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Keywords:
waverly (1), magnatone (1), kassia (3), drakonis (64), best friends (1), doggles (1)
Description:
Imagine your best friend... you think about them a lot. They cause you to be introspective when you're apart, and excited when you get together again. This piece of music tries to capture a bit of that.
Magnatone has a dear long-time best friend, her dog Waverly (pictured above). Unfortunately Waverly has been quite sick lately, so Kassia and I thought we would cheer them both up and write and dedicate a little piece of music to Waverly's sweet character. I sent Kassia some chord ideas, and little arpeggios that led nowhere, really. She listened, and came up with (and performed) a piano solo that just blew me away (and probably had nothing to do with what I sent her, luckily!) She sent me the solo performance as a MIDI file. I then took it, added a little lead-in and ending, and added little wafts of orchestration around it for color (strings, french horn, cello). We present this present, presently, to our friend Magnatone, for her friend Waverly, and send healing waves along.
We hope you friends enjoy it too. Here's to best friends!
Magnatone has a dear long-time best friend, her dog Waverly (pictured above). Unfortunately Waverly has been quite sick lately, so Kassia and I thought we would cheer them both up and write and dedicate a little piece of music to Waverly's sweet character. I sent Kassia some chord ideas, and little arpeggios that led nowhere, really. She listened, and came up with (and performed) a piano solo that just blew me away (and probably had nothing to do with what I sent her, luckily!) She sent me the solo performance as a MIDI file. I then took it, added a little lead-in and ending, and added little wafts of orchestration around it for color (strings, french horn, cello). We present this present, presently, to our friend Magnatone, for her friend Waverly, and send healing waves along.
We hope you friends enjoy it too. Here's to best friends!
Hardware:
Drak: Mac Pro.Kassia: GEM PS1600 keyboard
Software:
Drak: Harmony Assistant, GarageBand 4.Kassia: GarageBand, Logic Express
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Char
How very thoughtful. That is a handsome gent in the picture. Very emotive, both of you. May all the good thoughts that went into this rise into the air and send a gentle breeze Magnatone's way, just as if it were a kiss from her friends. Thanks for sharing.
drakonis
He's apparently quite happy and playful too. Thank you for helping send good thoughts her way... and for listening to this little offering.
kassia
Just want it to be known that this was the dragon's idea and he did all the hard work. It was wonderful to work with drakonis on such a special project. Definitely our thoughts are with our friend magnatone. Hope you all enjoy this.
drakonis
and it WAS your piano work here that really made this so gorgeous... thank you so much Shay for co-conspiring with me. It did take a lot of time to stitch notes around your piano work in a way that would add to it (and I had to sneak the french horn in for you). But this was a definite labor of love, and I'm glad Karen loves the result. I definitely will be standing in line to do another collab with you soon!
Roxylee
What lovely playing, Kassia, and Drak, the orchestration is just right to produce the feelings of introspection and majestic tribute to a dear friend.
drakonis
That is what we were after, and conveying emotion is tricky and elusive for me (Kassia helped a LOT in that department!) Roxylee, you are very good at writing, singing, and conveying emotion, so I deeply respect your thoughts and enjoyment of this. When is YOUR next one coming out? :-)
thetiler
kind of you drak to do this for Magna ! I know that a dog can sure be special.
Good luck Magna, hope everything turns out fine. I couldn't think of a better macjammer to do something special for!
Thanks for sharing this!
drakonis
Magnatone is a joy to have around MJ that is true, and at the risk of rhyming, so are you! I sometimes wonder what I'm doing here, how I snuck into this party of great musicians. Luckily nobody has thrown me out yet :-)
The picture of Waverly with biker goggles ('doggles') was also part of the inspiration for this, what a character!
davisamerica
Waverly ... this is absolutely a beauty. now you got me all ferklempth ... absolutely beautiful !
drakonis
Well, it couldn't happen to a nicer soul. Thank you for enjoying this, and wagging your tail and sending happy thoughts to Waverly and Karen.
paul f. page
...beautiful tribute...What a beautiful gift. Music always seems to say the right things, and your collaborated composition is gentle and serene. Beautiful.
Peace to all.
Paul
drakonis
Thank you for the kind words on the music. I wanted to do something nice for them, and as you know, Shay's piano compositions are just so touching... as this one is. Suggesting chords and adding the orchestration was very enjoyable as a gift for Karen and Waverly. Thank you so much for stopping by, and letting us know it set the mood appropriately.
