Morning Whispers

TobinMueller

Genre: Piano

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Description

This is the title piece for a series of solo piano commissioned works using Synthogy's Ivory AU, Morning Whispers. (I have since rerecorded it for the album, taking into mind the critiques below.) This track features the Bosendorfer 290 Imperial Grand. The track highlights the mid range of the piano, with use of wonderful bass notes half way in. The chord progression takes me back to the early 80s, other pianists I shared many evenings with, and the thrill of developing the sound that turned into "New Age." (Artwork is a photograph I took of Suzanne at sunset just outside Provincetown MA.)

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Lyrics

Morning Whispers can be purchased from Simig Media, all proceeds go to Macjams.

Song Stats

Hits: 3229
Comments: 33
Fans: 7
Plays: 558
Downloads: 199
Votes: 33
Uploaded: Jan 27, 2005 - 09:35:06 AM
Last Updated: Jan 04, 2008 - 08:24:02 AM Last Played: Sep 09, 2009 - 12:20:35 PM

Song License

Creative Commons License:
Attribution-NoDerivs-NonCommercial

Song Actions

Keywords:

jazz (501), new age (128), classical (456), acoustic (588), piano (715), solo piano (22), instrumental (564), Morning Whispers (7), keyboard (60), keyboards (37), Ivory (10)

Hardware:

Played on a 88-key Roland A-90ex controller keyboard.
Sounds best in headphones.

Software:

GB 1.1; Ivory grand piano AU plug in by Synthogy. Mastered in Peak.

Comments

Peter Greenstone

Peter Greenstone said 1761 days ago (January 27th, 2005)

beautiful
Really nice piece, Tobin. It sure sounds good when you
have the full range of the piano sampled. Very full sound.
Lovely melody. Reminds me of listening to George
Winston in the winter when I was going to school in
Colorado.

There are some points where I wish for a gentler touch on
the keys, but mostly the performance sounds like just the
right touch.

Check out my latest song called From Nothing

TobinMueller

TobinMueller said 1758 days ago (January 30th, 2005)

beautiful
Thanks. About the amount of light/heavy touch used in this piece: It was a
choice to tend toward the confident as opposed to the sweet, to keep it from
becoming too sentimental, if that makes sense. There is a kind of anthem
quality to the piece, but the Bosendorfer samples spread or splash a bit when
pushed. Yet my commission's ears, after hearing my first version, wanted it to
show more passion, so this is what I wanted to achieve, a sense of boiling
beneath a restrained surface. I've listened to recordings of Bosendorfer
grands and this actually compares very well. What people often forget is that
the AU necessarily emulates a recording of a piano, not the sound a piano
makes live. A piano is very difficult to mic. So the AU must be compared to a
recording, not a live performance. Also, the AIFF has much more resonance in
the bass than this mp3.

Check out my latest song called Forge A New Life (MJRF)

Tom Atwood

Tom Atwood said 1761 days ago (January 27th, 2005)

Warmth
I love this piece, and the lower range, the bass notes are
stunning. For me, in the mid range, the piano sounds a
little thin, or tinny. Maybe this has something to do with
the 'compression' you mention in the description. It lacks
the warmth of a real piano--and I'm guessing that is in
the recording, not in the playing.

Beautiful, moving work.

Check out my latest song called Keep Looking for Jesus (MJRF)

TobinMueller	TobinMueller said 1758 days ago (January 30th, 2005)
	Warmth It was my experience with this compressed mp3 file that it sounds much better in headphones, where the hammer action and other audio details can be heard. The AIFF is much warmer. But thanks for noticing the warmth in the composition itself. That is what is really important, for me. Check out my latest song called Forge A New Life (MJRF)

macapa	macapa said 1761 days ago (January 27th, 2005)
	Fabulous sound! This piece sounds really really good and is a pleasure to listen to. Download worthy! :-)

TobinMueller	TobinMueller said 1758 days ago (January 30th, 2005)
	Fabulous sound! Thanks. I love it how your ears appreciate everything. Check out my latest song called Forge A New Life (MJRF)

aclarke	aclarke said 1761 days ago (January 27th, 2005)
	Stirring Lovely piece...very moving as stated above- very beautifully done. Check out my latest song called Ballad of The Little Tiki

Cameron

Cameron said 1761 days ago (January 27th, 2005)

lovely voicings
The piano sound is very good, and respectable in its tone
quality.

