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I Sail On by TobinMueller [Email]
Genre: Piano

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SONG STATS:
Hits: 2655
Comments: 47
Votes: 36
Plays: 753
Last Played: Jun 14, 2008 - 01:08:50 PM
Downloads: 175
Fans: 6
Uploaded: Apr 05, 2005 - 03:07:17 PM
Last Updated: Dec 18, 2007 - 01:16:56 PM
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Keywords:
jazz (385), new age (93), classical (372), neo-classical (25), acoustic (472), piano (604), instrumental (417), Morning Whispers (7), keyboard (41), keyboards (34), Ivory (10), neoclassical (7)
Description:
This is the second to last song in my solo piano commission in which I am creating a series of mainly New Age/Neo-Classical piano pieces. This one started off as a fantasy on the pentatonic scale, altho you will see I added liberally to the normal 5 note pallet. I was also trying to create a homage to the great Dave Brubeck, utilizing some of his rhythmic and left/right hand techniques. Altho the framework is 3/4, many passages use shifting signatures. As with all the other pieces in this collection, I change keys constantly. (I'm really having fun with this project.)

What is particularly exciting about this piece is that, after hearing my mix draft, Troy asked if I wanted to develop it into a Prog Rock song with him. So we have begin our first collaboration together. I wanted to post this original version so that whatever we come up with has context.

(I originally posted this under classical music, hence the comments mentioning this. I since decided it should be under jazz.)

This is the sixth track of my solo piano CD "Morning Whispers" - available through Simig Media, iTunes and CDBaby.

Lyrics:
Solo piano instrumental. Please listen in headphones it you can. You can hear all the songs I have completed so far on my Morning Whispers project page.


Hardware:
Roland A-90ex 88 key controller.
Mac G4.

Software:
GB2; Ivory AU - Yamaha Grand setting
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Wicked Waltz &mdash 04/05/05 - 03:26:08 PM
Masterful technique. This piece swings, too. Excellent
pounding, pulsing, stormy seas. A real showcase for the
Ivory AU - Yamaha Grand setting.

I love the middle section, which I'm guessing is the
expansion of the pentatonic scale (sounds satanic). Full
range of colors, rhythms, full of joy & terror.

Is this only two hands? Incredible stuff, Tobin. It rocks
already, without Troy.

[ Reply to This ]
Wicked Waltz &mdash 04/05/05 - 03:27:32 PM
p.s. like the artwork, too.

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Wicked Waltz &mdash 04/06/05 - 09:17:51 AM
Thanks. I started out with the pentatonic scale section and built backwards to
put in the opening. And then I used swing variations of the opening in the
recapitulation. The dissonant middle section in 3/4 started out as a 2
measure transition and I liked it so much I expand it, twice. I am looking
forward to re-arranging the piece with troy. Already, just hearing the song
with power organs and chorused electric piano makes it into an entirely new
song.

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Shifting currents... &mdash 04/05/05 - 04:12:03 PM

Having lived on a 35 ft. sailboat and sailed off the
east coast, I listended to this from a sailor' vantage.
First, this is a beautifully written and performed
piece. Very enjoyable.

Your use of the pentatonic scale nicely sets up and plays out the changing moods on a sailboat
as one cruises. Often peaceful yet with slight
anxious undertones and thoughts as one gazes at
the horizon attempting to interpret the next set of
clouds moving in. The slight dissonance of the
melody line tracks those somewhat contrasting
inward experiences while onboard.

The varying shifts and tempos along with the interplay between the light middle range notes and the lower bass notes highlight in my mind the
changing nature of the wind. Light and breezy
much of the time and then suddenly a heavier rush that baces the senses. Nothing regular for too
long.

Change and shifts are the norm. And that is what
is so appealing about sailing and this piano piece.

