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Keywords:
canon (9), round (13), bach (16), jazz (375), harmony assistant (15), drakonis (55)
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Description:
A simple 3-part "round" or canon with variations, showing my children how you can devise a melody that can stack on top of itself like offset puzzle pieces, which will then make its own harmony (with a nod to the master of rounds and fugues, J. S. "LoopMeister" Bach.) And because rounds get boring very quickly, the players get silly at the end and begin to give the tune a set of jazzy variations. And as always, the title of this piece is smirky wordplay, a really bad hobbit of mine.
This third (and final) version has been varied and extended even more, the instruments are a little better balanced, and the piano gets to help with the ending too.
Hardware:
Dual 1Ghz G4, 1 pint copy/paste buffer, 2B blues-colored pencil tool.
Software:
Melody scored in Harmony Assistant, moved to GB 2, stacked & tweaked & EQed (piano & flute from HA, Acoustic Bass from GB 2.)
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nice-and-floaty &mdash 07/31/05 - 05:20:04 AM
nice-and-floaty &mdash 07/31/05 - 06:32:23 PM
Glad to have you floating along... If it distracted you from reality for 1:59, then I
succeeded! :-)
ttfn,
Drakonis
---
deja vu, it's the next best thing to being there [ Reply to This ]
A charming piece of music &mdash 07/31/05 - 08:53:42 AM
I could imagine this working very well as a soundtrack
piece...I really like the way the instrumental parts interact
Very nice indeed
Steve [ Reply to This ]
A charming piece of music &mdash 07/31/05 - 06:37:30 PM
It would be fun to hear as part of a movie... hmm. I'm glad you liked the
interaction, I was trying to give a feeling of the performers just adding their own
little bits and embellishing upon each other's directions.
ttfn,
Drakonis
---
deja vu, it's the next best thing to being there [ Reply to This ]
Very pretty &mdash 07/31/05 - 09:27:10 AM
The balance of instruments works well and the composition
gives a smooth transition into the jazzy bits. Daisy (not her
real name) thinks it sounds like 'fairy tale music' - I'm not
sure what that means but it was definitely a compliment. I'm
wondering what it would sound like with fatter instruments
but I'm always one to over-produce so take that with a grain
of nutmeg as that's even smaller than a grain of salt. [ Reply to This ]
Very pretty &mdash 07/31/05 - 06:47:27 PM
I'd take a grain of nutmeg from you over a grain of salt any time! Especially if
mixed with a grain of cinammon, some clove, a little allspice, some pumpkin...
uh, what were we talking about? (Drool...) oh, music, yes, I wanted it simplistic
so you could hear the parts, but it would be fun to have an entire
orchestra slowly add in and build to a super-jazzy punch to this.. but I'm afraid
I'm pushing my meager talent here already. I'm glad you like my meager talent
though, makes my day! Tell Daisy that the world is full of fairy tales, and tell her
one :-)
ttfn,
Drakonis--- deja vu, it's the next best thing to being there [ Reply to This ]
Yep, it's a canon alright &mdash 07/31/05 - 10:15:51 AM
I wish there was more sustain on the piano notes.
Overall, pretty pretty. [ Reply to This ]
more gunpowder &mdash 07/31/05 - 06:51:15 PM
I liked the rich sound of this particular sampled piano more than the prior one,
but I think you are right, it is a little deader than the other one. Thanks for the
insightful critique, this is what I love to find out about & work on!
ttfn,
Drakonis
---
deja vu, it's the next best thing to being there [ Reply to This ]
cool graphic, nice tune &mdash 07/31/05 - 10:38:27 AM
Like how it gets interesting as the tune continues with a
jazzy feel. Like how that bass sounds as well.
Nice job.
[ Reply to This ]
cool graphic, nice tune &mdash 07/31/05 - 11:21:24 AM
I like what you did with the graphic... you gotta love Photoshop's "polar
coordinates!" Pleasant tune, too... the way the melodies overlap kept my
interest. The bass gave a nice jazzy bottom end. I liked the part where
the piano struck a couple chords. I agree with Troy on the piano sustain
- more would be good. [ Reply to This ]
cool graphic, nice tune &mdash 08/02/05 - 11:49:29 AM
Photoshop? Nah, I use the Gimp, an open-source (free) photoshop-clone...
after all, I don't even play a graphic artist on TV, so I can't afford such tools.
