I woke up earlier than usual and looked out of the window this morning.  This is how I've translated the colour of the light from the sunrise into music. 

I composed this on the piano in just one take.

more music

140407 This Morning's Sunrise

I'm filming some music tech features for Click this week - this is the music I wrote while filming. Free download for those of you who took the trouble to come here.

I composed this in just one take. 

140413 Live Composition During Click Filming

OK, I decided to put into music my own personal journey over the last few weeks.  Feels a little strange putting it up online because to me it's incredibly emotionally revealing. 

But my music live-blogging experiment needs to be an authentic representation of my experiences, so it's going on the web. Plus I'd like to find out how other people feel when they hear it. 

This was composed in just one take.

140413 Reincarnation

This is a composition I've had in my head for a while now, it refused to be recorded because I was unhappy when I made a mistake, missed the click track, couldn't get the timing right - I gave myself many many reasons not to capture it.

However, this morning all bets are off. I woke up at 6.00am realising that if I didn't get this down, the perfect version of this beautiful tune will just remain contained in my head. I lay in bed for a few more hours before breaking ranks, and hitting record here in my studio. So, here's an imperfect version of the wonderful music that is never far from my world, complete with mistakes, fluffs and stuff I would like to change. Also, because the track is so complex, the MIDI is glitching in parts! The song has inspired me to get more RAM or if necessary, get a new machine. 

But it's going up, flaws, glitches, bum notes and all. I have decided the fluffs and mistakes make the song alive - it's OK that we have scars, it shows we have experienced the world and it's left its mark on us. What would life be without mistakes? I feel as if I have let out a huge breath I didn't even know I was holding.

This composition was recorded in just one take, and I'm going to post it before I change my mind.

More than anything I want to perform my live compositions for a large live audience at a beautiful piano in a wonderful recital hall. I would create musical pieces and as my composition continues the music will be inspired by how the audience respond - a fabulous musical feedback loop!

140420 Flying Through Colour

Right now, a few people I really like are going through some tough times.  I sometimes find it comparatively difficult to express my emotions in words - even through the richness of language there are times when words are a poor substitute for music - a super-conductor of emotion and meaning.  

I truly know how it feels when no-one can reach me, and I don't want to be reached.  So this is for you, and anyone else currently undergoing adversity. I think that even if you, like me, are experienced in how to deal with hardship, it doesn't make it any easier when it happens.  

This composition to me represents wordless, deep support to my friends, and also to myself. It's reassurance that even in the most dark of situations, where it might feel bleak and desolate, grey and hopeless - after some time has passed, a glimmer of a smile, a glance of understanding, a random act of kindness from a stranger could be all that's needed to transform that grey world into something more habitable - infusing it, finally, with much-missed slivers of light and colour.

This music was live-composed in just one take.

Other Music

140424 This Too Will Pass

Train from Gothenburg to Stockholm is in B Major - the trees outside are beautiful. 

Composing on the train is a wonderful experience. I love the sound of the train and how it interacts with the landscapes. Trees and lakes and the sea are generally in major keys so it feels uplifting and inspiring to me!

This music was recorded in two takes - first the strings, then the piano sound.


140429 GothenburgTrees

Spent the day outside, it was beautiful and green and sunny. I am not a natural gardener but I did enjoy putting the compost into pots and the smell of jasmine flowers. I ate a lot of sugary treats and drank the most delicious single-estate oolong tea.   

But today I'm also experiencing a head cold that has bunged up my ears in a very strange way.  This is the sound version of  what I think the world is like at the moment! 

Listening to this back, I can hear all the cupcakes and chocolate as well as the feel and taste of the wet compost and getting scratched by nature. 

More stuff here

140504 Obscured Thoughts

One of my friends asked if I would live-compose some Jazz... So here it is, an early morning optimistic look at the day ahead. I rather enjoy the crunchy chords! This is one of those times where it feels like I'm just listening to what another part of my brain is playing. I'm uploading it, fluffs and all!

Composed in just one take.

140508 Not Standard Practice

As ever, this was composed and recorded in just one take.

The warmth of the sun, the smell of a freshly-mown lawn, a cold fizzy drink and good relaxed company sounds like this.

140801 The Warmth Of The Sun

One of the dance tracks written as part of a collaborative project involving dance music and audience participation. Here's 'Scionic Muse' - named after the Science Museum - it was the inspiration for this tune!

More info bbc.co.uk/click  www.sciencemuseum.org.uk 

THIS MUSIC IS FREE TO LISTEN TO AND DOWNLOAD - enjoy!

CREDITS FOR DEMOCRATIC DANCE MUSIC EXPERIMENT
Music analysis /composition/production: LJ Rich &  Adam John Williams
Data wrangling: Rob Wollner: 
Visuals generating:  Emi Mitchell

Thanks also to the Science Museum who gave us the 2nd Floor Studio at their Lates event on the 27th August, 2014. 

Thanks also to Andrew Gilhooly and Paul Arnold who took time out of their schedules to film the event.

