05/19/2013 (12 Moons Solo Project Day 139)

12 Moons Solo Saxophone Project Day 139

Date: 05/19/2013

Instrument: Tenor saxophone

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

Notes:

Today I explored an oscillation of pitches made by a slow finger cycle and humming into the horn.  I worked to control the pitches being pulled out by focusing on specific pitches contained within the overtone series of the fingering.  When using this technique I generally play much more aggressively than the recording captured here, but today I aimed to maintain an overall dynamic level spanning pp to mp, both to challenge myself and to try and discover new colors.  The fingering used was as follows:

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

While using the above fingering I would alternate opening and closing the Side Bb and Fork F keys, one at a time in a continuous, slow cycle.  I sang into the horn a Concert B in the lowest octave of the tenor’s range, and would occasionally also move between this C and a Concert C above it.  During the improvisation I would at times briefly pause the finger cycle and hold the root fingering while singing the Concert B.  This would result in a beautiful, de-tuned major chord, which I used to pivot from one section into another.

-Neil

The image accompanying today’s post by American painter Norman Bluhm

05/18/2013 (12 Moons Solo Project Day 138)

12 Moons Solo Saxophone Project Day 138

Date: 05/18/2013

Instrument: Tenor saxophone

Location: Small bathroom inside my house.  Clinton, WA (Whidbey Island)

Notes:

I struggled in my practice session today.  I struggled for hours without focus, without direction, and for the bulk of it without desire.  This was incredibly frustrating, though an experience that is just simply inevitable on some days.  I generally split my practice session between concrete musical etudes, exercises, etc. and free improvisations,  but today both ends of this spectrum felt hollow to me.  I eventually decided to split the difference between the two practice worlds, and I created scales and etudes that utilized concrete motions with irregular sound shapes.  After spending some time with this concept, an hour of solid practice soon slipped by and this piece took shape.

This improvisation uses a seven note “scale,” which if looked at in physical action in the fingers would appear to have a single downward shape, but because of the fingering system it’s a multi-directional scale with tempered pitches, muted tones and multiphonics.  The fingerings were are follows:

1. Palm Eb key, Octave

2. Palm Eb key, Octave, Bis Bb, 

3. Palm Eb key, Octave, Bis Bb, A key

4. Palm Eb key, Octave, Bis Bb, A key, G key

5. Palm Eb key, Octave, Bis Bb, A key, G key, F key

6. Palm Eb key, Octave, Bis Bb, A key, G key, F key, E key

7. Palm Eb key, Octave, Bis Bb, A key, G key, F key, E key, Eb key

Using the theme of “7” I would often, but not always play the scale a total of seven times before pausing.  This was also true of the longest developmental section of the piece, which had puckish notes played with equal spacing.  During this section I followed the pattern 1 // 12 // 123 // 1234 // 12345 // 123456 // 1234567, doing the cycle a total of 7 times.  

-Neil

The painting “Barge Peniche” accompanying today’s post by Joan Mitchell (1975)

05/17/2013 (12 Moons Solo Project Day 137)

12 Moons Solo Saxophone Project Day 137

Date: 05/17/2013

Instrument: Tenor saxophone

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

Notes:

During my practice session this morning I focused on beautiful sound clusters and controlling the entrance of specific notes within them.  I then became interested in developing a second melodic/harmonic gesture, which although beautiful on it’s own stood squarely against initial sound developed.   To do this there are two sound centers, the first being the indroductory trilled major chord, and the second a two-chord melodic gesture. 

This improvisation begins with the first sound center–a single pitch that gradually adds key clacking trills and is built upon by adding other consonant pitches into the sound field.  Second, third and forth tones are introduced to the original drone, and when returning to this first sound center at various points in the improvisation I would increase the tempo of the trill until the chord became a tight oscillation of pitches.  Due to the static drone possibilities in this chord, I would occasionally change the drone that is held out.  In total, there were 3 drone pitches with this same fingering, using the drones Eb, B, and Eb at different points during the improvisation.

The second sound center uses two chords, each sharing the common concert key pitch of D.  The first chord has a D in the upper register and a very muted Eb (quarter step flat) in mid register below it.  The second chord again includes the upper register D but also has an E a whole step above this pitch, and a muted Eb in mid octave below both of them.  The fingerings for these two sound centers were as follows:

Center one (trilled major chord)

(Left Hand) B-A keys, Octave Low Bb, Palm Eb // (Right Hand) F key (trilled open and closed)

Center two

Fingering a.) Pitches Eb-quarter step flat, and D

(Left Hand) B-A keys, Octave Low Bb, Palm Eb // (Right Hand) F key, Low C, Side F

Fingering b.) Pitches Eb, D and E

(Left Hand) B-A keys, Octave Low Bb // (Right Hand) F key, Low C, Side F

-Neil

The painting “Dismantling the Red Tent” accompanying today’s post by R.B. Kitaj

05/16/2013 (12 Moons Solo Project Day 136)

12 Moons Solo Saxophone Project Day 136

Date: 05/16/2013

Instrument: Tenor saxophone

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

Notes:

I found myself with an hour of open time during my teaching schedule today, and spent it practicing in the choir room at South Whidbey High School.  I eventually came to a melodic/harmonic gesture that I decided to record as my improvisation today, but every time the tape was rolling a loud-speaker office announcement was made.  After a couple of frustrating attempts, I decided to embrace the fact that my desire to record was in conflict with the reality of being in a school during the lunch hour.  I made a decision that I would use the jarring interruption to my benefit, and decided that if it came on again I would abruptly abandon my pre-planed gesture and play freely for the full length of the announcement and then return to what I was focusing on.  With this decision I almost welcomed the chance to try it. 

This improvisation centers on a repetitive fingering system with five motions, the last of which dips down in pitch.  By virtue of the fingerings there are many sonic possibilities easily explorable in the chosen cycle.  Just as I accepted the inevitability of a loudspeaker announcement and worked with it, I also chose to accept the indeterminate sounds that would come out of my horn and build off of them.

The fingerings (with a root “focus” pitch)

1.  D (quarter step sharp) 

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

2.  G (quarter step flat) 

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

3.  A (quarter step sharp) 

(Left Hand) B-G keys, Octave, Low B // (Right Hand) E-D keys, Low C

4.  G (quarter step flat) Same as second fingering

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

5.  D (quarter step sharp) Same as first fingering.  Dig down the pitch with embouchure movement.

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

-Neil

The image “Portrait of Francis Bacon” by Lucian Freud (1956-57).