breaking free &mdash 06/20/05 - 03:29:36 PM
This is lovely. It can be a liberating feeling to let go and
make a very strait forward, simple piece of music like this.
No big arrangements or heavy polishing. Pure. [ Reply to This ]
breaking free &mdash 06/20/05 - 05:30:18 PM
thanks for your comments, pgreenstone! I'm glad you enjoyed the free feeling
of this piece as well as the simplicity. [ Reply to This ]
Very nice &mdash 06/20/05 - 03:30:36 PM
I closed my eyes and did visit your part of the country.
Excellent playing and I am glad you decided to post it even
though it is an improvisation. I often find improvised music
being far more interesting that pieces that has been over-
worked in studios. You tried to capture the moment and did
a great job of it. Thank you.
Mikki [ Reply to This ]
Very nice &mdash 06/20/05 - 05:57:55 PM
...and thank YOU for expressing appreciation for this kind of music.
I had hesitated to post this piece right now because there have been a few
solo piano improv pieces on MacJams lately, but was advised to go ahead and
submit it! I'm glad I did. [ Reply to This ]
nice depth & emotion &mdash 06/20/05 - 05:36:08 PM
conveys a sad, slow & weary end for those long-departed
souls. great work on the recording of the piano! [ Reply to This ]
nice depth & emotion &mdash 06/20/05 - 06:00:22 PM
thanks, _derscore! By the way, this piano was the very first music I ever heard
(even from the womb! my mom played it a LOT!) and was also the very first
musical instrument I ever played. So I have a great deal of emotional
attachment to this nearly 100-year old girl. [ Reply to This ]
And the Steinway sighed with relief... &mdash 06/20/05 - 07:34:03 PM
It is great to hear a new composition from you at
MacJams, again. I figured the minute you walked in the
front door, after being on the road for so long, you
would head straight for your "Steinway".
I'm glad you just sat down and let your "muses" take hold.
Sometimes, you just gotta jump in the rapids, and ride the
current... even though you may like to swim towards a
destination. The spontanaiety and improvisation. has
come through excellently. That piano must have "sighed"
with relief after the attention given after so long.
And, as for submitting this piece while voting is
suspended, the comments are speaking to me that votes
aren't everything! great musicianship and compositionally
sound. thanks for posting "La Noche". [ Reply to This ]
And the Steinway sighed with relief... &mdash 06/20/05 - 07:46:57 PM
Alimar, I truly appreciate your thoughtful comments -- they are always so
"in-depth".
You are absolutely RIGHT about my Steinway "breathing a sigh of relief" when
it was finally tuned properly and I was able to play it after a long absence.
I plan to record a lot more pieces on this instrument, solo and in combination
with a variety of instruments.
Thanks again. [ Reply to This ]
beautiful &mdash 06/20/05 - 07:34:51 PM
This is a wonderfully expressive piece, Cam. The improv
shows your talent, and the writing shows your artistic
touch. Very lovely, evocative piece you have here. [ Reply to This ]
beautiful &mdash 06/20/05 - 07:51:17 PM
Joanna, you manage to say so much in just a few words -- right to the point.
Thank you for your comments!
Submitting this piece today while the ratings are suspended is turning out to
be a totally new, unique experience for me. It really makes me realize just
how much I appreciate everyone's comments!! They are so valuable, and the
heart and soul of MacJams to me. [ Reply to This ]
Sometimes.... &mdash 06/20/05 - 08:02:43 PM
...improvisation is the most direct way to let music make
that communication of feeling and expression. And as one
who finds tremendous expression in improvisation,
myself, I'm so grateful you chose to share this here,
Cameron.
It's lovely...soaring and spiritual.
Pure poetry in the spectrum of sound.
Thank you. [ Reply to This ]
Sometimes.... &mdash 06/20/05 - 08:16:34 PM
I truly appreciate your very expressive comments, Mystified! I'm glad
this piece touched you.
Thanks! [ Reply to This ]
Ghosts of the past... &mdash 06/20/05 - 09:29:58 PM
...can sometimes speak wonders in the present. This is a
beautiful and moving peice. Thanks for sharing. [ Reply to This ]
Ghosts of the past... &mdash 06/20/05 - 11:58:34 PM
Your comment about ghosts speaking to the present is apt. This town is full
of 'em.