That would eat into my DragonSauce™ budget. But I did like polarizing the
GB window to infer a repeated round. Now I'm wondering about Troy's and
your comment... I may have misunderstood. You mean sustain, as
in, hold down the notes longer, as opposed to holding the amplitude of the
note while its held down (instead of it decaying)? So, I shouldn't have added
staccato on many of the piano notes to make them so short-lived... instead,
maybe some of them should have been held as 1/2 or whole notes to blend
in more? Maybe that's what you and Troy were saying?
-Drakonis, wandering around in technical ambiguity--- deja vu, it's the next best thing to being there [ Reply to This ]
cool graphic, nice tune &mdash 08/02/05 - 11:14:37 AM
Yay, glad you like it Bill! This is definitely a compliment, from you, a guy
well-versed in detail and embellishment in tile and guitar. Thanks!
ttfn,
Drakonis
---
deja vu, it's the next best thing to being there [ Reply to This ]
Why not have a version 4? &mdash 07/31/05 - 11:13:03 AM
I think you haven't explored inversion and retrograde motion
yet. Or rhythmic augmentation and diminution.
This is a fun piece! I'm sure your kids now understand it
perfectly. [ Reply to This ]
Why not have a version 4? &mdash 08/02/05 - 01:25:01 PM
I guess I do have aversion to a version 4, having hit the limits of my current
abilities and having other musical ideas burning a hole note in my pocket. I
asked my hang-glider friend for some tips on "inversion" and
"retrograde motion", and he said those are extremely dangerous things to
attempt (smirk). Seriously, though, I am beginning to learn more about music
theory (in that rarified atmosphere called "spare time"), and look forward to
playing with sequencing, inverting, augmenting, as a way to write something
that can maintain interest for longer than 2 minutes :-) I'm partway through
some music lectures on Beethoven's usage of just those tools in composing
each of his symphonies. Thank you for commenting and encouraging me.. I'll
be sharing my experiments here!
ttfn,
Drakonis
---
deja vu, it's the next best thing to being there [ Reply to This ]
Jazzy and cool &mdash 07/31/05 - 08:03:19 PM
I've always liked this 'little ditty' and this version is ....well,
dittier!
Seriously, I've really enjoyed watching this piece progress
with each version. It's charming as well as educational.
I, too, could see it used in a film.
Thanks for this, Drak :) [ Reply to This ]
Jazzy and cool &mdash 08/04/05 - 03:17:57 PM
ooh, "dittier"! I like it! Thank you for lending your ear to this and commenting
(again and again :-) as I spice it up.
ttfn,
Drakonis
---
deja vu, it's the next best thing to being there [ Reply to This ]
counterpoint well taken &mdash 08/01/05 - 01:29:09 PM
Good composition. Goes from classical to jazzy keen.
Judicious use of arpeggios. Good clean fun. Trilling. [ Reply to This ]
counterpoint well taken &mdash 08/04/05 - 03:22:34 PM
Thank you Richard for listening, though it seems to have left you no terse for
wear. Transitioning 'tween genres was jazzy swell!
ttfn,
Drakonis
---
deja vu, it's the next best thing to being there [ Reply to This ]
Way to go &mdash 08/02/05 - 10:22:57 AM
More complex and detailed than before and very
beautifully put together. It has a lot of flair and sparkle to
it now. The piano is really a feature here ... I love that!
I still like the previous one too, so I hope you'll leave that
up. Each version has a slightly different character, which is
nice. [ Reply to This ]
Way to go &mdash 08/07/05 - 12:28:08 PM
For you, m'lady, I'll leave them both here for you to enjoy! I had fun bringing the
piano out a little more on this version, since the flute player sort of stole the
show in the prior one... this seems more balanced for all three instruments. I'm
very happy you like it, again!
ttfn,
Drakonis
---
deja vu, it's the next best thing to being there [ Reply to This ]
like it! &mdash 08/02/05 - 06:57:30 PM
I'd never have the patience to write something like this.
