i did indeed put myself on that bullet train, and the rain on the windows did in fact transform the view.

inserting a slight change in mood might benefit the piece - now a bullet train's a bullet train - but how about a curve, or slowing down, or starting up? a contrast to the delicate quicksilver quality might work.

i enjoy your musical visions, paul!
thanks for the ride.
anne

[ Reply to This ]

I'm glad that you enjoyed the ride.

I hadn't actually given any thought to a complete 'trip' but you're right, the story/picture needs to be complete and a trip always starts and ends. I had actually zoomed in on one make-believe portion of the journey, as a sort of musical snapshot or pastiche.

It also worried me (a little) that there were no blatant Japanese-bits in the sounds, so maybe we'll have some of those as well whilst I'm playing around with mix number 3.

Take care and thanks for your thoughtful comments.

Paul.

[ Reply to This ]

melody and how it seems to have a call and answer format, and the imagery works too. I agree with Anne that some development of the basic theme would really make this a cool piece.
Always a pleasure in your musical world!
Be well,
Doug

[ Reply to This ]

Yes Doug, you're correct. I have a thing about question and answer in music, so this may show in various of my more 'personal pieces'. It's a very effective tool and is symmetrical and balanced, which implies order.

As you may note from my reply to Anne, I'll be revisiting this piece and trying to make it more whole.

Take care.

Paul.

[ Reply to This ]

it's grey and overcast here, I've got a hot cup of espresso, i'm looking out th ewindow and loving the way this fits the mood. great great track.

[ Reply to This ]

The piece is a snapshot of a moment BUT, as Anne and Doug pointed out, it is not 'finished' or complete from a whole journey point of view.

I'm going to tinkle with some ideas over this weekend and see what I can come up with. (Some brass has already appeared and an introductory solo).

Take care.

Paul.

[ Reply to This ]

Interesting piece. Are these synth sounds or more traditional keyboards with lots of echos? Either way it is a nice sound-scape.

Thanks
Bill

[ Reply to This ]

The sounds are all manipulated presets from the M51 soft synth, a spacey-ambient type synth. I've had the synth a while but never played around with it much. (I also use their M42 soft synth for a lot of my sounds. The web site url is: http://www.algomusic.net). They have some free soft synths there as well which are not too bad, including a string synth.

The echo effect is me. I'm playing with a Voxengo effect. Boys will be boys!!

Take care.

Paul.

[ Reply to This ]

Oh, you meant "inside" the train! I thought you meant "on." Scared the ho;y livin crap outta me man! ;-P This is really good! I could actually in vision myself riding a bullet train with Mt. fuji in the background, haze or no haze! great production as well. Kudos!

Ax

[ Reply to This ]

You raise a point here that is close to my heart.....namely context and interpretation. My pet subject is context and meaning (along with the subject of Artificial Intelligence) and why there are no 'universal translaters' in airport or other international terminals. It's just plain too complex.

I like your idea though. Maybe I'll come up with another, faster or more intense version for 'Journey ON a train past Mount Fuji'. Hold onto your lunch and wear a hat!!

Thanks for stopping by.

Paul.

[ Reply to This ]

Hi ,
I like this piece as it is . It flows very well and stays close to the first idea with a nice construction .
My only observation is about the description you gave to it .
It makes this music more realistic in the listeners mind , but the listener could be free to imagine or think to anything he wants , or just listen and enjoy it like I did .

[ Reply to This ]

I agree that the title sets the picture for the piece but I thought, with this piece, that some guidance was necessary to let listeners know what my thoughts were.

The separate sections, to me, were too obscure in their direction for me to leave the tune with no description and the description I gave came to mind without previous thought.

I may try 'anonymous' pieces, where the listener can evoke any picture they choose. It would be a different approach for me but one worth trying.

Thanks for your listening and comments, Henri. I appreciate your ideas. If it enhances a listeners experience, I'll try almost anything.

Paul.

[ Reply to This ]

I love the arpeggio's in this piece! All bubbly and yet very narrative. The description fit the song very well, like Squarepushers song Tommib in Lost in Translation. Awesome track sir.

kind regards,

Jb

[ Reply to This ]

Thanks for stopping by.

I have had the Lost in Translation DVD for about two years and have never managed to finish the movie for some reason.

I'll make an effort over the next few days so that I can try and pick out the tune you mention.

Take care.

Paul.

[ Reply to This ]