03/31/2013 (12 Moons Solo Project Day 90)

12 Moons Solo Saxophone Project Day 90

Date: 03/31/2013

Instrument: Tenor saxophone

Location: Home studio in Clinton, WA (Whidbey Island)

Notes:

In preparation for a performance later in the day, I began this morning with an improvisation focused on a very clear center of action.  I played as quietly as possible in the mid altissimo range.  This is a difficult area of the horn, made more so when a low volume is needed.  Many of my improvisations use a single fingering that elicits a larger chord, but In this piece the single fingering does not play a chord, but rather creates four individual pitches.  

The fingering is as follows: (Left Hand) B-G keys, Octave, Palm Eb, Low B // (Right Hand) E-D keys) Trilling the low F key constantly.

This creates the tenor altissimo pitches C, D and E.  I immediately noticed that a gentle slide was possible from the D to E, which I used throughout this piece.  A technique I seem to favor is a dualistic shape, and I often take my time to make a transition from a first gesture into the second.  I often follow this model whether I’m exploring single notes, rhythm, chords or split tones.  I decided to continue with a dualistic shape but to begin a secondary section more abruptly than what is customarily comfortable for me.   I used the same fingering with a loosened embouchure shape to speak a muted middle octave D.  I decided to use this element near the mid point of the piece, but to transition in and out of it quickly instead of gradually allowing it to evolve.

-Neil

The image “Highways and Byways” accompanying today’s post by Paul Klee

03/30/2013 (12 Moons Solo Project Day 89)

12 Moons Solo Saxophone Project Day 89

Date: 03/30/2013

Instrument: Tenor saxophone

Location: Home studio in Clinton, WA (Whidbey Island)

My mind is wrapped around process in art today.  I spent the morning painting, which is the first time I’ve done such a thing since I was a kid.  What struck me immediately was not where to begin, but the daunting task of how to begin.  I immediately considered how I approach my instrument.  As a life-long student I must be constantly concerned with details and process in my music.  For me creativity springs forth from these two areas.  

I cut myself a small, rectangular piece of cedar and pulled out all the house paint, brushes, and scrapers I could find.  I spent about three hours getting to know my tools and trying every technique that came to mind.  After many hours I came upon a bit of success through mimicry.  As in all the arts, mimicry is the greatest learning tool.  I ended up with a painting that is clearly in the style of Mark Rothko, though of course at the very foundational level of ability.  

I improvised this piece many hours after painting, and all the while my brain was coursing with the information I learned.  I decided to record an improvisation that put my music nakedly but unabashedly in front of Rothko’s work.  In his paintings I find clarity and complexity fused in extraordinary fashion.  I’m deeply inspired by his work with the square as a subject.  The shear space devoted to the shape itself takes me into the painting, forcing me to accept or deny it.  To me, his work is unsettlingly frank and concretely steady.  In my own improvisation I attempted to create these two distinct, but connected sections.  I kept the melodic material simple, using primarily the b3, 2nd and 1.  Of the two sections, the first centers around cyclic action, with split tones inside the melody that give it a wavering quality.  I feel the second melody is the response to the first, as it’s far more declarative, its placement often anticipating a return to the first. 

-Neil 

The image “Untitled No. 17” by Mark Rothko

03/29/2013 (12 Moons Solo Project Day 88)

12 Moons Solo Saxophone Project Day 88

Date: 03/29/2013

Instrument: Tenor saxophone

Location: Home studio in Clinton, WA (Whidbey Island)

Notes:

When humming pitches that are contained within a multiphoic chord, my brain often perceives that I’m singing a different note than I actually am.  This is very unique experience, but today I chose to try and eliminate this occurrence.  I used a single fingering today that with virtually any pitch sung, exploded with color.  After spending some time working with it, I attempted to sing pitches with a range spanning the root to a perfect fourth below it.  

