Nice to hear my old friend Phil still playing at the top of his game. Lovely arrangement. Very chill with room for a lot improvisation and extension. Really nice to hear this.

very strange but enjoyable tune. wild life vs sense of tranquility vs a lovely guitar tone

wonderfully expressive-gentle, quiet and eloquent

I wouldn't even be mad if this went on for a couple days . . .

Beautifully evocative, serene music. So rich and dense, just puts the listener in a wonderful place.

very nice n smooth contemporary Jazz, my friend. Great atmospherics. :)

I am honored that Maestro Rafael Serrano has arranged my composition
'A Peace of Love"
"Dedicated to Chris and Caroline".
Rafael Serrano: https://soundcloud.com/virtualoperahouse
Video by Pamela Illaes- Tatsuoka
©2023 Pamela Illanes-Tatsuoka. All Rights Reserved.
Here is the video!
https://youtu.be/71726QGxwKk?si=EmX3pUENQd7Yg5Gj
This composition is on Pandora's radio. and Spotify!
https://open.spotify.com/album/2Ynv0wVHEpONieZfOYbJDe?si=vlrUFyjxTuG5vf5wzbBV5w
https://pandora.app.link/qMszjjvMhFb

A Peace of Love

Summer Haze

On A Clear Day (Conover/ Phil Brown)

An epilogue to the human race. Why do we so firmly believe that our species will survive? Over 99% of species that roamed the earth in the course of the past 4 billion years have vanished again. We only know of them, when we examine the fossile record. So, chances are (unfortunately) very high, that also we will become extinct some time and our memories are only preserved in the depths of the earth. 
Also, the Fermi Paradox (see, e.g., https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNhhvQGsMEc) leaves us puzzled why we see no other forms of life in the universe. 
Let us not get extinct! (and, on a personal note, I think, the  travelling to Mars is not exactly the solution to ensure the survival of our species. Rather, it is, not ruining our wonderful home planet)
A lyrics version will come out soon.

Compositionwise, the piece is structured in four parts. 
Part 1, introduces the lamenting theme, first in a very basic relaxed fashion with slow accompaniment and then becoming a tad more agitated. The chromatically descending accompaniment underlines the mournful mood. The second half of the part starting @0:24 is a bit more consoling but keeps the overall spirit. The other three parts (starting @ 0:48, 1:31, 2:15) are variations of the main theme with the last part leading @2:40 into the end that leaves more questions than answers)

The VST piano used for this recording was the Nils Frahm Noire (not the felt version) which I slightly brightened up to have more of the singing overtones.

Fossiles in the Making (Piano Miniature)

ICE CORAL..

la...lala la..

My Method of Composing and Producing

I'm sharing my method of composing and producing music recordings in case other composer-producers like me might find ideas worth exploring in their own work. I use this method for Classical, Avant-Pop or Neo-Folk Instrumental genres, not for Ambient and Soundscape pieces. Non-composers might find this explanation interesting, but having a bit of music theory background will definitely help. I consider myself a humble learner when it comes to music theory. 

I owe a debt of gratitude to British musician and educator Gareth Green, whose Music Matters online courses and free YouTube lessons have taught me so much over the past few years. Thanks to his instruction, I’ve moved from struggling to compose music by trial and error to something more enjoyable and productive. The knowledge I've gained has taken my work in new and expanding directions. As the saying goes, “Theory is not a cage — it’s a map. It doesn’t make the journey for you, but it keeps you from getting lost.” 

When I start a new piece, I begin by choosing a key, and picking a scale drawn from one of these sources:
 
1) Western Tonal / Functional Harmony - major or minor chords I II III IV V VI VII
2) Modal Harmony - Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, etc.
3) Slonimsky's "Thesaurus of Scales and Melodic Patterns" 
4) Messiaen’s "Seven Modes of Limited Transposition" 

For many pieces, I also decide on a progression, one as a simple as I IV V, or something more elaborate.  

Next I create a "scales and progressions" piano track in my DAW (digital audio workstation software) and enter the chords I to VII in my chosen key. These harmonized scales serve as a basis for writing multipart harmonies and finding pivot chords for key modulations. 

At the start, I know what instruments I want to use, making adjustments along the way. I tend to write chord parts first, then melodies created through a mix of improvisation and direct input in the DAW. Sometimes I start with a melody.

I develop melodies and variations of a phrase by some combination of: a) passing it from one instrument to another, transposing it by an interval that sounds pleasing, b) reversing it, c) inverting it around the tonic (first) note of the scale. These are well-known methods. 

After completing a section, I choose another scale and maybe a new key and repeat the process until I have a draft of the entire piece. Then I export a recording and listen to it “offline”, take notes of errors and new ideas, and incorporate them back into the piece. Often this “compose / listen / compose” cycle is repeated many times. These iterative cycles include adding new ideas, polishing transitions between sections, changing the arrangement, and incorporating expressive details like accents, and articulations (staccato, sustain, portato etc.). I’m often working several different pieces at once. 

Last is mixing and mastering: balancing the loudness between instruments and adjusting elements like reverb, compression, and equalization. I tend to mix as I compose, even though many producers frown on that approach. I find mixing as I go helps me envision the completed piece and make adjustments to the choice of instruments; it self-inspires me when the piece is starting to sound good.  At the end I do a final mix, but as the saying goes, “A mix is never finished — it’s surrendered.”

In the end, this method gives me a basis for exploration and creativity and helps me stay focused. The goal is always to make a piece of music that feels expressive, cohesive, and emotionally resonant.

Suite for Woodwinds and Percussion No. 2

URBAN SOULS. is a mix of genres,Jazz and ambient, a walk through the maze of streets where each one reveals its soul....

URBAN SOULS. 🎧

Coffe And The Dog

Dinner for two

The long anticipated;) follow up has arrived.  I begin the song with a brief reprise of "Two Faced" to set the stage.  After the cold and bluster of March, the gentleness of spring and early summer is felt with a walk in the park.
Thank you all for the overwhelming response to my ode to March and especially the interest shown in the little teaser, epilogue now a more complete thought.  As they say, "take time to smell the flowers":)

A Walk In The Park (David, acoustic guitars)

If there was only two traits that came through in my music, I would hope that it would seem to be effortless and inevitable.
The Kind Place Studio

On A Clear Day (Conover/ Phil Brown)

conover

Recent comments

AudioSubtitles

Poetnsen

Anomon

learningtoplay

Related tracks