Jack

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Shifting currents... &mdash 04/06/05 - 09:30:57 AM
Jack, totally cool that you felt all these things. This is what I was going for,
capturing my own moments on a sailboat (on lakes and in the ocean),
imagining my father's while in the Navy, compressing all the feelings of wind
and freedom, trepidation and strain. The pentatonic scale was like a wave,
lasting a few notes longer, ranging a bit higher than anticipated, skipping
over notes with ease. And I always love it when I can play the absolute lowest
and highest note on the keyboard in the same tune. Thanks for all you
impressions, I really appreciate them.

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Started out great... &mdash 04/05/05 - 07:48:23 PM
...but just kept getting better, and better, and better.
Damned if I know what a pentatonic scale is (I'll look
it up in a sec) but this music was so damned
intriguing, and it grabbed me by the ears and showed
me a whole other side of music. The piano sounds
awsome!!!

This rocks. a lot!



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Started out great... &mdash 04/07/05 - 10:37:25 AM
For the 5-note scale, just think of the black keys. This was based on a whole
tone feel, too, where I went up the scale without using half notes: C, D, F#,
G#, A#... which also equals 5. But I never stuck with any rules, just played
what I thought sounded right.

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This is why &mdash 04/05/05 - 08:22:10 PM
I wish I could play the piano. Really fantastic piece here- if
I had any idea about music composition I would say this
was well thought and and extremely well executed....
hmmm... I guess it doesn't take a pro to realize that after
all. Very lively and entertaining!

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yo &mdash 04/05/05 - 08:57:52 PM
yo, ur really talented on the keys. This was good, but I've
certainly heard better from u. Good job.

Mr. S

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yo &mdash 04/06/05 - 09:41:25 AM
I agree. I rank other compositions higher, too. But I never know what
resonates, so I wanted to share it. Mainly, it was becuz of Troy's enthusiasm
that I posted it. From my personal favorites perspective, it doesn't have the
same spiritually uplifting appeal as many of my other pieces in my Morning
Whispers project, but this one is turbulent, fast paced and visual, and I
thought it might be nice to share on Macjams.

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Dance &mdash 04/05/05 - 09:04:13 PM
Very engaging piece, Tobin. It seems like something that
would be great for a dance performance. I can hear the
conflict and tension and the unfolding of some
relationship, all in an intricate dance, a waltz almost at
times, sometimes almost a tango, sometimes a knife fight,
but always alive. Bravo!

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Dance &mdash 04/06/05 - 09:55:15 AM
Just another day on board The Macjammer. Yes, I'd love to see this danced!
My first commission (30 years ago!) was for a ballet and I have always loved
working with dancers. That gives me an idea...

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Wow &mdash 04/05/05 - 09:51:36 PM

Amazing use of that pentatonic scale!
I really like the rhythm shifts as the piece develops.
And you make it all sound so effortless...

Very nice!



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Nice pict with the music too. &mdash 04/05/05 - 10:12:51 PM
Your sure have magnificent ideas here.
Sounds very advanced
Your dissonant cords mix in with the jazzy type rhythm is
outstanding. The bass and the higher notes on the piano
at the end are just sublime.

Thanks for sharing

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Nice pict with the music too. &mdash 04/15/05 - 12:05:53 PM
Thanks. I tried to create open lines and dissonant chords, as a contrast, but
voiced everything to sound free. I actually started it less jazzy, but it grew
more so as I played and replayed. Thanks for the careful listen.

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A great listen &mdash 04/05/05 - 11:27:03 PM
Dunno about Classical... but a stunning piece. The piano
sample is sick! I've been looking for a GOOD piano for a
LONG time. Many are good at certain ranges but not the
entire length of the keyboard.

nice

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A great listen &mdash 04/06/05 - 09:50:01 AM
Not sure about Classical either. I played it like a Dave Brubeck modern
classical jazz mix, but it didn't really sound like a jazz submission,
throughout. Like many tracks, not sure where to place it. I wish the Ivory AU
sounded better in the mid-keyboard range, too. And didn't ring so much on
certain high notes. But when I'm playing it using my Sennheiser headphones,
it sounds quite good and helps to keep me inspired. The piano is so hard to
mic.

