempting to articulate at my maximum speed, I performed a free improvisation with pitches that were performed at will. There emerged a few phrases that I returned to subconsciously during this piece. This particular improvisational model is one I practice on a semi-regular basis. I play a few pitches as quickly as possible until it begins to feel second nature and requires little thought to do so. I then attempt to free my mind of clutter and begin to improve freely, the idea being that the articulation just becomes the status quo, and I simply work with it or around it to create my own shapes of sound.

-Neil

02/10/2013 (12 Moons Solo Project Day 41)

12 Moons Solo Saxophone Project Day 41

Date: 02/10/2013
Instrument: Tenor saxophone
Location: Home studio in Clinton, WA (Whidbey Island)

Notes:

This morning I woke an hour before dawn to record this improvisation, and an old memory immediately came to me when I picked up my horn. When I was a kid my mother raised my siblings and I in the Catholic church. Near the end of mass there was an exchange that would occur. The priest, acting as a “crier” would name those to pray for and we would respond back with a phrase: (Priest) “for all those those that are sick and dying, lord here our prayer” (congregation) “thanks be to god.” This would go on for at least a few minutes, with a total of ten or so exchanges. This event would have a very strong, two-fold affect on me from week to week. Firstly, I discovered the amazing power of repetition in a group setting. Secondly, I was struck by the eerie feeling created in me when a crowd responded with a mono-tone phrase, regardless of its intent. My piece today explores this idea of the “crier” and the “response.”

For this improvisation I used a concert Db pitch (with the tenor low Bb key down) in repetition to elicit a tranquil, calm mood–that of the “crier.” I then change this pitch by putting down the tenor low C key, which drops it by a half step and begins a fingering for a mutiphonic. I hear this pitch as the response, though I tried to make it as natural and patient a transition as possible. The fingering is as follows: (Left Hand) B-A-G Keys and Low Bb (Right Hand) F-E-D keys, low Eb and low C keys. My overall goal was to create a calm and reflective mood through an exploration between two simple and complimentary gestures. 

-Neil

02/09/2013 (12 Moons Solo Project Day 40)

12 Moons Solo Saxophone Project Day 40

Date: 02/09/2013
Instrument: Tenor saxophone
Location: Home studio in Clinton, WA (Whidbey Island)

Notes:

During a brief practice session this morning, I stumbled on a new fingering which became my inspiration for this improvisation today. This piece does not utilize this fingering alone, but instead uses it as more a point of balance. This fingering creates a very dark, melancholic chord.

The fingering is as follows: (Left Hand) B-A-G keys, Low B // (Right Hand) F# key, Low C and High F# key. With only a small amount of pressure, this naturally speaks a minor third chord with the concert key pitches C# and E. By carefully adjusting my air flow and embouchure pressure an E# can also be introduced. This created a mutation of mood for me while playing. The aesthetic difference between minor third chord and major third chords is fundamental, and combining the two makes the color palate all the more vibrant. As the piece evolved, I also began introducing upper register drones on a concert F and B.

This minor/major chord became my sound foundation. I then created a “drip-like” affect by quickly opening and closing the Low Bb and Low D keys one at a time. By doing so, the chord is allowed to pull and flex instead of change pitch completely.. Throughout this improvisation I also played a recurring gesture with traditional pitches and a single multiphonic in the upper register. This created abrupt interruptions in the dripping approach. The overall affect of the piece seems to me to be one of a balance between constancy and interruption. It seemed to me almost like continuous rainfall, with occasional drips hitting the bottom of the gutters and pine cones striking a roof. 

-Neil

02/08/2013 (12 Moons Solo Project Day 39)

12 Moons Solo Saxophone Project Day 39

Date: 02/08/2013
Instrument: Tenor saxophone
Location: Home studio in Clinton, WA (Whidbey Island)

Notes:

A few years back a student of mine traveled to India with his family and as a gift they brought back a recording of the great Indian Shehnaai Player Ustad Bismillah Khan. The first gesture of the album begins with an upward to downward bend, with a final upward resolution. The gesture used the scale degrees 7-9-7-8. This Shahnaai player was a true master of his instrument, and on the opening 10 seconds of the album and in just this single phrase alone, I heard a level of control and mastery well beyond anything I have achieved. I tried to channel this beautiful sound In my improvisation today, and I used a fingering that allows for a similar pitch bend.

The pitches used in this improvisation are as follows. In concert Key: B-D-C#-E, and there are actually two fingerings used in this piece. The first is used only to create the lowest pitch–the concert B. All three remaining pithes are made by carefully adjusting my air flow and embouchure pressure to bend the notes upward and downward. This fingering naturally creates a Concert E (in middle octave) drone. However, the drone only speaks within certain embouchure perimeters, and because I bend pitches the drone enters and exits when those perimeters are momentarily fulfilled. 

My overal health is feeling somewhat low today, and I searched while practicing to find a piece of music to lift me. A specific melodic gesture with the pitches B-D-C#-D-E-C# became very pleasing to my mind and body, and I used it as a kind of refrain throughout this improvisation. 

-Neil