Feter
I m impressed for one thing ..how can two poeple
colab on classical stuffs ??? you are so amazing !!
the orchestra under the piano just so genious ..
the piano is a heartfelt ..deep deep ./..this is a
beautiful gem ..thnx alot for sharin it !!!!!
drakonis
Your classical compositions are gorgeous too, Feter.
It turned out to be fairly easy to collaborate on this, but that's probably because Kassia's so easy to work with, such a helpful friend.
I think it was easier to start with the piano part, and add the cello and strings, and then french horn under this. The counter-melody just came together. The really cool crescendo in the middle wasn't there at first, and Shay suggested that there should be one. I completely agreed, and spent a lot of time crafting that little build-up.
Anyway, I learned a lot from doing this, it was great. And so glad to offer a musical token of friendship to dear Karen.
magnatone
OMG!!!! This is unbelievable! I'm completely floored - what an incredible gift from you two! Thank you so much for this huge hug - it means more to me than I can begin to express. I'm happy to say that at THIS moment, Waverly is doing very well, and is just as much of a stud as he was in that biker boy picture. I played this song for him, and it caused him to jump off my lap and bring me a ball to throw him.....I'm pretty sure that means he loves it.....or maybe he loves the ball. Anyway, I LOVE IT! Thank you, my sweet friends!
drakonis
You are sooo worth it, Karen! Thank you for gracing us with your superb music, and your wonderful presence. Toss the ball for me too... oops, sorry about that, I'll pay for it! :-)
ttfn,
Drakonis
Jarvoid
Drak and Miss Kassia,spot on.Simple and effective and punches the right buttons...sorta wished I could do something like this for Tishy,the pot plant tabby who sadly went night night last month,yeah you got me good with this.
Right that's enough of that...wonderful piece,thanks.
Chris Jarvis
drakonis
I've lost many cats (and not in the careless way.) It is crushing. I am sorry to hear about Tishy, but it also means that you care so much about these important "people" in your life. Thank you for listening and commenting, so glad the music was touching. You're a great guy, Chris.
DWL
and a wonderful piece.
Contemplative and subtle.
And all the best to Waverly.
Cheers
Dick
drakonis
Thank you for sending your wishes on to Waverly... I'm sure he's wagging to hear all the commotion about him. Perhaps it is best he does not know what cancer is.
ktb
so generous in spirit. Simple beauty in its melody and progression. hope Waverly feels better soon
drakonis
Karen's bought some time for him. He's a very tough and energetic dog, it seems. Thank you for listening and enjoying the music... I certainly have been enjoying yours!
guitapick
...very much can appreciate the talents of Kassia and yourself, Eduard (I admire your modest); I have to say that, with a piece like this, it's really about the sum of the parts. The two of you have come together to create a wonderful work of art.
Kudos...and I'll say a prayer for Waverly...
drakonis
indeed, this was great to work together on, and I could not have done it without her... and having a high bar and great friend like Karen to inspire me helped! :-)
EEFliess
a heart-ripping piece
it is beautiful...*feeling a lump in my throat*
drakonis
You're just a big softy! Wait... so am I... pass the kleenex! One of the things I love about this place is being able to do nice things for friends here. Thank you for stopping in and adding to the heartfelt support, Eddie.
ttfn,
Drakonis
Absolutely fabulous! What a wonderful track & nice way to cheer up a friend!
drakonis
Great to see you... Thank you for listening and enjoying!
kristyjo
And such a lovely, calm piece has come out of it. It would be a fine piece of music without the background, but knowing the love and care that went into it makes it even more special. Thank you for sharing it with all of us.
drakonis
It was somewhat cathartic to put together... took a month, and was worth every moment... especially since I got to work with Kassia on it, and offer it to Magnatone. So many wonderful people here... thank you for being one of them Kristine!
elektronix
The piano tune is really great, and the orchestration just underscores it perfectly
Great collab! Very nice!
Greetings!
Bernd
kassia
Thanks for the sweet comments! Eduard did a great job on the orchestration for this piece...adding lots of fullness yet leaving space for the emotion of the piece to really come through. Thanks for stopping by!
dajama
Very cool. This is a beautiful piece of music - lovely piano playing, and the orchestration is spot on, nice touches that augment, and enhance the piano without overshadowing it. A great gesture of friendship, beautifully realized. Nicely done. Kudos to you both. Karen, glad to hear Waverley is feeling better. Peace.
kassia
You leave such wonderful, thoughtful comments. Always a pleasure to have you stop by for a listen. This was a very special project for Eduard and I...and I'm glad you enjoyed it so much. Thank you.
