...Downloading before giving a listen, that is.

I knew it would be amazing. Masterful comp and gorgeous guitar playing. I love the warm sound of that classical guitar.

20 years. Fine artists take as long to finish paintings. I never thought of it in musical terms. Thanks for enlightening me.

This one's a real treasure.

MacJams is so fortunate to have you as a member.

Thank you so much for sharing, Ross.

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Thanks so much for the comment, Erwin. You're no slouch in the talent
department yourself, and we're lucky to have you here as well.

This was basically a 'pet' project, something I'd tinker with sometimes when I
needed a break on whatever else I was working on at the time. sometimes years
would go by without anything new on this, and sometimes I wrote several
variations in a few weeks. Every time I came back to it, I'd have to refamiliarize
myself with the music, and get used to it all over again, which was kind of neat.

Thanks again!

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I see that also you are a virtuoso of the guitar. I like much the harmonies
and the classic sequences of the interpretation. A complete work. Bravo.

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Gracias otra vez, Juan Carlos. La guitarrista en esta grabación es una
amiga que se llama Sylvie Proulx. Puedo tocar la guitarra, y lo hé tocado
por 35 años, pero no como ella!


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Theme feels nostalgic.
It was a melody of the book 70 the day before of year.
It is very beautiful.

This guitarist is very beautiful.
The composition is also beautiful.


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You are beautiful too, Mr. Togawa. Thanks very much!

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composition.....modern sensibilities in the chord preferences and
tonality......i like it......thanks for sharing......

[ Reply to This ]

Thanks mcb. Glad you were able to check it out!

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I was anticipating the scherzo, and was pleasantly surprised by it and the following variation. Very colorful.

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The scherzo is really a lopsided scherzo; most of it is in 7/8 time, not 3/4. I
called it 'scherzo' because it had a playful, dance-like quality, albeit kind of
demented. Dementia and I are old friends.

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Some wonderful theme and variations are technically brilliant, cleverly
done, mind twists that invent and satisfy; or are witty or have a depth of
craft that go beyond entertainment of the skill. This may be all those,
but, for me, it was the delicate and open heart of the composer/player
that carried the music past my ears to places deep inside. Thank you for
posting this wonderful collection. It grew with each variation, never
diminishing, and was, in the end, a thrill of heart beyond mind.

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Jeepers! How do i reply to poetry like that, except to say thanks a lot, and I'm
very touched!

I'm an emotional guy, and an emotional composer. I value the intellect and
believe good music comes from some kind of a dialoge between heart and mind,
but for me at least, the heart is what starts it all.

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[ Reply to This ]

Some wonderful theme and variations are technically brilliant, cleverly
done, mind twists that invent and satisfy; or are witty or have a depth of
craft that go beyond entertainment of the skill. This may be all those,
but, for me, it was the delicate and open heart of the composer/player
that carried the music past my ears to places deep inside. Thank you for
posting this wonderful collection. It grew with each variation, never
diminishing, and was, in the end, a thrill of heart beyond mind.

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but especially ... aw, I tried to pick out one or two favorites and kept
changing my mind. I think it's ultimately the mood I'm in.
I haven't listened to music in about 10 hours ... so I'm in a parched mood
... Arabesque ... or Folk Dance or ... ah, forget it. :D
Well done and, ultimately, quenching.
Thank you!

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Thanks for the comment. I was trying to touch on something slightly different
with each variation, and I'm glad you enjoyed them! My own favorite is the hip-
hop one, probably because I am so fond of the classic song (and dance), 'bunny
hop.'

DJ Clark

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...of reknowned Franco-Celtic composer Turloch Django O'Debussy...

You know, I like it when someone has musical depth and skill and wit
without turning their music into a long, scholarly "in-joke"...

This has a nice sense of heart and pace in the performance that draws
the listener in and produces a nice, meditative vibe. Doesn't sound
drily performed off the printed page...

Pretty neat piece...

Ed

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Turloch Django O'Debussy happens to have been my great aunt's uncle, oft-
removed, so I am touched by the reference! But I am certain that my being
touched has not escaped your notice, given your profession...

This was a piece I never dared show any of my composition teachers when I was
a student, because I was afraid I'd be kicked out or otherwise excoriated for
hopeless romanticism.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts.



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Nicely played virtuoso performance of this gentle, thoughtful and at
times, humourous compilation of work - so many notes, so cleanly
played. Boy I wish I'd stuck at guitar lessons when I was 8 years old : )
Very impressive collection, 20 years - worth every moment!
Neil

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Thanks Neil! Very glad you enjoyed it. I wish I'd stuck with my guitar lessons
too, but the big money was in contemporary classical music composition (ha
ha), so I focused more on that. I still play occasionally, but not like this!