Bisbee was the largest city between St. Louis and San Francisco in the late
1880s, when copper mining was king. Many of the little wooden shacks on
the steep hillsides have since burned down, but crumbling
foundations. mattress springs and rusted tools remain as testimony to a once
densely populated area.
The mines closed in 1974 and everybody moved away, basically. The town
almost died. Then the hippies and artists moved in.
And then I discovered the place three years ago. Bisbee is home to me now,
even though I'm still so often on the road. [ Reply to This ]
Inspiration rules... &mdash 06/20/05 - 09:48:12 PM
I don't suppose there is anything in music that I love
doing more than just sitting down and letting the music
flow out of the present moment. So to hear your piano
peice was most satisfying. There is just something about
one with their talent and practiced skill just embarking on
a musical interlude that is so unique and unrepeatable.
I especially like that moment just after the halfway point
when the music shifted from the somewhat somber and
reflective mood to just a little more upbeat and hopeful
sound. Just wondering what was moving you at those
moments as thought preceded inspiration resulting in
music. Kudos and welcome back.
Jack [ Reply to This ]
Inspiration rules... &mdash 06/21/05 - 12:08:07 AM
Jack, thanks so much for your kind words!
You ask an interesting question....what went through my mind as I played
that later section. Earlier in the piece, I had felt the ghosts -- the sadness --
of the previous incarnation of this town. Then towards the middle, the spirit
of the PRESENT version of Bisbee began to emerge -- with some hope, some
optimism. Then it ends quietly with the reminder that everything goes in
cycles.
It's funny how so much of what brought on this piece -- the energy of it --
hasn't become totally clear until after sharing it here, and then responding to
your's and everyone else's valuable comments. Thanks again. [ Reply to This ]
love to hear &mdash 06/21/05 - 06:44:56 AM
improvisations.....the way the music ebbs and flows and
ideas come to life...the food of inventions, fantasies, and
opuses....thanks for sharing the thoughts of your musical
soul......! [ Reply to This ]
love to hear &mdash 06/21/05 - 10:20:26 AM
great pic and tune &mdash 06/21/05 - 07:48:24 AM
Nice to see you back, I have not seen many posts in a while!
Thanks so much for coming by my site.
Love the description of the tune. Great to hear the acoustic
side of cameron!
Thanks so much for sharing! [ Reply to This ]
great pic and tune &mdash 06/21/05 - 10:24:55 AM
It's good to BE back! You and many others are creating some very good music
here. It's neat to chart the evolution. Thanks for your comments! [ Reply to This ]
Ordinary chord progression/variations &mdash 06/21/05 - 08:40:12 AM
Cameron, very balanced playing and a nice ringing yet
rounded tone in my speakers. As a composition, this
sounds much more like a pop song music bed or a New
Age film score music than a solo piano piece. For me, it is
without poignancy, lacks strong melodic content, and is
simply slight variations on a very ordinary chord
progression. I can understand where it would be a very
pleasing improvisation for you to play in a beautiful
setting, and I can feel the warm air and vista around you.
I enjoyed it, but I'd much prefer to hear those pieces on
which you have spent time crafting the different musical
elements, as you elude to in your description, something
that draws on your vast musical experience and expertise. [ Reply to This ]
Ordinary chord progression/variations &mdash 06/21/05 - 10:17:56 AM
Tobin, thank you very much for your detailed comments.
There are all types of music, ranging from very complex to very simple, and
the latter can be poignant for some people. The most important element of
music, to me anyway, is that it touches emotion. I feel good that this simple
piece has done so.
Thanks again! [ Reply to This ]
OOOH &mdash 06/21/05 - 10:04:12 AM
a STEINWAY!!!!!!!!
played beautifully Cameron.
I think for the duration of the track I was actually felt as
though I was sitting and watching the sun set behind the
Canyon.
Just like each sun set, which is never the same, your
improvised playing here is beautiful and very special.
Fantastic.
