Who's Online
Invisible Members: 9 Visitors: 45
Past 7 Days
Song Uploads: 165
Song Votes: 318
Song Comments: 3483
Forum Posts: 866
New Members: 90
Participation Points: 12591.45
|
Get Flash to see this player.
Having playback trouble, try the Quicktime player:
 
NoDerivs-NonCommercial
|
|
|
|
|
Description:
I recently returned from a weeklong motorcycle trip through 7 western states. It was kind of a whirlwind – just 8 days, but we spent some lovely time in Utah, which offers just spectacular riding country (if the weather doesn’t turn on you that is!)
So on this particular day, we got an early start from lovely Fruita, CO (just BARELY into western CO), and headed out to the interstate (I-70), in order to hook up with a road we’d read about on several motorcycle touring sites – Hwy 128, a “scenic bi-way”, which would drop us into Moab, UT. The turn–off to 128 is completely nondescript, a lonely little ribbon of pavement winding through miles of scrubland. But in the distance we could begin to make out the shapes of mesas and those huge, otherworldly rock formations famous in this part of the world. We knew this would be the setting for the canyon which would soon envelope us.
One of the things we’d read about this 45 or so miles of winding canyonland road, was that many movies and commercials have been filmed along here, and it took us no time at all to start to recognize certain towering formations and vistas (“hey, isn’t that the rock they put that JEEP on the top of??”). This road goes along the Colorado River, and there are many points where you’re in a deep, narrow canyon, with the river just to your right, and high, red cliffs on either side of you.
We wore ourselves out with multiple “oohs” and “aahs”, and in the spectacular morning light, the landscapes just sang out as we moved along. I’d already done lots of work on this song before the trip, and had mixed feelings about having to put it away for a week. I’d loaded the most current iteration onto the iPod, and I listened to it a couple of times a day, hoping for new ideas, and also hoping I wouldn’t forget what I was trying to do with it while my head was into driving a motorcycle. Riding Hwy 128 that morning and listening to the very unfinished version I had with me, I had the thought that this drive WAS the song, so I started conceptualizing it that way after I returned and picked it up again. (All of life is a motorcycle ride!)
This is my first upload since I sprung for a Kawai MP8 keyboard (thanks for the tip Futz!), and for Ivory piano software (thanks for the tip Futz, Drakonis, Paul Page, and a couple of others I’m sure). When I first played in the piano track and listened to it, I almost couldn’t believe my ears, and it’s been quite thrilling to write the orchestration around piano sounds that I’m actually excited about! This song starts small but gets big, so be careful with volume! I tried to avoid throwing in the entire kitchen sink (in terms of orchestration) – with limited success - alas, I need lots more KSA meetings! Very special thanks to kassia for the multi-iteration feedback, and to drakonis who heard it shortly before upload and as always, had some really good ideas to ponder. Hope you enjoy “Canyon Rise”!
Hardware:
macbook; kawai MP8
Software:
GB; Ivory
|
Gorgous &mdash 08/08/08 - 08:49:50 AM
Ahh.... Karen &mdash 08/08/08 - 08:51:14 AM
this is soooooo &mdash 08/08/08 - 08:58:58 AM
As always Karen &mdash 08/08/08 - 08:59:42 AM
wow karen... &mdash 08/08/08 - 09:05:10 AM
another wonderful "ride" .... as always, such a graceful and beautiful composition... thanks Karen .. was a most lovely surprise this morning!
:-] [ Reply to This ]
Fourth listen &mdash 08/08/08 - 09:13:01 AM
Is even better than the third listen. This is a piece that will keep on growing and growing!
Simply amazing! [ Reply to This ]
Yes &mdash 08/08/08 - 09:13:18 AM
It's sure was worth all waiting:D)* lovely as an beautiful composing as always my dear friend Downloaded.
BTW Nice trip I wish I had a motorcycle to follow w u.
