Rocking with the Symphony

Collaborations

Megs Music Journey - Strings Improvisation - Open Collab Invite

Megan's Music journey - Strings improvisation - Open collab

Guitar-driven instrumentals

It all started with the strings-improvisation, composed by Megan. Then Igor and I made our own versions seperately.
Then one day I came up with the idea to mix all three together... Igor did a wonderful job here!

Three Together - Megan McCarthy, Igor Maksimov, Eddy Timmermans

Megan's Music Journey - Strings Improvisation - Open Collab

Jam over track by Dmitry Shustov

Igor: lead guitar
Everything else: generated by Igor from a GuitarPro bass and drums notation by Dmitry Shustov

Recently on a backup HDD found out this jamming over GuitarPro MIDI track composed by Dmitry Shustov: my former subordinate, composer and multi-instrumentalist from Saint-Petersburg. Haven't seen him for years and  hope here is his SC page https://soundcloud.com/oldblack

When I found this recording, at first time I had troubles to remember who, when and in what circumstances is playing here. Seems just tried to invent some solo.

UnforTUNEtely, latency correction was turned off during recording. For a couple of days I've been trying to find the beat and shift the solo track. Maybe not so successfully. 

Probably I will redo this thing  or add more notes on a distorted guitar.

https://soundcloud.com/harmonicajack - harmonicas
Igor - idea, rhythm guitar, mix, production.

Re-posting a sketch we did with Jack 2 weeks ago:
https://soundcloud.com/harmonicajack/rolling-and-tumbling-igor-m-ft-jack

Have plans to extend this with a solo guitar section .

Please also listen to Jack music here: https://soundcloud.com/harmonicajack

Rumbling And Tumbling (ft. Harmonica Jack)

:-)Guess what is my favorite movie?

@harmonicajack - harmonicas
Igor  - whistling!!! Composition, all the music, all the rest instruments, mix and production
Lee Lucas - @lee-lucas - idea to apply harmonica here

I invented the main riff and the chord progression in 1997.

The main idea is a duel between 2 guitars using 2 famous fuzz pedals: DoD FX32 Classic Fuzz (the best fuzz pedal ever) and Ibanez L.A. Metal (which also a fuzz and the worst fuzz ever according to HarmonyCentral.com reviews). As you can see L.A.Metal is not so bad :-)

The second idea is to demonstrate how banjo nicely lays over fuzzed guitar. That part was recorded a year ago and it seems this idea is becoming a trend on SC.

When the song https://soundcloud.com/project-managers-trio/fuzzy-logic-version-2 was released, too many good materials with Wild West flavor which really excite me: banjo, whistling and "surf"-like guitars were edited out.

So I remembered Lee's idea about harmonica and asked Jack for help. The key of C#m is not very convenient scale for a harp and Jack did a astonishing job nicely fitting to Spaghetti Western feel of the composition.


Fuzzy Logic: Wild West instrumental(with harmonica, banjo, whistling). Ft. Harmonica Jack

by Igor

Sorry for rhythm fluctuation, I hope it will not much offend your musical taste. 

I've discovered a 4 year old long forgotten recording (just before my twins were born and my musical activity was stopped ). It was a single guitar track with a good sound with chorus effect, but the problem is it's uneven tempo. 
I do not know why, probably I was recording down ideas, maybe on the fly. For the moment, it would be too hard for now to study this part from recording and record it again :-) 

For masking rhythm fluctuations I doubled it with an octave down piano part which I crafted basing on the guitar part, but do not know if it helps. 

Actually I like it as is because it's connected with personal memories of that period of calm laziness of "laying on the sofa"  before the real hardship had came.

Thanks a lot to a couple of friends who have listened to it privately and encouraged me to go ahead and make it public.

South

Hi - Another open Collab/Remix Invite, which is still open :-) 
This is probably the 3rd time I’ve attempted to play strings on a digital piano, which I love, though its quite hard to do when one doesn’t know the ‘rules’ of how strings work in practice or theory….. While I think it sounds ok, especially from the mid to the end, I also thought it needed something more….. 

THE OPEN COLLAB: Hence the idea of another ‘Challenge’, where it would be great to get others’ involved and see what they come up with, in collaborating/remixing this track. It can be created in any genre, using any instruments based on this original ‘Strings Improvisation Idea’. 

(Please note that The Subwave Network, UK is now the primary coordinator for this project if I'm unable to be online at times; https://soundcloud.com/the-subwave-network … see also notes in the Playlists) 

GENERAL GUIDE: 
The MP3 file is available for download - if you require a higher quality, please let us know.  The tempo is a bit ‘free flow’ because its an improv (no click track), and according to my DAW, its 134 bpm (not that I always trust the tempo as I often forget to check it when recording)! If the MP3 alone causes a problem, as noted, you can chop and remix the track (as long as the original or main theme/motif remains). 