Char
my daughter-in-law who lost her dearest doggie friend Momi a couple weeks ago. She thought her new twin babies would get to play with her dog, but the poor thing had a seizure and died. I think she will appreciate the love and the tenderness you both instilled in these notes.
So perfect a piece. That's good news about the little guy. Thanks again. :)
kassia
2 comments from Char! Sorry to hear about your daughter in law's dog - hopefully this will give some comfort. Really appreciate your support and encouragement...thanks for being such a great part of this community, Char.
composerclark
Very calming, soothing, and pretty. And it has emotional depth; the playing is obviously heartfelt, and I feel moved by it.
kassia
It's always such a wonderful gift when the music we create moves others. There was a lot of emotion put into this piece, both from myself and from Eduard...and it's great that we were able to convey that to some of you. Thank you for listening and leaving such a wonderful comment.
Henke
But OK, I'll say it again: Such beautiful and heart-felt pianoplaying and such great orchestration to _nderscore it. And what a lovely gift to Karen and Waverly. Great colab. Instant fav and dl, of course! Thanks for sharing with us all.
/Henke
kassia
Thanks Henke! Always appreciate you stopping by and leaving great comments! Isn't it wonderful that we can create gifts like these for the people we care about? Music can be so magical.
LunaTrick
Dogs are good mates - so I hope all goes well.
Lovely music. Let me know when you need a real cello!
kassia
aw dude, I ALWAYS need a real cello...i could be knocking on your door constantly. Eduard did a good job on this one, but next time we'll ask you to help! Thanks for stopping by...good to see you around again!
Alannah
.. heartfelt and moving piece of music ... and as a listener it fit my mood perfectly of late ..... I have plenty of reasons to feel melancholy .... but still find it interesting how one can listen to a piece of music and find it both melancholy yet uplifting at the same time .... a testament to its composers I suppose .... glad to hear that "poochie" is feeling better. Karen is truly a deserving person to have a tribute created for her.
kassia
Sorry to hear you are feeling down...glad you found something that moved you in the music. Eduard did a fabulous job taking my more somber piano tune and adding some uplifting orchestral parts. Really added some new emotion to the piece. And yes, karen is very deserving of all the love and support this community is giving. It's wonderful to see and be a part of.
MarkHolbrook
Wonderful in every way. To Waverly and Karen! All the best!
Drak and Kassia... couldn't think of two more talented and wonderful people!
Thank you.
kassia
I can think of a very wonderful and talented person named MARK! Thanks as always for your great words. I know that Eduard and Karen and I all really appreciate you for the great guy that you are...thanks for being such a wonderfully supportive and encouraging friend to us all, mark.
lengold
beautiful.
Cheers
Len
drakonis
Thank you so much for listening and commenting. It was easy to write something like this for the beautiful Karen, and with the beautiful Shay.
VicDiesel
That piano of course carries it, but I like the orchestral touches. You build them up and put them together very well.
drakonis
It was hard at times for me to think of what I could possibly add to that piano line, Shay's awesome. Thank you for your careful and discerning ear... so glad you enjoyed what we did. I look forward to more recorderings (sic) from you soon.
Morning Light
What kindness and grace you have in this collab. My bests to Magnatone and Waverly.... may he be healed fast.....this is just absolutely georgeous and loving. Very cool :)
drakonis
Good to see you Linda! Thank you for participating in the healing thoughts for Waverly... I'm always glad to see you stop by, thank you for listening and offering your thoughts.
Yup. Always a pleasure Eduard.
Very pretty, or rather joyful/sorrowful (if that makes sense to you).
I also hope Waverly gets feeling better soon. Hang in there Karen!
Be well friend!
drakonis
joy/sorrow is exactly the thin line we were trying to straddle here, so if you heard it, then we are happy and sad! Or something like that. Thank you for taking time to listen, and send your thoughts on to Karen and Waverly.
Gato
Ok this is lovely, heartfelt and heartwarming.Looking at that picture I really want to hug that dog! I do so hope is is feeling better soon.I know my animal children mean the world to me( as I have a cat in my lap as we type).Great work to the both of you.Loved the keyboard and the orchestration was superb.Faved for sure
drakonis
When my cat passed away at 19 several years ago, I was a mess for days. Still makes my heart ache. I wanted to do something special for Karen, and Shay was so kind to help. I'm a huge fan of your sweeping orchestral works, and am very happy that you listened and enjoyed the sparse orchestration... I'm always surprised at how long it takes to write so few notes. :-)
ttfn,
Drakonis
Rocha Malhada
Great composition and beautiful piano part accompaniment. I think it captures the emotion very well.