Take care
---
Kenta [ Reply to This ]
WOW... &mdash 08/08/08 - 09:23:01 AM
damn...WOW
you make those keys sing, dance, talk and cry...I am so effin jealous of your piano abilities, dear!
this is yet another example of a Magna-ficent piece, I absolutely love this piece [ Reply to This ]
pretty sounds &mdash 08/08/08 - 09:29:23 AM
the piano sounds fantastic! particularly like the acoustic guitar sound too.
would work well in a movie soundtrack [ Reply to This ]
greatness &mdash 08/08/08 - 09:30:22 AM
how one composes anything on a motorcycle is a mystery to me....
this is a wonderful piece of music...thoughtful, passionate and soothing all together...
you are a gem!!!
deepest of bows m'lady
z [ Reply to This ]
Oh, Karen &mdash 08/08/08 - 09:39:43 AM
Such awesome beauty and wealth of feelings in here! Amazing composition. I marvel at your ability to paint such note pictures. Listening to this, I felt I was seeing the majesty landscapes along with you on that ride. Truly magnificent!!
I did a double take while reading the song intro- when I read you had bought a Kawai keyboard, my eyes read Kawi.
[ Reply to This ]
gentle beauty &mdash 08/08/08 - 09:58:00 AM
This is a little softer and more "loungy" sounding than some of your others, but I enjoy your slow builds and changes in orchestration. I gave you some critiques/ideas before, so I won't repeat them. Overall, this is a very apropos soundtrack to the canyon-lands you saw. I do love the combo of keyboard/software, it captures the dynamics of your playing quite a bit better. The runs and rolls on the keys were great... loved the sparkly bits. Glad you had such a great ride... and you got to meet a state trooper too! :-) Thank you as always, for sharing your music, I love studying your KSA methods.
ttfn,
Drakonis [ Reply to This ]
Canyon Rise &mdash 08/08/08 - 10:15:04 AM
I dream of spending my holidays again in the US National Parks. I've had this memorable chance in 1994. Your music reminds me of this great time. An outstandingly beautiful track with superb symphonic augmentations in the second half. Peaceful, charming and heartfelt. Thanks for sharing!!! [ Reply to This ]
Canyon Rise &mdash 08/08/08 - 10:35:52 AM
Well, you know very well that I love this piece. The Kawai and Ivory really allow your piano performance to shine in this - it's so much more personal, I can hear YOU in the playing. Your creative use of instrumentation and panning make this full and lush, and yet you left plenty of space for the music to breathe. Another gorgeous piece of music which you use to paint a beautiful picture for all of us. Thank you! [ Reply to This ]
Hi Karen...... &mdash 08/08/08 - 10:37:36 AM
This is another wonderful piece of music.
I always love your descriptions and the way your musical ideas come through in your arrangements.
Take care.
Paul [ Reply to This ]
motorcycle diairies &mdash 08/08/08 - 11:17:49 AM
beautiful once again, well played and composed, another special journey, excellent. Sorry about veghead! [ Reply to This ]
Outstanding &mdash 08/08/08 - 11:24:16 AM
as always Magnatone. This is a beautiful piece. All I had to do was close my eyes and let it envelope me. I have put Highway 128 on my list of places to visit, and I am gonna play this when I do. Wonderfully arranged played and produced. Thank you. [ Reply to This ]
Yep... &mdash 08/08/08 - 11:29:11 AM
...I definitely enjoy this...
Spent quite a few years in the Southwest...Arizona/New Mexico/Utah/Colorado...spectacular landscape and hiking/camping/driving...
You've captured it beautifully here, Karen... [ Reply to This ]
ohboy &mdash 08/08/08 - 11:42:14 AM
greatness. you sure can play. I love the way this one builds and the orchestration is perfect. really beautiful, karen! [ Reply to This ]
Windham Hill &mdash 08/08/08 - 11:42:25 AM
Karen, this is lovely -- in the style of New Age pianists like Liz Story, Suzanne Chiani, Paul Halley etc.