Cheers, Clark

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partially because I remember a children's book (?) with a character called
McGillicuddy... but can't remember what it was. :(

What a loverly discovery though. I'm going to have to listen to it several
time to get all the variations, but they all sound fascinating - and make
for an interesting story to listen to all together. The guitar sounds, for
lack of a better word, delicious.

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Hi Caroline, possibly the children's book was "The Money Tree" Sarah Stewart?
There's a 'Miss McGillicuddy' in that.



The process that led to naming this theme, described above, is the strangest
of any piece I have written, simply because the name has nothing to do with
anything, really, except that it is (I think) Scottish, and the pentatonic main
theme sounds like it could be Scottish. Or Irish... An Irish guitarist,
Michael O'Toole (you'd never guess he was Irish from the name, would you?)
played this a few times in Ireland, and I guess some of the comments he got
back were to the effect that it seemed to have a kind of resonance for Irish
audiences.



But mainly, I liked the name because of the way it sounds. Also, it turns out
that a 'rant' is a type of dance found in British music from the baroque (I
think), but when I looked it up I learned that this theme has absolutely no
connection to a rant, for which I apologize to rant purists everywhere!




Thanks so much for the comments, and if you listen to it again and find you
like any of the variations more than others, it would be great if you could let
me know. Cheers!



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do you teach as well you compose, because my son is looking for a
music school... Clark did you write this on guitar??? or do you write on
piano??? if so how does the one translate to the other ??? too many
questions...wow... Sylvie Proulx did you proud... you make me feel like
a beginner... it's hard to go write another 1-4-5 after listening to this

I just commented to Tobin that he shared the elder statesman position
on MJ with you... you are a gifted quality individual

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Well, I know I look disturbingly (to me, at least) old, but ‘elder
statesman?’ I think not! Besides, I haven’t even been around here that long
(7.5 months). I appreciate the comment, though.



Now Tobin, he’s another story. In fact, he’s in a different league…
he has twice as many participation points as the next closest
MacJammer, which is an amazing testament to his endurance, consistency,
and overall support of this website.



To answer your questions, I am an amazing teacher!!! My students
just don’t realize it… nah, just kidding. It’s hard for me to comment on the
quality of my teaching, obviously, but I will say I work hard at it.



I wrote this on guitar. There is no way I could ever write complicated guitar
music without playing through everything as I compose. Classical guitar
music by people who are not guitarists is, for the most part, a nightmare to
play, because the shapes don’t always fit well in the left hand. Everything
else I compose at the computer, with the partial exception of piano music,
which involves a lot of back and forth between computer and piano.




Yeah, Sylvie is an AMAZING guitarist; I was thrilled with her performance.




As for I, IV, V chords, nothing wrong with that! No one writes more powerful
music at MacJams than you.

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...and always looking for appropriate words to do justice to your work. But after reading Tobin's comment, I'd like to just agree with everything he said and add that I find the last part to be the most satisfying to my ear, rounding up another wondrous musical work of yours, for mortals like us to admire and learn from...

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Always nice to read your comments. For what it's worth, I think I like the later
variations more too. Thanks so much for listening!

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Clark I have to say this took me a few listens to get in to. While on the
surface it was accomplished and beautifully performed I initially felt a
little distanced, a coolness which may simply have been the mood I was
in. But I listened again and once more and each time was rewarded with
new pleasures and respect for this piece. Maybe that's analogues to your
own journey in composing it.
Overall calm and sometimes wistfully sad it with every listen becomes
more rewarding. It%u2019s not a piece to rush through but rather take your
time with and savor. Thanks for posting such a lovely work.

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Thanks Charles. I really value that comment, because it tells me that for
some people, at least, this piece might take a while to warm up to.

You said it might have had something to do with the mood were in, and I
have certainly found that my mood affects how I respond to music. There
have been pieces at MacJams that, for whatever reason, I didn't respond well
to initially, but then I'd come back for another listen later and be moved.

Anyway, thanks again, and I'm glad you stuck with it. Hearing Sylvie play
these live was very moving; there were so many variations that were
extremely challenging, and she just kept plowing through them all with very
few and minor flaws. By the time she played the chorale, towards the end, it
seemed like everyone was enraptured by her performance, and she got a
huge ovation at the very end. It always makes a big difference to hear
anything live.

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...I'll keep listening. A lovely piece of guitar comp nicely recorded. You
outdo yourself here!

Be well!