. - Harold
drakonis
such a fun supporter you are. Thank you for listening and cheering up Karen... even throwing that virtual ball for Waverly. So glad you enjoyed this and offered your thoughts.
gail60
I really enjoyed this and appreciate the feelings that you sent with it. Our animals are our family and we love them too. Here is hoping this song and the love and care that it was made with, help Waverly live a better, longer life. :) Great job Eduard and Shay. Just wonderful. Such nice people at Macjams.....
drakonis
Look who's talking! Dear Gail, your one of the many huge hearts here.. thank you for making this such a great place. I love your piano work and singing as well, and am glad you are here! Thank you for listening to our contribution to the Make-Karen-Smile club :-)
ttfn,
Drakonis
CraizeeMusic
very good! I love it! Very moving and deep. That is an amazing composition. Thanks for sharing!
drakonis
Glad you dropped in to listen, thank you! I just heard one of your recent (and moody) piano pieces too... excellent work! Music is a good way to convey mood and messages. Shay's piano work here really does that!
ttfn,
Drakonis
TomFairnie
What a gorgeous piece this is, very evocative and meaningful. Some beautiful piano sounds and melodic rises and falls, well done!
drakonis
That's a compliment from you, thank you for listening (and feeling inspired to play along with your guitar, that was nice to know you were doing!) I shall have to kidnap you and your guitar sometime to replace my cheesy guitar scores with something more real, if you are interested! Thank you again for stopping in to listen and comment, I appreciate it greatly!
ttfn,
Drakonis
michael2
you know that waiting for a new Drakonis is a bit like waiting for a Zeppelin reunion. you know it's gonna happen, you can't wait and when you least expect it....
this is a great tribute and a super nice gesture on your part. beyond that it sounds amazing. you always have a way with melody and arrangement. been busy and just got around to this one, glad i didn't miss it.
drakonis
Always great to hear from you too! I have this feeling that every time I add another note to one of my pieces, you have written a whole new cool piece and posted it! So hard to move the mouse around with these big claws. :-) But I'm happy to know you wait for me to "Plant" all the notes on the "Page".
Kassia really carries this with her piano work, I just added a little oomph here and there, and prodded her with the idea to send a musical note to a friend... Macjams is an incredibly special place. Not sure how I snuck in here, but I ain't leaving now! (Dragons are like that.) :-) I must make a little time and see how many dozens of great pieces you've written while I worked on this! Off to check! And someday I must ventur(a) up to LA and say hi!
ttfn,
Drakonis
Confounded
It's a very nice and peaceful piece of music, and I think it surely did it best for the reason which made you and Kassia to create it.
The feelings that I catch from the music is Peace, Simplicity and Hope :)
Thank you for sharing.
drakonis
well, those are two good things to convey with music, not just for dogs and friends... I'm glad to hear these feelings came through for you. I always appreciate you taking time to listen to my music, thank you!
ttfn,
Drakonis
Einarus
I'm a dog owner myself and I can relate to the situation, so I hope everything turns out OK - I really do.
The song is as beautiful as its intension.
The piano sounds great and the delicate orchestration supports it very well. I couldn't help but think of "Marley & Me" - a sweet book by John Grogan - and I think this music matches a part of that book perfectly.
Heartfelt and sweet.
-Einar S.
drakonis
Thank you for listening and helping carry the good wishes forward, Einar. Very glad you enjoyed the music... I'm off to hear your new one now!
ttfn,
Drakonis
Bob Overman
I had to put on the headphones and close my eyes for this. I felt like I was walking on the clouds. Very nice.
drakonis
I didn't compress this, so you're right, it probably is best with headphones... now that I think of it, I almost never use compression... if I ever make an album, I'd probably have to call it "Music for a quiet room" :-)
Thank you for listening, commenting and floating away on the cirrus. Kassia's piano work here is breathtaking.
ttfn,
Drakonis
Rik_Berryere
...this suddenly filled me with thoughts of little Susu, a sweet cat who immediately adopted me when I left Canada to move to a different country, a different town, a different life. She immediately made me welcome as only a gentle, curious and gentle cat can. I can't believe how deeply this music is touching me... often Susu would come upstairs when I was working on some writing, or music, and ask "what'cha going?"