It especially comes alive when you include bass notes,
though. The mid-range by itself, to my ears, is ever-so-
slightly dry.

Could this be remedied somewhat by a little more sustain?
Or would that be too muddy?

I really like the voicings you use on this piece; they are
very rich and full.

This is definitely an excellent example of New Age piano
composition and playing.

You captured Suzanne's impish facial expression perfectly
in the song art. (ducking)

Check out my latest song called EPONYM

TobinMueller

TobinMueller said 1758 days ago (January 30th, 2005)

lovely voicings
Thanks for noticing the voicings. I paid special attention to them in this
composition. As for the use of hold pedal, I wanted to keep it at a minimum
for contrasting reasons, in that many other pieces in this series use a lot of
sustain pedal so i wanted this one to be slightly more present. I tried to
capture a chamber room ambience, nothing larger.

Check out my latest song called Forge A New Life (MJRF)

Truth42	Truth42 said 1760 days ago (January 27th, 2005)
	Excellent musicianship This is really moving. I'd like to hear some strings added. Excellently played. Check out my latest song called Hide And Seek

DeputyDoofy	DeputyDoofy said 1760 days ago (January 28th, 2005)
	Very nice. I enjoy a good piano tune and this does not disappoint. :) I see that someone bombed this song. It almost looks like a 4-bomb - I'm not very good at reading those little charts . lol Check out my latest song called Sweet Smell Of Success

Suzanne

Suzanne said 1760 days ago (January 28th, 2005)

it shines...!
it shines with softness and beginnings, with simplicity and unp[osken passion, spoken with restraint from a precious genius. when you started this solo piano series, you told me you were asked to write songs that "opened up the spirit." for me, this piece does that and more. all these comments about the sound of the piano plug in, aren't they beside the point? makes it sound like you are the sound designer of the AU instead of the composer/performer of the song. i let myself hear your music and it truly opens me, like a morning whisper. thank you for this.

Check out my latest song called Rock The Baby With Voodoo (w/Tobin)

Cameron	Cameron said 1760 days ago (January 28th, 2005)
	it shines...! Hi, Suzanne! When Tobin first submitted a piece using this piano sound, I was under the impression that he wanted comments and observations about it. I think it sounds very good for the most part, and I truly enjoyed Tobin's composition and performance on this. In no way did I mean to denigrate. Check out my latest song called EPONYM

Suzanne	Suzanne said 1760 days ago (January 28th, 2005)
	it shines...! thanks. oh, and that is me in the far right corner of the photo... I look much more like me in the 8x10 version. cape cod is my favorite place on earth. --- morning girl Check out my latest song called Rock The Baby With Voodoo (w/Tobin)

TobinMueller

TobinMueller said 1758 days ago (January 30th, 2005)

it shines...!
Cameron's right, I had asked for AU reviews when I posted the first three
songs of the commission on my ArtsForge website. Now that I've played with
the AU more, I'm not using the Ivory Bosendorfer any more, since I don't
really like its mid-range responsiveness, even tho I think it is on a par or
better than several Deutsche Grammophon recordings I have. As I move
forward with the series of songs, I am concerned only with composition,
though; and performances that highlight the music well. (Oh, Suzanne,
thanks for making Cape Cod one of my favorite places too.)