The fingering for this improvisation is as follows:

(Left Hand) B-A-G keys, Low B // (Right Hand) F# key

The maximum volume of this piece is slightly louder than my interpretation of mezzo forte.  At this volume I seemed to have the maximum amount of control over my embouchure.  Mid way through the piece an extraordinary sound emerged, which I identified as the Concert E an octave below.  This is well below the playable range of the tenor, and was a great contributor to the energy in this piece.

-Neil

The image accompanying today’s post by artist KwangHo Shin

03/28/2013 (12 Moons Solo Project Day 87)

12 Moons Solo Saxophone Project Day 87

Date: 03/28/2013

Instrument: Tenor saxophone

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

Notes:

A friend contacted me today about a piece of music I wrote a few years ago.  The composition, entitled “For Ann” was composed after learning about the passing of a close friend’s mother, Ann Stewart, a teacher, parent, wife and wonderful person who was also an important figure in my life growing up.  This naturally brought to mind the hardship in what must be a difficult daily reality for the family she left behind.  My improvisation today was once again inspired by Ann.

This improvisation uses a single fingering with a slight, trilled gesture throughout.  The fingerings is as follows: 

(Left Hand) B-A-G keys, Low B // (Right Hand) F-E-D keys, Low C.

In the left hand, the fork F key is also trilled, being opened only about 2/3.  Since the B key in the left hand must also be constantly held down, the middle and ring fingers must close the B, A and G keys, leaving the index finger free to trill the Fork F.  This finger and trilling system creates a very consistent Concert A major chord, with the A and C# trilling in the bottom, and a static E holding in the middle.  Embouchure and air exploration created melodies in the upper register, namely one particular gesture with the pitches C#-D-E-F#-E, among others.

I was careful to maintain as very quiet level of volume overall, as the chord wouldn’t fully speak at a level above mezzo piano.  I also worked to balance tones in the chord, crossfading specific notes in and out, and in general just remaining aware of my air flow and the sounds being created to remain open to working with shapes that the horn offered to me.

-Neil

03/27/2013 (12 Moons Solo Project Day 86)

12 Moons Solo Saxophone Project Day 86

Date: 03/27/2013

Instrument: Tenor saxophone

Location: Home studio in Clinton, WA (Whidbey Island)

Notes:

This morning I worked on an exercise using subdivisions with note groupings of 6, 5, and 4.  A pair of sixteenth note triplets can be subdivided within the space of two eighth notes–as can 4 sixteenth notes subdivide within the space of 2 eighth notes.  However, a 5 note grouping cannot equally subdivide within the space of two eighth notes.   When I work on exercises that use a 5 note grouping over the space of 1 beat, I practice playing this phrase in time by simply using my ears.  However, today I sat down and tried to find some broader pattern within a 5 note grouping (and other prime numbers) that would allow me to practice it more efficiently, or at best, to understand this mathematical relationship more concretely in a musical context.  I had limited results, but it did inspire me to record a piece today that uses the mystical groupings of prime numbers.  

I decided to explore groupings with a number of notes using the following prime numbers: 3, 5, 7, 11, 13, 17, 19.   I created a scale with a total of nine pitches, which in ascending order were: (Db, D, E, F, Gb, G, A, Bb, B).   For pitches above the number nine nine, I simply kept going up the scale using the same order of pitches and assigning each new number accordingly.  For the prime number 3, I played the third, second, and first note of the scale in repetition.  For the number 5, I played the fifth, fourth, third, second, then first degrees.  This pattern was followed up to the 19th scale degree, which again was played down to the first.  

Since I omitted the prime number 2, I decided to find ways to incorporate this integer.  Mid way through the piece I began placing 2 groupings together, with the following pattern:  3/7 //  5/11 // 7/13 // 11/17 // 13/19.  At all other points in the piece I played the note grouping in sequence: 3, 5, 7, 11, etc.  To break up the improvisation, I used a harmonic gesture that used 2 multiphonic chords in alternation.  I would play these two chords for an indeterminate length, then pause and repeat for a total of 4 times.  I then returned at the end of the piece to play this gesture for the 2nd time.  

-Neil

The painting “Brooklyn Bridge” accompanying today’s post by Joseph Stella (1917-18)