I like the way the piece starts out minimally and then builds, taking the listener through increasingly beautiful scenery as he/she rides along.
The piano Ivory sound is very realistic. The accompanying sounds were well chosen and tastefully presented. I especially liked the variegated sound colors around 5:30.
Some of the sounds were a bit "synthy", but perhaps you did this intentionally. In general they worked well. It gave the piece a "new age" feel, and in fact, this composition would fit very well in that genre.
This is a very professional piece of work, Karen. Great job! [ Reply to This ]
What they all said! &mdash 08/08/08 - 12:32:05 PM
Lovely build, great dynamics, beautiful sound, flawless mixing... That's what I hear here. So: hear, hear!
And thanks for the download!
/Henke [ Reply to This ]
Beautiful Piano &mdash 08/08/08 - 01:36:39 PM
incredibly well orchestrated, and the piano at the center is quite lovely. the crescendos are finely executed.
my only gripe, and it's a minor one, lies with the "ensemble" instrument patches (it sounds like you might have used two--strings and brass). the release on the strings is rather hard, and a little distracting. it also seems that the string patch, in particular, is a bit...cluttered with sounds that don't really need to be there. i would just recommend either 1) avoiding the ensemble patches and instead use individual string instruments with slightly different parts or 2) adjust the resonance of the string patch if you can. as it is now, the writing and performance surpass the keyboard instrumentation. [ Reply to This ]
What a... &mdash 08/08/08 - 01:58:43 PM
...beautifully gentle opening, Karen. It is about the most peaceful thing I've heard in a very very long time. Your oboe/horn duet is so relaxing. Your sense of orchestration is always so thoughtful, and you don't disappoint with this number in any way. I might suggest, though, that the "build" gets a little muddy once you get into it and I lose the pointed articulations you have in the opening and then again at the end. In my own experience, a real orchestra can handle 20 parts; a synthesized one starts to overwhelm after 5 or 6. Just a thought. ... The piano is stellar and your playing perfectly articulated. (Another thought: rubato is a GOOD thing!)... Glad you found the Ivory. Ain't it inspiring?!
(I read the negative comments, too. Following the discussing on such things in the forum posts, I found the stupidity of them to be really appalling...and I am also happy that several people wrote counter replies. YOU are a wonderful composer and it is always a pleasure to hear your work.)
Peace.
Paul [ Reply to This ]
Stunning &mdash 08/08/08 - 02:04:07 PM
This is incredibly beautiful and calming. The piano sound is stunning, and I love your orchestration, particularly when the english horn melody comes in.
You know what happens when you go down this path (the one where you upgrade your keyboard and use premium piano samples (Ivory)), don't you? Now you're going to have to save up for premium orchestral instrument samples too... It never ends!
Anyway, this is just terrific, and I think you are a fantastically musical person who writes stunningly beautiful music. [ Reply to This ]
Karen, &mdash 08/08/08 - 05:22:36 PM
You are so generous in sharing your experience and your translation of that into a very beautiful piece of music.
You are a wonderful musician and I'm so grateful that I am here to listen to what you create. Thank you. :) [ Reply to This ]
Magnificent &mdash 08/08/08 - 05:40:58 PM
Magnificent! the emotional sweep and sense of grandeur... wow
thanks [ Reply to This ]
Space &mdash 08/08/08 - 05:51:30 PM
For us little country , your country has realy big spaces .
I visited the USA for 3 weeks , I will never forget the distances :-)
I can see this while listening to your composition .
It is very expressive , describing the beauty of nature in a peacefull way .
[ Reply to This ]
Yup &mdash 08/08/08 - 06:27:27 PM
It takes me there. It's a place I've loved to travel.
Beautiful song!
[ Reply to This ]
This is &mdash 08/08/08 - 06:37:48 PM
Your talent amazes me &mdash 08/08/08 - 08:27:01 PM
The song has that frontier sound to it... with a little bring me back home sentiment wrapped up with how great this country we live in is. You should have no problem selling this to a major movie or broadway production. What a treat, thanks for sharing.
