A daily (more or less) diary of improvisation tracks, since I'm too frazzled and distracted to edit & produce.

"Prelude—Swamp King" was written in late 2016. In April 2020, I decided rather than stew in half-done projects, I'd just post raw improvisation, returning to more polished efforts when (and if) the situation improves.

Hear my cries against the madness!

Quarantine Musical Diary

A bunch of my songs, most improvised, many unedited, none really ready for release, but rather than let them sit on my hard drive...

I hope someone gets some enjoyment; I enjoyed creating them.

My music (Playlist)

The moment I heard David Hilowitz's Mandoline Guitarophone patch I knew I needed a version that covered the full range beyond the capabilities of the physical instrument. So using the original patch, I set out to create it, reusing the various samples in other ranges slightly different ways, to give a very playable full-range instrument.

I paired it with VenusTheory's Volitions patch, itself an extended-range patch based on violin samples.

This was *supposed* to be a quick demo of the two patches together. I didn't intend to write a symphony.  It turned out to not be so quick, as I explored the possibilities for sketching out orchestral ideas (hence the name; it isn't really an orchestral sound per se). The combination allows me to both play stacatto/percussive and sustained parts based on how I play the notes. This is all from a single improvisation session. 

I may take these ideas and edit/extend/revise them. There are a couple ideas in here from the piece I was writing for my sister Susan's memorial service, if we are ever able to hold it. My WIP on that was unfortunately lost, but the key theme lives on in this piece, and I think it pairs nicely here.

I think the only editing in this version is removal of a few bars of silence between sections that I found too long. I put multiple instances of each instrument to add a bit of fullness and boosted the bass/midrange a bit.

This is the full version. An earlier version lacked the prelude and was messed up in various ways.

The New Orchestra (reupload)

Horror and outrage at what was about to happen to our country.
Prelude to a planned album of horrors.

Prelude -- The Swamp King -- DRAFT MC

This is a demo of one reason for choosing a particular key, for a Quora answer.
The same section is repeated, once in the key of C, then in G.
Listen closely to the bass. (You may need headphones, depending on your computer speakers).
The first section is muddled, because C puts the bass out of its effective range.
Putting it in the key of G makes it work.  Bringing it up an octave from the original would lose some of the impact of the deep bass.

Quora Answer

Key Demo

The piano is Alicia Keyes's sampled grand. This originated as an improvisation to explore the piano's range of sounds for my daughter, who ordinarily plays our Casio PX-110.

Reflections on a Rainy Eve (v1)

A quick improv I  did just because this voice was sitting there wanting to be played with.

The Woodsprite's Harp

Just a quick improvisation while composing a tweet about improvisation.

A calm place

Unedited raw improvisation. It's hard for me to focus on arranging and editing right now, between maintaining my health and temporary role as kitchen gnome for my family for isolation reasons. Not to mention watching this crisis unfold in all its inept, avoidable glory.

Prelude -- The Swamp King -- DRAFT MC

Bob Kerns