Scionic Muse: part of Democratic Dance Music Experiment at the Science Museum

One of the dance tracks written as part of a collaborative project involving dance music and audience participation. Here's 'Coffee Is Awesome' -  the theme was thought up after drinking some incredibly strong coffee at The Attendant in London.

More info bbc.co.uk/click   www.sciencemuseum.org.uk

THIS MUSIC IS FREE TO LISTEN TO AND DOWNLOAD - enjoy!

CREDITS FOR DEMOCRATIC DANCE MUSIC EXPERIMENT
Music analysis /composition / production: LJ Rich & Adam John Williams
Data wrangling: Rob Wollner: 
Visuals generating: Emi Mitchell

Thanks also to the Science Museum who gave us the 2nd Floor Studio at their Lates event on the 27th August, 2014.

Thanks also to Andrew Gilhooly and Paul Arnold who took time out of their schedules to film the event.

Coffee Is Awesome 2 Feat Adam John Williams

One of the dance tracks written as part of a collaborative project involving dance music and audience participation. Here's Track 3 - actually it needs a proper name - it was written on Adam's existing sequence named House Machine, so we really need another name. Any thoughts? 

More info bbc.co.uk/click www.sciencemuseum.org.uk

THIS MUSIC IS FREE TO LISTEN TO AND DOWNLOAD - enjoy!

CREDITS FOR DEMOCRATIC DANCE MUSIC EXPERIMENT
Music analysis /composition / production: LJ Rich & Adam John Williams
Data wrangling: Rob Wollner: 
Visuals generating: Emi Mitchell

Thanks also to the Science Museum who gave us the 2nd Floor Studio at their Lates event on the 27th August, 2014.

Thanks also to Andrew Gilhooly and Paul Arnold who took time out of their schedules to film the event.

Track 3 (HouseMachine )

Original unmusical version here: http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/Cassini-Huygens/Hear_the_passage_through_the_rings 
(courtesy of Cassini Radio and Plasma Wave Science team) 

This is a rough version of the music I heard around those wonderful noises when I was played this.  I wanted to share it with my friend Leila from Hack Circus, who held an event about Space. 

http://www.hackcircus.com/blog/2014/9/15/starship-hack-circus-the-elephant-has-landed

Thanks due to Dr Lewis Dartnell, who drew my attention to such a wonderful recording. 

http://lewisdartnell.com/ 

Random trivia - Our sun plays a gorgeous giant major 7th. That fills me with happiness! 

More about the event on my blog post: 
http://ljrich.wordpress.com/2014/09/20/music-powered-spaceship/ 

Sounds Of Space- LJ's Saturn's Rings

My friend and fellow music hacker Adam John Williams was wearing a pair of cufflinks that triggered this composition! I kept staring at them. They were made out of old clock parts. They sound like this

I'll add the pic when I get a chance.

ClockWorkCufflinks

Free Download track from (50min of) Perfect Instrumental Carols as a gift to you, my soundcloud listeners! - read more-> I think a free track just happens to be a perfect excuse to add a ‘buy’ link below for your delectation - so if you feel like hearing a new take on some stylish seasonal sounds, i.e. for around 50 minutes of this sort of thing, feel free to click and buy from any links!

bit.ly/pianocarols (opens iTunes £7.99 / US $9.99)

"A relaxed jazzy feel, understated but undeniably christmassy!”

Other links to buy:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Perfect-Instrumental-Carols-Lj-Rich/dp/B006DKFX1C (£7.99 same price as iTunes)

http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/ljrich3 ($9.09 - cheaper!)

Those of you who stream, please type LJ Rich in to your favoured  streaming service. 
May your holiday season have some lovely moments - LJ

Buy Xmas Carols!

Deck The Halls (Free Download) Piano Instrumental Christmas Carol

An artist I know called Debbie Davies (@debbiedavies on twitter) made a giant light-up interactive star for Burning Man. I never got to see it in real life, but the pictures were enough to trigger the most amazing melody in me.  

Debbie, this is your star.  
Photo by http://duncan.co



StarWay - inspiration from art installation

Music after seeing an Artist's work: K. Gretchen Greene  http://www.kgretchengreene.com/ 
She sculpts with fire, and makes structures I found compelling.

Her musical art caused my synaesthesia to fire off some amazing tastes - in fact I'm told this piece is named 'Hazelnut Rush' after my confession to her that it tasted of hazelnut and chocolate! 

...here is the musical response!

buy other stuff here!

Gretchen's Bronze

Played on Ivory II synth through Logic 9 - with a Solina synth sound underneath

Inspired by the light of the sun and moon during a trip to Umea (to attend and speak at #MTFScandi #MTFResearch May 2015)

20150531 Everlight

LJRich.com 
LJ has a Master's Degree in Music from Christ Church College, Oxford. She has Perfect Pitch and can identify and accurately play back any song thanks to her synaesthesia.

Popular tracks by LJRICH