It’s been a while since I last posted a track, but that doesn’t mean I haven’t been busy. While I explore the world of production music composition, I continue to research and practice methods for effective unaccompanied saxophone music. Here is one of my latest, “Interlude 2.” I have sought to create a melody that is rhythmically and melodically compelling, while still outlining the chord changes.
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Pulse
I’ve taken a lot of inspiration lately from some of Brad Meldau’s less straight-ahead jazz albums, including “Mehliana: Taming the Dragon” and “Finding Gabriel.” Both these albums are really synth-heavy, so I took a stab a similar style with my Korg Minilogue.
This may likely become part of a larger project, and the version here will probably have drums added. Nonetheless I think it is worth hearing as it is, and I certainly enjoyed creating it.
“Silent Dreams”
It’s amazing how the coronavirus pandemic has shaken the world, and rocked the lives of so many people the world over. I’ve thought a lot about how the necessary measures of social distancing have isolated us and in many cases curtailed, postponed, or at the very least altered the pursuit of our goals and dreams. This is the inspiration for this song.
This composition is part of my years-long project of learning to write music for solo (unaccompanied) saxophone.
“On the Road Again” . . .
My partner and I just finished an amazing two-week road trip, logging about 2,400 miles through Arizona, New Mexico and Colorado. While taking some time to ruminate on questions of career, life goals, and purpose, this song kept popping into my head. I used to sing it as a child at my Grandparents’ house, and the idea hit me how fun it would be record a version.
Just the Two of Us
I have been recently been taken by the music of Bill Withers, and decided to record this as a gift to the love of my life. I’m both not a real singer nor recording engineer, but I learned a lot about both through the project, and got to record with my new Korg Minilogue as well. I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed making it.
Ben Wendel on “Shogher Jan”
I’ve wanted to learn this whole solo for quite some time. I’m a huge a fan of Tigran Hamasyan, on whose album this song appears, and Ben Wendel takes such an amazing solo on it!
I tell my Jazz Improvisation students about the importance of transcription in learning jazz all the time! Though it occurred to me that while I’ve done a ton of solo transcriptions where I write it down as I go, I’ve done very little where I work only aurally, memorizing as I go. I believe that the process of solo transcription for education is certainly valuable doing it either way, but the second method allows you to internalize the material more fully.
I also think that transcription alone is only worth so much–it’s what we do with it afterwards that is at least as important. I’ll be experimenting with different applications and analytical techniques in the next couple weeks, but so far I’ve applied a lot of these lines to Bb rhythm changes with great success.
Christopher Herald 