2020|04 - The Composer's New Music Playlist

photo by me Bresemann Forest Heron Overlook picnic date with Kathryn
made with garageband piano keyboard and metronome
recorded with zoom h1
edited in NCH

peaceful life for now tick tock ⏱ ⏲ ⏰ 🕰

learning to love can feel like being cooked in a pot ... you have to face your own feelings and all the discomfort you feel from the trauma and misinformation and the way reality is not set up to comfort and console you or fulfill your fantasies. you have to reform yourself and then open up to the beautiful mess that is the other person.  learn to love. make it fun somehow.  the fate of the world depends on it     ; ) 

learn to love

I`m Free

2025-09-23

after the rain

Dear Mr. Dream Maker

A somewhat sloppy but hopefully still interesting little piano improvisation recorded in Cape Verde, West Africa in 2024. 

Verde

24 7 26

Cyclothymia

Some more planetary observations and musings with the help of the Original Star Trek episode The Return of the Archons.
                                                     
When I was a kid
I struggled and I hid
Preteen horde, tuned out, ignored
Those moments on their grid

My obsessions turned confession
All conform and compromise 
The follows and suggestions
Accept and actualize 

And now it feels the same
They are checking, counting names
The ones who don't fit in 
Expose, extort and grin

Neighbour against neighbour
Grandpa's gun up on the roof
Galaxy of gangsters
Grade school bullies after you

Aaahh you're not of the Body
You be shabby, sick and shoddy
They say, “Desist, Deplane and Deport”
Aaahh you're not of the Body
We like the golden, gloss and gaudy
Not you…You will be absorbed

When I was a lad
I was labeled brash and bad
Schoolyard brawls, slurs etched on walls
Their ugly ironclad

And now it feels the same
Angst and anger, bringing blame
Time to pick a side, patriotic pride
A dangerous children's game

Aaahh you're not of the Body 
We want the hero and the haughty 
To fight, fight, fight… go to war
Aaahh you're not of the Body 
Let's keep the nice but not the naughty 
And you…you will be absorbed 

                      The medium's the message
                      The message is clear
                      Red hour, purging power
                      The Festival Fear
                      School day selections
                     Still in front of me
                     Reddits and Podcasts
                      Theaters of hate
                      Forecasting of futures 
                       The marches to great
                       A planet fantastic 
                      Sponge job soliloquy 

Aaahh you're not of the Body 
The fratty feel and glitterati 
Behind the prayers and shares, lies the sword
Aaahh you're not of the Body 
Wish I could get beamed up now by Scotty
Before they say, “ You will be absorbed"

             


You Will Be Absorbed

Urban Fish

Drifting Tide (Remix)

Copyright - Eric Schultheiss
https://www.youtube.com/user/951tech
https://www.facebook.com/eric.schultheiss.1

-----------------------------------------
IONIATE MUSIC PUBLISHING
http://www.ioniate.com/
https://www.facebook.com/Ioniate-1023092597795587/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYK05Qc7j5xj8YtX2M_UWrg

Short But Sweet | IONIATE Sketches In Progress | Eric Schultheiss

You Mean So Much To Me

That's my submission to 5 Notes Melody Contest in "Composers Challenge" Facebook Group. I just choose a simple chanson style.

The sheet music of some of my compositions can be downloaded from my website https://pianoimprovictor.com/
If you like my music – share it with your friends!

Five Notes Chanson

A reflective piece of mourning for the dead using my Haken Continuum for the drone and melodic components.


Visit my Bandcamp site to listen and purchase my music.
https://jamesnewman.bandcamp.com/

Drone For The Dead

Eric Schultheiss stands at the vanguard of contemporary composition, forging a unique path that bridges the rhythmic drive of global percussion with the infinite possibilities of digital sound. As a composer, percussionist, and educator, Schultheiss is acclaimed for his hybrid electro-acoustic works—pieces that fuse the organic pulse of drums with orchestral richness and the sonic innovation of modern electronics.

Rooted in a Southern California upbringing steeped in progressive rock, classical discipline, and the improvisational freedom of jazz, Schultheiss draws on a vast tapestry of influences. His music channels the off-kilter accents of Stewart Copeland, the lyrical intensity of Neil Peart, the storytelling depth of Peter Gabriel and Sting, and the progressive artistry of Genesis, Dream Theater, and Spock’s Beard. This synthesis results in compositions that are as intellectually rigorous as they are emotionally evocative.

Currently, as Head of Percussion Studies and Electro-Acoustic Composition at the Middle Tennessee Conservatory of Music, Schultheiss is an outspoken advocate for the DAW as a true instrument. In his hands, digital workstations become canvases for sonic experimentation, allowing for real-time orchestration, microscopic precision, and the layering of polyrhythms and timbres that would be impossible with traditional notation alone. He champions technology not as a shortcut, but as an authentic extension of the composer’s voice.

Signature works such as Lights Twinkle—a Christmas percussion-ensemble piece blending Japanese Taiko, harp, and haiku-inspired vocal textures—showcase his ability to unite tradition with innovation. Airidea’s Journal explores the dialogue between structure and freedom through dance-driven percussion and atmospheric synths, while As You Sleep and Terminal Memory reveal Schultheiss’ penchant for ambient soundscapes, introspective melodies, and cross-media collaborations. His compositions have been commissioned for film, dance, and multimedia productions, performed by leading ensembles, and praised for their intricate interplay of rhythm and resonance.

As an educator, Schultheiss is dedicated to shaping musicians who are not only technically skilled but also creatively fluent in both acoustic and digital modalities. At the Middle Tennessee Conservatory, he mentors young composers in hybrid techniques, polyrhythmic structures, and DAW-based workflows, encouraging them to embrace technology as a creative partner. His influence extends beyond the classroom, as he helps students gain visibility in the digital era and equips them to thrive in an evolving musical landscape.

Through his relentless curiosity, innovative spirit, and commitment to artistic growth, Eric Schultheiss is redefining what it means to be a composer in the 21st century. His work is a testament to the power of bridging tradition and technology, and to the limitless frontiers that await those willing to explore them.

pianoimprovictor@gmail.com
Victor Birkan resides in Beer Sheva, Israel. In his youth, he obtained a classical musical education in St. Peterburg, Russia. Even then, he showed an interest in piano improvisation, although his teachers did not encourage it too much. Then came a long break… Victor tried different professions – biologist, computer IT. His passion for music did not interrupted, but he only started playing regularly again around 2016, and in 2018 began posting his compositions.
After receiving positive feedbacks on social media, he focused on improvised music. He is deeply convinced that improvisation is not a privilege of jazz, it is the classical piano that finds its way to people's hearts. Victor Birkan never prepares for his recordings. Sitting down at the piano, he has no idea where to start, what will be in the middle and how he will finish. The melody will come from somewhere... He seeks to capture pure emotion and splash it onto the keyboard. Practically does not use computer effects. His listeners often write about the "magic", bewitching influence of his compositions.
Over the past year, Victor’s composition, “Between Night and Day”, has been nominated for Best Solo Piano Single by the ONE WORLD MUSIC RADIO, and some interesting compositions have been created in collaboration with Yellow Roze Records label. Victor is constantly striving to expand his audience.

Five Notes Chanson

PianoimproVictor

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