Slimmie
[ Reply to This ]
OOOH &mdash 06/21/05 - 10:30:32 AM
Thanks, Slimmie! Your comments make me feel good about having written
that long description, LOL. [ Reply to This ]
Totally amazed &mdash 06/21/05 - 12:25:53 PM
This is fantastic ... so beautiful. A 1906 Steinway? Ooh, I'm
jealous! It has such a beautiful tone. This is a piece I can
get completely lost in, just letting the emotions wash over
me.
I'm seriously impressed. This is one of the finest pieces of
musicianship I've heard on MacJams, and that's saying a
lot! So wonderful, Cameron. Thank you. [ Reply to This ]
Totally amazed &mdash 06/21/05 - 01:09:11 PM
WOW, Rebsie! Your very complimentary words are greatly appreciated.
I apparently achieved my goal of connecting with people's emotions on this
piece. Thank you for listening and commenting. [ Reply to This ]
Night of a thousand echoes &mdash 06/21/05 - 12:39:44 PM
You have lassoed and shared a special moment. A reverie
set in a dusty, time-swept bowl. Bravo for your fearless
performance. I wish I could improvise like this.
I'm trying to imagine a Steinway in a shack suspended
from i-beams. The elements would normally be mutually
exclusive...oxymoronish. [ Reply to This ]
Night of a thousand echoes &mdash 06/21/05 - 01:13:05 PM
Lassoed.....yes....good word! Especially for these parts.
My house (shack, really) is an oxymoron in itself. Seeing is believing! Maybe
I'll post a picture of it sometime. It's the strangest building I've ever lived in.
(Suits me perfectly, though.)
Thanks for your comments on the piece! [ Reply to This ]
Very nice touch &mdash 06/21/05 - 03:16:11 PM
I think the spontaneous nature perhaps gives this piece twists and turns where you may not have known where it would lead. It has such a lovely character. The overall feel is very soothing. Improvised music is often very liberating and fresh.
Your shack? Suspended above the creek? Sounds kind of scary. [ Reply to This ]
Very nice touch &mdash 06/21/05 - 06:44:24 PM
Thanks for listening/commenting, alley-oop!
My shack is really not THAT bad....it's about 1000 square feet, a trapezoid
shape, basically conforms to the curves of Mule Creek below....half the house
sits on a Cornish stone wall, the other half floats over air. The floors slant
slightly but the building itself seems okay. (Keeping fingers crossed....) [ Reply to This ]
Excellent &mdash 06/21/05 - 08:24:23 PM
Excellent &mdash 06/23/05 - 12:09:26 PM
beautiful piano! &mdash 06/21/05 - 09:26:49 PM
love this!
I play the piano too.
There being change a little in the right hand part, I thought
that it is good,
The dissonance which just is used a little is splendid ending [ Reply to This ]
beautiful piano! &mdash 06/22/05 - 11:54:48 AM
AJ, thank you for lending your good "piano ears" to this piece, and for your
kind comments. [ Reply to This ]
Well done &mdash 06/22/05 - 07:01:55 AM
Beautiful sound. I am especially impressed with the
recording. It is very difficult to get such clear, balanced
sound recording a live piano (at least for me!) You must
have some excellent acoustics in that desert 'shack' of
yours. [ Reply to This ]
Well done &mdash 06/22/05 - 12:13:53 PM
Thanks for your comments, Tom.
Yes, the large "salon" room has good acoustics. It's possibly TOO live, with a
12-ft ceiling and mostly uncovered wooden floor. (I plan to put a carpet
underneath the piano eventually.)
The room acts as a sound chamber because approximately half of the floor
has no solid ground underneath it. Directly under the piano is a Cornish stone
wall, but the rest of the room is suspended over the creek.
I placed one MXL 990 condensor mic above the bass strings while a second
mic is over the higher strings. I'm glad that this seemed to work out well!
Thanks again for listening/commenting. [ Reply to This ]
OK &mdash 06/22/05 - 06:56:53 PM
i listened to this last night before bed and then had a dream about it and the 1906 steinway in a shack in the high desert. you're not carlos castenada are you?
very don juan-ish experience. like keith jarrett, improv on the piano can be a spiritual event. i think you got it goin ON cameron!
thanks
moremore [ Reply to This ]
OK &mdash 06/23/05 - 11:59:05 AM
THANKS, JOAN!!