I had to say goodbye to her a couple of years ago, and held her so the last moment of her life was full of love and warmth. I cried like a child.
Here's to best friends.
drakonis
How strangely similar... my "best friend" of 19 years was my black family lap-cat "Sushi", whom I also held at the end, and wept for days. My two children grew up with him, so it was heart wrenching for them to lose him as well. I'm am very pleased to know our music has touched you and reminded you of those bonds. So Rik, here's to Susu.
ttfn,
Drakonis
PickQuickRecords
What first stuck out was that the horn has a really nice warm tone to it. Overall, the piece has a "calming" quality to it that speaks volumes. I believe you captured the vibe you were looking for.
Great job! Thanks for sharing.
drakonis
Ah, the tone of the french horn seduces you too... I love that sound (so does Kassia, she plays french horn, but not in this piece :-) Excellent feedback Chris, thanks for letting us know we got the right "feel."
ttfn,
Drakonis
Doadars Uncle
and a bit sorrowful. Yet, when I think about dear friends, it can become a mix of emotions.
Wonderful...
drakonis
the friends, and the emotions... that's what we tried to evoke here. Glad you got multiple feelings from it. Good friendships, when you get really close to someone, definitely stirs warmth and sorrow and all sorts of other feelings... I think it is called "being alive" :-) I like it! Doug, thanks for the comment, and being a friend!
ttfn,
Drakonis
Macaudion
Aww man... You're supposed to make me laugh and now you, along with Kassia, you have both just made me cloud up! Such a heart warming story! I hope that Mags pooch is doing well. I hope that Magnatone is doing well regardless...
Such a beautiful piece. I'm gonna have to pick on you some other time, Drak, and you know I will...
Thank you both for sharing this. Really touching. Gentle, soft, warmth and beauty all come to mind while listening, but not "stud pooch"... LOL...
Macca
drakonis
Glad I dodged THAT bullet... you can be one severe dude... oh wait, that's somebody else I'm thinking of, never mind. You're just an old softy, like me!
Kassia's piano work melts me, and I just added little flourishes here and there, this was a gift to Magnatone, and I'm glad you stopped by to listen. Sounds like it had its intended effect, too.
Please please feel free to critique the HECK out of anything of mine, you know I love to find out what I can improve! I'm always glad to see you back around, D.
ttfn,
Drakonis
richardhowardjones
Simply beautiful from both of you, Eduard and Kassia and a lovely gift for both Karen and cool canine compadre Waverly.
drakonis
always astute and amazingly alliterative!
Thanks for listening halfway around the world and enjoying our little creation here, Richard! Hope you'll be enjoying a "subarashii" holiday over there. We're crossing our fingers here for Waverly to hang in there!
ttfn,
Drakonis
bud
well better than never. Excellent collab Kas and Drak - and a really generous thing to do. Beautiful playing an arrangement/production. Glad I stopped by.
drakonis
Just fashionable... after all, 'tis the season to be busy, boy do I know that! But, I'm elated you stopped in and listened and commented. You are a wonderful hard-working pillar of Macjammerosity! Kassia's piano playing is always emotionally gripping, it seemed a perfect gift for Waverly and Karen.
ttfn,
Drakonis
Bob Rodgers
sorry to be so late here and I missed this Eduard.
This is beautiful and such a lovely piece of music, Karen's piano sounds lovely and mixed with your orchestration this song sounds superb!
Very much enjoyed and I hope Waverly is well now.
Bob
Bob Rodgers
Karen just informed me that it was Kassia who played the piano on this lovely song!
Sorry maybe I've had too much wine!!
Bob
drakonis
Hi Bob, welcome to the Karen-appreciation society! ;-) Waverly seems to be doing much better for now, according to Karen, so Kassia and I are hoping this music therapy helped a bit. Thank you for listening... it's hard to go wrong with Kassia providing the main piano backbone here... my embellishments were minor (well, sometimes a minor seventh) but constructed out of friendship.
ttfn,
Drakonis
SISTERS
this is gorgeous. that moment kassia's piano breaks through the sweet wall of strings/cello/horn is gonna stay stuck in my brain for a long time. the arrangement is stellar, and the mood is magnificently mellow.
lovely creation, folks!
anne
drakonis
seems to be "friends" in the air... loved your re-entry piece too. Kassia's piano work is great, and I didn't want to add to much to it... good to hear you enjoyed the balance. Welcome back!
ttfn,
Drakonis