Mindful Tune

Extra Terrestrial Jazz Cabbage

Old Timie Alien Groove

Quiescence - Movement II (first crack)

1Q17 - I can't wait to see where we are this time next year.

The rising and resetting chord progression of this song is designed to convey the progress and setback rhythm that the 1Q17 had in store for us.  The minor chords throughout offer the sense that things weren't all perfect, but that there was reason for hope.

The solo's quiet nature reflects our small team of three working hard on the fund, but not in perfect harmony.  

9ths and 13ths throughout the piece reinforce the idea that there is an unspoken tension within the ensemble.

The falling melody at the end foreshadows the future, without raising any cause for alarm, leading fairly seemlessly into 2Q17

1Q17

2Q17 - This is hard but we can do it

Borrowing melodic themes from 1Q17, this piece tells a story of continuation of the hard work undertaken in 1Q17.  

The chord progression is a familiar one, a merry-go-round that prefers a pleasant resolution but often finds that F-MAJ chord creating tension for yet another whirl.

The solo sings with excitement and anticipation (Jeanne's energetic voice can be heard at times), and falls back down to earth as the quarter comes to a close, setting the stage for the drama of the coming months.

2Q17

3Q17 - Rubble

Picking up in the same key and gentle tone where 2Q17 left off, 3Q17 abruptly takes a left turn.  Disorienting and a bit abrasive, we hear that this is not business as usual.

The team snaps into action, and a normal rhythm is established, seeking to build on the old progress but with a different purpose and direction.

A loud lead guitar takes the stage and lays out a plan.

Towards the end, a more delicate instrument enters, offering a simple downward melody.  At first it works, but then some tension arrises.  The melody becomes increasingly dissonant.  As it fades, a different voice speaks up, as if to echo, and then exits.

The song ends with a sense of incompletion, emptiness, and apprehension for what is next, with the final staccato notes acting as an ellipsis...

3Q17

4Q17 - "Guelph"

First and foremost, the tune fills the listener with a somber pessimism.  

Deliberate yet unpredictable pauses evoke a sense of drama, yet also a sense of mindfulness and intent.

Lonely and cold, the tune feels sets the stage of late Fall in Guelph.  Falling melodies bring to mind the former team members who recently left.  Twirling melodies create the sense of a lack of control.

On particularly sour note (A-flat) underscores the sense that something is not as it should be.

Nearly desolate until roughly halfway through, a set of strings comes to the aid of the lone piano not a moment too soon.  There for moral support, but unable to carry the team on its own, the strings both participate and spectate all at once.

Much more contemplation, drama, and descent is had before, suddenly, towards the very end, rays of sunlight shine through.  Progress is made.  There are no doubts that there will be trouble and difficulty ahead, but to the relief of all, a victory can be claimed.

A lone string of optimism builds cautious anticipation of the coming quarter and year.

4Q17

1Q18 - "Roatan One"

A Carribean feel puts us right where we ought to be - in the heart of the project.  We stayed at Roatan One developments for the February trip, and it was incidentally the *first* trip down to the island for several on the team.

The Organ sings out a sermon, seeking harmony and finding it temporarily, before having to lay down a new tune.

The song fades into the end with some un-resolved tension.

1Q18

2Q18 - Strings Under Tension

The song begins without a beat, such that when that first beat eventually does drop, you realize that you were counting wrong in your head, and it knocks you off guard a little bit.  You almost think that you should've been right, but things keep moving with or without you, so you better keep up!

Arpeggiating tones create an atmosphere of busyness without necessarily "going" very far or accomplishing anything particularly extraordinary.

The arpeggiating conversation begins to pick up, and briefly pauses to acknowledge a string (erhu) under tension that is bowing, flexing under the stress of the rhythm.

Things resume without much regard to the erhu's wimper, but the erhu returns with clearer thinking in the bridge.  The concerned tone finds agreement with a harmonizing tone.  Now, amongst the noise, two agree.

That agreement clicks together, then *smash* back to the beat.  It feels as though tension has been relieved, but the same rhythm continues, leaving some uncertainty as to just how much progress has been made, by the song and by the erhu.

MrNicholasB