See what you come up with - It is YOUR interpretation; you can do what ever you like - it can be of any genre, add any instruments, percussion, FX, etc …. Change the ‘tone’ of the piece (uplifting, melancholic, ambient, 'energetic', cinematic, electronic, dance, experimental, anything!). 

WHAT NEXT? Just let us know if you've finished a piece[s], upload it privately so we can listen. You can title the track as you see fit in reflection of your creation (and also use your own graphic).  However, please also try to refer to the open collab invite, in both your title and track description (Fallen Tears)- see below. 

As collab/remixes have come in, we have created a separate 'Playlist' to include all participants, and once done, your piece will be added, and redirected to your own page for more exposure. Each participant is also asked to  create a similar playlist on their own Cloud for greatest exposure :-)

---------
OTHER COLLAB OPPORTUNITIES: If you are interested in other open collaborations, please see the ‘Imaginations & Collaborations’ playlist on my Cloud, which was based on a piano improv - this project is still also open.

If you would like to be involved in a collab/remix based on another piano track instead, let me know (it can be an existing track on my Cloud, or another one created specifically for collab later or upon request if I'm able). As long as you send me a private link first (and if ok'd, I will repost it onto my Cloud - it may even turn into another 'open collab invite', if your piece inspires others to follow suit)

We hope to hear from you :-)

TO ADD TO YOUR TRACK: Please add the following information at the bottom of your individual track description:

Original Strings Improvisation ('Fallen Tears'): Megan McCarthy https://soundcloud.com/megsmusicjourney
Strings Performance: Megan McCarthy
Other: ____________ (Insert Your Name, Collab Title, Instrumentation, Production, etc for your track[s])

- Initiator and Coordinator: Megan McCarthy (MMJ)
- Primary Coordinator: The Subwave Network, UK https://soundcloud.com/the-subwave-network

(Graphic: Source Unknown)

Fallen Tears:  Megs McCarthy - Open Collab Invite :)

A collab with the wonderful Megan McCarthy. I used her Strings Improvisation to make this.
I hope you like it :-)
You can find the original track at: https://soundcloud.com/megsmusicjourney/strings-improvisation-open-collab-invite

Forbidden Love (collab with Megan McCarthy, based on the Strings Improvisation)

a tribute to the recent achievments of esa,
 featuring:
 megs musical journey-strings improvisation, 
 esa audio-a singing comet,
 jazzmumbles- sporadic guitar


convergence (megsmusicjourney/singingcomet/jazzmumbles)

Gave a try to open collaboartion invite https://soundcloud.com/megsmusicjourney/strings-improvisation-open-collab-invite

Original track by Megan McCarthy - strings
Guitar part by Igor M. - (no edit)
A bit of mixing/mastering by Igor M.

Many thanks to Megan for this wonderful lovely music.

For some reason I thought that I had to improvise too, so after one or two runs along the original track I recorded it. 

Hope I'm not much out of original tune, but at least it has culmination  :-)

And probably I will made another, "mature" take.

Here is a playlist of all the participants in this open collaboration:
https://soundcloud.com/megsmusicjourney/sets/strings-improv-open-collab

I haven't listened to them before I made my record.

Fallen tears of μετάνοια (Strings Improvisation by Megan McCarthy, guitar improvisation by Igor M.)

Eddy Timmermans: idea to combine Eddy's  and Igor's versions on Megan's Strings Improvisation

Original track by Megan McCarthy @megsmusicjourney - strings
Orchestration by Eddy Timmermans @eddytimmermansmusic
Guitar part by Igor M. @project-managers-trio
Mixing/Production by Igor M.

Thanks to Megan for initial inspiration with this strings theme.
Thanks to Eddy, who put forward the idea to mix his and mine versions together. The only thing I did: I asked Eddy to mix it by myself.

Previous solo versions:
https://soundcloud.com/project-managers-trio/strings-and-guitar-double-improvisation-by-megan-mccarthy-ft-igor-m

https://soundcloud.com/eddytimmermansmusic/forbidden-love-collab-with-megan-mccarthy-based-on-the-strings-improvisation

https://soundcloud.com/megsmusicjourney/strings-improvisation-open-collab-invite

Three together (Megan - Igor - Eddy) on the strings improvisation

Original composition and absolutely amazing acoustic guitar performance by Larry "Da Blu Room" Hansen. https://soundcloud.com/dabluroom

 Additional orchestration by Igor M. (for a change, no guitars by Igor this time)

Just imaging a guitar player is siting on Alpine grassland surrounded by mountains with a horn player on each one. There is a small church nearby and children given with percussion instruments are running around playing :-)

Recently, Mr.Jamie Rhind kindly provided me with a bagpipes part, which he recorded in a wink. I will integrated it into the mix and release soon :-)

Original Larry's track is here - https://soundcloud.com/dabluroom/chasin-my-own-tail

Chasin' My Own Tail - Alpine Version (guitar by Larry "DaBluRoom" Hansen, orchestration by Igor M.)

