SOTM and Play by ear July 2026

[Wade Cornell]

This is hopefully cooling music for those of you suffering from the heat.

It's another one of those Play by ear types. There are no changes and the underlying chord structure is "vast" so it allows for a very wide range of interpretation. The tempo is ultra slow, so no need to work up a sweat.

A suggestion for all of the tunes played by ear is to first hum/sing something that you think fits. Then try to play something similar on your horn. The purpose of this exercise is to help you play what you hear... first hear what to play!

I'll just post the template for now and in a few days I'll post my interpretation of it.

Enjoy!
wikiloops_jam_305111.mp3 | Powered by Box

 

[Tonehole]

Enjoy the vibe you create. Very smooth and light on the horn.

 

[Wade Cornell]

As promised:
wikiloops_jam_309439.mp3 | Powered by Box
This is an example of an unstructured single take improvisation. It's not what everyone would call a melody, yet explores the mood/mode of this. It can be thought of as a "musical free association". There are no chord changes, there is no tune to learn. You can make whatever you want within this.

There is a musical challenge however that applies to everything we add to whether it's a known "standard" or something completely new and unknown... we serve the music. Use your imagination to make the music better. Give the music more definition, by adding melody, harmony, rhythm, anything that fits and communicates.

Use the two seemingly unrelated concepts of focus and letting go and see what happens.

Most of all... enjoy!

 

[atwl77]

My attempt:

https://soundcloud.com/adrian-learns-to-sax%2Fplay-by-ear-sotm-july-2026

View: https://soundcloud.com/adrian-learns-to-sax/play-by-ear-sotm-july-2026


Not easy for my level, I couldn't even figure out the backing track at first. I'm feeling it as a 4/4 track at 100bpm, in concert E♭ (might be a mode, aeolian or dorian maybe?)... how close am I?

It also feels like my timing is all over the place, as I am usually accustomed to a standard drum track or some other prominent instrument helping to keep my place in the piece, but there's not much here to help. The bass line is deceptive, but at the very least tells me where the first beat is.

Also, I picked the wrong time to record! It started raining outside, you might hear it during some of the softer sections... or maybe it adds some extra mood to the piece?

 

[Wade Cornell]

The spread of the chordal structure is broad enough to accommodate almost anything. There was a purpose in using this track. The "key", "chordal structure" and "tempo" are inexact. Thinking that it's a "Western jazz mode" is also a mistake (aeolian or dorian, etc.) and belays an educational prejudice. There are thousands of modes beyond those few used in Jazz. Trying to define everything so that you can use familiar elements to play specific notes in a specific tempo uses the wrong frame of mind. You need to use your ears to hear what to play. Having said all of that, atwl77 found his way through and heard this as fitting a minor mode motif, which also works.

It may be that this is too "foreign" for most people's playing experiences. There is nothing to grab on to and play familiar chords, beats, riffs, etc. That is the point. You need to be using your ears and hear something to play that fits.

atwl77 has accepted the challenge, jumped in and given us a motif that works. Can you?

 

[Pete Thomas]

My attempt:

https://soundcloud.com/adrian-learns-to-sax%2Fplay-by-ear-sotm-july-2026

View: https://soundcloud.com/adrian-learns-to-sax/play-by-ear-sotm-july-2026


Not easy for my level, I couldn't even figure out the backing track at first. I'm feeling it as a 4/4 track at 100bpm, in concert E♭ (might be a mode, aeolian or dorian maybe?)... how close am I?

It also feels like my timing is all over the place, as I am usually accustomed to a standard drum track or some other prominent instrument helping to keep my place in the piece, but there's not much here to help. The bass line is deceptive, but at the very least tells me where the first beat is.

Also, I picked the wrong time to record! It started raining outside, you might hear it during some of the softer sections... or maybe it adds some extra mood to the piece?

I really enjoyed that and can almost hear you’d ear/brain connection as you turn what might otherwise be a “wrong note” into a “right note.” Very nice and worked well with the rain! True improvisation.

 

[LostCircuits]

My attempt:

https://soundcloud.com/adrian-learns-to-sax%2Fplay-by-ear-sotm-july-2026

View: https://soundcloud.com/adrian-learns-to-sax/play-by-ear-sotm-july-2026


Not easy for my level, I couldn't even figure out the backing track at first. I'm feeling it as a 4/4 track at 100bpm, in concert E♭ (might be a mode, aeolian or dorian maybe?)... how close am I?

It also feels like my timing is all over the place, as I am usually accustomed to a standard drum track or some other prominent instrument helping to keep my place in the piece, but there's not much here to help. The bass line is deceptive, but at the very least tells me where the first beat is.

Also, I picked the wrong time to record! It started raining outside, you might hear it during some of the softer sections... or maybe it adds some extra mood to the piece?

Rain drops keep falling on my head ....

And sorry, I spent a lot of time at the vet this last week but I'll try to come up with something

 

[AlonW]

I took a whack at this, here's my take:

WikiLoopsJam.wav

drive.google.com

 

[Wade Cornell]

Oh yea. Getting into the flow and feel of this with good long tones. Very brave of you to take this on using a baritone. Some intonation problems in the high end, yet the exercise is mostly about hearing and responding to the feel and flow. There are some magic moments. I'd encourage you to do a lot more playing by ear as you get the most important aspects.