Check out my latest song called Forge A New Life (MJRF)

thetiler	thetiler said 1760 days ago (January 28th, 2005)
	Picture and music :) It seems like it is always a treat to go to your music. The picture is so beautiful. The music is blends in nice with the photo. Great job as usual! Check out my latest song called The Bluebird Cafe (with two other guest)

Uber	Uber said 1758 days ago (January 29th, 2005)
	so many good things.... Nice piece. It definitely has a "take you there" quality. I must, being me, however agree with pgreenstone...I was distracted by the forte treatment of many of the passages.....there was a dynamic surge to the rhythmic ebb and flow to be sure, I was wanting a less-heavy touch.

said 1758 days ago (January 30th, 2005)

That's a piano, alright
This sounds real good to my ear. My ear is not so
nearly fine-tuned to the nuances of piano as others,
so I cannot suggest any way this can be improved.

Technically, the things I listen for are the singularity
of notes and chords vs. reverb/sustain levels,
quantization vs. floating rhythm, and overall
frequency response. Artistically, I am hopeful a song
can evoke a feeling. This composition satisfies both
hemispheres of my brain.

So, Tobin, you really had a hand in developing New
Age music? Awesome.

TobinMueller

TobinMueller said 1758 days ago (January 30th, 2005)

That's a piano, alright
Thanks for your lovely comments. About the New Age scene, yes. When I was
just out of college, after my Third Wave jazz days had run their course, I
began experimenting with a different style of playing. I wrote some
incidental music for theatre, solo piano and cello pieces in this style,
thinking I was doing something unique, and was stunned and thrilled to hear
others developing the same sound. It was like a parallel muse was moving
through us all. Something about the times. Trying to find a way to express a
vision of fulfillment, a sense of the power of peace, an alternative to
improvisation yet wanting to create a free floating sense of structure within
highly composed pieces. So we shared and inspired and cross-pollinated. I
am enjoying revisiting the feeling playing like this brings.

Check out my latest song called Forge A New Life (MJRF)

	said 1756 days ago (January 31st, 2005)
	That's a piano, alright We'll call you Historic Tobin! Bravo. Ah, but you are a man for all seasons. You continue your musical journey and we at MacJams are honored to help you in the dispersal and collection of new seeds of inspiration. --- www.schletty.com/indwellings/

TennesseeVic	TennesseeVic said 1758 days ago (January 30th, 2005)
	Are you serious about that bass? Ok, I've never sat behind a Boesendorfer, but I've played occasional Steinway Ds, and these bass notes don't sound real to me. The midrange sound fine, though. Check out my latest song called Tecmo Superbowl 2009 w/ Dead End (MJRF 2004)

TobinMueller

TobinMueller said 1758 days ago (January 30th, 2005)

Are you serious about that bass?
I've sat behind one and, yes, the sound does not compare to the experience
of playing live. One of the things I had to get used to. Now I merely want to
experience a great recorded emulation, not a live sound (or feel,
sense you can feel the sound of a real piano in the air, too). Truly, before any
bouncing to disk is done, the sound I get from this AU while playing is
excellent. The very sounds inspired me to keep playing. But the process, from
iTunes to mp3 conversion, all takes away from the total resonance. As I have
wished throughout my years in the studio, I wish everyone could hear what I
hear before mix down, right off the pre-master. (By the way, the Yamaha
grand in Ivory sounds better than both the Bosendorfer and Steinway, so go
figure. What the Bosendorfer gives you are a few extra keys in the bottom
range, which is fun.)

Check out my latest song called Forge A New Life (MJRF)

SlimGirlFat	SlimGirlFat said 1755 days ago (February 2nd, 2005)
	Very Nice Beautifully played Tobin. SlimGirlFat Check out my latest song called Not Enough

Rebsie	Rebsie said 1755 days ago (February 2nd, 2005)
	Fine piano work I can understand your frustration at not being able to capture the original richness of tone in the final mixdown, but the soul of the piece comes shining through regardless. A lovely performance. Check out my latest song called Amongst The Colours (w/ Luna Trick)

drakonis

drakonis said 1755 days ago (February 2nd, 2005)

Black Leather Piano
With tongue planted firmly in cheek, I have to comment on
the S&M Typo in the song name... "Whipsers"? Maybe only
I thought that was very funny.

