A recording project for my uni studies.
Harp and harpsichord: me
Violin: Malini Chidzey

King of the Fairies

This unique project combines ambient sound recorded from the Yarra Ranges temperate rainforests (located in Australia) with original harp and violin music. 

It was produced for a creative study unit and is informed by research on Murray Schafer's sonic concepts, on the use of harp in music therapy and palliative care, and by many studies on the effectiveness of nature sounds (or nature exposure) on wellbeing and cognitive performance. 

My goal is to expand this concept into a full concept album or performance project, building each tonal idea into a longer track.

Harp, sound recording: Amy Earl
Violin: Malini Chidzey

With thanks to Alex Welch for mixing assistance!

Mountain Ash Meditation

One of my uni activities: a remix of a guitar melody by another student. Added electronic strings/guitar layers and acoustic harp layer. I really like how I managed to develop this, especially within the constraints of an app!
Produced in GarageBand for iOS on iPad.

A Lullaby

This is my first ever track using GarageBand. The inspiration for “Undergrowth” is based on a recent walk I took in a local forest. The forest features acres of Californian Redwoods, conifers, and Australian native scrub, and is home to hundreds of mushrooms and toadstools in the autumn. I created a melodic soundscape based on the feeling of wonder walking those paths and discovering all the little life forms and fungi on the forest floor. The track uses several layers of meldodies using the "Evolving Colors" keyboard patch.
Produced in GarageBand for iOS on iPad.

Undergrowth

One of my uni activities: a remix of the central theme in Vanessa Hooley's "April Rain" composition. Uses lots of cute bell samples and is named after the "Mining Dwarves" preset found in (I believe) the Sytrus synthesiser. Yep, I spent a LOT of time digging in Minecraft.

Produced in FL Studio 12.

My reference tracks for this included:
•	C418 - Aria Math (Minecraft Soundtrack, 2013, c418.bandcamp.com/track/aria-math) 
•	Marcus D ft. Emancipator - Kindred Spirit (2012) 
•	Yeiv - Through The Window (2012)

April Rain - Mining Dwarves Mix

An original track (for uni!), inspired by forest discoveries in the undergrowth! Infectiously creepy-cute, full of drips, arpeggiating chords and theremin effects.

Produced in Ableton Live 9.

Amphiberance

Vocals by Alice Emerald:
- https://www.facebook.com/aliceemeraldmusic
- https://aliceemerald.bandcamp.com/]

This is an original composition for piano and voice, comprised of three distinct but related movements. Each movement, named after poems by Oodgeroo Noonuccal, symbolises concepts I have taken away from studying a unit on Aboriginal Resilience and the Arts: the anguish of dispossession, the activism and resilience shown in the face of colonial destruction, and the hopefulness of conciliation as a result of this resilience. 
The composition presents an introductory soundscape, a vocal section with melodic development, and an uplifting finale. I explore the concept of resilience by focusing on a poetic piece by the Aboriginal writer and activist Oodgeroo Noonuccal (Kath Walker), whose body of work reflects her lifelong passion for social justice (The Australian Women's Register, n.d.). Noonuccal said, “I felt poetry would be the breakthrough for the Aboriginal people because they were storytellers and song-makers[...]” (Chapter 8. The Poetry of Politics: Australian Aboriginal Verse, 2004), which affirms her work as an example of using contemporary methods for expression, in a style accessible to white and black audiences. Additionally, 
Oodgeroo Noonuccal introduced an Aboriginal perspective into contemporary Australian literature for the first time. She celebrated Aboriginal survival in the face of adversity, lamented prejudice and oppression, and offered an optimistic view of the potential for interracial harmony in the country. (Chapter 8. The Poetry of Politics: Australian Aboriginal Verse, 2004)
Oodgeroo’s poem The Dispossessed (Poetry Library, n.d.) was written in the 1960s as a way to voice the frustration after observing that Aboriginal voices were not being heard in the political sphere regarding the civil rights issues that concerned them (Dreamtime, Machinetime, 1987). Reactions to her writing and activism were mixed, even hostile (Chapter 8. The Poetry of Politics: Australian Aboriginal Verse, 2004). The poem describes events and themes in a literal way, condemning and criticizing Western society and white colonialism for its role in destruction of Aboriginal culture. It points out the irony and hypocrisy of the kinds of values that she noticed were being imposed by supposedly well-meaning Christians, e.g. “With Christian culture such as these the white command was won.” (Noonuccal, 1992). There is a sense of anguish and loss, and an incisive tone that doesn’t shy away from uncomfortable issues, with use of strong descriptive words such as “degraded”, “oppressed” and “decays”. It is marked by pain and anger, but despite the despair of its closing line, The Dispossessed still offers room for hope and a solution. Written in a metered and rhyming style, the poem is well suited to being set to music. Interestingly, in researching the appropriateness of my project, I came across a quote that said Noonuccal “had never allowed her poems to be set to music and that, therefore, two trials had to be undergone to gain her permission — the first, by telephone; the second, face to face.” (Noonuccal, 1992) With such permission now impossible, my use of the poem is for educational and reflective purposes only.
Additionally, while the music is not trying to emulate an Aboriginal Songline, I took inspiration from the fascinating cultural concept of Songlines (Songlines: The living narrative of our nation, n.d.), and have tried to interpret it symbolically: the tonal and rhythmic shifts in the work highlight and “map” out the journey of increased knowledge, empathy and understanding that studying this subject has provided me with.

The Dispossessed

This is my first attempt (for uni!) at an original track. I recorded layers of acoustic piano, harp, and percussion, expanding on a melancholy piano theme in C#m. Partway through, the track evolves into a brief jig before returning to the theme. 

Produced in Sonar X3, with digital effects added in FL Studio 12.

Stasis

A quick cover of The Corrs' arrangement of Erin Shore, which is based on a traditional Irish melody. Recorded on Galaxy Note10.
Piano and harp by me, violin performed by Malini Chidzey (https://www.facebook.com/Babaganoush.Band)

Erin Shore

Eccentric little piano teacher sharing amateur electronic tracks and piano/harp compositions.

Misty Cottage Music

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