The Lowlands Of Holland: http://www.macjams.com/song/23403

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Thanks Micheal. Glad you were able to have a listen; I'm looking forward to
checking out your new tune too.

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I don't usually enjoy instrumental pieces because lyrics are very important to be as a poet, but this is a very special piece of work and I really enjoy the progression through the different moods. It's masterful!

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Thanks very much, Tom. I've just discovered your music today, and I have
really been enjoying it. I am honoured that you enjoyed this despite your
usual preference for music with lyrics.

My feeling is that music and words exist in different planes; they touch me in
slightly different ways. And I think poetry exists in both.

Now, if I might press my luck a bit, given your preference for lyrics and the
lack thereof in all of my submissions thus far (!), I'd be very curious to know
what you might think of some of my other pieces, like '3 pieces for orchestra,
#2 (Interlude),' or 'Last Dance,' because in my mind at least I hear poetry in
both.

Welcome to MacJams, by the way, and thanks again for the comment!

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Oh! So that's why I should learn more than power chords for the guitar!
This has to be the most concise, clear, and enjoyable music lesson I've
ever had. Well, several years of high school band don't offer much
competition, but you get my point.

This is truly engaging. One voice throughout many moods, like
memories of the times spent with a lifelong friend.

I would love to learn to work with theme and accompaniment. Is there
any text you would suggest for someone who doesn't have the time for
music courses and only a rudimentary grasp of theory? I've read Fux's
"Study of Counterpoint," but that is terribly dry and detached.

[ Reply to This ]

Hi, your words warm me up on a chilly day here in the North Atlantic!

I have noticed (and been impressed by) your interest in music theory
expressed in some forum threads. I'll make a couple of suggestions here, but
if you want to discuss this more, I'd be happy to correspond with you via E-
mail. Just drop me a note using the new "Notes" feature at MacJams with your
E-mail address, and I'll write you.

When you wrote 'theme and accompaniment,' did you mean to write 'theme
and variations?' If so, you could consider a book like Spencer and Temko,
Form in Music (Waveland Press, $40), which is a relatively thorough but
short-ish book on form. There's a chapter on theme and variations there,
and you could look at the other chapters too, as they are all very useful. It
helps if you have some keyboard skills so that you can play some of the
examples.

You don't have the time to do courses, which is unfortunate but completely
understandible. It is unfortunate because it is very, very difficult to learn all
this theory stuff without a teacher, but of course not impossible with the right
amount of motivation.

Basically, the three areas of music theory that are all highly useful for any
composer are harmony, form/analysis, and counterpoint.

The Fux counterpoint book is somewhat useful, but its primary value is that it
is an important historical document. I'd definitely avoid that as a starting
point. Unfortunately, I don't have a favorite counterpoint book that I think
would be good for beginners. A classic, excellent book is Kent Kennan's
"Counterpoint," but it's expensive, and pretty hard-core. It's well written,
though; but I think it might be tough to start with. Another way of
approaching this would be to go to Amazon and do a search for counterpoint
books, and see what info you can glean from the results. Sometimes you can
peek inside the book, and maybe get a sense of how well you'd be able to
relate to it.

Anyway, I'm happy to discuss this further, so feel free to write me a note if
you like.

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.. well ye cannae beat that can ye: perhaps a wee smidgin' .. :o)

8 1 2 11

.. and that was my top 4 sections and not my voting, silly ..



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Ceud mìle fàilte, laddie! Na, na, ye canna beat that,
although a bowl o’ haggis, the company o’ Jock Tamson's bairns, ‘n the braw
sound o’ the pipes from across the bricht brae --- ay, brither, t’would be a fine
start!
(Translations of dubious accuracy available upon request)

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here s a Bow to the Master ... !!

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Thank you!

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here s a Bow to the Master ... !!

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Oh now, this is getting embarrassing! 1 bow is plenty, unless followed by a
wow. :+}

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sorry sir but the attichate is to do three bows ...lol ..

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on two counts. One for this masterful composition. The last several
sections Chorale, Prelude and Reprise were my favorite. It would seem
to me that a composition as long and as varied as this would be
technically demanding in the extreme. I have trouble remembering 4
chord songs :-). Yet you make it seem smooth and spontaneous.

as well thank you for responding so quickly to my recent questions
concerning time signatures and counts. I was stumped and I appreciate
you giving me a breakdown that provided so much clarity.

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I was happy to help. Regarding McG's Rant, the night this was played a number
of people came up to me and said they liked the chorale and the prelude the
best, or it moved them the most, so I kind of thought MacJammers might have a
similar reaction, but you're the first one (I think) to comment specifically on
those two, which is interesting. Or not; I find it so anyway. Thanks for leaving a
comment; much appreciated!

