I find it nice to know some tunes that dwell within one octave. 

One reason is that for the majority of my tune writing and playing, I lived with a cat. His ears didn't seem to appreciate any tin whistle notes above the first octave. So out of consideration to his ears, a large amount of the tunes I wrote stayed in the first octave.

I also play musical instruments for people with developmental disabilities. If the mood is calm & quiet, and I'm maybe trying to help them relax or sleep, a tune that goes into the 2nd octave on a tin whistle or flute may be a bit too loud. So one octave tunes are nice for this as well.

One octave tunes also give me an option of what key to play the tune in to best suit a moment. For example, on a D whistle I could play it in the first octave (D) or the second octave (G). If I'm outside and it's windy, I may choose to play in G, since the second octave is a bit more wind resistant (it's tough to play whistles in windy weather). And I could choose D or G depending on the volume of the place I'm playing. It's also nice to have options of different keys to play in so you have more of a chance of playing along with other instuments.

It might also be nice to know some one octave tunes for anyone who plays an instrument that can only play 8 notes or so. For me, this would be my pendant ocarina, which I often bring along to play while out in a forest.

And lastly, I also just find that I enjoy simplistic tunes.

So here are some one octave tunes I've recorded. Most of these are original compositions, with a few traditional tunes here & there.

One Octave Tunes

A tune titled in appreciation of a very neat looking and very neat sounding bird.

Instruments:
Gold Tone tenor guitar, Burke tin whistle, Mk Pro low whistle

Starlings In The Oak Tree

Instruments:
Burke C brass narrow bore tin whistle, tambourine, finger cymbals

The Dog & The Bog

Instruments:
Hora octave mandolin, Burke D & low G whistles

Two Raccoons In A Blueberry Bush

Everything’s connected
But nothing’s working
Times running out
And death sits there smirking
Do you remember that night?
Wrapped in chains
Voices near us
Drowning out
Everything I could say
Creating turmoil
Creating chaos inside of me
It’s driving me crazy
Everything’s connected
But nothing’s working
When I’ve just shut my eyes
Wake me
Ready to rise
Crystal clear
Ready to fly
Everything’s connected
But nothing’s working
Times running out
And death sits there smirking
If everything’s connected
Why isn’t anything working
Times running out
And death just sits there smirking

Everything's Connected But Nothing's Working

Peter Ratzenbeck : Composer,peaking guitar,slide guitar.
Theo Bina : Rythm guitar and lead guitar .
Recorded : 1978

Fingerprints

Improvisation Blues for Duane ( Peter Ratzenbeck & Theo Bina)

A neoclassical testament to the value of retreat,
where silence gives birth to the most profound expressions,
contrapuncting the noise of our world.

This is the 2nd movement of my Symphony "Alive!".

Composed in the silence, solitude and fears of the Pandemic Lockdown.

Sigh of Retreat

English
This Movement IV of my Symphony No. 5 “Autumn” is a musical expression that tries to represent a day of work dedicated to the tasks of harvesting an abundant harvest in this especially productive season that nature offers us.

The action begins at dawn on the first day destined to collect the fruits expected during the year, when people begin to get up, get ready and go to the workplace to begin a promising day. The music begins by trying to describe the first light of day before the sun rises. Then, at 2:35, the Harp announces the dawn with the appearance of the first rays of sunlight, to which other instruments and the choirs join, which together foretell a radiant and beautiful day; Once the solar disk is above the horizon, flute trills can be heard that attempt to represent the birdsong…

The waltz that follows at dawn symbolises the harvesting work, in which, as the day progresses, the different stages of these tasks occur, where the castanets add a touch of festivity and celebration for this year's good harvest until the work day ends, night falls and a new day begins… at dawn…


Español
Este Mov. IV de mi Sinfonía No. 5 “Otoño” es una expresión musical que trata de representar un día de trabajo dedicado a las labores de recolección de una abundante cosecha en esta estación especialmente productiva que nos ofrece la naturaleza.

La acción comienza al alba en el primer día destinado a recoger los frutos esperados durante el año, cuando las gentes comienzan a levantarse, prepararse y dirigirse al lugar de trabajo para comenzar una jornada prometedora. La música comienza tratando de describir la primera luz del día antes de salir el sol. A continuación, en el momento 2:35, el Arpa anuncia el amanecer con la aparición de los primeros rayos solares a la cual se suman otros instrumentos y los coros, que juntos presagian un día radiante y hermoso; una vez el disco solar se encuentra por encima del horizonte, se escuchan trinos de flautas que tratan de representar en canto de los pájaros…

El vals que sigue al amanecer, simboliza las labores de recogida de la cosecha en la que a medida que va avanzando el día se suceden las distintas etapas propias de estas tareas, donde las castañuelas aportan un toque de fiesta y celebración por la buena cosecha de este año hasta que finaliza la jornada de trabajo, llega la noche y comienza un nuevo día… al Alba….

The Harvest

Sinf. No. 5- Mov. IV - The Harvest

The latest Bleep and joerxworx collaboration - we hope you will enjoy it !
Bleep - bass, guitar, keys, drums, various percussions and arrangement
joerxworx - EWI (Electronic Wind Instrument) trumpet, tenor sax

Link of Joerxworx SC account below:

https://soundcloud.com/joerxworx

From Berlin With Love (A Joerxworx and Bleep collab)

Are you a hopeless romantic?  I think this piece reflects the feelings of the expectation, hopes and dreams in a budding romance. And, the intense vulnerability of each partner. I read "a hopeless romantic is someone who is idealistic about romantic love and hopes for a fairytale ending".  If you have experienced heartache or a failed marriage, you know this isn't always true.  But the power of love pulls us back in ways unexpected.  Have no regrets, seeking love is worth it!

Romance

Inspiration No. 06
Here's another little short tune for your enjoyment.

Inspiration

Inspiration No. 06

Recently, I stumbled across this piece I wrote and recorded months ago...a simple piano composition, based on the idea that where you go doesn't matter as much as the person beside you. 

Anywhere With You

Sunday Afternoon

Dark Ages

Instruments:
Burke low G whistle, tenor guitar, organ

White Goat

An original whistle waltz, written on a day that I saw a lot of Eastern Pheobes.

Instruments:
Burke tin whistle, Gold Tone tenor guitar

Eastern Pheobe

Instruments:
Burke tin whistle, Doug Tipple flute, bongos, conga, frame drum, karatala, egg shaker, shruti box, organ effect on iPad

Downy Woodpecker

Original compositions played upon various acoustic instruments. 

At the moment, the majority of music I record is original folk tunes. Most of these tunes arise whilst out in natural ecosystems or shortly after visiting a natural ecosystem. The titles often reflect an aspect of the ecosystem I had noticed while the tune came about. Lately this is usually a species of bird.

Tin whistles and flutes appear the most often in my recordings; though mandolin, tenor guitar, lyre harp, jaw harp, dulcitar, and a handful of other instruments show up fairly often as well.

And here's some more music I've made along with my friend Dan Jones:
https://soundcloud.com/user-453898279

The Dog & The Bog

Zach Schneider

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