Fivos Valachis: original composition, piano performance
Igor M.: Symphonic Rock arrangement, orchestration and lead guitar

Actually, there are stories from that Age much more appealing to me, such as a story about Adrian and Natalia or  about a woman named Wisdom with her daughters Creed, Hope and Love, than the story about Antinoos and Emperor Hadrian. 
 
However, my friend Fivos composed a compelling and inspiring music. So, thank you, Fivos, for this wonderful opportunity to participate in such an international project. 

I would like also to devote my arrangement as a humble tribute to Jon Lord whose works "Concerto For Group and Orchestra", "Sarabande" and "Gemini Suite" are one of my most important musical influences.

Well, imaging a stage with maestro Fivos Valachis on the pianoforte with Project managers band nearby. All of them surrounded by Symphonic Orchestra (basses, celli, horns, tromboons, various percussion) and let's Rock!  

Please also check other works in this open collaboration project - 
https://soundcloud.com/fivosvalachis/sets/antinoos-project-request

Triptych of Love - Pathos (By Fivos Valachis, Symphonic Rock arrangement by Igor M.)

This track has been possible thanks to the help of artists from USA/Russia/Germany/France on the base of a simple base track with leading ideas of giving tribute to French authors/composers Maxime Leforestier and Claude Nougaro's wonderful melodies (see links herebelow) supporting awareness on important issues at their time ...and nowadays still it seems .... Further melodic routes were found by all through musical interactions ... 
I feel I owe so much recognition to these great artists who understood my first musical ideas ...and pushed them to a height I would never had imagined :)

@kat330 for her singing (I love her idea of evoking native americans incantations)
@joerxworx whose sax is so soulful and who plays so well with other instruments (clarinet in particular which he understands and plays very well ;-)
@project-managers-trio : (Igor) for his amazing satrianesque/pagesque guitar solos 
@jules-keys-1 : for his amazing duduk play (armenian oboe)
https://soundcloud.com/johnbodi : for fantastic classic/jazzy colors added with the piano
Wonderful graphic image from : JT Lindroos


I'm the one behind all this, I play all other real (including rythmic guitar and my brother's old trumpet ! ..) or vst instruments ..; I  have been so happy to mix everyone's inputs 
Steph
@ddjohn

Places we were born : 
-  in the village of Salem in a land called Indiana (Kathleen "kat330" )
- in the small town of Nizhnie Sergy,  South Ural mountains area (Igor)
- In Köln, one of the major European metropolitan areas, located on both sides of the Rhine River, in southeastern Westphalia (Jörg)
- John was born in Szeged, the "city of sunshine", in the Great Southern Plane, on the banks of river Tisza.
- Stéphane was born  in Lyon, between Paris and Marseille, in the Rhône-Alpes region,  where the Rhône and Saône rivers converge 


 OUR sources of inspiration : 
Claude Nougaro : 
www.youtube.com/watch?v=n63woek9vzc 
Maxime Leforestier 
www.youtube.com/watch?v=o8dJQEF4cSk
Led Zeppelin : www.dailymotion.com/video/x3ed98_le…n-kashmir_music
The Beatles
www.youtube.com/watch?v=LVf5Cr4M-F8
Joe Jackson (at the very end ! !)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1oDAkmfoAgA
Joe Satriani 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-c0WVU3tXBE

and my SC friends Barry and Chris !
https://soundcloud.com/chris-pendergraft/love-star-ep-ft-the-inconsistent-jukebox

Born Somewhere (Né quelque part)- feat Kathleen, Igor, Jörg, John &  Julien

Megan McCarthy https://soundcloud.com/megsmusicjourney - original piano improvisation "Sadness" (Open Collaboration) == Thank you, Megan, for this wonderful melody!

Igor - orchestration, guitars, production, enhancing the piano sound.

In memory of 224 passengers and the crew of Metrojet Flight 9268 heading from Sharm el-Sheikh to Saint Petersburg and disintegrated by a bomb above the northern Sinai on 31 October 2015. Also in memory of recent Paris events and all the victims of recent "hybrid" wars.