The bass sounds especially nice here. [ Reply to This ]
like it! &mdash 08/07/05 - 12:37:43 PM
Patience? Well, I don't have the talent to sing as nicely as you do, so I guess
we're even :-) Thank you for stopping by and checking it out... and keep on
singing!
ttfn,
Drakonis
---
deja vu, it's the next best thing to being there [ Reply to This ]
Third and final? Are you sure? &mdash 08/04/05 - 12:38:51 PM
Drakonis, not sure which version I've heard before…
version one of two, but I remember liking it. It was such a
long time ago that I can't work out exactly what changes
you've made with this new version (I know you say above
but I'd have to compare and contrast really) or whether I
think it's better, worse, or about the same. But either way,
I still love it and it's great to hear it again for the first
time. I still like that jazzy, vaguely Jethro Tull edge to it
that was there on the earlier version and as long as you
keep that then I'll be happy. Sorted! [ Reply to This ]
Third and final? Are you sure? &mdash 08/11/05 - 02:49:01 PM
Three's a charm, time to move on... so many notes, so little time! I'm happy
to put a Tull-like bounce in your step, and glad to hear you beginning to post
more here too! Thank you for your friendship and support and comments!
ttfn,
Drakonis
---
deja vu, it's the next best thing to being there [ Reply to This ]
Good one &mdash 08/11/05 - 10:31:20 AM
Good one &mdash 08/11/05 - 02:50:37 PM
Danke! And Welcome to MacJams, I look forward to hearing more of your
nice guitar playing!
ttfn,
Drakonis
---
deja vu, it's the next best thing to being there [ Reply to This ]
you have the know how. &mdash 08/11/05 - 10:41:22 AM
You have the know how but I think it would sound a little nicer if the piano had a bit of reverb and when ascending up the notes if two were played in harmony.
Or maybe a delay on the flute .
I think with just a few tweeks on fx like reverb and delay it could sound better and you would do yourself more justice .
But it is still a good piece and I feel in no real position to judge as I have no musical training myself. [ Reply to This ]
you have the know how. &mdash 08/23/05 - 10:11:55 AM
Thank you for listening and posting thoughtful and helpful comments! I like
the idea of adding more chords to the piano part, and adding a little more
"concert hall" reverb... I tried to go a little easy on the reverb so as not to
muddy things too much, but a lot of that is just my lack of experience "on the
mixing board". :-)
ttfn,
Drakonis
---
deja vu, it's the next best thing to being there [ Reply to This ]
A very cool piece. &mdash 08/21/05 - 06:47:31 PM
Enjoyable. Lots of thought had to go into this, I'm sure, to
make it all come out so well.
And thanks so much for your kind comments about my
"Martin Luther" piece. [ Reply to This ]
A very cool piece. &mdash 08/23/05 - 10:08:14 AM
And a deep bow of thanks to you John, a great jazz piano player/writer!
ttfn,
Drakonis
---
deja vu, it's the next best thing to being there [ Reply to This ]
I like the additions &mdash 09/15/05 - 07:22:55 PM
you have made to this piece - now that I am actually
listening to the right version. But my "more please!"
comment still stands for v3! This piece is very unique and
many of the concepts presented sound like they could easily
be stretched further. Very enjoyable and pleasing to the ear.
Thanks for posting. Cheers. [ Reply to This ]
jazzy bachfizious &mdash 10/02/05 - 10:25:02 AM
haha intresting, reminds me of a comedy for some reason.
Maybe add a little bass in the background. [ Reply to This ]
I promised I would listen .... &mdash 10/19/05 - 09:55:39 PM
Kewl Sound .... its like 18th century meets 21st century ..... and they throw a "ball" together .... I have visions of ladies in gowns ... gents in white pompadore wigs .... while the jazz band sits in the corner and keeps time with the harpsichord .... [ Reply to This ]
Wonderful &mdash 11/08/05 - 09:06:43 PM
how you can take a simple beginning and build complexity into it.
Great job! [ Reply to This ]
Wonderful &mdash 11/08/05 - 09:06:48 PM
how you can take a simple beginning and build complexity into it.
