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)

Urgent Delivery draft_pam

Despite the odds, despite the risks, we must prevail; we must get the message through.

This is the result of a class on traditional analog synthesis I took from Coursera.

My process was a bit different than what I'm accustomed to. It started from a classic 40-bar Etude format (intro, groove, breakdown, climax, outro), the core of which I laid down as a single improvisation, and creating new sounds and textures to layer, and finally expanding it by repeating and varying sections.

I created all sounds in the piece using the Sonar 2 synthesis plugin. I am more experienced with other forms of synthesis, such as FM and sample/wavetable based approaches, but I found Sonar 2's ability to have parameters modulate other parameters gave me a lot of ability to tune the behavior of the sounds, including how they respond to velocity and how they vary across the range.

Cataclysms and Catch Phrases

Urgent

Surveying the aftermath, there is no room for sorrow; no time for anger. Those who remain must somehow build anew.

A piano improvisation I did in early February, 2016, layered with strings and percussion.

This is a remastered version of a prior upload.

The Aftermath

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.

Waiting for the Surge

Exponential Sadness March

The Nursing Home

The Pro-Virus Rally, feat The Infectors

#5, for 2020-04-18: Make Our Workers Work!

Let the workers risk working so the profits may resume.

Again, highly dissonant, with a driven mechanistic bass, because I'm pissed as hell.

Raw unedited improvisation, single kbd, single take.

Make Our Workers Work!

Interstitial

And then I fell ill...had to break isolation to get tested for COVID-19 (negative), chest X-Ray, and more. Antibiotics fixed me up, thankfully, but I'm just getting back to music.

As they wheeled me in for the chest X-Ray, a 2nd attendant walked ahead, clearing the way, "make way for a suspected COVID case". Shades of "Bring out your dead!"

Distance

A quick improvisation (well, 7 minutes quick) to test the Bass Flute sampled instrument I am building. There's a surprising void of bass flute samples.

Surprisingly playable for all the quirks and defects in the samples (recorded ~20 years ago at University of Iowa). I hope to be able to improve it with various tricks up my sleeve.

At the moment, these are the unlooped samples, normalized, in 3 velocity morph layers, further morphed 50% with the samples 1 semitone above (pitch shifted of course) to average out the inter-note variations a bit. Sample start times are all over the map. The envelopes are inconsistent, especially for the lowest velocity layer. Some notes in the high end are seriously out of tune.

It does make for a fairly "human" feel.

I treasure my Alto Flute, but have always wished for a Bass Flute. This will have to do...

I have put the instrument up on GitHub—I welcome complaints, suggestions, contributions.

https://github.com/BobKerns/BassFlute

Bass Flute Chorale #1

Raw improvisation in the brass, then parcelled it out to the rest of the orchestra.

2020-04-15

It's much too soon for this reopening, and now we're paying the price with tragic record numbers of new cases.

Too Soon

Sad clowns making us sad.

This was laid down in one take; I then assigned the different parts to the various reed instruments, transposing up or down an octave as appropriate. I did transpose one short section in the 1st Basoon by a 3rd for a more interesting harmony.

The Opening (of the Circus)

Retired developer, trying to turn improvisation into music.

My music (Playlist)

Bob Kerns