 

[AlonW]

Oh yea. Getting into the flow and feel of this with good long tones. Very brave of you to take this on using a baritone. Some intonation problems in the high end, yet the exercise is mostly about hearing and responding to the feel and flow. There are some magic moments. I'd encourage you to do a lot more playing by ear as you get the most important aspects.

Hmm maybe it’s my reed - too soft? It’s my first day trying a Rigotti 2 soft.

 

[LostCircuits]

As promised:
wikiloops_jam_309439.mp3 | Powered by Box
This is an example of an unstructured single take improvisation. It's not what everyone would call a melody, yet explores the mood/mode of this. It can be thought of as a "musical free association". There are no chord changes, there is no tune to learn. You can make whatever you want within this.

There is a musical challenge however that applies to everything we add to whether it's a known "standard" or something completely new and unknown... we serve the music. Use your imagination to make the music better. Give the music more definition, by adding melody, harmony, rhythm, anything that fits and communicates.

Use the two seemingly unrelated concepts of focus and letting go and see what happens.

Most of all... enjoy!

I am actually trying not to listen to other contributions, and listening to the Sus4 chord, I have a very precise idea of what I want to play over it, I just haven't had time yet to get to it.

 

[LostCircuits]

Just a quick single take:

I hope the link works. The very first note has a little lag but like I said, just a single take, a little bit inspired by Jan Garbarek's Officium and other medieval chants.

 

[Wade Cornell]

You had a lovely wander around inside of this. Fitting so well with the mood and feel. It's very pleasing that you've jumped into this with "big ears". Feel free to have more goes if in the mood.

I'm not sure if you'd like constructive suggestions, yet will offer them (they are ignore-able):
There isn't a lot of build or movement in the template. That can be matched (as you've mostly done) or used just as backing to give more of a story or introduce other elements of rhythm or climaxes. You've used the high end of the horn quite a lot, which works for climaxes. However climaxes work best when built up to and if somewhat "brief".

As a one shot improvisation your solo is more than fine, yet gives the opportunity to state an advanced challenge of bringing into play more "storytelling" melodic goals, and to consider further variations that keep a listener engaged. Complex play/articulation isn't necessarily desirable (a too common mistake). IMHO it's about making the template a basis for communicating your personal statement that can be understood and felt by a listener. The BIG challenge.

 

[LostCircuits]

You had a lovely wander around inside of this. Fitting so well with the mood and feel. It's very pleasing that you've jumped into this with "big ears". Feel free to have more goes if in the mood.

I'm not sure if you'd like constructive suggestions, yet will offer them (they are ignore-able):
There isn't a lot of build or movement in the template. That can be matched (as you've mostly done) or used just as backing to give more of a story or introduce other elements of rhythm or climaxes. You've used the high end of the horn quite a lot, which works for climaxes. However climaxes work best when built up to and if somewhat "brief".

As a one shot improvisation your solo is more than fine, yet gives the opportunity to state an advanced challenge of bringing into play more "storytelling" melodic goals, and to consider further variations that keep a listener engaged. Complex play/articulation isn't necessarily desirable (a too common mistake). IMHO it's about making the template a basis for communicating your personal statement that can be understood and felt by a listener. The BIG challenge.

Yes, it is one thing to have an idea or concept and another thing to fill a 5 min template. And, there were so many different possibilities that, by themselves would have worked just fine but combining them would have disrupted the flow or if you want to call it that, the ambience.

And then, I did not want to play over the flute at the end but only throw in few accents and harmonizing elements and let the flute have its own presence. I did not mix or adjust anything, just played it once after a dry run and exported it - a bit stressed for time.

But I may do something altogether different in the next few days.

 

[Jeanette]

But I may do something altogether different in the next few days.

Always welcome to post

Big thanks to @Wade Cornell for hosting this month and all those who contributed

Jx

 

[LostCircuits]

Sorry, I got sidetracked building a big pan flute..
Na. forest fire mitigation, this is about 15% of my logging from this weekend with another 80 acres to go.

 

[Wade Cornell]

Sorry, I got sidetracked building a big pan flute..
Na. forest fire mitigation, this is about 15% of my logging from this weekend with another 80 acres to go.
View attachment 36187

Good idea to get rid of dead-wood fuel! Some of that looks like Eucalyptus.

 

[LostCircuits]

The logs are all Aspen. But this year has been brutal on the spruces, I look at the forest and it looks like I have more dead trees than live ones. Some of them "giants" that were over 100 years old, counting the rings. It's depressing but all I can do is damage control.

But I still have a lot of hollowed out logs and I am planning on using some of those for a "wind organ" in the middle of the forest. No idea whether it'll work but we'll find out!

 

[Jeanette]

Yes. my mailbox is full and I've always had difficulty in clearing it. The instructions don't match what I see on the page... or I'm just to dumb to understand. So I've answered you here as I'm just not able to send a PM with it being full.

See pc

 

[Wade Cornell]

I'll eventually get around to cataloging mouthpieces, but I'm less concerned about those as they are less difficult to ship than horns and (mostly) not as valuable.