04/03/2013 (12 Moons Solo Project Day 93)

12 Moons Solo Saxophone Project Day 93

Date: 04/03/2013

Instrument: Tenor saxophone 

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

Notes:

A high F (or F# if the horn has it), is the ceiling of the saxophone’s common range.  Above this is a region called the alitssimo range, which has chromatic pitches akin to those in a lower octave, but the fingering system and embouchure technique are very different.  During my practice session I worked with the tenor note F in the altissimo range.  I decided to utilize this pitch in my improvisation today, where I explored the common pitch F in four octaves with a repetitive rhythm. 

I tried to make the rhythm in this improvisation very declarative: 1 2 3—.  Because of the limited number of notes at my disposal, I pre-determined certain criteria I wished to cover.  These included: 1.  A wide dynamic range, from very soft and controlled to very loud and almost blatty, and with abrupt transitions and smooth transitions.   2.  A variety of vibrato tempos, from gentle wavering to tighter pulses.  3.  Space.  However, the space between action seemed to be fairly static, which was not necessarily my intention at the outset.  4.  A variety of cutoff’s, including fade-outs and more abrupt stops of the air.  Overall I worked to maintain a balance between the above criteria to add a limited yet noticeable amount of variety to the improvisation.

-Neil

04/02/2013 (12 Moons Solo Project Day 92)

12 Moons Solo Saxophone Project

Date: 04/02/2013

Instrument: Tenor saxophone

Location: Woodland park overpass at 50th and Aurora in Seattle, WA

Notes:

My brother once lived in a house next to a freeway barrier off of I-5 and would sit outside and pretend that a river was flowing on the other side of the concrete wall.  Living in a rural place these past several months has made me appreciate the distinctive, ambient noise of traffic.  This improvisation was recorded about an hour after the peak volume of traffic had passed over highway 99 just South of downtown Seattle.  My improvisation was a response to the dwindling traffic on a Tuesday evening.

I used a base fingering in this piece which was as follows: (Left Hand) B-A-G, Octave, Palm Eb to Palm F.  By moving from the Palm Eb and then adding the Palm F, a wonderful, fluttering tone cluster emerged.  I would interrupt the serenity of this sound by playing a middle octave Concert Ab and low octave Concert Ab while opening and closing the F-E-D keys in the right hand.  Just as the base fingering in this piece had a natural fluttering sound all its own, I artificially created a fluttering sound on the Ab pitches.

-Neil

The image “Lightscape/Night Sky” at Great Basin National Park accompanying today’s post courtesy of the National Park Service.  

04/01/2013 (12 Moons Solo Project Day 91)

12 Moons Solo Saxophone Project Day 91

Date: 04/01/2013

Instrument: Tenor saxophone

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

Notes:

On recommendation from my brother, I’m currently reading a book about the Memory Palace technique, which is a mnemonic device used to remember virtually any strain of information.  This is a fascinating idea, and as part of this process I’ve decided to spend time surveying areas of my playing which I know to be weak, in order to identify new methods of progress.  Today I practiced with 10 note groupings at varying tempos, and tried to string together the same 10 notes with different mental interpretations each time.  For example, I would slur (play smoothly) all 10 notes, but in my mind beam the notes in groups of 4, 4 and 2 (10 total).  Then on the second repetition I would “beam” them in groups of 4, 2, 4, than 2, 4, 4.  I then went into odd note grouping–3, 2, 5 etc.  Though the figure itself audibly sounded the same, I tried to change my perspective to see if it could warrant any improvement.  

In my improvisation today, I decided to try and sonically capture a balance between process in my mind and the reality coming out of my instrument.  I used a common starting fingering: (Left Hand) B-A-G, Low B // (Right Hand) F-E-D, and by opening and closing my first finger B key, side Bb, and the Low F key, I created a cyclical pattern.  This pattern was as follows: 1-2-3-4 // 5-6 // 7-8-9-10 (10 total beats).  There were some mistakes during this improvisation, but for the most part I maintained this pattern with accuracy.  The figure is played in different octaves with different pitches during this improvisation, though again, the fingering system remained the same.  The pattern does show itself when certain octaves are played, but at other times, depending on the octave, the pattern seems to be blurred altogether.  To create some division in the piece, I would occasionally play a “role” by breaking the pattern.  This resulted in the rapid, trilled sounds captured at times.  

-Neil

The image accompanying todays post by printmaker and pen and ink artist Alfred Kubin (1877-1959).

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