[ Reply to This ]
helplessly hoping &mdash 08/08/08 - 08:51:19 PM
Thanks &mdash 08/08/08 - 09:28:17 PM
For such a lovely composition and such a beautiful description .Listening towards the end I dont mind the build up it kind of grabs you and hold you with a tension and then lets you back down again did i ever tell you . YOu are great! too too much thanks for the download option its a study I must take! thanks! [ Reply to This ]
Amazing &mdash 08/08/08 - 09:46:27 PM
what a beautiful piece of music can be made using almost exclusively the notes of a D major scale.(I think I heard maybe 1 note out of the key)Of course only a very talented person like yourself is capable of this kind of creativity.I sat in a volkswagon when I was 10 driving thru that country with my Dad- this brings back great memories! [ Reply to This ]
WOWEE ..... &mdash 08/08/08 - 10:44:46 PM
.. what a "truly glorious" song Karen .... makes me wanna pull a "Julie Andrews" and sing on a mountain ! As usual .. another enjoyable listen and ride for me here ! [ Reply to This ]
beautiful playing &mdash 08/09/08 - 02:31:04 AM
you are right, in your preamble, the piano sounds amazing! and very well played. there's so much going on (without being overcomplicated) that i didn't even realize it was all in one key, until ibstrat mentioned it. thanks for sharing! [ Reply to This ]
A lovely spacious piece Karen .. &mdash 08/09/08 - 02:40:09 AM
.. my, but you do attract some oddball(s?) to your songs though.
Another lovely cinematic, emotive meisterwerk Karen.
Good stuff.
Neil [ Reply to This ]
oohh! &mdash 08/09/08 - 07:07:02 AM
Nice, &mdash 08/09/08 - 07:36:07 AM
love it. If it was a movie score, the picture would have to be filmed from an aircraft :-) [ Reply to This ]
Canyon Rise &mdash 08/09/08 - 08:53:14 AM
no suprise ..a true heartfelt ..as I m in love with
mountain and nature scenary ..this gives me alot of
longling to so many I love to be at ..very wonderful
gentle and delicate by all mean ...this flow so
sweetl ..I can see too many wonderfull scenaries ..
thnx alot for sharin !!! [ Reply to This ]
Lovely piece &mdash 08/09/08 - 11:19:05 AM
You created a lovely picture here. Quite uplifting and peaceful. I hope that's what you were going for.
Keep up the fine work.
Dave [ Reply to This ]
Build up &mdash 08/09/08 - 12:46:18 PM
Mags! The build up to the climax of this song is well worth the listen. As always you know your stuff when it comes to song writing and performing. I feel very lucky that I got to hear this and that you shared this one with us MJ'ers.
Can't wait to see what you come up with next!
Tobin [ Reply to This ]
Before I read .. &mdash 08/09/08 - 03:02:57 PM
.. the description, I was amazed by the sense of travelling through breath-taking scenery you've captured here .. the build is especially sweetly done.
Top notch .. I think you might do well to place this in Cinematic-soundtrack .. as the imagery to sound really comes across .. and something of this calibre could easily be used in a film sequence.
Gorgeous. [ Reply to This ]
Thanks &mdash 08/09/08 - 05:04:53 PM
for your wonderful description and "lay of the land" as I listened. The keyboard sounds wonderful and so does the software - of course in your hands that is academic!
[ Reply to This ]
This song RADIATES... &mdash 08/09/08 - 05:51:16 PM
THE ATMOSPHERE OF THE LANDSCAPES.... IT IS SO PERFECTLY ORCHESTRATED! THANKS FOR SHARING THIS! [ Reply to This ]
Karen &mdash 08/09/08 - 05:57:57 PM
this is really nice. i love the duality of the biker chick who composes pretty piano music when she's not tearing up the blacktop. the ivory software sounds great, and i think your choices in instrumentation are perfect. really pretty song, great job (you play so well). [ Reply to This ]
Canyon Rise &mdash 08/09/08 - 06:34:17 PM
Wow!!!