Great job! [ Reply to This ]
... &mdash 11/09/05 - 02:14:14 PM
I've been wanting to post how much I like this series. It was fun to
listen to the way it progressed.
I haven't tried anything with the pencil tool, but I learned a few Bach
fugues when I studied piano so I do groove on the canon thing quite a
bit. It's an excellent idea to use GarageBand to share this with your
kids. I'm curious how they reacted to or grew from the lesson. Maybe
you already discussed that in a comment somewhere and I missed it.
Nice how the first three notes in your graphic are the first three notes
of the theme. It made me feel good just to notice that. :-)
I like the way you add little ornaments and embellishments to the
theme as you go, especially when the piano starts doing the
chopsticks-style intervals towards the end.
The upright-bass as one of the voices is an especially nice touch.
Long story short, this is cool.
[ Reply to This ]
happy happy &mdash 01/15/06 - 04:43:50 PM
A neat way to mix classical and jazz. Very medevil sounding until you
throw in that bebop scale. It's such a happy tune, It could use a dab of
reverb or something on the piano. (it's a bit thuddy) I enjoyed it. [ Reply to This ]
A mood &mdash 05/12/06 - 05:10:23 PM
I can say that I really enjoyed this piece. The natural progression of the round draws you into the song further and further. The song kinda felt like a dance in some fantasy place.
Good Song, and Im not much of a classical listener!! [ Reply to This ]
Very clever! &mdash 05/19/06 - 09:28:49 AM
I heard some previous version, but I don't think I heard this one... Very
clever. Nice tune (subject) and counterpoint (countersubject), and I
expected this to turn into a fugue, and was surprised when it didn't.
Once I got over that (through medication and expensive therapy), I began
to really enjoy the gradual process by which you transform a quasi-
baroque theme into a funkier, jazzy one. Well done!
Now go write a fugue! [ Reply to This ]
Very clever! &mdash 05/19/06 - 10:57:47 AM
I apologize for throwing you into fits of despondency due to the fugueless
nature of this piece... but dammit Jim, I'm a hobbyist, not a fuguelist! (Star Trek)
Anyway, I am very happy you liked what I came up with, and with a lot of work I
think I might be Motiv(ated) to rewrite this as a fun fugue... you and my wife are
twisting my arm like crazy to write a fugue, so, I will! Stay tuned... I need to go
ask somebody a fugue questions, and I'll be bach!
ttfn,
Drakonis
---
deja vu, it's the next best thing to being there<br>
### Today's song:<a href="http://www.macjams.com/song/20224">Border Merger Waltz</a> [ Reply to This ]
Very clever! &mdash 05/19/06 - 06:39:09 PM
Wow! You have serious punning issues, you know that? And people
think I'm bad! No way I can top your contra-pun-talisms (see, even I'm
groaning at that one!), but I guess if you do write a fugue, I'd recommend
writing for at least one fugal-horn and having it performed in your own bach
yard, if you don't mind subject-ing your neighbours to such an episode.
Basta! Now write that fugue!!! Or another waltz. --- Here is my third (final) piece from my set of 3 for orchestra. [ Reply to This ]
Good playing &mdash 06/23/06 - 08:22:29 AM
Very nice tune! I love this kind of tune. Perfect. This one is floating in my brain again and again...
Nice job [ Reply to This ]
Good playing &mdash 06/23/06 - 07:48:42 PM
Wonderful, from my brain to yours! I am very glad you stopped by (all the way
from Portugal!) and enjoyed this catchy tune and left a comment, thank you very
much. I still whistle this tune sometimes, so it is still not completely out of my
head yet... maybe more people need to listen to it :-)
ttfn,
Drakonis
---
deja vu, it's the next best thing to being there<br>
### Today's song:<a href="http://www.macjams.com/song/20224">Border Merger Waltz</a> [ Reply to This ]
Bach Round &mdash 11/13/06 - 09:31:34 PM
Eduard,
Well, the tune sure has stuck in my head, even after one listening. On the second pass I had it by heart. The little flurry at the end was a nice touch, but I could tell you were getting tired of the whole thing. A little piece like this, though, has a limited number of reps possible and I think you wisely ended it. I would love to hear this on a better piano. As you know, I am using Ivory software. You are definitely a pianist who has the skill to appreciate some good software and I'd encourage you to check it out. ($300 and your keyboard life will change!) ...I am so glad to see someone else writing in a more restrained, classical style. You have such a nice feel for symmetry and that comes through, even in a shorty like this. Glad I listened.