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okay, just one more.. &mdash 04/06/05 - 01:08:37 AM
before i go to bed. gonna be dreaming of ocean spray,
rocking waves & rhythmic raindrops. wonderful
performance, tobin. can't wait to see what you & troy
come up with

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Fun &mdash 04/06/05 - 10:03:00 AM
I'm a rhythm freak!

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Totally Cool &mdash 04/06/05 - 10:32:32 AM
...As usual

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nice. &mdash 04/06/05 - 02:17:54 PM
...dave brubeck eh? certainly a legend to live by. This
piece definitly shows off some of his techniques. I'd even
suggest more rhythmic differentiation ( use brubeck's
subtle 9/8 time signature for some flare?). just some
thoughts, im working on blue rondo a la turk now with a
piano/percussion ensemble, deffinitly some nice ideas
here.

good job.

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nice. &mdash 04/07/05 - 11:00:53 AM
The swing of the 3/4 kind of sounded like 9/8. There were sections I just
played and didn't know what time signature it was until I had to score it out,
letting the line run as long as it seemed it wanted to be. Thanks for your
comments.

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Wave theory &mdash 04/06/05 - 02:46:18 PM
You are riding a nice wave with this piano soliloquy.
Excellent stuff. Compares favorably to the grooves on my
old Dave Brubek platter.

I can hardly wait to see how Troy messes with it.

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I can't wait to ruin it! &mdash 04/06/05 - 05:43:04 PM
Yeah, it's goona be a lot of fun.

Fantastic piece, my favorite of yours.

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I can't wait to ruin it! &mdash 04/07/05 - 10:32:53 AM
It'll be totally fun. I was never thinking of any other sound besides piano
when writing this, so everything will be a surprise. Thanks for enjoying the
piece so much.

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I love it I hate you &mdash 04/06/05 - 09:48:09 PM
Gosh, Tobin, you make it sound so effortless and fun.
I don't think i could ever remember all those parts, let
alone play them. I even love the air in between the notes.
Wicked!

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I love it I hate you &mdash 04/09/05 - 09:25:09 AM
When I'm writing music like this, I play measures over and over, changing a
note here, and voicing there, making everyone in earshot crazy. Then I write
it out before performing (or, actually, I write it out lying on the couch,
sometimes, before I play it over and over), always using pencil. Every note
causes consternation; so many choices, you know. I wish I could play piano
from the couch. Thanks for the comments.

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Wow! &mdash 04/06/05 - 11:48:36 PM
Great playing, man. It's scary how good this is. It
progresses in such an awesome way. All I can say is wow!
Great work, keep jamming!

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Wow! &mdash 04/15/05 - 02:37:10 PM
Thanks for noticing how it progresses. I try and write sections that are related
to each other yet not actual variations, and I try to never repeat a section
exactly, and then combine differing sections in the later part of the song to
bring it all together. I love writing complex stuff, the thrill of the challenge,
the synthesis of genres. It is very cool that you dig it.

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Excellent &mdash 04/07/05 - 03:58:20 AM
I love your playing here - energy, wit, sense of style. I
don't get a sense of open seas here though, but maybe
with a spray bottle of salt water squirted in my face and
my fan turned on high ... :)

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Excellent &mdash 04/07/05 - 03:59:26 AM
P.S. Former navy myself, but mostly shore duty ....

---
Mungo

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Blow me away &mdash 04/07/05 - 06:49:24 AM
Yeah, it starts like a clean crisp romp, turns into speed
and war, and rides rough and hip waters. Never a placid
sea. Your swing kept it fun and your playing, realizing you
are making all this up on top of the technically proficient
stuff, blows me away in a sail. No grain of salt with this
one, a full bottle.

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Blow me away &mdash 04/15/05 - 02:19:19 PM
Thanks. I really enjoy your descriptive and imaginative comments. You help
make the comments section as entertaining as the music.

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Simply &mdash 04/07/05 - 11:00:58 PM
an impressive piece of complex music.