Speechless.
Thank you and be well, Russ
I was listening and my wife came in from the other room and turned the volume up. That has never happend. [ Reply to This ]
Well composed and played, Karen... &mdash 08/09/08 - 10:20:34 PM
Here's a quote about Wordsworth that may apply here...maybe...from 'Our Greatest Writers':
"He famously wrote of poetry both as "the spontaneous overflow of powerful feeling" and as "emotion recollected in tranquility". The lines have often been misunderstood. There is no contradiction. He meant that poetry is a reflective activity, not an off-the-cuff affair. The "powerful feelings" are not the original ones, but those that arise from the act of remembering intense experiences from the past."
This, it seems to me, is similar to the way that you approach composition, reflecting on moments of presence that seem to occur while on a motorcycle, and allowing that reflection and emotion to find its way into music.
I think Clark's right: you are now afflicted with what the DSM-IV-mj calls Paul Page Disorder, which is when one's Ivory-inflected piano bits are so all-fired perfect that one's orchestral bits begin to sound synthy in comparison. Ah well, at least there's a really expensive cure...
When I was younger I really disliked and was scornful of the New Age piano sort of realm, perhaps because I was around too much endless arpegiation that was perfectly recorded. You seem to have a good feel for crafting a habitable melody, so that one can imagine someone singing this, and phrasing it like a song, with some intelligent and heartfelt STOPPING... There ends up being a sense of motion and a sense of breath...
Neatly done...
Ed [ Reply to This ]
John Carrington... &mdash 08/09/08 - 10:22:24 PM
Me again ! &mdash 08/10/08 - 06:34:09 AM
hi Karen
I would love to see a pic of you on your moterbike In all your gear
Please put one up just for me Would look really cool to go along with the story also.
What do you think ?
Peace Dee. [ Reply to This ]
Great feel... &mdash 08/10/08 - 09:54:39 AM
I can smell the summer breeze here. I see you are enjoying and putting you keyboard to great use. I feel like taking my shoes off like I'm in a place or presence of greatness
:D
Moses
P.s.
And to the coward attacking the song I would love to hear an actually critique of the song instead of the BS you trying to pull. Oh and what a surprise none of your names have songs up... Coward!!! [ Reply to This ]
Wow &mdash 08/10/08 - 10:29:17 AM
What a warm sound.... Gives peace, while listening.... It's totally a great song.... I really love it.... Good instruments.... Thanks for sharing... [ Reply to This ]
Oh My &mdash 08/10/08 - 02:24:48 PM
What a gorges song/tune, simply magic to my tired ears, you always leave me such encouraging comments Karen, and I rarely get the opportunity to return the comments, so I want you to know your music is a blessing for me every time I listen to it, it always lifts my spirits and give me a deep sense of joy, this piece is magnificent in every way...Bless you...
Shadow [ Reply to This ]
Fantastic! &mdash 08/10/08 - 09:38:51 PM
I really enjoyed listening to this. Your piano playing skills are something I really admire!
If you'll allow me to nit-pick a little on the mix:
The two volume swells seemed a little much for me. I was scrambling to turn down the monitors for fear of waking the kids :) This style of music isn't something I listen to consistently, so it may very well be appropriate and you can tell me to jump off a cliff, haha!
During the first volume swell, I was struggling to hear the piano and thought it should stay out front in the mix. Again, personal preference I think.
Hearing piano pieces this complex really makes me kick myself for starting to learn how to play so late in life.
In fact, I've had to put lessons on hold for a few months due to work, ect. :(
Thanks for sharing this with us Karen- it's a wonderful track! [ Reply to This ]
lush and soothing &mdash 08/11/08 - 12:09:48 PM
| |
Love it. !!
Peace Dee.
[ Reply to This ]