Paul [ Reply to This ]
A Round & Bach Again &mdash 02/17/08 - 08:39:04 PM
Yes, sort of Bach-like, with a cool jazz flute type of feel. Different. Different is good! [ Reply to This ]
different is fun too &mdash 02/17/08 - 09:18:32 PM
A bit of genre-melting, glad you liked the simple romp!
ttfn,
Drakonis [ Reply to This ]
Cool twists &mdash 04/04/08 - 08:19:09 AM
I've always loved the concept of rounds but never tried them out myself. After listening to this I feel inspired to give it a shot. The jazzy evolution in this piece is great, it really bounces along.
Impressive considering it was done with the pencil tool. [ Reply to This ]
inspiring? &mdash 04/04/08 - 09:53:07 AM
Hey hey... if this gets you interested in getting around to trying a round, then I'm very happy! Like I said, I started it off simply, and then started playing with new copies of the bars, chopping the notes up as I went along to slowly disintigrate it into the jazzy boogie that it became. It was great fun. I look forward to hearing what you get inspired to do!
ttfn,
Drakonis [ Reply to This ]
Transition! &mdash 04/04/08 - 09:56:39 AM
This little tune made me smile! Bored? Hardly. But entertained by the slide into jazz. [ Reply to This ]
Dragon you kicking and screaming... &mdash 04/04/08 - 03:04:07 PM
I guess it is hard to be bored with dragons about... Doug, thanks for stopping in and leaving a comment on this early piece of mine. Making you smile is way high on my list of accomplishments!
ttfn,
Drakonis [ Reply to This ]
A Round & Bach Again &mdash 04/04/08 - 05:43:42 PM
And I was thinkin I heard all your songs ???
how I missed this gem ..jee ..this is fabulous
and outstanding genious ..I love goldneberg sound
this is alot of that ..wonderfull Draki ...realy
well written ..KUDOS !! [ Reply to This ]
surprise... &mdash 04/06/08 - 12:33:33 AM
I have to hide some of my old songs from you... if you heard ALL of my music, then I would have nothing left to give you for months! This poor slow dragon. Thank you Feter, for your constant support and generous ear. Comparing this to a Goldberg variation is an extraordinary compliment, if only I were that good. But I will strive to head in that direction... writing a fugue is still on my list to tackle, and I'm getting closer. Thank you for listening and enjoying!
ttfn,
Drakonis [ Reply to This ]
Thanks for sharing &mdash 04/04/08 - 11:32:48 PM
I really like the title. Bach's name is great for that. My wife has a shirt that says Front on the Front (duh), but on the back it says Bach.
Someday Schwartzenegger will star in his life story when he can say "I'll be Bach!"
Sorry. Couldn't resist.
A simple little ditty, but I thought it was catchy. I liked it. [ Reply to This ]
simple is me &mdash 04/06/08 - 12:54:04 AM
front... bach... sometimes simple is good. Glad you enjoyed the wordplay (though not many people caught the other, obscure, Hobbit reference in the title.) This piece is what happens when an experiment piece takes on a life of its own. But it was fun to do, and just as fun to share. Thanks for stopping in to peek at it and kindly leave a comment, I appreciate that!
ttfn,
Drakonis [ Reply to This ]
A Round & Bach Again v3/Final by drakonis &mdash 05/27/08 - 06:24:20 PM
I quite enjoyed the simplicity of the begining, and showing 'how you build the song' --it not only teaches, but it's intriguing and catchy! I like how each addition is built upon and augmented! [ Reply to This ]
bach boogie &mdash 05/27/08 - 11:44:54 PM
I had fun with this, and kept adding "one more round" as it got sillier... glad it got stuck in your head... thank you for checking out some of my early pieces, writing this simple piece was teaching ME things too!
ttfn,
Drakonis [ Reply to This ]
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