Cheers, Karma dude.

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Nice, nice, nice...i like the cohesiveness and the tones. Very pleasing to my ear!

[ Reply to This ]

Glad you liked it, Drew! I've been enjoying some of your amazing
performances, and just left a couple of comments for ya.

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mightily impressed. The playing is stellar and composition is world
class. A pristene fully fidelic recording of this is called for....not that
this recording is icky...but you know what i mean..a million mikes
placed every 1/8th inch....

This is a jewel. Thank you for allowing me to have it!


deepest bows
z

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Thanks Z. Coming from one of this site's best guitarists, that means a lot.
Unless you play guitar, I don't think you can appreciate how difficult this is,
and it was all recorded live, one take, at a concert.

I would LOVE a studio recording of this! In addition to Sylvie, another artist
has told me he'll be playing this on tour this fall, but I don't know if he has
any plans to record it or not. John Williams, are u there???

John Williams is my hero. So is mcboy. But I think I may be digressing...

Thanks again Ziti. You're very generous!

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that mcboy could play this...he has a recording studio too!....

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Mmmmm ... this is true pleassure to digest!
This one opens doors and stands for many many listenings!

Lots of interesting things are happening in the music, both
intellectually and mood-wise, but it is in the moods I find the great
treassures of your composition (probably because that is where my
ears are pretuned).

We are not walking on traditional or for me well known grounds here,
yet I feel safe all the way. Lots of new and unknown thing are
happening, still I am not threatened, (and I don't like to be, so I am not
asking for it).

We are on a safe adventure. Even if many harmonies are of non-
expected succession, they success in hamonic ways. We are on quite
an altitude, yet our feet are allways on steady ground. We are often on
exciting bridges but they all lead us safely to new and friendly land. We
are discovering new landscapes and new aspects of life.

I feel sure that the moods of you creation conveys much of your
personanlity. In that case you are a person to whom I would not
hesitate to leave my kids over the weekend. I'd feel sure they'll have a
lot of new exciting fun without ever getting in danger.

This one stands for many many listenings!

[ Reply to This ]

Johannes, thanks for the very generous and detailed comment! Your big, open
heart comes through in both your playing and your comments.

And yes, by all means drop the kids off here for the weekend! I'm one kid short
now anyway, now that my daughter has left to go back to her mother's home
2,000 km away. (sniff, sniff!)

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[ Reply to This ]

Haha, they'd love a trip over the Pond!

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[ Reply to This ]

A beautiful, delicate, finely played piece that in a subtle way explores the
range of what a guitar is able to do. Lovely melodies and phrasing - I
know it's called a '...Rant' but there's something very romantic about this
(in more ways than one).

KK

PS - I hope the person who coughed near the end was suitably
punished! ;)

[ Reply to This ]

Thanks very much for the comment, Komrade! As you probably can
understand, it's particularly nice to get feedback after the "one week in the
sun" period that all MacJams submissions get!

A 'rant' in music is very different than the meaning more commonly
associated with the word; acording to one online dictionary, it is "a country
dance of Scotland and Northern England related to the jig. The rant is in
duple meter and binary form. Surviving examples are dated from the 17th
and 18th centuries."

The fact remains, however, that this theme is not very much like a musical
rant either, because it is not very jig-like (although it is in duple meter and
vaguely Scottish in feel). But, I like the sound of the title so I'm sticking with
it!

The person who coughed was swiftly and quietly terminated with extreme
prejudice, but I had very little to do with that.

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...I'm not sure what to add to all this CC. I could carpet bomb you with
superlatives but you appear to have been thoroughly pounded already so I
won't bother. Suffice it to say it was as pleasant a 15 mins as we have all
come to expect from you. I was particularly drawn to the chorale...there's
a song lurking in there. Peace, love and mischief.

Jon

[ Reply to This ]

Thanks for having a listen, Jon, and I'm very pleased that you liked it. The
chorale is one of my favorites too; for some reason it's been in my head a lot
recently, which probably means I need to drink more.

Oh, and just to be clear, I am okay with being carpet bombed with superlatives,
should you ever feel inclined that way again. :-)

Cheers!

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[ Reply to This ]

i dont know whether i got exactly what's been intended however! overall i
received sun-shiny warmness, optimistic and most importantly a romantic
vibe all over me.

to describe the impression i got - it's like having a cafe on a sunny
peaceful day in somewhere like spain or mexico or portugual next to
beach with someone very very important :D

[ Reply to This ]

Thank you, Hún K�m. I'm very glad you liked it.

I don't generally have a particular mood or image in mind when I com