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Simply &mdash 04/15/05 - 02:22:59 PM
Thanks. I added a lot of complexity to this one. Lots of internal shifts in keys
and wonky hand positions to make it all come out. Didn't want to ever get
bored while playing this one. Lucky I have a long nose to handle the odd
middle C.

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tripping over the keys/waves &mdash 04/08/05 - 09:26:37 AM
that middle section is awesome. the variations you put this through are wonderful. although most people don't realize you strated this song without the swing aspect, i really like the tripping over the waves feel the swing playing gives. there is a ringing in 2 or 3 of those keys, but it is still way better than the piano in the livingroom! great playing, great writing.

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Tone poem &mdash 04/09/05 - 02:33:14 PM
Made me think of the tone poems of ealier composers, capturing an event without using obvious techniques to make it sail (like fog horns and sea shanty themes). Masterful songwriting, man. Or, I guess, when it is music like this, masterful composing.

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Tone poem &mdash 04/15/05 - 03:09:09 PM
Thanks, Del. I always have stuff in my head, like places and images, and try
and hold things in my chest, like emotions and longings, to help get me
where I end up going in a piece. I dig the way you seem to know what I'm
trying to do with my stuff, whether it is poems or music. Thanks for listening
so closely.

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Modernization of sound &mdash 04/10/05 - 12:14:13 PM
I like the really modern sounding chords here, and the
randomness and lack of a standard chord progession.
This really sounds modern to my ear, and I think that
music like this is not far from becoming more
mainstream. As we have all heard 1 4 5 so much, this
kind of music sounds fresh and very inventive. Great
performance as well.

There is certainly some clipping going on in some of the
first accented piano notes early on in the piece. Really not
easy to completely avoid clipping though as I ceratainly
have my share of clipped sections in my work.

Aslo seems that the piece is heavier on the right side. As
this is just a piano solo, I wonder if that is the way that
you intended it to be, or if it should be equally weighted
on both the left and right channels.



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Modernization of sound &mdash 04/15/05 - 02:45:37 PM
Thanks for your observations. I am almost certain that there is no clipping on
this track. I checked it on a couple systems and had Alimar listen, who has
better ears and equipment than I, and he can't detect any clipping either.
There are moments of forte attacks and some thick chords that can create
distortion in certain speakers (for example, my studio monitors sometimes
distort at 400k), but there is none on the track itself. As for the left-right
leveling, since I have constant sinus and eustachian tube troubles due to
allergies, etc., I am not the best at balancing out left-right; but the balance in
this case was determined by the stereo field created in the Ivory AU. Since the
piece is actually played right of center on the piano keyboard (with much
more playing above middle C than below), that could be one explanation.

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What can I say &mdash 04/12/05 - 12:35:17 AM
Great stuff !!!!

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A very good track &mdash 04/15/05 - 06:03:53 PM
Tobin, sounds great. I like the counterpoint and the
parallel harmonies. Your chord choices are often
unpredictable, but always tasteful.

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A very good track &mdash 01/09/06 - 01:44:36 PM
Thanks. I try for that balance between unpredictable and enhanced tasteful
entertainment. I appreciate your comments from a master of the jazz style as
you are. I never made the transition totally into jazz with this piece (it was
originally written with no jazz stylings in mind) and I hope its between genre feel
made it more unique.

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Wow... &mdash 04/22/05 - 08:37:00 PM
I love how the seeming randomness implies the shifting moods of the sea.

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Yeah!! &mdash 12/03/05 - 03:10:44 PM
Really cool tune!!!

I'd love to hear what you're able to do in an jazz improv setting...combo
or big band perhaps.

Your solo work is no doubt very fine...

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different! &mdash 01/24/07 - 04:55:21 PM
and great - and very nice playing there...

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outstanding &mdash 05/01/07 - 01:05:53 PM
this is a great piece of music. i would categorize it as jazz, but that's me. sometimes the genre thing can be confusing, this really beautiful whatever you want to call it. i love when the dissonance creeps in, and the little runs are reminiscent of Debussy. truly inspired.

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