No, I'm not Carlos Casteneda, although that would have been very interesting.
It's really wild that you actually DREAMED about this piece and the piano.
Wow.
I'm so glad that you liked this! [ Reply to This ]
Good Sound! &mdash 06/23/05 - 02:33:48 AM
Piano's are so tough to record. There is always some
clinking or clanking or noisy pedals..... This is one great
recording job you did, especially on one so old. I guess
pianos enjoy the dryness of AZ. We have to keep a de
humidifier going all the time in our piano here in Florida.
Smoooooth playing also and a lovely piece! [ Reply to This ]
Good Sound! &mdash 06/23/05 - 12:06:16 PM
saxking 20, thank you very much for your comments about the recording.
When I first had the piano moved from Sacramento (where it had been in the
same house for over 50 yrs) to Bisbee in March 2004, I had a "climate control"
device installed on the bottom underside of the piano. It provides moisture
during dry weather and heat during wet weather.
The piano is VERY thirsty right now! I have to replenish the reservoir every
week.
I was told later by a local piano tuner that I could have achieved pretty much
the same result by placing a plastic container full of water on the floor
directly underneath the piano. D'oh!!!! [ Reply to This ]
pretty, pretty &mdash 06/23/05 - 12:38:19 PM
i like this very much - peaceful and interesting stuff going on with the twiddly bits - great pictute - did you take it and i like the blurb too - thank you x [ Reply to This ]
pretty, pretty &mdash 06/23/05 - 05:03:40 PM
TWIDDLY BITS.....I *love* that....
No, I did not take the picture, unfortunately. But it does closely resemble the
area in southeastern Arizona where I live.
Thanks for listening and commenting, caroline X X X X X X X X [ Reply to This ]
wow . . . &mdash 06/23/05 - 04:03:44 PM
hey cameron . . .
. . . forget billy joel . . . YOU is the piano man !
: )
this is fantastic !
i must confess, i haven't been 'round
to listen to your stuff for a while . . .
i kinda forgot about you : (
but i'll be calling back again . . .
safe
cj [ Reply to This ]
wow . . . &mdash 06/23/05 - 05:01:40 PM
You're too kind, country john! As *IF* I could play like Billy Joel!!! Thanks for
the comparison. I wish I had as much talent as he has in his little finger! [ Reply to This ]
Doesn't sound improvised to me. &mdash 06/23/05 - 05:57:06 PM
Honestly, the level of polish and confidence there is in
your playing makes it sound as though you slaved over
this for months. I think there must have been some
channeling going on here. :-)
From the first few bars, I was paralyzed in my chair and
the final notes were heartbreaking. Truly beautiful. [ Reply to This ]
Doesn't sound improvised to me. &mdash 06/23/05 - 06:53:14 PM
ledebutante, thank you for listening and for your comment about music being
"channeled" at times. I firmly believe that many improvisations, in particular,
ARE channeled in one way or another.
Sometimes this feeling of being taken over by some other musical "entity" is
so strong that I cannot deny its existence -- nor would I WANT to. I just try to
let it flow through and see what happens.
Thanks again! [ Reply to This ]
great &mdash 06/23/05 - 07:33:29 PM
lovely bit of playing here - sounded so very calm and peaceful - must be a great shack where u live [ Reply to This ]
great &mdash 06/25/05 - 08:26:42 PM
Thanks, Retro Plien, for listening and for writing here.
I wish I were at my shack more often! But I enjoy every minute I can spend in
it. I'll be back there again in 3 months, during the month of October. [ Reply to This ]
Enjoyable Improv &mdash 06/25/05 - 05:44:03 AM
Beautiful recording and well played. I like the way this flows.