I believe there is an evil power at work in the world deliberately overthrowing stable countries one after another and turning them into bloody chaos. And that chaos spreads over borders further and further. Lives of millions of people means nothing to those who make such schemes.

For a year and a half I have this feeling deep inside. On the surface I can smile, can live normal life, but I feel it. There is no hope for peace. Only grief.

Grief.There is no hope for peace. (Contemplation over Megan McCarthy's piano piece)

Original composition long time ago: 
Andrew (@osteopat): chord progressions, riffs, intro guitar solo, vocal melody, arrangement for guitar
Igor:  Lyrics, arrangement for guitar
 
This track (c) 2017-2019:
Maria Smailova (@insinistra): performed vocals
Andrew (@osteopat):  composed and performed 2nd and 3rd guitar solos;
Igor: arrangement of orchestral, piano, base and drum parts , symphonic intro and outro sections; performed rhythm guitar part and intro guitar solo, mixing and mastering;


  
It started a long time ago when 2 cadets of a military academy were spending all their free time playing cheap acoustic guitars and imagining advanced heavy arrangements. So, we dreamed of starting our hard-n-heavy band. This song was a pure electric guitar piece with Andrew on vocals and guitar "duels" in the middle as in Power Metal style.

A couple of years ago I decided to re-arrange it as a Symphonic Metal piece and, maybe a bit, re-worked vocals part to fit female range following modern fashion. It was not an easy task to find a vocalist, but finally, Maria Smailova - soprano and composer of Insinistra band - contributed her amazing  vocals into this project (Please check their pure and dark Sympho-Metal style tracks with lyrics in English on their SC page @insinistra and their exellent collection of acoustic covers on thier YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwGXJx49UkjujJKygLCLjSg). 

It's also really amazing that Andrew found time and performed 2 freshly composed solos for the middle section. In the style of our old guitar duels. And we haven't played together for almost 2 decades.

So, thanks a lot to both Andrew and Maria for making this song happen in a new form. Another example of our song from that early era is here https://soundcloud.com/project-managers-trio/in-the-shadows-of-things

Verse 1:
With the scarlet signature of dawn,
The world's been crisscrossed.
Over the hills there, in the distance,
Again a purple feast is ongoing

Two waves've come running
They are armor-clad
All the spaces and worlds 
Have been put to fire

Chorus:
Ah! How beautiful is the battle for life
The battle for life bursts into the sky
Like a whirlwind a lightning beam 
Rips it up
Between the torn clouds

Verse 2:
But like a reflection
Between the walls of houses
The battle is ongoing between us
For thousands of centuries
The rivers of blood ruin again 
The shores of life
Everyone sees a new enemy
In a friend

Chorus:
Ah, how terrifying is the battle for life
It's a roar of the battle for life
The eruption of evil has shaken the earth 
As an autocratic judge
Is the Battle for Life

Куплет 1:
Красным росчерком зари
Перечёркнут мир
За холмами там, вдали,
Вновь багряный пир -
Две волны сбегаются
Вжатые в броню
Все пространства и миры
Преданы огню

Припев 1
А-а, как прекрасна битва за жизнь
В небо врывается битва за жизнь
Вихрем её разрывает молнии луч
Среди разорванных туч

Куплет 2:
Но как отражение 
Среди стен домов
Бой идёт меж нами
Тысячи веков
Реки крови снова рушат
Жизни берега
Каждый видит в друге
Нового врага

Припев 2:
А-а, как ужасна битва за жизнь
Это грохочет битва за жизнь
От извержения зла содрогнулась земля
Как самовластный судья
Битва за жизнь

Battle For Life (Битва за Жизнь) ft.Maria Smailova and Andrew Barokho. Lyrics translated

Online jamming
Chord progression was composed and recorded  by an LJ user based in Israel
Solo was composed and recorded by Igor


Oriental Elegia

All parts are composed and played by Igor

I created this tune playing along while my wife's niece (she was visiting us for a week) was jumping on the sofa. She grown up now, but the tune remains.

Have many versions of this theme using various scales and harmonics, two of them were recorded. 

This one is a fixation of preliminary ideas with some nods to my inspirations.

Fresh morning

Nel mezzo del cammin di nostra vita........
Je meurs de soif aupres de la fontaine......

Songwriter. Kitchen guitarist with inclination for orchestration and arrangement. Poet in the past.

I occasionally post solo works of "the other manager", my friend, drummer and self-taught keyboard player Maxim K.

My spotlight :-)
https://soundcloud.com/project-managers-trio/when-i-come-home-to-you

Fallen tears of μετάνοια (Strings Improvisation by Megan McCarthy, guitar improvisation by Igor M.)

Igor Maximov