But on to the music. Beautiful... very expressive and
flowing. The really low notes are indeed almost too rich,
and are on the verge of synthetic sounding, however, that
brings up a point you and others touched on in these
comments. My step-daughter plays piano, and mentioned
that one of the things she loves about playing is the
visceral tactile feedback she gets from the vibration of the
instrument back up her arms and resonance in her body
from being right there by the instrument (this is really
true of all instrument playing, not just pianos.) Listening
to a sampled piano, no matter how well played, can never
capture the vibrant intamacy of "being there." Tobin,
you're right that a lot of "soul" gets stripped out when you
squish a piano through MP3 compression, and the listener
just hears vibrating paper speaker cones instead.
However, your dynamic style of playing shines through
and the rich sound of the piano sounds very good, and
the composition is gorgeous... so, um, I liked it a lot! :-)
Suzanne's lucky, she can stand there and get that piano
buzz.
ttfn,
Drakonis

Check out my latest song called Lullaby for the Inner Child

Suzanne	Suzanne said 1755 days ago (February 2nd, 2005)
	Black Leather Piano like George Snads, i prefer to lay underneath, or sit on the floor. good vibrations. and lucky, yes. i thank my lucky stars. --- morning girl Check out my latest song called Rock The Baby With Voodoo (w/Tobin)

TobinMueller	TobinMueller said 1755 days ago (February 2nd, 2005)
	Black Leather Piano drakonis, nice catch on the title typo! (I fixed it!) And thank you for your wonderful comments. I definitely feel more than just the sounds when I play. Check out my latest song called Forge A New Life (MJRF)

mulletsrock

mulletsrock said 1754 days ago (February 3rd, 2005)

Transcendant
Man, you have the greatest chord changes. So effortless, and so subtely complex. Love the rhythm between 4ths, 5ths, 6ths. Do people really get how difficult that is? to write? Sure, this is masterful new age piano writin, but its beauty transcends emulation. I can tell you were in the front lines of this genre, before it became soft jazz. This is original, as are you.

Check out my latest song called Frankenfun II (with iGStudio, Tobin, Suz...)

aclarke	aclarke said 1750 days ago (February 6th, 2005)
	!! This piece was a beautiful as a New England sunset on the Cape Cod coastline. Absolutely stunning photograph as well! Check out my latest song called Ballad of The Little Tiki

Ed Hannifin

Ed Hannifin said 1591 days ago (July 15th, 2005)

Just got back from North Truro...
...and didn't I come upon this tune tonight by
happenstance, with a bit of artwork that looks like it was
shot from the cottage at which we stayed...

The tune is pretty nice, too. It has the George Winston feel
to some extent, and in my headphones it sounds quite
rich, full, yet clear, which can be hard to do with a piano
recording. There is a speck of some sort of distortion
when some notes are pushed, but I bet I don't hear them
in the open air over speakers...

Downloaded in any case.

Check out my latest song called Next Time Around (w/jiguma)

TobinMueller	TobinMueller said 874 days ago (July 2nd, 2007)
	North Truro Way cool. Do you recognize the exact place I was standing when I took the photo? Wonderful spot. I re-recorded this for the CD, by the way, so there's no distortion on the actual track. Check out my latest song called Forge A New Life (MJRF)

seamus	seamus said 879 days ago (June 28th, 2007)
	SO SOOTHING Since I grew up with a musical family,although I spent more time painting, this is a great song, performed in the best quality I have heard in years. thanx for all you all have allowed me to hear again. Seamus

TobinMueller	TobinMueller said 874 days ago (July 2nd, 2007)
	Painting I write very visual music and was happy to hear you are also a painter. Thanks for listening with open eyes! Check out my latest song called Forge A New Life (MJRF)

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Artist Info

Name: Tobin Mueller

I am a professional musician, composer, playwright and director. I lead a charmed life. I'm married to fellow MJer Suzanne and MJer Twonicus is my son. See my Spotlight Interview - Tobin Mueller: Talking With Myself in the Macjams Music Blog. You... [see more]

Check out some of my other songs:

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