It is very relaxing. [ Reply to This ]
Enjoyable Improv &mdash 06/25/05 - 08:28:21 PM
Mungo, I appreciate your succinct compliments -- thanks for stopping by! [ Reply to This ]
cameron &mdash 06/25/05 - 11:38:12 AM
I have enjoyed your thoughtful comments on my tunes,
but this is the first I've heard you play...deep bow!! this is
a great piece, full of melencholy and reflection...a great
addition to my meditation music on my pod...thanks!!
looking forward to more...so gas up that stienway!!! [ Reply to This ]
cameron &mdash 06/25/05 - 08:32:10 PM
ziti, I am honored that you came by here to listen, comment, download and
even be a fan of this piece. Thanks!
I'll definitely record more on the Steinway when I get back home to Bisbee in
October. I am saving a solo piano comp (not an improv this time) which I
composed last summer to record then. Maybe another piece or two in
addition.
Thanks again. [ Reply to This ]
Great! &mdash 06/26/05 - 06:39:36 AM
Pop music fantasy &mdash 06/28/05 - 06:56:12 AM
I have listened to a great deal of piano recordings and it is
astounding that you are able to do this well with
Garageband. It speaks volumes for the Mac and the ability of
Mac users to embrace new technologies and use them to
satisfying. The piece reminds me of meanderings of a person
emersed in pop music, not a classical piece. It strikes me as
more adolescent than simple, in the musical sense. But the
reaction of others indicates it has tapped into an emotional
vein and that should be very satisfying for you. I very much
liked your description and applaud how much you bring to
this community. [ Reply to This ]
Pop music fantasy &mdash 06/28/05 - 10:55:32 AM
mulletsrock, thanks so much for your comments!
I agree that this tune could be termed "adolescent" in several aspects. It's just
what came through my fingers at the time.
I've done lots of piano improvs which didn't sound anything like this; they
were a lot more complex, further out, perhaps not as "listenable". Interesting
observation!
I was pleased, overall, with the quality of this recording. GarageBand can do
some great things! (however, I look forward to getting Logic someday....)
Thanks again for listening and for writing here.
[ Reply to This ]
Do you write for film? &mdash 06/29/05 - 05:41:33 PM
Very well done. It's the best thing I've heard recorded out
of garageband ever. You are a very good composer. Do
you do movies? I'm always looking for composers for my
films. [ Reply to This ]
Do you write for film? &mdash 07/01/05 - 01:37:14 PM
Thank you so much for your nice comments.
I have ALWAYS wanted to compose music for film, but have not yet had the
opportunity. I would love to do that sometime! It's been a dream of mine for
as long as I can remember. [ Reply to This ]
This is wonderful man &mdash 07/01/05 - 11:59:35 AM
I enjoyed this work very much, especially the structure and sounds. The writing is impeccable. Great work! [ Reply to This ]
This is wonderful man &mdash 07/02/05 - 11:54:52 AM
Improvisation &mdash 08/03/05 - 04:50:37 PM
Hi Cameron, I'm a friend of Caroline's.
Beautiful piece - a beautiful sound too. I'm amazed that you
can get such a good sound with home equipment.
I would be interested to know your experiences with editing
improvisations - couldn't be sure where the edits were in
this. I have tried to pare down improvisations into structured
pieces before but never managed to make them sound
smooth without big jumps everywhere - especially with
pianos. Any tips? [ Reply to This ]
not so bad! &mdash 09/19/05 - 05:31:02 AM
improvisation is the basis of creating, and must be always appreciated! the idea is surely not so bad!
[ Reply to This ]
Your piano sounds real! &mdash 03/06/06 - 07:47:39 PM
It sounds real, probably because it IS real!
I love those arpeggios toward the end. The whole thing is very well-
constructed.
I like the choice of the minor key. I think it's easier to improvise in
minor keys.
The miking and production are excellent. You've got a honey of a
piano there.
Your improvisations sound well-constructed. I believe I heard Bill
Evans say (on the Marian McPartland radio show) that inspiration is
largely the result of preparation, and you do seem well-prepared to
perform a beautiful piece like this.
Thanks for sharing this, Cameron.
John
[ Reply to This ]
Poetry &mdash 05/16/06 - 03:50:21 PM
|
make a very strait forward, simple piece of music like this.
No big arrangements or heavy polishing. Pure.
[ Reply to This ]