feels such blueness together too ...... great vocals, the talent never ends
here...... ;)The NightBird

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Hi! unfortunately this wonderful voice is not in our family; I wish he was! He is
not too far away however; Minnesota I believe. I remember you from Caroline
when she was teaching last year. Good to see you are still producing.

---
Perfection is just down the road. Way down the road...

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Greg Hoose's song called Harp was quite minimal, yet I felt compelled
to do a vocal extension of it. This is what I came up with in about 45
minutes of fumbling. Thanks for the inspiration, Mr. Hoose! Oh, and
that picture is very cool!

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I can see this as the intro to a play....or somesuch. A single blue
spotlight on a dark stage with a man who is about to tell a story.

A very blue....sad story.

Il Pagliacci comes to mind...as well as Rigoletto.

Very well done--thanks for this! :)

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Thanks, Myst. More and more I am drawn toward drama. Something like this
could serve as an intro, as you suggest. We appreciate your comments.

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http://www.schletty.com/song

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the drawing is from a tarot deck I made once; it is The Fool. It was blue
and I thought appropriate as the song hints at that. The Fool in tarot is
not actually very foolish. Sort of like the Fool on the Hill.

I remade the tarot because I felt it was too negative at the time and also I
really like the depth of knowledge there; goes way back into the Christian
past as well as the Egyptian. The deck was actually Fae an related more
to Italian fairies and Scotland.

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Your rendering is excellent. You are a fine illustrator. Thanks for the
background information.

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http://www.schletty.com/song

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at MacJams who has yet to "congeal"? I think I nearly did while running
for the dictionary to look up "annealing"! All kidding aside; this is lovely.
Thanks for sharing.

Be well!

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The words were not random. They perfectly reflect how the Blue Man
character was feeling. "Congealing" means becoming cold to the necessity
and mission, losing fluidity in range of mental activities, in flow
of creativity -- there is a thickening like the blood about an open wound. "No
chance for annealing" means I don't see Blue Man having the opportunity to
forge, temper and perfect himself in a raging fire in order to become a better
poet and performer. Blue Man will remain a brittle individual, treading
delicately on a world stage lest he crack.

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http://www.schletty.com/song

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Yikes! And they say I over-think things! (I DO as a matter of fact---what a
comfort to know I'm not alone!)

Nevertheless, a great track!

Be well!

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The poetry sits atop the musical track beautifully. I really liked the reading. I agree that this would serve very nicely as an prologue to a theatrical presentation of some sort. The Blue Man as MC or narrator.

Although the singing is beautiful, I hesitate to say that I found the sung part unnecessary. The melody for the words was (I'm gonna be shot for saying this) a little derivative for my taste. It contrasted with the rest of the piece in that it wasn't theatrical enough. But that's me.

Overall, highly enjoyable.

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I treated the singing in the second part (over the single sustained tone) as a
"variation" on the part one recitation. To tell the truth, I agree with you. The
singing part was not as gratifying because it did not have any interplay
with the minimalist harp plucks. I guess the idea was to exchange "roles" in
part two. The voice would lead with melody and the harp would go
monotone/monopitch. The concept obviously needs more thought/work.

The recitation you hear was only my second pass and was done quite
extemporaneously as far as timing. I scratched out some words to get
started, recorded once as I monitored the harp playing by Gregory, made
some word changes, then recorded the recitation again. I did no splicing after
that. It seemed to be right. After the recitation came the exploration of
melody with my voice but it does not have the same halting (arrhythmic) and
minimalist character as Gregory's original harp track.

I regard this largely as an exploration because I don't know what I am doing.
I'm glad you found something of worth here. Thanks for stopping by.

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http://www.schletty.com/song

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P.S. The sustained note in part two to me is reminiscent of the tone that a
television station plays when it goes off the air. That tone always has a rather
peculiar effect on me. A sense of urgency (must turn off TV and go to bed)
and an uneasy feeling of being at the end of the line, metaphorically
speaking. Was my day squandered? What did I miss? Am I asleep or awake?
Why has the programming ended? What more can I squeeze out of this hour
before going to my repose?

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http://www.schletty.com/song

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:-) I love the intimacy of your vocals. They're so crisp, I can hear your
breaths on the upbeat. The backing has a slightly eerie, creepy quality
that separates your distances. At first, I found it a bit surreal... but found
the comfort in the closeness of the vox track. This is quirky and creepy
piece... mostly because of the minimalist music; I'd almost go so far to
say that this reminds me of some of the music from the original Willy
Wonka film. Nice work, both of you!

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Cool commentary. Thanks. Yeah, Willie Wonka I...I know what you mean.

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http://www.schletty.com/song

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really nice, guys! my favorite parts are the crisp pulls of the harp & when
rs just almost, barely starts to sing the words that he's speaking-excellent
touch

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I think it's a great start. The music and the theme fit well together, casting a pensive mood.

It needs more verses. I don't think repeating the same ones over again works in such a dramatic setting. Give us more story. (How did he get so blue? Unlucky in love? Unlucky at cards? Did he get tired of chasing rainbows? Was he ever red or yellow? Is he melancholic because he's alcoholic?) (I'm just brainstorming here.)

Or perhaps pick one verse to repeat as a "chorus," like the "Make way for the blue man ..."

My other feedback is, I get the feeling you can't decide whether or want to recite or to sing, so we are given a little bit of both. This feels hesitant. Granted, a the hint of vacillation may underscore the theme, but I think it sacrifices more than it gains. One thought would be for a second voice to sing the chorus behind the spoken words (afterall, Richard is a master at laying in accompaniment).

These are just my thoughts - take 'em for whatever they are worth.

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Excellent comments. What started out as a capricious moment with a few
Hoosian plucks may become some sort of opus. Greg and I are already
discussing the possibilities around "upbeat and lowbeat tragedy". Your
comments help to fortify our musings.

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http://www.schletty.com/song

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The Blue Man is blue because he believes he will never make a difference,
despite the fact that he has been.

---
http://www.schletty.com/song

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Intriguing collaboration, overall I like it. Richard always adds such crisp lyrics to things (although I could swear in this he had the Southern California affectation of pronouncing "-ing" as"-een"!) The choice of words and the simple but pretty harp was quite effective. I wasn't too sure I liked the synthy drone near the end, I'd have preferred a repeat of the harp, possibly slowly fading in volume... but I liked the sparse effect. Emotive.
ttfn,
Drakonis

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